Santa María del Tule, Oaxaca
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Santa María del Tule | |
| Coordinates: | |
|---|---|
| Country |  Mexico |
| State | Oaxaca |
| Municipality | Santa María del Tule |
| Founded | |
| Government | |
| - Mayor | |
| Elevation | 1,560 m (5,118 ft) |
| Time zone | CST (UTC-6) |
| Postal code | |
Santa María del Tule is a town and a municipality in the Mexican state of Oaxaca. It is located 11 kilometers (6 miles) SE of the city of Oaxaca on Highway 190, passing the city and ruins of Mitla.[1] It sits at an altitude of 1,560 feet above sea level. The town and municipality are named for the patron saint of the place, the Virgin Mary and “Tule” comes from the Náhuatl word “tulle” or “tullin” which means bullrush plant.
[edit] The town
The area where the town stands used to be a lake surrounded by cypresses.[2]
The town’s Baroque-style[1] church is called El Templo de Santa María de la Asunción (Temple of the Virgin Mary of the Assumption) and dates from the 18th century. The 15th of August is the Virgin’s feast day.[2]
The major tourist attraction is the 2000+year-old cypress(Taxodium mucronatum) tree, located in front of the church, which dates back to the time when the area was lake and swamp. It is visited every year by visitors from all over the world. Its perimeter measures 42 meters, making it the thickest tree in the world[1], and its trunk and branches form capricious shapes with names like “the Elephant”, “the Lion”, “the Three Kings”, “the Deer”, “the Pineapple” and “the Fish”. The town has a celebration in honor of the tree on the second Monday of October.[2]
[edit] The municipality
As municipal seat, Tule has governing authority over the following communities:
Güendulain, Kilómetro Dieciséis Punto Cinco, and Paraje el Corralito
