WHERE DOES THE WORD AHUEHUETE COME FROM? - CULTURE VOCABULARY - 2025

The word ahuehuete comes from the term atlhuehue (from Nahuatl, a language spoken by the Aztecs) and literally means "old man of the water." So the word is translated as "old man of the water." For the Aztecs the ahuehuete was a symbol of the virtues that the years give; like wisdom, prudence and humility. It was a tree considered sacred.

The term ahuehuete refers to a tree belonging to the Taxodiaceae family that grows near rivers and streams. It is native to North America, but is currently distributed from the south of the state of Texas to Guatemala.

It is also known by the common name of sabino, water cedar or river cypress. It is the national tree of Mexico. It is a large tree (it can reach 45 m and up to 10 m in diameter) that can live for many years.

Its trunk is straight, sometimes lobed or with irregular protrusions and generally divides from the base into two or three branches. The color of the bark is between gray and grayish brown.

The wood is smooth and light and ranges from reddish brown to yellowish. It is a type of wood of great durability and easy to work that is used mainly in the manufacture of poles, boats and rustic furniture.

Origin of the name ahuehuete as a tree

There are two versions as to why the Aztecs called this tree this way.

The first refers to the fact that since the tree grows near water and can live for many years, the Aztecs wanted to highlight these two characteristics and called it "old man of the water."

Another version suggests that it was so named due to the large size that these trees can reach, since the term huehue can also be translated as "large" or "large".

Mexico and the ahuehuete

The history and tradition of Mexico are strongly linked to the ahuehuete. Since pre-Hispanic times there is evidence of this strong link.

Ancient Mexican codices show representations of Coxcox and his wife Xochiquetzal (according to Aztec tradition, the only human beings surviving the flood) next to a log of ahuehuete floating on the water.

The ahuehuete was highly appreciated by the Aztecs for its beauty and majesty. There is evidence that the emperor Netzahualcóyotl had more than 2,000 ahuehuetes planted to surround the gardens of his palace, which was located on the grounds of what is now the El Contador National Park of the State of Mexico.

The trees were planted forming a large rectangle about 800 m long and 400 m wide oriented towards the cardinal points and with empty spaces on the north and east sides.

Another of the ahuehuetes plantations made by the ancient Aztecs is that of the Chapultepec forest. This place still exists and is today one of the largest urban parks in the Western Hemisphere.

Some 500 trees are believed to have been planted here. Many of them still existed when the conquerors arrived, in fact Hernán Cortés built his fort in their midst and many Spanish viceroys turned this place into their summer resort.

The famous ahuehuetes

There are several ahuehuetes in Mexico that are admired and recognized as true tourist monuments for their longevity or for being linked to relevant historical events in Mexico.

1- Ahuehuete of Santa María del Tule

This tree, located 12 km southeast of the city of Oaxaca, is famous for its thickness and age. It is estimated to be about 2,000 years old and its circumference measures about 54 m.

2- "The Sergeant"

Located in the Bosque de Chapultepec, it is a dead ahuehuete famous for its majesty. It is about 15 meters tall and has almost 4 meters in diameter at its trunk. It is believed to be about 700 years old.

3- The sabino of San Juan

This living ahuehuete is located in the San Juan square in the Delegation of Xochimilco.

It is about 25 m tall and its trunk is more than 3 and a half meters in diameter. The diameter of its foliage is approximately 25 m. It is believed to be between 600 and 700 years old.

4- The "Tree of the Sad Night"

This ahuehuete is one of the best known thanks to the legend to which it is associated. It is believed that Hernán Cortés, after his defeat in Tecnochtitlán on July 10, 1520, sat next to this tree to "mourn" his defeat while fleeing with his men towards the town of Tacuba.

Currently the tree is located in what is known today as the Mexico-Tacuba road. It is a dead tree that remains supported by concrete bars.

5- The ahuehuete of the centenary

Although this tree is not as old as those mentioned above, it is famous for being a memorial to the centennial of Mexican independence. It was planted in 1910 and is located on Paseo de la Reforma.

6- "The Sacred Tree"

It is located at kilometer 40 of the Santiago Tianguistenco-Chalma highway in the State of Mexico. Its trunk has a diameter of 4 meters, 37 meters high and is estimated to be 227 years old.

References

1. Zetina, J (1935). Rotary Fiesta. In The Rotarian. (46) 5 pp. 32-34. Chicago (USA). Recovered from books.google.co.ve.
2. Alliance of Agricultural Information Services (s / f). Taxodium mucronatum Ten. Technical Note No. 93. Recovered from orton.catie.ac.cr.
3. Popotla, From the Ahuehuetes to Agronomy.
4. Beuchat, H. (1918). Manual of American Archeology. Madrid, USA: Jorro Editores. Recovered from books.google.co.ve.
5. Martinez, B. (1999). The Ahuehuete. In CONABIO- Biodiversitas. 25 PP. 12-14. Recovered from biodiversity.gob.mx.
6. Montemayor, C. and Frischmann, D. (2004). Words of the True People. Austin (USA): University of Texas Press. Recovered from books.google.co.ve.
7. Jimenez, J. (1989). The ahuehuete. The amole or Mexican soap. In Science 14 pp 20-21. México Recovered from revistaciencias.unam.mx.