Árbol del Tule

The widest tree trunk in the world, a sacred Montezuma cypress in a village churchyard

In the village of Santa María del Tule, 14 km east of Oaxaca on the road to Mitla, stands a Montezuma cypress (Taxodium mucronatum) with the widest trunk girth of any tree on earth. The Árbol del Tule is not the tallest tree, nor the oldest, but the sheer volume of its bark and branches is staggering at close range — from a distance it looks like a small hillock wrapped in grey skin; only when you stand beside it does the scale become clear.

The tree grows in the courtyard of the 17th-century church of Santa María de la Asunción and is the whole reason the village exists as a destination. Entry to the courtyard costs a small fee; guides point out shapes said to be visible in the bark (a deer, a lion, various faces). It is most rewarding early morning before the tour buses arrive. Combine with Mitla and the mezcal distillery villages further east on the same road.

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A story
The Tule Tree is estimated to be between 1,400 and 1,600 years old, though some Zapotec oral traditions claim it is over 2,000 years. Its trunk is so wide — nearly 14 metres in diameter — that it takes 30 people joining hands to encircle it. The villagers of Santa María del Tule have protected it for generations; it grows in the courtyard of their parish church as if the two were meant to coexist.

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