At the beginning of the 1950s, in the area we know today as Calzada de La Viga and Eje 3 Sur, there was a market on the banks of what had been the La Viga Canal, an important waterway since pre-Hispanic times. Vendors at this market sold products brought from the fields in the south of Mexico City, from areas like Xochimilco and Milpa Alta. Flowers, vegetables, fruits, handicrafts, and animals were the main products traded.

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​Here, Cecilio Dávila and his brothers, originally from the town of Lerma in the State of Mexico, found a space where they could practice the trade that they inherited from their parents: artisan weaving and the sale of tule, a local reed.

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Eventually they settled in the area around the market and acquired a space adjacent to the New Jamaica Market, built by the city government in order to modernize the public markets. Once established, Cecilio Dávila specialized in the trade of tule and petates, traditional rugs woven from the reeds, gradually adding new productive activities to the business.

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Over time, La Flor de Jamaica adapted to the needs of the area by offering a wider range of products, including the sale of dried chilies. The evolution of the business has been closely related to the development and environment around the Jamaica Market. Through the years, La Flor de Jamaica and the Mercado de Jamaica have offered uninterrupted service to the Mexico City community, becoming benchmarks of tradition and history in this great city.

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Today, we are mostly dedicated to the trade of dried chilies and the dissemination of Mexico’s culture of spicy foods. With 63 years’ experience, we are pioneers in the preservation and protection of various varieties of Mexican chilies, generating a value chain with a social vision from the fields to your table.

Our mission is to preserve the cultural richness of Mexico’s spicy food and drinks, bringing to our clients and visitors a great diversity of chilies from every corner of the country, to generate awareness and responsible consumption.