Copal oro (gold), pieces

Background:

The word copal is from the Nahuatl language word for incense copalli. Known in various Mayan languages as ‘pom.’ Copal resins are used as incense, and medicinally. Copal is a resinous substance in an intermediate stage of polymerization between viscous, 'gummy' resins and amber.

There remains much evidence of Copal's traditional collection, pocessing and use, the details regarding its importance and the rich social context in which it was used. Copal, considered to be the "blood" of trees, was designated as a worthy offering to the Gods. In ancient Mayan and Aztec ceremonial uses there was a distinct symbolic connection between maize and Copal. Maize(corn) was the primary human food staple. Copal was an offering in ritual for Food for the Gods.. There is evidence of Copal being modeled into ritual objects shaped like 'ears' of Maize, and into miniature tortilla, disk-shaped incense. These are similar to pre-hispanic copal offerings found in a cenote (pool) at Chichén Itzá in the Yucatan, and elsewhere in central Mexico.The smoke from Copal was inhaled by shamans for inducing trance states.

Among the northern Lacandón Maya of lowland Chiapas in southern Mexico it was collected as resin of the pitch pine (Pinus pseudostrobus). The copal resin used in much of Mesoamerica was from the tree species Bursera bipinnata. The various Copal resins of Mexico and the Americas are closley related to the Copals of Africa and the Damars of India and Indonesia. The American Copals generally have a sweeter aroma.

One account of the process resin collection follows: The younger members of the community would perform the work of collecting the sap from the pine trees. Shallow diagonal cuts, made into the tree trunks, caused the sap to flow, dripping into a leaf ‘cup’ placed at the base of the tree. The resin was pounded into a thick paste and stored in large bowl shaped gourds. The resin was boiled and shaped into hard pellets for use as Copal.

Resin from these trees is also used to plug tooth cavities and fix loose teeth. Another species of the same genus, Bursera simaruba (the gumbolimbo tree), is a Zinacanteco remedy for loose teeth and dysentery, for the treatment of burns, headache, nosebleed, fever, and stomach aches. It was used to allay fear or fright, restoring balance in cases of dizziness.

Burned upon live coals in incense burners, the fumes and smoke are promoted to cure various illnesses, to protect against sorcery, sickness, and misfortune, and to cleanse the body after contact with the ill or dying, and others considered to be spiritually ‘unclean’.

Its sweet and husky, resinous aroma is used for celebration, invocation, protection. It is sacred to indigenous cultures of Central and South America. It is burned year-round in churches there, and is still used in homes during Day of the Dead celebrations. It is thought that the familiar scent of Copal helps souls of the departed to find their way back to visit among the living.

Applications: It is used to fill tooth cavities and to fix loose teeth. Another species of the same genus, Bursera simaruba (the gumbolimbo tree), is a Zinacanteco remedy for loose teeth and dysentery; used for the treatment of burns, headache, nosebleed, fever, and for stomach ache. It is taken to remove fear or fright, and to restore balance in cases of dizziness.

Copal oro is still used in ritual purification of both objects and people. The Guarani people of the Amazon basin use a type of it for wound healing and as a medicine for several different ailments.

Copal has a light resinous scent. It is used as fixative in perfume, mellowing sharper scents. Copal and its smoke can repell insects. Freshly applied, it is used to mend leaks in non-cooking containers, repair cracks in pottery, and in the manufacture of masks, drums, fiddles, guitars, and for general gluing. The soft resin is employed in as an all-around household aids, for gluing and fastening, and as a pigment binder and varnishing agent.