GOLDEN BARREL CACTUS

MOTHER-İN-LAW'S CUSHİON
GOLDEN BARREL CACTUS

LATIN NAME: ECHINOCACTUS GRUSONII

HOMELAND: MEXICO

Sacrificial Altar of the Cloud Gods

Echinocatus, whose homeland is the high plateaus of Inner Mexico with arid climate above the sea, is one of the highlighting landscape elements of modern architecture with its diameter of up to 1.5 meters and its round form. It is the most economically valuable cactus in the world due to its multi-purpose uses, both locally and industrially, dating back to the ancient civilizations of Central America.

Although it is a hot climate plant, echinocactus can withstand temperatures up to -8 °C for a short time and can live comfortably in an average of +12°C winter season and in regions with low humidity.

Among the uses of Echinocactus, in addition to being a garden decoration in the modern world, it is frequently planted by the local people as a barrier that snakes cannot pass due to its thorny structures. In addition to being edible flower buds, fruits and drinkable sap for both their animals and themselves, we can count its use as a confectionery raw material in the pharmaceutical and food industries.

Echinocactus is known as "mother-in-law's cushion" in Mexican Folklore due to its thorny structure and referred with the same name in the international trade world.

Echinocactus, which has the distinction of being the only plant that has been sculpted alone as a temple altar by the ancient civilizations of Central America and most blessed by the Aztecs.

Echinocactus appears most clearly depicted in the Aztlan Annal manuscripts of the Aztecs, called CodexBoturini. Echinocactus, which was used as sacrificial altars for the Cloud God Mimixcoah in its natural environment in the early periods, was used as a Mimixcoah altar in temples in later periods by carving it from stone.