Legend says that it was planted by a priest of the God of the Wind (Ehécatl). It is a large leafy tree, very old, it is estimated that it can be 2,000 years old.
It is so high that not even 20 people standing, one on top of the other, would reach their glass. And it is so wide that not even 30 people holding hands and encircling it with fully extended arms reaches it.
And although its scientific name is taxodium mucronatum, this tree that does not age is also called sabino, Mexican cypress, tule, ahuehué, Moctezuma cypress, but the most popular name that Mexicans and other connoisseurs have given it so far is ahuehuete.
Its name in the Nahuatl language means "an old water tree", as it grows where there is a lot of water, that is, near rivers. Where large galleries are grouped and formed.
Its main use is of spiritual value, since it covers multiple beliefs adopted by the natives which are based on the magic that they say it possesses. Some people respectfully visit the older ones and offer them a wreath of flowers as a token of their belief.
In addition, the ahuehuete is a Mexican symbol because in 1921 it was designated as the National Tree in commemoration of the 100 years of independence.
Due to their longevity, they are living witnesses of the History of Mexico, because they have seen the events of our country pass under its shadow.
A notable ahuehuete is the one that is 2000 years old, located in the cemetery of the Church of Santa María de Tule, in the State of Oaxaca.
Other ahuehuetes are the “Tree of the Sad Night” that witnessed the cry of Hernán Cortés when he accepted his defeat before the Mexica people; and a descendant of his who lives in Dolores Hidalgo, Guanajuato.
Another famous specimen is the fat juniper from the Hacienda de Espíritu Santo in General Terán, Nuevo León, with an approximate age of one thousand years.
One more is found in the Chalma Sanctuary, in the municipality of Ocuilán de Artega, State of Mexico.
And other of the most representative specimens are found in Lake Camecuaro, in Michoacan.
Do you know any? Tell me where is it.
Whit information of Comisión Nacional Forestal and ecobotanico.com