Spring in Mexico

Jacaranda in Puebla, Mexico

I know that cherry blossoms get a lot of buzz. How about the beautiful jacaranda? Native to South America’s Amazon, this tree with its purple blossoms comes from the Guarani language, indigenous to Paraguay. The tree can now be found in many parts of South America, Australia, Hawai’i, California, South Africa, and Mexico.

So how did the Jacaranda end up in Mexico?

In the 1930s, President Pascual Ortiz Rubio of Mexico wanted cherry blossoms in Mexico City like Washington, D.C. However, the winters in Mexico City weren’t cold enough for cherry trees. The Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs found Tatsugoro Matsumoto, a gardener working at the Chapultepec Castle, which was then the presidential residence of Mexico City. Matsumoto was a landscape architect for the Japanese Imperial Palace.

Instead of the pink blossoms, the Jacaranda tree was chosen and now, each spring, Mexico City turns purple. Mexico City and other areas of Mexico see these trees turn fully purple each year. Climate change has affected its timing and now they bloom a bit earlier. In the past, you would have seen them begin to bloom in March, but now you can see them as early as late January.

Late February till early May is a splendid time to visit Mexico for the various trees that bloom, but if you can time it with the Jacaranda it’s stunning!