IT'S A CRIME TO KILL THIS TREE!

What is the name of this tree? Is this the tree that they make black furniture from? Next, they use varnish or similar to finish the furniture?

¿Cómo se llama este árbol? Es este el árbol de que hacen muebles negros? ¿Entonces usan brilla para completar los muebles?

This tree is a ceiba, a sacred tree to the Mayans. Its soft wood is not normally sought for woodworking purposes, however it produces a fruit that has often been used to make fabrics including the stuffing for life vests (kapok).

El arbol se conoce como ceiba, y es sagrado para los maya. Su madera suave es no es apto para muebles o casas, sin embargo su fruta se usa para textiles incluyendo los chalecos de salvavidas.

There were about 50 people there tonight about 7. The police were there and I thought maybe to protect someone or the tree, but NO. They were just there directing traffic.

We talked months ago about what was going to happen there and so far I was right on. They have destroyed all plant life. Too bad, but you could see it happening by the way they were doing the road.

Down at the basketball court all except one of the big palm trees are dead. They have finally decided to water them and what a laugh that is. 16 months and now they decide to try and save a couple of them. I can not imagine the area with no trees but they are working on it fast.

Yes, those palm trees at the basketball court are a sad sight. Too bad, when they redesigned the open space last year, that they missed the boat entirely and failed to plant any shade trees or place more than a couple of benches. Most Mexican zocalos (and I guess the basketball court is Zihua's zocalo) provide some respite from the heat and noise of the day. Not Zihua's, which is like walking through a furnace at mid-day.

As for protecting trees, kudos to whoever it was that placed a sign on one of the trees on the Adelita side of the footbridge near Salvador's restaurant. The tree bears incredible flowers that apparently bloom at night, looking like fiber optics. The sign says:
Arbol protegerlo
Clavellina
Pseudo bombax elliptical
Respeto

I took a beautiful photo of the blossoms under a full moon, and
will post it someday when I learn how.

On the subject of Adelita, work still has not been completed, more than 5 1/2 months later. The underground wiring remains to be done, as does the paving in the intersection going up Heart Attack Hill, near Rufo's. The drainage ditch just west of Salvador's that runs into the canal is also not yet completed. Salvador's patio has been resurfaced with the same concreto estampado as the street, his bar and barstools are gone, and the large concrete island around his tree has been down-sized. His awning hasn't yet been replaced.
And, surprisingly, Mariscos Carlitos is upgrading, apparently putting in some ground-level tables. To us, Carlitos has always seemed a bit of a forbidding place. Perhaps no longer.
We offer a tip of the hat to those businesses along Adelita that have survived, at least so far, a whole winter of aggravation.
Word on the street there is that Zihua has spent 25 million pesos refurbishing Adelita. There are also rumours that they intend doing the rest of Adelita, all the way up to the Irma. That, of course, will be critical information for the hundreds of folks who stay up in that area of La Madera. Hopefully, someone local can keep the rest of us in the loop as to what happens and when.

Actually it turns out he was simply the first person to show up for the protest that neighbors had apparently planned. He was joined later by several dozen other folks including a group of students.