This is the story of a color—one that began as an evolutionary tale, and evolved to shape the course of human history. Cochineal, a tiny, cactus-dwelling insect that produces a vibrant red pigment, was harvested for thousands of years by Indigenous peoples to produce a dye for their own textiles. Following the Spanish invasion of the Americas, cochineal ultimately became a globally traded commodity.

Virtual event on website : https://hmsc.harvard.edu/cochineal#cochinilla