Tule Tree, Santa Maria del Tule, Oaxaca Mexico
Travel And Tour Photos And Pictures

George And Audrey DeLange

Tule Tree and 17th Century Church, Santa Maria del Tule, Oaxaca Mexico View From South East Corner Of Village Square

Tule Tree Description And History

Tule Tree Statistics Sign

Arbol del Tule, Santa Maria del Tule, Oaxaca, Mexico. Santa Maria del Tule is a small town in the state of Oaxaca, Mexico with its famous Arbol del Tule (tree of Tule) in the chuchyard. It is located about 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) SE from the city of Oaxaca (on the way to Mitla), Highway 190, it is easily reached by bus or car. The mighty tree in Santa Maria del Tule, has a circumference of over 160 feet at its base, and is between 2000 and 3000 years old, making it one of the oldest living things on earth. Arbol del Tule is Mexico's most famous tree, and some say the world's largest single biomass. The Tule tree and its environs comprise a unique natural monument, an attraction for locals and visitors alike. The cypress, known in Spanish as ahuehuete (Taxodium mucronatum), is Mexico's national tree. According to legend, Hernan Cortes cried beneath the boughs of a cypress after the Aztecs defeated the Spanish on La Noche Triste (The Sad Night). The town of Santa Maria del Tule takes its name from the famous tree and boasts not just one, but seven extremely large and ancient cypress trees. The largest dwarfs the town's church and is more than 2,000 years old and has a circumference of 54 meters (164 feet) -- the largest girth of any tree on the planet. Imagine... this tree was a sapling at the time when the civilization at Monte Alban was flourishing! This living ancient tree still growing. It's age is calculated in 2000 years, it's weight is almost 550 tons, a 705 cubic meters volume, diameter of 42 meters. This tree is often cited as having the largest trunk circumference in the world, but it has for long been thought that it might actually represent the fused trunks of several different individuals. However, recent study of DNA samples from the tree using random amplified polymorphic DNA indicates that it is in fact a single individual (Dorado et al. 1996). This tree can be easily visited if you are traveling toward Mitla. It only takes about a half hour to visit and the entrance fee as of January 2005 is three pesos ($0.30 US). On the main plaza surrounding the tree is a circular market with regional crafts and an ATM machine. Travelers heading to Teotitlan and Santa Ana del Valle in need of cash, stop here for sure! Local residents celebrate the famous Tule Tree with a grande fiesta every October 7th.