Click image to zoom

Producers Of Cempasuchil Flowers From The Chinampas Of The San Luis Tlaxialtemalco Flower Market In Xochimilco

Producers of Cempasuchil Flowers from the chinampas of the San Luis Tlaxialtemalco Flower Market in Xochimilco, Mexico City, are preparing distribution and sale of merchandise . Such is the case of Don Aureliano Cuaxospa, 73 years old, who is dedicated to the production and sale of Cempasuchil Flower in a chinampa located in said place that he takes care of daily from very early on to prevent the more than 5,000 flowers from becoming contaminated. plague and are free of predatory insects of this flower such as the mayate or beetle, better known in Mexico as jicotillo. Each pot has an average cost of $18 Mexican pesos (approximately $1 dollar). The marigold flower symbolizes the Day of the Dead in Mexico. Thanks to its color and aroma, it is one of the most representative elements of the offerings for the deceased. Its name comes from the Nahuatl Cempohualxochitl, which means ''Flower with twenty petals.'' During pre-Hispanic times, the Mexica assimilated the yellow color of this flower with the sun, therefore, they used it in altars, offerings and burials dedicated to their dead that took them to Mictlan, the underworld. Currently the Cempasuchil Flower is used to give color to textiles, make insecticides and even as medicine. Our ancestors used it to reduce the discomfort of vomiting, indigestion and diarrhea. (Photo by Gerardo Vieyra/NurPhoto)

Photo Details

Related Keywords