Physical Characteristics:
The ceiba (pronounced say-bah) tree is a member of the Bombacae family of trees. Its tree pods are filled with kapok or silk-cotton, a soft fiber similar in texture to a kitten's fur. Inside this fluff lies one small black seed about half the size of a watermelon seed. Like a dandelion, the ceiba's kapok carries the seed through the air to the ground, ensuring tree propagation far from the host tree. The ancient Mayans used the kapok to stuff mattresses and also to fill vests for padding during battle and during their famous ball court games. In more modern times, kapok has been used as a filler for life jackets, airplane insulation, and sound proofing in recording studios. However, over time, synthetic materials have replaced kapok in these applications.
Young ceiba trees are covered with hundreds of sharp pointed thorns that jut out on the trunk and branches of the tree and may help the young trees survive being eaten by any grazing animals that might be nearby.
The nectar of the whitish pink blossoms is a favorite food of bats during the night. In the early morning, hummingbirds, tanagers, orioles and other birds drink the nectar and help distribute the pollen.
Spiritual Characteristics:
The Mayans believe the ceiba tree is the sacred Tree of Life. Called yaxché in Mayan or the green tree, it connects the nine levels of the Underworld to the four levels of the Middleworld and upwards into the thirteen levels of the Upperworld. The roots anchored the tree in the Underworld and the branches connected the tree to the Upperworld. Some versions of Mayan cosmology state that five trees, located at the cardinal points of the compass (north, east, south and west) and in the middle, all supported the heavens, with the sacred ceiba the tree in the center.
At the time of the Spanish conquest, the Yucatecan Mayans believed the ceiba tree would offer them protection from the Spanish invaders, allowing them an escape route per se to another realm.
Depictions in Daily Life:
The ceiba tree is found in drawings on pots, vases, and cooking vessels. Some ancient braziers are shaped like the four main branches of the ceiba tree, with the outside covered in sharp points to represent the ceiba's thorns. Ear flares,a common ornament for nobility to wear, are shaped like the ceiba's tiny flowers which only bloom in the evening. The Mayans carved canoes from the trunks of these large trees and used them to travel along the Yucatan coast.
