There’s an Ancient Lesson on Life & Death Behind the Día De Muertos Marigold Flowers

With fall, comes death — at least for those who celebrate Day of the Dead. The event, which happens on November 1, is a celebration and remembrance of our ancestors who have come to pass. On this day, observers set up altars to commemorate their loved ones’ lives, and on their graves, they place marigolds. But why is this golden flower used for this celebration of life, here and gone (or not so gone)? And why is it so special to Mexicans in general? 

“Marigolds are known in Mexico as cempasúchit [or cempasúchitl], which is derived from the Náhuatl language and the word ‘cempohualxochitl,’” Antonieta Mercado, Director of the Program in Latin American Studies at the University of San Diego, tells Refinery29 Somos. “This word translates to ‘flower of 20 flowers’ or ‘flower of 20 petals.’” 

The marigold is native to Mexico, and the Mexican government recognizes the existence of at least 55 different species. “Marigolds grow wild in many parts of Mexico, and they are endemic in my family’s homeland in Michoacán,” says chef Johnny Hernandez, founder of San Antonio’s three-day Day of the Dead celebration (one of the largest Día de Muertos celebrations in the United States). “So naturally, marigolds have long been used for decorative and medicinal purposes, even during the time of Mayan and Aztec civilizations. Even today in Mexico, teas are made from their petals and the juice of their leaves. The abundance of marigolds in Mexico has connected them to Mexican culture in myriad ways.”

Months before Día de Muertos, cities start prepping so the flowers can take center stage come November. “In many places in Mexico, such as Xochimilco, Oaxaca, La Huasteca Potosina, and more, the celebration of the Dead begins by planting these flowers in June — coinciding with the Catholic day of San Juan — around June 24 or 25,” Mercado says. 

The flower then reaches maturity and thrives best during the season of the fall harvest. “In pre-Hispanic times, harvest celebrations were common,” Hernandez adds. “Early cultures were especially attuned to the seasons. It was life to them.” 

These harvest celebrations and the seasonality of the flower connect to Day of the Dead by the sheer abundance of flowers available for the altars or ofrendas. Not only that, but the remembrance of ancestors also ties in as many see the flowers as a part of the circle of life. According to folk tales, they aid in the cycle of harvest, maintaining a “connection with the natural elements beyond their physical existence,” Mercado explains. 

While Day of the Dead is technically one day, Mercado notes that the name of the holiday is a bit of a misnomer. The celebration is usually much more extended, with people building ofrendas as early as the end of September or late October and taking them down on November 2. “Since the Catholic Church incorporated the celebration into their own holiday of Día de Todos los Santos, it is now called ‘Day of the Dead’ or ‘Día de Muertos’ in Mexico,” she says. And while variations of the altar are common and traditions differ from household to household, marigolds are non-negotiable. They are a distinctive emblem to the culture. 

“The cempasúchitl, or marigold, is a flower that clearly predates the encounter between Spaniards and the Indigenous peoples of modern-day Mexico,” explains J.P. Spicer-Escalante, professor of Hispanic Studies at Utah State University. “Tradition says that the Sun God Tonatiuh gifted the flower to the Nahua so that they could remember and revere their loved ones who had passed away.” 

This divine origin story is significant, Spicer-Escalante explains, in that the notion of a divine “gift” is part of the celebration as a whole, and the Indigenous people of Mexico believed that both the scent and colorful nature of the marigold guided their loved ones to return home to the altars their families prepared. “That traditional practice continues to this day, both in Mexico and the U.S. Indeed, in many instances, cempasúchitl petals, with their aroma and bright colors, are spread out to lead the deceased to the ofrenda, creating a guiding pathway of sorts to lead the deceased there,” he says. “The flowers are a warm, welcoming invitation to both the living and the deceased. They remind us to seek out beauty even in the loss of our loved ones.”

While marigolds might not be the country’s national flower, when it comes to Día de Muertos, no other bloom is as important. “Mexicans are very traditional, and traditionally the marigold is the flower most closely associated with Day of the Dead. It’s iconic; it was integral to the ancient Aztec legend of the goddess Mictecacihuatl, [the wife of the god of the underworld, who allowed spirits to travel back to visit their living families], so it continues to be an important part of our story,” Hernandez says. “Of course other flowers, like chrysanthemums, cockscombs, and gladiolas are associated with funerals and celebrations of life, even in Mexico; however, I don’t think we’ll ever lose our love for the marigold. It’s long been at the center of every Day of the Dead celebration and tradition and is still found in every cemetery and ofrenda in Mexico — and San Antonio — during Día de Muertos.”

Spicer-Escalante also nods to this idea of tradition as being one that continues, even as people eschew other customs. “Tradition is a very powerful component of human existence, and without a doubt, it plays an important role in the Día de Muertos, as well as in Mexico in general,” he says. “In my experience, I have found that many young Latine students of mine have begun to embrace their forebears' traditions. In a world in which superficiality and banality are abundant, and tradition is fleeting due to the overwhelming force of globalization, it’s refreshing to see young Latines grasp onto something that is so culturally relevant across generations. It gives them a sense of roots and cultural orientation, particularly when they face a dominant culture in the U.S. that has become increasingly hostile to their cultural roots and beliefs.”

This cultural storytelling, one of gods, tradition, and symbolism, has a lasting effect on Mexicans and those rooted in the culture that seemingly hasn’t waned. “Marigolds symbolize sunshine and life with their color,” Hernandez says, noting his own personal take — “they, to me, are also a symbol of life beyond in the way that they retain their color and pigmentation when dried — the blossoms once so fresh and bright don’t lose their beauty in death.” 

And yet, while still beautiful, they do die. “Marigolds, like all flowers — and living beings, for that matter — are reminders of the impermanence of life,” Spicer-Escalante says. He notes that Nezahualcóyotl, the poet king of the Aztecs, knew this many centuries ago and expressed that sentiment in his poem “Yo Lo Pregunto” (“I ask”), where he recognizes the fleeting nature of life: “Nada es para siempre en la tierra / Solo un poco aquí” (“Nothing is forever on earth / Just briefly here”). 

“He was correct, of course,” Spicer-Escalante adds. “Flowers, especially beautiful ones, remind us that our time on earth is limited and that death will befall all of us sooner or later; our youth and beauty will, just like cempasúchitl petals, fade and dry up. Thus, they incite us to live, and that is a powerful message that we should all heed on a daily basis.”