PLANTS AND LIGHTS IN NEW SPAIN

Once the war ended with the fall of Tenochtitlan, the legendary city of the Aztecs, in 1521, some conquistadors recounted their exploits and others, priests and/or doctors, wrote about the many novelties they came across in the territory occupied by the Spaniards. The anecdotes often recalled the surprising flora and rare fauna they had encountered during their travels through the land of the Mexica. The exuberant vegetation, its mysterious beauty, its proven efficacy in curing unknown ailments and its presence in indigenous foods were conquering the senses of European man. In the writings, reference was made to the strange miraculous herbs of the Indians, and many times fantasy overflowed the imagination of the authors, speaking of trees whose branches penetrated the clouds or of fish that turned into butterflies. Through these stories, European society learned that in the marvelous "West Indies" the roots of the trees grew out of the earth and that the aromas of the jungle flowers lulled the traveler to sleep or produced horrifying visions.