Originally published on December 18, 2013

A member of the Papantla flyer performance troupe died after falling from a pole during a Totonac ritual performance at the new Kiwigkolo Ecological Park in Papantla, Mexico on Tuesday (December 18).

Nicolás García San Martín, 51, lost his balance at the top of the Totonac ritual pole and fell 20 metres to the ground before teachers, students, and tourists at the opening of the new ecological park.

The Papantla flyer sustained multiple fractures to his body and his skull, and was pronounced dead before he reached the hospital.

San Martín had dedicated more than 30 years to the performances, and had attained the highest rank of corporal in the ritual. The Veracruz state has said that the AC Paxialhni Civil Association, which headed the construction of the park, will compensate the deceased's family with a sum equivalent to a life insurance payment.

The Kiwigkolo Ecological Park has postponed its inaugural ceremony indefinitely following San Martín's death.

UNESCO classified the Papantla flyer ritual as an Intangible Heritage of Humanity in September 2009.

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