Nicté-Há: Mayan Sacred Flower

The water flower (Nymphaea ampla) or Nicté Há  is an aquatic plant with long stems and a tuberous root that keeps it at the bottom of the wetland. Its large, floating leaves (up to 30 cm long) with spiny, toothed margins rest on the water's surface without sinking.

The underside of the leaves is highly reticulated. Its dark reddish color contrasts with the green of the visible surface. It is distributed from northeastern Mexico to southern Brazil.

Nymphs (Nymphaceae) are aquatic plants that live in lakes, rivers, streams, swamps, and canals. They are rooted with perennial or annual rhizomes, floating or submerged leaves, and large, solitary flowers. They are distributed in temperate and tropical zones.

For Mayan culture, nymphs have been a symbol of great importance. Their name comes from ancient Greek mythology. Nymphs were divine female spirits associated with springs, streams, caves, mountains, seas, or forests, guardians of these natural spaces.

Its attractive white, blue, yellow, pink, and purple flowers are appreciated and cultivated for their aesthetic, cultural, and medicinal value. Furthermore, the leaves, stems, rhizomes, and seeds, which are ground into flour, are used as food.

Nicté-Há is associated with royalty, jaguars, serpents, and crocodiles. A very important figure in Mayan cosmology is Lord Jaguar Water Lily, who may have nymphs on his head, in his ears, or around him. His representation is associated with rulers.

The beautiful water lily flower is pollinated by metallic sweat bees, European honeybees, flies, mosquitoes, and beetles during the three days it remains open. Pollinators are attracted by the scent of 12 to 20 volatile organic compounds, as its nectar does not contain much sugar (fructose and glucose).

The first day the flower opens, it is functionally female, while the following two days, it functions as male, as the stamens form a cone that protects the pistil. Its fruits contain thousands of tiny seeds with an air-filled vesicle that allows them to float and disperse.

In addition to their cultural significance, nymphs were part of the aquatic plant community, which, along with cattails, reeds, and other species, kept the water clean in cenotes and ponds.