Don’t miss our FREE temporary exhibit: Behind the Curtain: Mary Lincoln and Her Struggle with Mental Health 👀 Last day to view is May 27! Explore how grief, trauma, and public scrutiny shaped Mary Lincoln’s life—and how her story continues to resonate in conversations about mental health today. 📅 Now through May 27, 2025 📍 ACPL Main (900 Library Plaza) | Rolland Center for Lincoln Research 📸: Abraham Lincoln on his deathbed #AllenCountyPublicLibrary #MentalHealthAwareness (fb)

✨ "Aztec Roses" - Ancestral Fruits and Shared Root ✨ In Mexico, ponche navideño is a warm, spiced holiday punch made with seasonal fruits like tejocote (Crataegus mexicana), a native hawthorn. The name “tejocote” comes from the Nahuatl word texocotl, meaning “stone fruit,” from the language of the Aztecs. Other ingredients include apples , pears , prunes , dried hibiscus flowers , cane sugar or piloncillo, cinnamon sticks , cloves , tamarind pods , and guavas . These fruits belong to the rose family (Rosaceae), known for their five-petaled flowers. In Indiana, we have 14 native hawthorn species, closely related to tejocote, currently in bloom along trails and woodland edges in Allen County. These “Aztec roses” connect Mesoamerican tradition with local natural heritage. 👇 Traditional Ponche Ingredients 👇 - Tejocote (Crataegus mexicana) - Apples (Malus domestica) - Pears (Pyrus communis) - Dried hibiscus flowers (Hibiscus sabdariffa) - Cane sugar or piloncillo (Saccharum officinarum) - Cinnamon sticks (Cinnamomum verum) - Cloves (Syzygium aromaticum) - Tamarind pods (Tamarindus indica) - Prunes or raisins - Guavas (Psidium guajava) #CulturalSpotlight (fb)