"The Tree of Tule" or "El Arbol del Tule" as it is called in the Mexican state of Oaxaca where it is located, is among one the the largest trees in the world. It is a Montezuma Cypress (Taxodium mucronatum), which was once very abundant in Mexico. Montezuma Cypress are closely related to the Swamp and Bald Cypress. It is said to be large enough to shelter upwards of 500 people and requires 30+ people with hands outstretched to circle the trunk.
Image Citation: Whitney Cranshaw, Colorado State University, Bugwood.org
The Arbol del Tule has the stoutest trunk of any known living tree in the world. The trunk when last measured in 2005 had a circumference of an astounding 137.8 feet and a diameter of 46.1 feet. The trunk is heavily bustressed which makes it very hard to get an accurate measurement. The height of the tree has been measured at 115-140 feet depending on the type of measurement used. At one point it was thought to be multiple trees that had grown together, though a DNA test proved it is only one tree. The estimated age of the tree is somewhere between 1200 and 3000 years old. In 1990, there was a report released that showed the tree is slowly declining because of the heavy pollution and nearby traffic that travels over the roots daily. The Arbol del Tule is simply put a living & growing wonder of our world!
Image Citation: Whitney Cranshaw, Colorado State University, Bugwood.org
The tree was once guarded heavily by the Government and was considered a natural wonder in the early 1900's, however security for the tree is now more relaxed. The tree is located on the Church grounds in the town center of Santa María del Tule in the Mexican state of Oaxaca. It is a very popular tourist attraction and the fee for entrance to get a "closer' look is 10 pesos. Young children are often used as mini tour guides to help point out the many animal shapes "seen" in the trees extremely rigid and textured trunk. Santa Maria del Tule can be reached by car by traveling east on Highway 190 from Oaxaca, Mexico. Tour buses travel round trip from Oaxaca to Santa Maria del Tule seven days of the week. Local residents celebrate the famous Tule Tree on the second Monday in October, which was set aside as a holiday to celebrate this amazing tree, the celebration is often said to be as large as the tree itself. Though the Arbol del Tule tree is the most famous because of it's size, there are actually 7 other large Montezuma Cypress growing in this one town that also deserve a visit (if you are in town)! Learn more or plan you visit at: http://www.oaxaca-mio.com/
Image Citation (Church/Town Center Historical Plaque): Santa Maria Del Tule - Asociación Mexicana de Arboricultura, www.arboricultura.org
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