The sister trees of the Yucatan Peninsula

“They were two brother princes, Tizic and Kinich. Although the same blood flowed through their veins, they were opposite and different in several ways from each other...”

In recent years, the incidence of the concept of ecosystem services in the general lexicon has increased. This term usually refers to all those benefits from the environment and nature that humans are able to take advantage of. The term is also associated with services that we perceive as fundamental; services that provide us with raw materials such as water, food, medicines, wood, dyes and others; services that are increasingly important in our conversations due to their ability to regulate the conditions on which we depend entirely, such as flood control, climate regulation, emission control, pollination and support services such as biodiversity, shelter and soil formation. In the same way, there are the cultural ecosystem services those who are not usually valued in the same way, however, are of vital importance in human history since they have allowed the existence and support of our civilization, combined with an endless number of ideologies, traditions, identities and beliefs, among an even wider range of human activities.

In this article we want to focus on a very particular cultural ecosystem service that occurs in the Calakmul region and in a large part of the Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico, where the Toroto team, with more than four hundred thousand hectares of forest projects in the region, has been able to participate in listening to this exciting story; a popular legend among the inhabitants that dates back to pre-Columbian times within the Mayan civilization.

This cultural ecosystem service does not provide supply, regulation, or support, however, it is essential to understand the social-nature relations that are developing in the region, and in the same way, to understand one more link in the universe, which is the Mexican biocultural heritage. This cultural ecosystem service describes the presence and relationship between two trees endemic to the region known as the Chechen And the Chacá.

El Chechen (Metopium brownei), also called Black Chechen, Boxcheché and Kabal-Chechen is a deciduous tree 12 to 25 meters high with a width of up to 60 centimeters and an irregular crown. Its distribution in Mexico is restricted to the Gulf slope, from the south of Veracruz to the Yucatan Peninsula, where it is very abundant in different types of vegetation ranging from deciduous tropical forest to evergreen tropical forest, including mangroves, grasslands and coastal vegetation (Pennington and Sarukhán, 1998; García-Gil, 2003).

On the other hand, Chacá (Bursera simaruba), also known as Red Chacá, Chachah, Chakab and Hukup, is a deciduous resinous tree from 5 to 35 meters high with a width of up to 80 centimeters and an irregular and dispersed crown. Its distribution in Mexico ranges from the Sierra de Tamaulipas and San Luis Potosí to Yucatán and Quintana Roo on the Gulf slope; and from Sinaloa to the Central Depression of Chiapas in the Pacific. It is distributed in different types of vegetation, from thorny forests to evergreen tropical forest, including mangroves, grasslands and coastal vegetation (Ibid.).

Beyond their peculiarities and ecological and biological importance, what characterizes these two trees is the relationship that exists between them and the cultural beliefs that have been born around it. It is very common to find both species naturally and are distributed side by side, one next to the other.

El Chechen It usually causes various changes in the skin, especially itching, an intense rash, swelling, respiratory tract damage, allergies and others. The local population even comments that just being under the shade of this tree can cause all those ailments mentioned above. On the other hand, the Chacá It is usually the direct and natural remedy for all the conditions caused by Chechen, since only preparing a good bath with the boiling of the leaves is usually sufficient to counteract the effects caused. Chechen and Chacá are poison and antidote, as commented in the region. For this reason, various legends and myths have been reported that arise from a close relationship and knowledge about culture and understanding in the interaction of these species on a local scale.

In addition to the above, both trees have been used according to local tradition in the Yucatan Peninsula, for example: Chechen It is usually used to counteract smallpox, measles, to remove warts, as a poison for fish and since its wood is of good quality, it is used for making furniture and crafts. El Chacá it is used to counteract pain and inflammation, asthma, cough, fever, wash wounds, remove rashes or sunburns and relieve insect and tick bites. The medicinal uses of both species, as well as those derived from culturally related diseases, are an essential part of customs and traditions, so they are closely linked to the worldview and local identity. From their curious spatial relationship in the region, to the inverse agreement between the uses that the community has given to these two species, it is logical to think that this situation leads to one of the legends that describe the relationship between these two trees in their natural environment.

Los cultural ecosystem services are of vital importance in human history.

To have a deeper understanding of this cultural ecosystem service, We will tell the legend behind this event, which is one of the most representative in the Yucatan Peninsula and of the Mayan culture:The battle of two brothers for a goddess's desire for love.

“They were two brother princes, Tizic and Kinich. Although the same blood flowed through their veins, they were opposite and different in several ways from each other. The oldest was Tizic, cold-hearted, arrogant and ruthless, no one in the town wanted him. The youngest was Kinich, gentle, kind and warm-hearted, whom the whole town loved and respected for his kindness. Both brothers were dazzled by the beauty of Nicté-Há, she had a beautiful and gentle soul, so she conquered the hearts of the brothers. However, this event caused a battle between Tizic and Kinich to win their love. The angry gods covered the sky with dark clouds and the moon was hidden for the days that the battle lasted.

The fight had a tragic and bitter outcome, as both brothers died and neither could win the love of Nicté-Há. When they arrived in the other world, the brothers asked the gods to see Nicté-Há again. The shocked gods accepted and returned them to earth in the form of trees. Tizic returned to earth in the form of a poisonous tree; The Chechen. With branches and leaves that burn the skin if you touch it or approach it; its resin when exposed to sunlight turns black. Prince Kinich was reborn as the tree of Chacá, a tree that cures all the poison left by its brother the Chechen. Princess Nicté-Há died of sadness when she saw the brothers' tragedy. However, in the same way, when he arrived in the other world, the gods allowed him to be reborn in a beautiful flower that is located near the water. (species of the genus Plumeria) and which is currently part of the natural landscape in the famous cenotes of the Yucatan Peninsula”.

What is described in this story typical of the local Mayan people points to the importance of cultural ecosystem services because it addresses aspects that stand out in the spiritual and religious, recreational and tourist aspects, the aesthetic, the inspirational, the educational, the identity of a site and its cultural heritage as own benefits Not materials obtained from ecosystems.

Society and nature are two spheres that have evolved hand in hand, one inside the other. Just as some insects change over time along with the flowers they pollinate, so is the dependence that humans have on being in nature. As social organisms, we need traits that unite us to our species, to create symbols and affections that allow us to ally ourselves with our own in order to understand each other. Nature is our ally par excellence, whether in the face of a crisis such as climate change or to find a safe place to define and protect ourselves. Cultural ecosystem services have made us what we are today. Although without those of support or supply we would not be alive - or at least not in this human form - the cultural ones have endowed us with reason and identity of being.

After the above, it is very important to communicate that humanity would be -even more- lost in its relationship with nature if we stopped taking into account cultural ecosystem services. An important characteristic that defines them is their capacity to have an educational impact on humans; seeking the conservation of a natural area whose magnitude and beauty you have experienced is not the same as simply having heard about it. In the same way, it happens with the aesthetic and spiritual value they provide us. Today is the time to start revaluing this ecosystem service and always keep this in mind and consideration when we talk about environmental benefits.

Cultural ecosystem services have made us what we are today.

About the authors:

Marcos is a Southeastern Territorial Manager in Toroto. He studied Biology with a specialty in Agroecology from the Technological Institute of Conkal, a Master's Degree in Management and Conservation of Natural Resources from the Autonomous University of Yucatán and a Doctorate in Ecology and Sustainable Development from the Colegio de la Frontera Sur. He believes that the connection between nature and society is of the utmost importance in order to stop the crises we are experiencing.

Fernando is a Commercial and Project Development Director in Toroto. He studied Mechanical Engineering at the National Autonomous University of Mexico and a Master's Degree in Business Administration at the Sorbonne University. Enjoy being in contact with nature and traveling for new experiences.

References

• Pennington, T. and J. Sarukhan. (1998). Tropical trees in Mexico. UNAM-Fund for Economic Culture. Mexico, D.F. 520 p.
• Garcia-Gil, G. (2003). Recent human colonization and formation of the agrarian landscape in the Calakmul Biosphere Reserve, Campeche, Mexico (Ph.D. Dissertation). National Autonomous University of Mexico, Mexico, D.F.
• CONABIC. Metopium brownei. Available in: http://www.conabio.gob.mx/conocimiento/info_especies/arboles/doctos/2-anaca3.pdf
• CONABIC. Bursera simaruba. Available in: http://www.conabio.gob.mx/conocimiento/info_especies/arboles/doctos/17-burse2m.pdf
• Photo by: Ricard Busquets Reverte