The Sacred Ceiba Tree
The Maya world was created with five directions: the four cardinal points and a central axis. North is white (blanco), south is yellow (amarillo), east is red (rojo - where the sun rises), west is black (negro - where the sun passes into the night of the underworld). The center is green, represented by the sacred ceiba tree which is the center of the universe. It is believed that the ceiba tree serves as an axis which connects the earth with the upperworld and the underworld.
Sacred Ceiba Tree
Tikal, Guatemala
