Santa María del Tule (or just El Tule), 13km east on Hwy-190 as you head out of Oaxaca.

You can see the famous Árbol del Tule in a churchyard by the road. This mighty tree, said to be at least 1500 years old (some say 3000), is a good 36m round (the signboard claims a girth of 58m, but this is disputed by most experts), slightly fatter than it is tall (around 30m), and weighs in around 500 tons. A notice board gives all the vital statistics, though some of these are rather dubious: suffice to say that it must be one of the oldest living (and flourishing) objects on earth, and it’s a species of cypress (Taxodium mucronatum) that has been virtually extinct since the colonial era.

Known as a Montezuma Cypress or Ahuehuete in Mexico (from the Náhuatl), it became the national tree in 1910. Sadly, the Tule tree has recently come one of the biggest attractions in Oaxaca. Local environmentalists are pushing for Unesco status in order that an integrated programme of ecological protection, including reforestation of the surrounding area, could be applied the site was added to Unesco’s World Heritage Tentative List in 2001, but has yet to be nominated. A souvenir market takes advantage of the passing trade, and there are various food and drink stalls. If you want to avoid the tourist hype, sit on the left-hand side of the bus (heading to Mitla) and you may get a glimpse of the tree as you pass. A close-up look (daily 9am–5pm), provides a better view; the tree is mightily impressive.

Buses for El Tule depart from the second-class bus station every thirty minutes but can take an hour to get there: to save time catch the same bus one block east of Oaxaca’s baseball stadium on Niños Héroes and Blv Eduardo Vasconcelos (they say “Tule” on the top); you can also take the buses to Mitla, but you’ll have to walk from the highway.