The World Tree is the central axis of the world. Called the Wakah-Kan ("Six Sky" or " Raised-up Sky") in the glyphs, it appears in the form of a cross with a tzuk, "partition," sign on its trunk and sak nik, "white flowers," on its branches. Often a Double-headed Serpent wraps through its branches and the Celestial Bird perches on its summit. The tree can have the single trunk of the ceiba tree or it can have multiple trunks resulting from the Maya practice of harvesting the branches of living trees for wood. The king personified the World Tree in his flesh.
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