, also known as " flower of the Dead ," was first described in the Florentine Codex or Historia general de las cosas de nueva España ( General history of the things of New Spain ), an encyclopedic work about the people and culture of central Mexico compiled by Fray Bernardino de Sahagún ( 1499 – 1590 ), a Franciscan missionar y who arrived in Mexico in 1529 .
The name of this flower comes from the Náhuatl " Cempohualxochitl ," which translates to " 20 flowers " or " many flowers ".
The Mexican or Aztec marigold was commonly used in both traditional medicine and in funerary rituals as a tomb decoration since it was thought that its yellow and orange petals were able to keep the heat of the sun and shelter the dead.