Pseudobombax Trees of Oaxaca: History & Heritage

Discover the historic Pseudobombax ellipticum trees in Oaxaca's Jalatlaco plaza, planted near a hermitage in 1660. Learn about their names, cultural significance and the area's Zapotec and Mexica heritage.

Jalatlaco’s Historic Trees

A set of Pseudobombax ellipticum trees were grown in this place around the year 1660, before what was then a hermitage devoted to Santa Catarina (Saint Catherine). It is thought that monks from the hermitage were the ones to plant these trees centuries back. The modern church dedicated to San Matías (Saint Matthew) was finished in 1713 in what was then a separate community called Jalatlaco.

Provided the development of the city of Oaxaca’s uncontrolled development, Jalatlaco is now a community of the city, and what was previously the community square fixated the church is now a plaza shaded by this set of considerable trees. Both have actually been included in the state of Oaxaca’s list of representative trees. This program begun in 2008 and as of 2024 numbers 41 individual specimens, consisting of the noticeable selection of the Tule Tree.

Coquito Tree: Names and Heritage

This tree is recognized frequently in Spanish as coquito (likely from “little coconut”, yet unassociated to the edible South American ones), and additionally has names in various other languages of Mexico’s aboriginal peoples, like the Zapotec guietiqui and xiloxóchitl in Náhuatl, the language of the Aztec/Mexica people. Jalatlaco was previously a Zapotec community, however after Spanish conquest, was given to their Mexica allies as incentive for their cooperation in conquering the area. This is just how it’s believed that its name actually integrates the Zapotec word for sand: xali, and the Náhuatl for canyon: atlahuitl; Jalatlaco would as a result be a blended name for “sandy high cliff”.