Interesting facts

The word candelilla comes from the Spanish and means little candle or little light. The name aptly describes the shape of the shrub's long, thin, bare stems. Also, the wax used to be used for making candles. The Euphorbiaceae are named after Euphorbus, the doctor of King Jaba of Mauretania, 54 B.C. Euphorbus is said to have been the first person to use the sap of the plants of the spurge family for medicinal purposes. The epithet antisyphilitica reflects the folk lore that this plant could be used to treat syphilis.
Close to the Mexico-Texas border, along the mesa's western edge, archaeologists found a series of red and yellow rock paintings between 1500 and 4000 years old which were drawn with a mixture of mineral pigments and candelilla wax.
In Higueras, a Mexican village in the province of Nuevo León, the Candelilla Festival takes place on 12th December. During the festival the bishop of Monterrey blesses the piles of candelilla bushes with holy water. Then the village elders set fire to the piles. Without fuel or paper the candelilla bushes quickly begin to blaze and within a few minutes everything has turned to ash. The villagers dance to traditional music and honour the remains of the burnt candelilla. This festival combines ancient customs of the indigenous Mexican population with Christian tradition.