Mexicans love to adorn their homes with freshly cut flowers. Three of the most admired -- the first three listed below -- are native Mexican, and are all members of the daisy, or composite, family.
- Zinias, or zinnias, such as the one shown to the right, when sold in mercados are considerably more gaudy than the wild, native Mexican species from which all the zinnia varieties have been horticulturally developed. Mexicans often refer to their native species by the name of mal de ojo, or "bad eye."
- Caléndulas, or marigolds, are especially important during the Festival of the Dead, which coincides with our Halloween. Once I was with a Nahuatl speaking family in lowland San Luis Potosí during the festival. Of bamboo and wire, in the corner of their house, they constructed an arco, or homemade alter, about six feet high, and adorned it splendidly with palm fronds and marigolds. On the alter they placed pictures of deceased family members, burning candles, and items the dead people liked to eat and drink, such as tamales, chocolate drinks, and whisky. From the alter, through the house and across their front yard, they dropped marigold petals, making an orange trail. Out front, the trail met the village's main footpath, which was a superhighway of bright orange marigold petals. I was told that wandering spirits would see the bright trails and follow the correct one to the alter, where they would comprehend that the family was honoring them, and offering them their favorite dishes.
- Dalias, or dahlias, come in many varieties, but they have all been developed from the original Mexican species, which was introduced into Europe in 1789. Dahlias are Mexico's national flower.
- Gladiolos, or gladiolus, are members of the iris family. The big-flowered variety sold in mercados is horticultural, growing nowhere wild. The original parent stock came from the Old World.
- Azucenas, or Easter lilies, of the lily family, are horticultural varieties derived from wild stock in Japan.
