Blog / 2025 / The Importance of Names: Poinsettia Versus Cuetlaxochitl
December 9, 2025
Words matter and I talk about just how much they do here and there on my blog, like in this video about the mistranslation of The Little Prince, this post about an epic fail by Google Translate, and this article about the language of the Trump administration.
The original cuetlaxochitl artwork is available for $1200, plus shipping (and tax if you live in New Jersey)—contact me to purchase. You can buy prints and pretty things of the image here in my print shop.
Cuetlaxochitl
2025
acrylic on unmounted canvas
28 x 19 inches
VIDEO TRANSCRIPT
This is a cuetlaxochitl. It’s more colloquially known in English as a poinsettia, a name that comes from Joel Roberts Poinsett, the first US minister to Mexico and the person who is credited with introducing the plant to the United States in the 1800s. Other accomplishments of Poinsett include owning human beings and overseeing the Trail of Tears. So, not exactly the sort of guy that most of us would be excited to celebrate, either at Christmastime or at any time.
Whenever I see cuetlaxochitl this year, I will take it as a message from whomever has decorated with this plant that they too want to remind everybody that there is lots of good that comes to the US from Mexico and beyond.
Wishing you a 2026 that’s as vibrant as a cuetlaxochitl!
Maybe this post made you think of something you want to tell me? Or perhaps you have a question about my art? I’d love to hear from you!
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