A FLOWER FOR THE SEASON - The Sacred Marigold of Mexico

Jennifer Bjarnason
Jun 15, 2024
5 min read

Updated: Jun 30, 2024

A Rebozo full of Marigolds

Santa Fe de la Laguna, Michoacan Mexico

Photo by Bart Bjarnason November 1, 2021

The arrival of the musky, golden Cempasuchil (marigold) flowers on Benigno Serrato in Patzcuaro marks the start of the regions most significant and important observation of the year. For many foreigners who come from all over the world to observe this cultural ritual, Dia de Muertos is an enchanting overnight pilgrimage to select cemeteries around the lake region. For the locals, this is an important way of life that involves a lot of preparations leading up to the big day.

The symbolic and ritualistic elements of Dia de Muertos are many. One of the biggest industries includes the growing and harvesting of select flowers that are purchased in huge volume, with marigolds topping the list. In 2021, the Mexican Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (SADER) reported the harvest of 19,442 tons of this symbolic and important flower across the nation, with a net worth of MXN $93.4 million (US $4.67 million). The largest production states are Puebla, Tlaxcala, Hidalgo, San Luis Potosi, Guerrero, Oaxaca, Morelos, Durango and Sonora. In Xochimilco, the production has increased drastically over the past few years, with 5 million plants harvested in 2021.

Transporting Cempasuchil

Xochimilco, Mexico City, Mexico

Photo by Jennifer Bjarnason October 2018

My brother Kris and I were in Mexico City for the Catrina Parade and happened to end up in the picturesque canals of Xochimilco among countless rafts like the one pictured above, transporting these lovely, strong-scented flowers from their nursery`s to their vendors. Historians credit the Mexica (Aztec) as the original culture that utilized this flower during Dia de Muertos observations, perhaps because the word cempasuchil is derived from cempohualxochitl, which is a Nahuatl word that means "twenty flowers" or "several flowers". As the chinampa gardens of Xochimilco were a major agricultural region for the Mexica, it is likely where these symbolic blossoms were grown here before the arrival of the Spanish.

As historians and archeologists are not clear on what rituals took place during Dia de Muertos in pre-Hispanic times, it is impossible to know where this tradition began or how it was transferred and shared. The Mexica adopted many Toltec gods and traditions as their own and there are several elements of Dia de Muertos that are shared by the Pùrepecha in Michoacan, the Zapotec in Oaxaca and in select Latin American countries south of Mexico`s border.

Arranging Flowers in the Cemetery

Tzintzuntzan, Michoacan Mexico

Photo by Jennifer Bjarnason November 1, 2023

The origins of the Marigold and how they circumnavigated the world is an interesting story, and the name Tagetes is as misleading as descriptors Moorish, French and African for different varietals of this flower.

Tages is a god of Etruscan mythology with roots in Tarquinia, Italy. This deity is a god of divination, linked to the underworld and afterlife. For the Mexica, the marigold was a gift from the gods that represented the sun, to be utilized for it´s pungent scent so the souls of the deceased could smell their way back to their people during this cardinal holiday. How the name tagetes, named for an Etruscan god, became the appellation for a flower that held primary importance to the Mexica, the Inca and other cultures of Latin America where this plant came from, is typical of colonialism and a reminder that ancient names don´t always signify historical relevance. French marigolds got their name when they became a trend in French gardens, as African marigolds possibly got their name because the British were confused about their origins after procuring seeds in North Africa from naturalized plants that had been previously brought there.

In India, marigolds are the nations beloved flower, representing joy and prosperity. Brought to India by the Portuguese in the 1500`s, these hearty flowers have been incorporated into various spiritual celebrations, weddings and interestingly, on toranas, which are ornamental doors on Buddhist stupas, or funerary monuments. The symbolic garlands are comprised of hundreds of marigolds and suspended around the door to represent good luck. I was interested to understand how a flower from another part of the world could become such an important and symbolic icon in such ancient cultures of India, and was not terribly surprised to learn that in India, the calendula was a significant flower from ancient India that predated the arrival of the marigold by over a thousand years. The arrival of marigolds replaced calendulas simply because they were the same bright and joyous colour, but were easier to grow.

Marigold Archway

Capula, Michoacan Mexico

Photo by Jennifer Bjarnason October 2018

During Dia de Muertos preparations that precede the major cemetery vigils of November 2, the villages around the Lake Patzcuaro region are bursting with the vibrant orange flowers. Archways such as this entrance to Capula`s annual art market symbolize the doorway between the living and the dead. This time of year is for the last abundant harvest, when many annual plants are dying and trees are shedding their leaves before winter begins - perhaps one reason why various cultures around the world revere this auspicious season as a time when the veil between the living and the dead is thinnest. Marigolds are tied onto gates and doorways of all shapes and sizes, scattered over graves, placed on important altars, and even featured on beer labels and infused into local mezcal. Today, orange pompoms are giving the flower much competition, as artisans create beautiful door frames that can be stored yearly, and save an incredible amount of work and money. Headbands are a new fashion trend, made from both real flowers and acrylic wool pompoms. Wooden cemetery altars are constructed from small to large sizes, erected in select places along the cemetery route to guide the spirits of the ancestors. This iconic flower has traveled the world and been named by cultures far from her origins, but there is nowhere one can experience her significance more than being in Mexico during Dia de Muertos.

Please join us in the Lake Patzcuaro region annually, during Dia de Muertos. We offer a compact tour, but highly recommend our extend experience as you will have the chance to build a marigold altar with a local indigenous family, help prepare Pan de Muertos (a special bread for this holiday), observe preparations before the major crowds arrive, and enjoy an enchanting experience on Noche de Muertos, visiting private families and communities by invitation, rather than with thousands of tourists on the bus circuit.

Thanks to those of you who have supported my writing and research through your donations. A little adds up to a lot, and helps cover my time so I can keep publishing these articles. If there's a subject you'd like to see covered, please email me! If you would like to make a small donation of $20 Pesos (Approximately $1.20 US), please click here: DONATE

A CULTURAL ODYSSEY TOUR

HIDDEN TREASURES TOUR