The atmosphere provides a large set of experimental conditions on which cosmic-ray induced high-energy hadron interactions can take place. These conditions include sudden changes in the atmospheric pressure, temperature, and in the local electric and magnetic fields. In this work, we present the Piritakua (flash of lightning in Purépecha) project, a cosmic-ray detector currently under construction at the Instituto de Física of UNAM. The experiment will consist of a small array of scintillator detectors, operating simultaneously with an electric field meter, a magnetometer, a meteorological station, and a hemispheric camera. We propose to study the modification of the secondary particle production and propagation under sudden variations in standard atmospheric properties. We present the current status of the detector construction and commissioning.