Dyeing with Cochineal 29-10-1821, Madrid 3 sheets, coloured drawings on paper; size 30,5 × 21 cm Spanish State Archives General Archive of Indias, ES.41091.AGI/27.17//MP-MEXICO,515 The drawings presented here show the insect called grana or cochineal, from which an important and popular natural dye (crimson) was extracted. The documents show different steps in the harvest and processing of the insect, along with production of the dye as it was carried out in Oaxaca, Mexico, in the early 19th century. Cochineal dye originates from the American continent, where it was used by the Aztec and Maya as early as the 2nd century BC. By the time Spanish colonisers arrived in the 15th century, the dye was used extensively in America for colouring fabrics. The European newcomers were quick to grasp the commercial opportunities. Cochineal, produced almost exclusively in Oaxaca by indigenous producers, became Mexico second-most valuable export after silver. Cochineal dye is but one examp...