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Ceremonial Pom Incense
Mayan Copal
This kind of incense was and continues to be burned by Mayan communities in the southern states of Mexico and Guatemala. This "pom" comes directly from these Mayan people. "Pom" is copal in the Mayan language. It is made of tree resins and other elements. It is burned during important ceremonies by shamans and other medicine people.
Disks measuring approximately 1.6 -1.8 inches are made and then wrapped with banana leaf. There are approximately 18-20 disks in each. A small piece of "pom" is placed on hot charcoal to produce smoke. It is believed that the smoke from this "pom" carries the intentions and prayers to the cosmos and creator....
This "pom" tube can last you for along time since only small pieces are used at a time.
Copal is aromatic tree resin employed in Mesoamerica as incense. The word comes, by way of Spanish, from Aztec Nahuatl copalli, and due to regional differences in naming and usage several different trees and their resins bear the name copal. Some of the resins called copal have other uses besides that of burning as incense. For example, copal has been variously used for chewing, glueing, bringing rain, and purifying meat; it has also been used as a pigment binder, as a varnishing agent, and as medicine for several different ailments.
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