2018 - Mexico - Hacienda Sotuta de Peón - Ceiba Tree
Arriving at Hacienda Sotuta de Peón the first point of interest was a visit to a massive Ceiba tree. The Ceiba was a sacred element in Mayan Culture.
The Ceiba tree (Ceiba pentandra, also known as the kapok or silk-cotton tree) is a tropical tree native to North and South America and Africa.
In Central America, the ceiba had great symbolic importance to the ancient Maya, and its name in the Mayan language is Yax Che (“Green Tree” or “First Tree”). (pronounced “SAY-ba”).
The ceiba was the most sacred tree for the ancient Maya, and according to Maya mythology, it was the symbol of the universe.
The tree signified a route of communication between the three levels of earth. Its roots were said to reach down into the underworld, its trunk represented the middle world where the humans live, and its canopy of branches arched high in the sky symbolized the upper world and the thirteen levels in which the Maya heaven was divided.
Its wood is lightweight and porous; good for making carvings, coffins and dugout canoes. One of its characteristics is if you tap the trunk it echoes like its hollow.
2018 - Mexico - Hacienda Sotuta de Peón - Ceiba Tree
Arriving at Hacienda Sotuta de Peón the first point of interest was a visit to a massive Ceiba tree. The Ceiba was a sacred element in Mayan Culture.
The Ceiba tree (Ceiba pentandra, also known as the kapok or silk-cotton tree) is a tropical tree native to North and South America and Africa.
In Central America, the ceiba had great symbolic importance to the ancient Maya, and its name in the Mayan language is Yax Che (“Green Tree” or “First Tree”). (pronounced “SAY-ba”).
The ceiba was the most sacred tree for the ancient Maya, and according to Maya mythology, it was the symbol of the universe.
The tree signified a route of communication between the three levels of earth. Its roots were said to reach down into the underworld, its trunk represented the middle world where the humans live, and its canopy of branches arched high in the sky symbolized the upper world and the thirteen levels in which the Maya heaven was divided.
Its wood is lightweight and porous; good for making carvings, coffins and dugout canoes. One of its characteristics is if you tap the trunk it echoes like its hollow.