ABSTRACT
Within the means of production in arid and semiarid areas of Mexico, specifically in the chihuahuan desert, the activities of exploitation of natural resources are, which account for many communities the basis of its economy. One of those resources is the candelilla, which is exclusive to this ecosystem, distributed from southwestern Texas, in the US, throughout the Mexican highlands, to the San Luis Potosi state, highlighting the Coahuila de Zaragoza state as the largest producer of this species exploited to extract the wax, which has very special properties and increasingly diverse applications in the world. This plant grows in areas of semi-desert climate, with highly adaptable to drought conditions. The candelilla area is among the most unfavorable climates to develop agricultural activities, but is suitable for the production of waxes. The climate is steppe or desert type, with erratic rainfall regime with rainfall of 150–500 mm annually and extreme temperatures of 44°C to −2°C. The geology for candelilla are sort litosol floors, regosol and xerosol mainly with medium texture (90%), the type of relief would plains, hills and mountains preferably with exposure to the east and south and altitudes below 2,000 m. It is noteworthy that in some regions there have been limiting factors caused or not by man, where this species is considered endangered, so they should take action in areas where abundant ensure that harvesting is sustainable and not put and at risk species in its entire range to, in this way, continue to have this noble raw material for the benefit of present and future humanity.
