[1] 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 bulrush.

Its gnarled trunk and branches are filled with shapes that have been given names such as “the elephant,” “the pineapple” and even one called “Carlos Salinas’ ears.”[2][3][4] The municipality of Santa María del Tule used to be a lake surrounded by marshes which included cypress trees.

[3] The population of Tule had made their living since pre-Hispanic times extracting and processing lime (calcium oxide) for sale in the city of Oaxaca.

In 1926, much of the municipality was made ejido land, and much of the population became farmers, growing corn, beans, chickpeas and alfalfa, mostly during the rainy season in the summer.

[5] The La Guadalupana Market serves traditional Oaxacan dishes of the area including barbacoa and empanadas de Amarillo.

[7] Major celebrations here include Candelaria on 2 February, the Feast of the Assumption of Mary on 15 August and the Festival of the Tule Tree on the second Monday of October.

[7] Today, these forms have names such as “the elephant,” “the lion,” “the Three Kings,” “the deer”, “the pineapple,” “the fish,”[2] “the squirrel’s tail” and “Carlos Salinas’ ears.” Local guides point out the shapes using pocket mirrors to reflect the sun.

[3] This particular tree was photographed for the first time by Désiré Charney in 1856 and was described and measured by José Acosta in “Historia Natural y Moral de las Indias” in 1856.

[8] As municipal seat, Tule has governing authority over the following communities: Güendulain, Kilómetro Dieciséis Punto Cinco, and Paraje el Corralito,[12] which cover an area of 25.2 km2 (9.7 sq mi).