Alexander de Jesús Nieto Marín prepares his flowers for the day.
Photo by Cristina Díaz-Carrera, Smithsonian Institution
Alexander de Jesús Nieto Marín standing next to his silleta before putting it on for the day and showcasing it to festival visitors.
Photo by Samantha Hawkins, Smithsonian Institution
Alexander de Jesús Nieto Marín makes sure that all of the flowers fit in the silleta.
Photo by Cristina Díaz-Carrera, Smithsonian Institution
A wide variety of flowers in Alexander de Jesús Nieto Marín’s silleta.
Photo by Francisco Guerra, Smithsonian Institution
Alexander Nieto is a silletero and flower cultivator from Santa Helena, an area famous for its tradition of flower growers. He has a vast knowledge of the use of flowers in traditional healing and medicine. And his silleta, or flower carrier shaped like a chair, carries over fifty different flower varieties.
