The Tule is the largest tree in Mexico and the widest in the world, but behind it hides a mysticism that has translated into legends that try to explain how the great tree being was born. The gigantic sabino is also called ahuehuete which in Nahuatl means ‘old man of the water’.
Trees are a great treasure that nature has bequeathed to humanity, not only are they sequesters of carbon dioxide, but they also . But in addition, they are the guardians of the ancestral wisdom of Mother Earth, researchers can know the conditions of the environment from the birth of the trees and taking into account that they live for thousands of years,
The Tule is the largest tree in Mexico and although it is not as tall as , it is It has the widest trunk in the world. It is expected that its age is millennia and so it is, according to dendrologists Its age is more than 2 thousand years. It is a gigantic sabino, also known in Nahuatl as ahuehuete, whose species is Taxodium mucronatum.
It is located in the Mexican state of Oaxaca, about 12 kilometers from the Oaxacan capital. Above the Mitla highway and in the atrium of the church of Santa Maria del Tule, it rises the great Tule with 42 meters high. It can be seen from a distance, although without a doubt its most impressive feature is its trunk, which is so wide that it reaches 14.5 meters in diameter only. More than 30 people are needed with their hands stretched and intertwined to completely surround the circumference of the gigantic Tule.
Its crown reaches 58 meters in circumference and this is where the importance of them in their natural habitat becomes evident, since Tule is capable of hosting up to 500 people under its shade. Its total volume has been estimated at 816,829 cubic meters and it weighs approximately 636 tons. All these are the reasons why it is called the largest tree in Mexico and the widest in the world.
Legends behind the birth of Tule
The locals of Oaxaca, as well as tourists who go to visit the great Tule, assure that its trunk keeps secrets. They have said that in its intricate woods it is possible to see different shapes carved by nature, from the head of a lion, a crocodile and even the house of a small elf. For this and other reasons, Ahuehuete has been an important part of the culture of traditional Oaxacan people.
Some people, such as the Mixtecs, believe that men come from ahuehuete and that is why it is venerated with sacred ceremonies and offerings. There are two legends that try to explain the birth of the Tule, one of them is of Zapotec origin and says that the great ahuehuete It was planted 1,400 years ago by a priest of Ehécatl, the god of the wind.
But there is another legend from the Mixe region that tells us about King Condoy, an ancestral Mixe leader who dominated the Cempoaltépetl hill. According to legend, the king undertook the journey with his followers to build the city of Mitla and thus prevent another king from taking over those lands. However, the construction required great efforts and the situation became even more complicated when one night a rooster suddenly crowed, which was a sign of bad omen.
King Condoy was frightened by the evil he foretold and ordered the works to stop, which is why the palaces of Mitla are unfinished. The king decided to return to his lands with all his people, but while they were taking a break on the way, he buried his heavy staff. Suddenly and to everyone’s surprise, it began to sprout and that is how the great ahuehuete was born, which means ‘old man of the water’, because it lives near wetlands, swamps and streams.