Copal

Copal is a name given to tree resin from the copal tree Protium copal (Burseraceae) that is particularly identified with the aromatic resins used by the cultures of pre-Columbian Mesoamerica as ceremonially burned incense and other purposes. More generally, the term copal describes resinous substances in an intermediate stage of polymerization and hardening between "gummier" resins and amber. The word copal is derived from the Nahuatl language word copalli, meaning "incense".

To the pre-Columbian Maya and contemporary Maya peoples it is known in the various Mayan languages as pom (or a close variation thereof), although the word itself has been demonstrated to be a loanword to Mayan from Mixe–Zoquean languages.

Copal is still used by a number of indigenous peoples of Mexico and Central America as an incense, during sweat lodge ceremonies and Sacred Mushroom ceremonies. It is available in different forms. The hard, amber-like yellow copal is a less expensive version. The white copal, a hard, milky, sticky substance, is a more expensive version of the same resin.

Bursera glabrifolia

Bursera glabrifolia is a Mexican species of trees native to central Mexico (Guerrero, Morelos, Michoacán, México State, Puebla, Oaxaca).

Bursera glabrifolia is one of two species commonly referred to as copal. Copal is the wood most commonly used by the woodcarvers in Oaxaca, Mexico. The woodcarvers refer to Bursera glabrifolia as "macho" or male copal, which they like less than Bursera bipinnata, which they refer to as "Hembra" or female copal.

Bursera glabrifolia is a small tree native to the tropical dry forests of Mexico. It was first described by Carl Sigismund Kunth in 1824 as Elaphrium glabrifolium and then transferred to the genus Bursera by Adolf Engler in 1896.

References

Copal (disambiguation)

Copal is a type of resin.

Copal may also refer to: