1. Home
  2. Travel
  3. Mexico Travel

Cempasuchil

By Suzanne Barbezat, About.com

Cempasuchil "flor de muerto"

Cempasuchil or "flor de muerto"

© 2006 Suzanne Barbezat, licensed to About
Definition: Cempasuchil, or flor de muerto are marigold flowers, and they figure prominently in Day of the Dead celebrations. The word comes from the Nahuatl (the language spoken by the Aztecs) and means twenty-flower, referring to the many petals of the flower. Cempoa, meaning "twenty" and xochitl, "flower."
Pronunciation: sem-pa-soo-cheel
Also Known As: Marigolds
Alternate Spellings: Sempasuchitl, Cempoaxochitl

Explore Mexico Travel

More from About.com

  1. Home
  2. Travel
  3. Mexico Travel
  4. History & Culture
  5. Language
  6. Glossary
  7. Cempasuchil definition - what is sempasuchitl - cempoaxochitl - definition of flor de muerto

©2008 About.com, a part of The New York Times Company.

All rights reserved.