I will never forget visiting my grandmother’s hometown of Pátzcuaro, Michoacán, at the beginning of November last year. For a brief three-day span, the streets, entryways, and old colonial buildings were decorated with thousands of fresh marigolds as the town was making preparations to welcome their ancestors.
Native to Mexico, the cempasúchil, or marigold, is recognized as the ceremonial Day of the Dead flower used to guide the spirits of our loved ones back home. The word cempasúchil derives from the indigenous language Nahuatl and means “the flower of 20 petals.” According to Mexican tradition, the flower’s aroma and bright orange color ensure the spirits don’t get lost during their visit in early November.
In 2023, I visited the Mercado de Jamaica in Mexico City to research Día de Muertos traditions for my new book, Mexico’s Day of the Dead: A Celebration of Life Through Stories and Photos. Though on the outside it appeared unassuming, as I walked deeper into the market I discovered a one-stop shop where people can find everything they need to build a traditional Day of the Dead altar.
Vendors were selling papel picado—garlands of colorful tissue paper cut into intricate designs—featuring skeletons depicted dancing, getting married, and riding bikes. The skeleton is present in all Day of the Dead decor, as Mexican culture presents death as a natural part of life to be accepted, rather than something to fear.
Turning another corner, I found myself in a sea of orange petals. At closer glance, I realized I was seeing rows of pickup trucks overflowing with marigolds spilling onto the ground. The vendors, who traveled from Michoacán and Puebla, ensured nothing went to waste as they filled straw baskets with tiny orange petals.
The energy in the mercado was chaotic. Vendors shouted prices, while tossing bunches of marigolds in the air as they searched for the perfect bouquet to offer to prospective clients. The aroma was pungent and musky. Some might describe it as unpleasant, but for me the scent was a reminder that the best season of the year was upon us.
The use of marigolds present all over Mexico today can actually be traced back to pre-Hispanic times, when the Aztecs revered and honored the goddess of death with a skeletal face, Mictēcacihuātl.
When the Spanish arrived, Mictēcacihuātl was a widely recognized goddess honored in late July and early August. And while the Spanish disapproved of the Aztecs’ worship of her and their associated festivals honoring the dead, they were unable to completely eradicate these practices. Instead, the influence of the goddess’s celebrations was so strong that the indigenous people found a way to subtly honor the dead the way they wanted to during the Catholic remembrance days of All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day. This syncretism was eventually used by the Spanish as a tool to convert the indigenous people to Catholicism. Today, this celebration is known as Día de Muertos, blending indigenous and Catholic traditions.
Though archaeologists do not have a complete picture of the Aztecs’ original summer celebration of Mictēcacihuātl, they believe customs included making cempasúchil flower garlands, burning copal incense, singing, and dancing—all traditions that survived through Day of the Dead.
During my travels, I learned that marigolds are not the only flower used to celebrate and honor the dead. The second most popular flower used for the holiday is a red blossom known as cockscomb in English and cresta de gallo in Spanish. In Mexico, they also call it flor de terciopelo, the “velvet flower,” because of its soft touch and association with bringing comfort after losing a loved one. The flower, which is edible, can be found in deep shades of carmine red, yellow, pink, purple, and orange.
Flor de nube, or baby’s breath, can also be used to honor young children who have passed. The color white symbolizes the innocence of the children’s souls, and when combined with marigolds, flor de nube creates a lovely aroma.
The vendors at Mercado de Jamaica in Mexico City were also selling clemolitos and siempre vivas. Clemolitos (molitos, for short) are a different type of marigold—not as fluffy or as orange, dry, and with a tint of red. This flower is often used in combination with regular marigolds but is less popular. Siempre vivas, on the other hand, are purple flowers whose name translates as “always alive.” This flower never wilts and is primarily found during autumn; though it’s not as popular as the marigolds and the other traditional flowers, it’s an option for Día de Muertos altars.
Inspired by my conversations with the vendors at the market, I decided to travel to Michoacán to see the flower farms in person. When we arrived, I came across Leo Dante, a seven year old, who was struggling to lift piles of marigolds, but who reassured me that he had it all under control. Rumaldo Acosta, 70, who was also working the fields that day, told me, “This tradition will never end. It’s a beautiful tradition full of joy where we remember our loved ones who have left us.”
Reflecting on my conversations with both Leo and Rumaldo, I realized how fortunate I am to be part of a culture that cares so deeply about passing down tradition—and the importance of ensuring that our celebrations never die.
Mexico’s Day of the Dead: A Celebration of Life Through Photos and Stories is out now via Hardie Grant.