The Yax Ché Tree Has Been Erected

When the 13th Bak’tun came to an end on May 3, 2013, prophetic words were passed among the sages and guardians of tradition; it was said orally that on that very day marking the end of the Oxlajun Bak’tun (13th Bak’tun), we would witness the sign of the great sages returning along the paths, heralded by flowers that bloom at midday—specifically, the Flor de Mayo (May Flower). This effectively ruled out December 21, 2012, as the date the 13th Bak’tun concluded.

A second piece of knowledge came from the Ritual of the Bacabs, found in the Chilam Balam of Chumayel: “when the ends of the fold of Katunes meet”—that is, when twenty katunes (or four hundred tunes—cycles of 360 k’ines, or days) had elapsed—the four Bacabs would devastate the earth through the rising of Cantul ti ku. Following thirteen years of devastation, the trees that uphold the world would rise up, one by one.

The date for the rising of the Bacabs was May 3, 2026. In Felipe Carrillo Puerto and many other communities, ceremonies were held to raise the Yax Ché—the sacred Ceiba tree. These ceremonies were conducted with the same reverence as those performed over three thousand years ago in Izapa, Chiapas. The event revives the myth foretelling what would occur after the devastation of the Oxlajun Bak’tun. Each time it is performed, the “Children of Corn” reaffirm their commitment to keeping the sky held aloft, thereby averting catastrophes and ensuring that the rainy and dry seasons remain benevolent and occur within their natural cycles.

Rainfall from June to August will be extremely heavy due to the warming of Pacific Ocean waters—a trend set to continue for decades if we persist in burning oil, fracking, diverting waterways, felling the oldest trees in our forests, planting monocultures, mining the Arctic, the Antarctic, the ocean floor, and periglacial and glacial zones, and destroying mangroves and coastal lagoon systems.

The “Raising of the Tree of Life” ceremonies are collective cultural expressions that acknowledge the ecological value of natural cycles and the role societies play in either facilitating or disrupting them.

This May 3, 2026, offers an opportunity to reflect deeply on the catastrophic climate and ecosystem repercussions of the decisions leaders make today.

We possess the freedom of discernment to create the conditions for Buen Vivir (Living Well). Let us be worthy ancestors to those yet to be born; they deserve a world more harmonious than the one we found.