Mexican Marigold or Cempasúchil flower or Mexican Marigold is native to Mexico. Its name comes from the Nahuatl "Cempohualxochitl" which means "twenty flowers" or "several flowers".
Mexican ancestors associated the yellow color of the cempasuchil flower with the sun, which is why they used it in offerings dedicated to their dead. Tradition marks the main road with cempasuchil flowers, guiding souls to the altars by making paths.
On November 1st and 2nd, the dead are celebrated in my homeland. These are days in which we can appreciate the most intense colour and smell of the flower. The Mexica considered the flower as a symbol of life and death.
In Mexico, the presence of 35 species of the flower has been reported, compared to 58 in North America. In Mexico, the states of Guanajuato, Hidalgo, Michoacán and the State of Mexico are the ones with the most favourable soil and climate conditions for the production of cempasuchil.
The stem of the flower can reach up to a meter in height, while its buttons can reach five centimeters in diameter and only blooms after the rainy season.
