Not every tree was chopped down when a modest green space was cleared at the Merida Manuel Crescencio Rejón International Airport.
A huge, decades-old ceiba tree, considered sacred in Maya culture, was transplanted elsewhere at the complex.
Transplanting mature trees is difficult and not guaranteed to save the life of the tree, but the company charged with removing several 50-year-old arboles decided it was worth trying to salvage it.
The 2-billion-peso airport expansion required the land where a grove of green trees, habitat to noisy grackles that greeted travelers, grew for decades.
The tree was taken to the hangar area where it has already taken root and continues to live and provide shelter to wildlife, according to local media.
The ceiba was considered by the ancient Maya a symbol of the universe.
