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Charles Zidar
ANCIENT MAYA BOTANICAL RESEARCH |
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| Family: | Moraceae | | Genus: | Castilla | | Species: | elastica | | Authority: | Sesse | | Common Name: | rubber tree | | Maya Name: | Castilloa rubber, hule, kiikche, kikiche, kukche and yaxha | | Depictions: | Ceramic vessel | | Maya Plant Use: | Rubber Tree - Latex or laticifers, termed "rubber" by Sir Joseph Priestley in 1770 when he used it to rub errors from a piece of paper. Aztecs used Castilla elastica. Later Havea brasiliensis was used. In 1823, Charles Macintosh used rubber as a waterproof jacket. In 1839, Charles Goodyear developed vulcanization. Synthetic rubber is made by polymerizing either butadiene or styrene molecules obtained from alcohol, coal, or petroleum. Over two-thirds of rubber goes toward making tires. (Simpson and Ogorzaly 1995)
| | Ritual Significance: | Havea braziliensis? and Castilla elastica were prized by the ancient Maya for the liquid latex that was harvested to create the ceremonial ball for the ritual ballgame. A rubber ball can be seen on this polychrome ceramic. | | Notes: | Cerv.? | | Photos: | Click on an image below for high resolution comparison. |
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