The Zempasuchil is a flower used in
Dia de los Muertos celebrations. Known as a
marigold in English, the Zempasuchil has been associated with death in Mexico since the time of the
Aztecs. This is probably due to the fact that if cut, Zempasuchil flowers die in a very short time.
Zempasuchils are traditionally put on the ofrenda during Dia de los Muertos, in memory of the deceased. However, placing flowers on the altar or grave is not a sad thing in Mexican culture, as it is in the Western world. Flowers also are symbolic of the earth's rejuvination. Death is not an end to life, the Mexicans believe, it is merely a continuation in a different form. Without death, there would be no life, nothing to renew the force within us all, and the Zempasuchil reminds them of that.