Mexico's Giant Árbol del Tule
Take a Fun Half-Day Trip From Oaxaca, Mexico to Visit the Tule Tree
Jun 19, 2008
At approximately 58 meters/63 yards around and 42 meters/45 yards tall, the tree appears about to devour the centuries-old church, El Templo de Santa María de la Asunción, next door. A Montezuma Cypress, or Ahuehuete in Náhuatl, it is so large that it takes thirty adults holding hands to fully encircle it. El Árbol del Tule grows in Santa María del Tule, a small town in the state of Oaxaca, Mexico just ten kilometers/six miles southeast of Oaxaca city.
How to Get to El Árbol del Tule
Busses to Santa María del Tule leave from Oaxaca’s second-class bus station (The Terminal de Autobuses de Segunda Clase) every half-hour or so. The station is about a twelve-block walk southwest of Oaxaca’s zócalo, or main square.
Keep in mind that Mexico’s second-class busses, while perfectly safe, are not the fastest mode of transportation. Including time spent trawling for additional passengers, it might take up to an hour to make the short trip to Santa María del Tule. Bus fare will be around 4 – 5 pesos, or less than fifty cents per person. The bus will drop you off at the side of the road in Santa María del Tule and from there you’ll easily see the tree and be able to make your way over to it. If you have more money than time or patience, you can take a taxi instead.
Visiting the Tule Tree
Admission to the tree is three pesos/30 cents. If you’re on a truly tight budget, there’s no real need to pay to get into the gates – one of the biggest trees in the entire world is easily viewed from outside. However, three pesos is a small price to pay to get a closer look at this enormous tree, and spend some time sitting on a bench and taking it in.
The Guías Voluntarias/Volunteer Guides of El Árbol del Tule
Inside the enclosure, you’ll be invited to take a tour with a child guide. This service is part of a legitimate project organized through local schools. Guide services are free, but tips are encouraged and much appreciated. A tour may not seem necessary since it’s just a tree and it’s right there, but visitors are always surprised by what the tour guides can offer.
The student guides will point out (in Spanish, or sometimes English, French, or German) all the different animals and other amazing or amusing things that can be made out in the patterns and shapes of the gnarled trunk. The images of these trapped animals have earned the tree the nickname “The Tree of Life.”
What Else Is There to Do in Santa María del Tule?
Not much. But you won’t be stranded. Within sight of the church are several restaurants and snack stands, the inevitable souvenir shops, and a park area in which you can rest and view the tree and church from a distance. Seeing the tree close up is remarkable, but seeing it from a distance as it looms over the church is equally astounding.
There is another Montezuma Cypress in the church’s backyard that towers nearly as high as the famous tree. This tree is unsung and admission-free, but adds a lot to the drama of the little white church about to be engulfed by branches.
A visit to El Árbol del Tule is a fun half-day trip any time of year, but if you can manage to time your visit for the second Monday in October, all the better, as that is when Santa María del Tule has a celebration in honor of this enormous, ancient tree.
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