Nopalea cochenillifera

With the conquest of Mexico by the Spaniards, dyeing with cochineal came to Europe in 1530 (Fig. 2.20). The dyestuff was obtained from the American cochineal scale insect Dactylopius coccus Costa), which had already been bred in a big way by the Aztecs on cactus plants (Opuntia monacantha, Opuntia vulgaris and Nopalea cochenillifera). Due to the higher yield of dyestuff, cochineal displaced kermes almost completely. In the heyday of cochineal production, around 1870, the Canary Islands annually exported 3,000 tonnes of cochineal (Fig. 2.21). 

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