“This time it was achieved, we had been trying to remove the lion’s paw for two years, but it was dying,” says Anselmo, a 51-year-old farmer.
She says that recently a young man visited the field and told her that he bought all the velvet flowers from her.
“No, forgive me!” he said, “if this is the attraction this year for people to come and take photos.”
It is the third year that the “El Venadito” Ranch, in the community of Laguna de Sánchez, in the Sierra de Santiago, offers the public a tour among marigold flowers, now in combination with velvet flowers.
The idea is to feel one of the most representative traditions of Mexico linked to November 2, Day of the Dead.
“El Venadito” is owned by the Oviedo Reyna family, a family of farmers who for generations have lived off crops and artisanal products.
Unlike marigold flowers, which they do sell, they have decided not to do so with the velvet ones, since by having them in a smaller quantity they prefer to preserve the picturesque landscape to attract more visitors in the following weeks.
Garden of Cempasúchil El Venadito.
In this third edition they have doubled the harvest land and now there are two hectares with flower fields. There are more swings and benches as scenery.
Years ago, the tradition of the Oviedo family was to go to other states in the country to buy cempasúchil and sell it in cemeteries in Monterrey on the eve and during the Day of the Dead.
But after realizing the success of the fields with these flowers in cities in central and southern Mexico, they decided to replicate it and sow the seeds to now generate income by turning it into a tourist destination.
This is how it became the first marigold field in Santiago and one of the few in the north of the country.
“It takes more than five months to harvest,” says Anselmo. “The hours of work here are not counted, because sometimes you wake up in the garden and it gets dark working, watering, fertilizing.”
Soon the monarch butterflies will arrive and, together with the flowering field, will make up a scene worthy of a movie.
The marigold is the most traditional flower for the Day of the Dead.
It is believed that its aroma and petals guide the path for souls to return to visit their loved ones.
Its origin is Mexican, but the velvet flower, also called “lion’s hand” or “rooster’s comb” due to its shape, comes from regions of Asia and Africa.
Purple hues are associated with mourning, their beauty in life and maintain a spiritual meaning related to eternity and the connection with the divine.
Ancestral cultures highlighted the medicinal and culinary properties of both flowers. In Mexico, the velvet flower is only used for ornamental purposes, but in Africa it is used as food.
In their “garden” of marigolds and velvet, the Oviedos also sell mezcal, apple liqueur, empanadas, and peach and quince preserves.
The place will be open until November 20.
And although these are the most traditional flowers of the altars of the dead, paradoxically, they fill life with anyone who admires them walking along the paths of their fields.
GARDEN OF ‘EL VENADITO’ OF THE OVIEDO FAMILY
– Monday to Sunday from 8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
– They accept payment by bank transfer
– Entry: $100
Whatsapp: 813-255-8247
Facebook: Cempasúchil Garden
The Venadito
– On the National Highway, take the road towards Cola de Caballo.
– Continue along the same path until Laguna de Sánchez. In that mountain community, several signs indicate the direction to the marigold and lion’s claw fields.
CAUTION: The road to Laguna de Sánchez requires, due to its curves, a skilled driver.
CEMPASÚCHIL GARDEN EL VENADITO.
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