"Small producers in Xochimilco prepare for the Day of the Dead in"

#11668170

15 October 2024

Various producers of Cempasuchil Flower, Pan de Muerto, Calaveritas de Azucar, and Pulque de Flor Cempasuchil prepare to sell their products on the eve of the Day of the Dead in Xochimilco in Mexico City. The cempasuchil 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 of twenty petals.'' During the pre-Hispanic era, the Mexicas associate the yellow color of this flower with the sun, therefore, they use it in altars, offerings, and burials dedicated to their dead that lead them to Mictlan, the underworld. As for the Pan de Muerto, according to historical documents and accounts, in ancient Mexico, before the indigenous resistance against the arrival of the Europeans to the country, a kind of bread similar to the tortilla is prepared, made of amaranth, dried and toasted corn, and maguey honey. It is called papalotlaxcalli, which means Butterfly Bread, and has a butterfly stamped on the dough. According to the Duran Codex or History of the Indies of New Spain and the Tierra Firme Islands, it is an offering food for the goddess Cihuapipiltin, who watches over women who die in childbirth; although later it appears in the accounts of the Codex as part of a food offering that is placed on the tzompantli, an altar of skulls in honor of people sacrificed in rituals for the gods. This Mexican sweet bread is placed on altars to honor, remember, and, according to belief, feed deceased relatives who visit homes on the Day of the Dead. Sugar skulls are made of alfenique, which is later changed to chocolate, using a jam originally from Spain, whose handling technique is most likely adopted from the Arab tradition. Alfenique is created from a mixture of cane sugar with egg whites, water, and lemon juice. Traditionally, a skull is decorated.

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#11668204

15 October 2024

A knife with petals of the Cempasuchil flower is used to prepare pulque in Mexico City, Mexico, on the eve of the Day of the Dead. Pulque is an alcoholic drink of pre-Hispanic origin obtained from the leaves of the maguey and made from the fermentation of mucilage, an organic substance with a viscous texture typical of some plants, popularly known as aguamiel. The Cempasuchil flower symbolizes the Day of the Dead in Mexico. Due to its color and aroma, it is one of the most representative elements of the offerings for the dead. It is used to give color to textiles, to make insecticides, medicines, and food, among other uses. The Cempasuchil flower adorns the altars and offerings of the Day of the Dead in the country. By mixing pulque, Cempasuchil flower petals, sugar, condensed milk, and vanilla, this drink is made only on these dates.

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#11668129

15 October 2024

A view of Cempasuchil flowers in a greenhouse for sale in Mexico City, Mexico, on the eve of the Day of the Dead. The Cempasuchil flower symbolizes the Day of the Dead in Mexico. Due 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 of twenty petals.'' During the pre-Hispanic era, the Mexicas associate the yellow color of this flower with the sun, and therefore, they use it in altars, offerings, and burials dedicated to their dead, which lead them to Mictlan, the underworld.

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#11668130

15 October 2024

A view of Cempasuchil flowers in a greenhouse for sale in Mexico City, Mexico, on the eve of the Day of the Dead. The Cempasuchil flower symbolizes the Day of the Dead in Mexico. Due 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 of twenty petals.'' During the pre-Hispanic era, the Mexicas associate the yellow color of this flower with the sun, and therefore, they use it in altars, offerings, and burials dedicated to their dead, which lead them to Mictlan, the underworld.

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#11668131

15 October 2024

People walk among Cempasuchil flowers in a greenhouse in Mexico City, Mexico, on the eve of the Day of the Dead. The Cempasuchil flower symbolizes the Day of the Dead in Mexico. Its color and aroma make it one of the most representative elements of the offerings for the deceased. Its name comes from the Nahuatl ''Cempohualxochitl,'' which means ''Flower of twenty petals.'' During the pre-Hispanic era, the Mexicas associate the yellow color of this flower with the sun, and therefore, they use it in altars, offerings, and burials dedicated to their dead, leading them to Mictlan, the underworld.

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#11668134

15 October 2024

A person waters Cempasuchil flowers in a greenhouse in Mexico City, Mexico, on the eve of the Day of the Dead. The Cempasuchil 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 of twenty petals.'' During the pre-Hispanic era, the Mexicas associate the yellow color of this flower with the sun. Therefore, they use it in altars, offerings, and burials dedicated to their dead, which lead them to Mictlan, the underworld.

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#11668136

15 October 2024

A person waters Cempasuchil flowers in a greenhouse in Mexico City, Mexico, on the eve of the Day of the Dead. The Cempasuchil 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 of twenty petals.'' During the pre-Hispanic era, the Mexicas associate the yellow color of this flower with the sun. Therefore, they use it in altars, offerings, and burials dedicated to their dead, which lead them to Mictlan, the underworld.

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#11668138

15 October 2024

A person waters Cempasuchil flowers in a greenhouse in Mexico City, Mexico, on the eve of the Day of the Dead. The Cempasuchil 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 of twenty petals.'' During the pre-Hispanic era, the Mexicas associate the yellow color of this flower with the sun. Therefore, they use it in altars, offerings, and burials dedicated to their dead, which lead them to Mictlan, the underworld.

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#11668140

15 October 2024

A pickup truck is among Cempasuchil flowers in a greenhouse in Mexico City, Mexico, on the eve of the Day of the Dead. The Cempasuchil flower symbolizes the Day of the Dead in Mexico. Due 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 of twenty petals.'' During the pre-Hispanic era, the Mexicas associate the yellow color of this flower with the sun, and therefore, they use it in altars, offerings, and burials dedicated to their dead, which lead them to Mictlan, the underworld.

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#11668142

15 October 2024

Dolls are among Cempasuchil flowers in a greenhouse in Mexico City, Mexico, on the eve of the Day of the Dead. The Cempasuchil flower symbolizes the Day of the Dead in Mexico. Due 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 word Cempohualxochitl, which means ''Flower of twenty petals.'' During the pre-Hispanic era, the Mexicas associated the yellow color of this flower with the sun, and therefore, they used it in altars, offerings, and burials dedicated to their dead, which led them to Mictlan, the underworld.

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#11668144

15 October 2024

A cyclist rides among Cempasuchil flowers in a greenhouse in Mexico City, Mexico, on October 31, 2023, on the eve of the Day of the Dead. The Cempasuchil 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 of twenty petals.'' During the pre-Hispanic era, the Mexicas associate the yellow color of this flower with the sun. Therefore, they use it in altars, offerings, and burials dedicated to their dead, which lead them to Mictlan, the underworld.

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#11668146

15 October 2024

A chef burns corn husks to turn them into ashes (totomoxtle) in Mexico City, Mexico, on the eve of the Day of the Dead, to make Pan de Muerto. According to historical documents and accounts, in ancient Mexico, before the indigenous resistance to the arrival of Europeans, a kind of bread similar to a tortilla is prepared, made from amaranth, dried and toasted corn, and maguey honey. It is called papalotlaxcalli, which means Butterfly Bread, and has a butterfly stamped on the dough. According to the Duran Codex or History of the Indies of New Spain and the Tierra Firme Islands, it is an offering food for the goddess Cihuapipiltin, who watches over women who die in childbirth; although later it appears in the accounts of the Codex as part of a food offering that is placed on the tzompantli, an altar of skulls in honor of people sacrificed in rituals for the gods.

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#11668148

15 October 2024

A chef burns corn husks to turn them into ashes (totomoxtle) in Mexico City, Mexico, on the eve of the Day of the Dead, to make Pan de Muerto. According to historical documents and accounts, in ancient Mexico, before the indigenous resistance to the arrival of Europeans, a kind of bread similar to a tortilla is prepared, made from amaranth, dried and toasted corn, and maguey honey. It is called papalotlaxcalli, which means Butterfly Bread, and has a butterfly stamped on the dough. According to the Duran Codex or History of the Indies of New Spain and the Tierra Firme Islands, it is an offering food for the goddess Cihuapipiltin, who watches over women who die in childbirth; although later it appears in the accounts of the Codex as part of a food offering that is placed on the tzompantli, an altar of skulls in honor of people sacrificed in rituals for the gods.

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#11668150

15 October 2024

A chef mixes totomoxtle (corn husk ash) and sugar in Mexico City, Mexico, on the eve of Day of the Dead, to make Pan de Muerto. According to historical documents and accounts, in ancient Mexico, before the indigenous resistance to the arrival of Europeans, a kind of bread similar to a tortilla is prepared, made from amaranth, dried and toasted corn, and maguey honey. It is called papalotlaxcalli, which means Butterfly Bread, and has a butterfly stamped on the dough. According to the Duran Codex or History of the Indies of New Spain and the Tierra Firme Islands, it is an offering food for the goddess Cihuapipiltin, who watches over women who die in childbirth; although it later appears in the stories of the Codex as part of a food offering that is placed on the tzompantli, an altar of skulls in honor of the people sacrificed in rituals for the gods.

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#11668153

15 October 2024

View of caramelized citrus fruits in Mexico City, Mexico, on the eve of the Day of the Dead, to make Pan de Muerto. According to historical documents and accounts, in ancient Mexico, before the indigenous resistance to the arrival of Europeans, a kind of bread similar to a tortilla is prepared, made from amaranth, dried and toasted corn, and maguey honey. It is called papalotlaxcalli, which means Butterfly Bread, and has a butterfly stamped on the dough. According to the Duran Codex or History of the Indies of New Spain and the Tierra Firme Islands, it is an offering food for the goddess Cihuapipiltin, who watches over women who die in childbirth; although later it appears in the accounts of the Codex as part of a food offering that is placed on the tzompantli, an altar of skulls in honor of people sacrificed in rituals for the gods.

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#11668154

15 October 2024

A chef mixes totomoxtle (corn husk ash) and sugar in Mexico City, Mexico, on the eve of Day of the Dead, to make Pan de Muerto. According to historical documents and accounts, in ancient Mexico, before the indigenous resistance to the arrival of Europeans, a kind of bread similar to a tortilla is prepared, made from amaranth, dried and toasted corn, and maguey honey. It is called papalotlaxcalli, which means Butterfly Bread, and has a butterfly stamped on the dough. According to the Duran Codex or History of the Indies of New Spain and the Tierra Firme Islands, it is an offering food for the goddess Cihuapipiltin, who watches over women who die in childbirth; although it later appears in the stories of the Codex as part of a food offering that is placed on the tzompantli, an altar of skulls in honor of the people sacrificed in rituals for the gods.

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