Árbol del Tule

Lore & Background

The tree is so large that it was originally thought to be multiple trees, but DNA tests have proven that it is only one tree. This does not rule out another hypothesis, which states that it comprises multiple trunks from a single individual. The age is unknown, with estimates ranging between 1,200 and 3,000 years, and even one claim of 6,000 years; the best scientific estimate based on growth rates is 1,433–1,600 years. Local Zapotec knowledge holds that it was planted about 1,400 years ago by a priest of the Zapotec wind god – this age is in broad agreement with the scientific estimate; its location on a sacred site (later taken over by the Roman Catholic Church) would also support this.

Reader's Guide

El Árbol del Tule is significant as the tree with the stoutest trunk in the world, a living natural monument in Oaxaca, Mexico. Its dimensions are remarkable: in 2005, its trunk had a circumference of 42.0 m, equating to a diameter of 14.05 m, though the trunk is heavily buttressed, giving a higher reading than the true cross-section; the smoothed diameter is 9.38 m, slightly wider than the next most stout tree, a giant sequoia. Its height is difficult to measure due to the very broad crown; a 2005 laser measurement gave 35.4 m, shorter than previous measurements of 41–43 m. The tree's age is uncertain, with scientific estimates of 1,433–1,600 years aligning with local Zapotec tradition of a planting about 1,400 years ago. In 1990, it was reported that the tree is slowly dying because its roots have been damaged by water shortages, pollution, and traffic, with 8,000 cars travelling daily on a nearby highway. Its inclusion on a UNESCO tentative list from 2001 to 2013 underscores its global recognition.

Did You Know?

• The tree's trunk circumference in 2005 was 42.0 m (137.8 ft).
• DNA tests proved it is a single tree, not multiple trees as originally thought.

The World's Stoutest Trunk

The Árbol del Tule holds the distinction of possessing the stoutest trunk of any tree on Earth. When researchers measured it in 2005, they recorded a trunk circumference of 42.0 meters, translating to a diameter of roughly 14.05 meters. Yet this figure overstates the true girth because the trunk is heavily buttressed—its flaring base creates a wider reading than the actual cross-section would suggest. Once that buttressing is factored out, the effective diameter drops to approximately 9.38 meters. Even so, that places it just ahead of the next widest known tree, a giant sequoia measuring 8.90 meters across. The tree's height proved trickier to pin down. Its extraordinarily broad crown made traditional measurement unreliable, so a 2005 laser reading gave 35.4 meters, notably shorter than earlier estimates that placed it between 41 and 43 meters. The trunk's circumference also grew noticeably between 1982 and 2005, expanding from 11.42 meters to the 14.05-meter figure recorded later.

One Tree or Many? The Age and Identity Puzzle

For centuries, observers assumed the massive canopy of the Árbol del Tule belonged to several trees growing so closely together that their trunks had fused. Modern DNA analysis has settled that question: the entire structure is a single organism. That said, scientists acknowledge an alternative possibility—the tree may consist of multiple trunks that originated from one genetic individual, a form of clonal multiplication. Determining its true age remains far more elusive. Estimates span a remarkable range, from 1,200 to 3,000 years, with one extraordinary claim pushing it to 6,000. The most rigorous scientific estimate, derived from growth-rate analysis, places it between 1,433 and 1,600 years old. Remarkably, local Zapotec tradition tells a nearly identical story: the tree was planted around 1,400 years ago by Pechocha, a priest devoted to Ehecatl, the Aztec wind god. The fact that the tree stands on ground later consecrated by the Roman Catholic Church lends further weight to the idea that this site has held sacred significance for well over a millennium.

A Sacred Site in the Heart of Oaxaca

The Árbol del Tule stands within the church grounds at the heart of Santa María del Tule, a small town in the Mexican state of Oaxaca. The settlement sits roughly nine kilometers east of the city of Oaxaca, along the road leading toward Mitla, placing the tree in a position that has drawn travelers for generations. Its species is the Montezuma cypress, known in Nahuatl as ahuehuete—a name that translates to "old man of the water," a fitting epithet for a tree whose very presence evokes deep time. The tree's placement on what was originally a sacred site, later absorbed into Roman Catholic church property, underscores a layered spiritual history stretching back at least a millennium. In recognition of its extraordinary status, the tree was included on UNESCO's tentative list of World Heritage Sites in 2001, though it was subsequently removed from that list in 2013. Despite that administrative change, the tree remains one of Mexico's most iconic natural landmarks and a central point of pride for the Oaxacan region.

A Slow Decline in the Shadow of Modernity

Despite its immense size and ancient origins, the Árbol del Tule faces genuine threats to its long-term survival. In 1990, reports emerged that the tree was in the process of slowly dying. The diagnosis pointed to damage in its root system, attributed to a combination of chronic water shortages, environmental pollution, and the relentless pressure of modern traffic. A highway runs close to the tree, and approximately 8,000 vehicles pass along it every single day, subjecting the ground and root zone to constant vibration, exhaust fumes, and compaction. These cumulative stresses on a tree that may be over a millennium old are particularly concerning, as such ancient organisms have limited capacity to recover from root damage. The contrast between the tree's prehistoric origins—possibly planted by a Zapotec priest around the sixth century—and the modern industrial pressures bearing down on it highlights a broader tension between cultural heritage and the demands of contemporary infrastructure in rural Oaxaca.

Gallery