Cempasúchil Dye Workshop
Cempasúchil flowers (Aztec or Mexican Marigold, Tagetes erecta) hold an important presence and traditional role during the Día de los Muertos celebrations across México. Known also as Flor de Muerto, they adorn our altars and guide our ancestors home during these celebratory days (and weeks!). The vibrancy of the
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celebration is attributed to the bright orange and yellow blossoms and their sweet, pungent aroma that draws you right in. Among the many medicinal uses of Cempasúchil, we too can use the petals as dye—giving life to textiles and fabrics even after the Día de los Muertos celebrations have ceased and our flowers have dried. In this drop-in workshop, kids and their grown-ups will explore how Cempasúchil can be used as a natural dye. Guided through two techniques, participants will brew a dye bath with fresh or dried flowers and pound petals to create Cempasúchil imprints on fabric. Together, we’ll consider the healing power of color during winter and discover how plant materials and natural fibers can be given a second life. Children will take home their own Cempasúchil-dyed or Cempasúchil-imprinted piece. All materials are provided, and no prior natural dye experience is needed. Available while supplies last. About the Instructor Jasmín Durán (she/they) is a clinical herbalist, community educator, urban grower, and care practitioner based in unceded Lenapehoking territory (NYC). Communing closely with plants, urban gardens, storytelling, and immigrant communities, their work is focused in the remembrance of ancestral healing practices, technologies, and traditions in the immigrant diaspora. Today you can find her facilitating herbal workshops, vending, and sharing in community under her herbal project, meztli medicinals.