September 25, 2003

After a fairly long hiatus, I though I should post another image again.

This one's from a trip I took a few years back to Guatemala. The ancient ruin city of Tikal in the northern part of the country is engulfed in lush tropical jungle - and among the temples stands tall a Ceiba tree the Mayan people hold sacred: The Tree of Life.

From the Ceiba Foundation for Tropical Conservation:

The Mayans believed that a great Ceiba tree stood at the center of the earth, connecting the terrestrial world to the heavens above. Long thick vines hung down from its spreading limbs, providing a connection between the real world and the world above to those souls that ascended them. Even today, these grand trees are regularly spared when forests are cut, in deference to their mythological status.