{"id":23014,"date":"2023-08-04T13:50:50","date_gmt":"2023-08-04T19:50:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.landuum.com\/?p=23014"},"modified":"2023-08-04T13:40:49","modified_gmt":"2023-08-04T19:40:49","slug":"dahlia-the-representative-flower-of-mexico","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.landuum.com\/en\/history-and-culture\/dahlia-the-representative-flower-of-mexico\/","title":{"rendered":"Dahlia, the representative flower of Mexico."},"content":{"rendered":"

Discover why Mexican lands bloom proudly with the Dahlia, the representative flower of Mexico.<\/strong><\/em>
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Mexico is known as one of the countries with the most natural resources<\/strong>, such as different ecosystems<\/a>, vegetation, flora and fauna. Each corner of Mexican culture has a diversity of colors, sounds and aromas that tend to represent a story within the Mexican spirit.<\/span><\/p>\n

Among its representations is the dahlia<\/a>, <\/span>Mexico’s national flower since 1963<\/strong> when president Adolfo L\u00f3pez Mateos named it by decree “Symbol of National Floriculture in all its species and varieties”,<\/span> designating August 4 as the National Day of the Dahlia.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

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Yellow dahlia.
Photography: Alexas_Fotos Pixabay.<\/p><\/div>\n

Did you know that these flowers were the favorite flowers of Moctezuma II<\/a> and Nezahualc\u00f3yotl<\/a>?<\/strong>\u00a0<\/span>Mexicas<\/a> that represented<\/span> an important role for the people in pre-<\/span>h<\/span>ispanic times, a time when dahlias were used to decorate<\/strong> houses, temples<\/a><\/strong> and also as inspiration to decorate vessels, personal ornaments such as necklaces and elements that were used in ritual times.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

According to the investigations of the Mexican archaeologist Laura Ortiz Tenorio<\/a>, the Mexicas deposited different species of flowers<\/strong>, including the Dahlia, in their offerings to the gods<\/strong>, such as the god of war: Huitzilopochtli.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Representation of the old Templo Mayor in Mexico City, in an illustration from 1900.
Photography: Dea Picture Library (Agostini via Getty Images)<\/p><\/div>\n

They chose<\/strong> beautiful, aromatic and brightly colored flowers to attract the attention of the gods<\/strong>, feed them with their delicious aromas and for the meaning that associated them with war and death<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Dahlia has been used for medicinal purposes<\/strong>, to dye<\/strong> cotton garments with its petals, to create aromatic mixtures<\/strong>, and even to use its tubers for some dishes<\/strong>, which are of great benefit to the intestinal flora.<\/span><\/p>\n

Thanks to the constant use of the Mexicas, the flower was domesticated, cultivated, crossed and as a result they produced a diversity<\/strong> of types of Dahlias. Currently, there are 43 species in the American continent and 35 species<\/a> are endemic to Mexico.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

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Dahlias nature.
Photography: Alexa_Fotos Pixabay.<\/p><\/div>\n

It blooms mostly in the months of June and October and is one of the most cultivated flowers in the world<\/strong>, occupying the second position behind the tulip<\/strong> in Holland. Today its main use is decorative and in some states of the Mexican Republic there are extension projects to the field and diffusion of dahlia sweet potato.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Mexicas named it in n\u00e1huatl<\/a> as atlcocotlixochitl<\/em><\/strong> or acoc\u00f3xitl<\/em><\/strong>, which means \u201c<\/strong><\/span>f<\/strong>lower of the water stems\u201d<\/strong>. The dahlia, the representative flower of Mexico.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Pink dahlia.
Photography: AnnaER Pixabay.<\/p><\/div>\n

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Bibliography:<\/strong><\/p>\n