Introduction
The prickly pear cacti, found on both sides of the path, are infested with a parasite that leaves a kind of cotton-like fluff on the pads.
This insect can end up killing the whole plant by rotting it, but centuries ago it was highly prized, as it was used to make carmine dye.
Its common name is "nopal cochineal", nopal being the name given in the Americas to prickly pears, or opuntias, where these plants originate.
This insect trade brought a great deal of revenue to the Spanish Crown from the 16th to the 19th century.
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