Ancient cultures worldwide imagined the universe as a giant tree

Before the advent of modern maps, ancient cultures used the Axis Mundi, or cosmic center, to navigate the layers of existence. The Vedic Ashvattha tree of India grows with its roots in heaven and its branches toward the earth, suggesting that life is a reflection of divine order. In Mesoamerica, the Maya believed the Yaxche tree was a massive ceiba that allowed the souls of the dead to climb into the celestial realm.