Cempasuchil

The cempasuchil (marigold) is a medicinal flower that holds special significance in Dia de los Muertos celebrations. This vibrant, aromatic flower decorates altars and embellishes ceremonies. Rumors say the cempasuchil's aroma helps the ancestors find their way back to their families. Legend tells of Xochitl, who loses her lover Huitzitzilin in war, begging the sun god, Tonatiuh, to reunite them. Tonatiuh turns Xochitl into a twenty petaled, sun colored marigold, and her lover Huitzitzilin into a hummingbird, so that the two will eternally be drawn to each other. "Cempasuchil" weaves together a macaronic set of texts in English, Spanish, and Nahuatl to tell the tale of Xochitl and Huitzitzilin via different perspectives and to remind us that mixture of cultures keeps them alive, relevant, and rich.