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POINSETTIA FARMS OF TAXCO

October 19, 2014 By Howard Kramer Leave a Comment

Taxco de Alarcon, Mexico

Poinsettia Plant (wikipedia.com)

Poinsettia Plant (wikipedia.com)

Many plants have come to be identified with the Christmas season.  Holly, ivy, and of course mistletoe all evolved from the pagan traditions of Northern Europe to earn a beloved place in the holidays.  But it was Southern Mexico that yielded the most colorful and popular Christmas plant of all: the spectacular Poinsettia.  Discovered by Spanish missionaries soon after their arrival in the New World, the brilliant red plant has since become a fixture in many churches and homes during the holiday season.

According to tradition, poinsettias made their Christmas debut sometime in the 16th century in the town of Taxco in Southern Mexico.  Two impoverished young children named Maria and Pablo picked some weeds as a gift to present to the local church on Christmas Eve.  The weeds miraculously transformed into beautiful red flowers, which were later called Flowers of the Holy Night.  In the years that followed, Franciscan priests began to use the flowers in their Nativity processions.

A Poinsettia Greenhouse (bloomzoom.com)

A Poinsettia Greenhouse (bloomzoom.com)

Some time around 1828 the American ambassador to Mexico, Joel Poinsett, for whom the flowers were later named, brought some of the plants back to the United States.  As they bloomed well at Christmastime, and were particularly festive looking, poinsettias soon caught on as a holiday decoration.  Although poinsettias are now produced and sold around the world, Taxco remains their traditional homeland, and it is especially amazing to see endless fields of poinsettias in bloom there.

Taxco, about forty miles south of Mexico City, is one of the oldest cities in Mexico.  The Church of the Ex-Monastery of San Bernardino de Siena dates from the late 1500s, and is believed to be one of the very first churches ever to use poinsettias in their Christmas festivities.  As of this writing no information was available for visiting the church or places where poinsettias are cultivated in the Taxco region.  Web: www.visitmexico.com/en/taxco(official website of Taxco)

Filed Under: Christmas Tagged With: Mexico

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About Howard Kramer

Howard Kramer is the creator and author of The Complete Pilgrim. He first took an interest in religious sites in his early twenties when traveling through Italy after college. In the two decades since he has traveled to more than two dozen countries and almost every state, visiting and photographing hundreds of the world’s greatest churches, synagogues and other places of religious interest. Howard has been writing about religious sites for the better part of the last decade, and The Complete Pilgrim is a culmination of years of his work and passion.

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Welcome to The Complete Pilgrim(TM)! This site, created by Howard Kramer, is a combination travel blog and online guide to the world's greatest sites of religious interest (with some historic and recreational places thrown in for good measure). All written content has been originally researched and produced and is provided free for public research and enjoyment. Thank you for visiting!

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Have a comment, a great photo or a religious site you'd like to nominate for the weekly spotlight? We would love to hear from you. Email us at hkramer@thecompletepilgrim.com.

About the Author

Howard Kramer is the creator and author of The Complete Pilgrim. He first took an interest in religious sites in his early twenties when traveling through Italy after college. In the two decades since he has traveled to more than two dozen countries and almost every state, visiting and photographing hundreds of the world’s greatest churches, synagogues and other places of religious interest. Howard has been writing about religious sites for the better part of the last decade, and The Complete Pilgrim is the culmination of years of his work and passion.

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