Oaxaca city is one of the most rewarding travel destinations in Mexico, and the nearby village of Santa Maria del Tule is home to a 2,000 year-old living tree

The tree of Tule in Oaxaca, Mexico, is the tree with the largest trunk diameter in the world. It’s circumference reaches almost 60 meters and has a height of 42 meters. It’s approximate age is 2,000 years.

The colonial city of Oaxaca, which can be reached on a comfortable 5-6 hour road trip south from Mexico City, or a short 45-minute flight from the capital, is one of the most rewarding travel destinations in Mexico.

About eight miles east of the city center is the village of Santa Maria del Tule, where you’ll find what can be seen in most towns and villages in Mexico: a quaint church, a small plaza, and local markets. However, thousands of Mexican and foreign visitors flock to this village every month to witness something you cannot find elsewhere in Mexico—the remarkable El Tule, a 2,000 year-old living tree.

When you arrive in Santa Maria del Tule, you’ll probably find a crowd of people milling around the churchyard, home to El Tule, the oldest living tree in Mexico and one of the oldest in North America.

There is a nominal entrance fee that will relieve you of just a few pesos, a sum that also includes an entrance ticket on the back of which you can learn about the tree’s characteristics and history.

El Tule is quite an impressive sight, and it’s also quite humbling to stand beside (and under the shade of) a living thing that has been around since Roman times. It’s well worth the short journey from Oaxaca city to the village of Santa Maria del Tule.