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Yaxché — The Bleeding Ceiba
The tree that fed on the dead and sheltered the living. The sacred Ceiba of Maya cosmology — roots in Xibalba, sap running red — worn across your back. Part of THE UNDERWORLD Series.
★★★★★★★★★★The Story
In the beginning, the Maya did not look only upward for the divine.
They looked down.
Deep into the earth. Past the roots. Past the darkness. Into Xibalba — the underworld — where the sacred Ceiba tree, Yaxché, sent its roots to feed.
The Ceiba was not merely a tree in Maya cosmology. It was the axis of the entire universe. The World Tree. The spine of creation itself. Its roots descended through the layers of the earth into the Place of Fear below. Its trunk stood in the world of the living — where kings were crowned beneath its shade and the dead were buried between its roots. Its branches reached upward into the thirteen layers of the heavens above, where the gods held court among the stars.
To stand beneath a Ceiba was to stand at the center of everything.
The Maya did not worship it from a distance. They built their cities around it. They oriented their temples toward it. They buried their rulers beneath it so that in death, the roots would carry them downward into Xibalba — and the branches would one day carry them back.
Its sap ran red.
Not metaphorically. The Ceiba produces a dark crimson resin that bleeds from its bark like a wound. The Maya saw this and understood — the tree was alive in ways that defied ordinary life. It bled. It fed. It connected the dead to the living to the divine in one unbroken vertical line.
The skulls in the roots are not decoration. They are theology.
This design captures the Ceiba in its full cosmic role — inverted, roots reaching downward into Xibalba, trunk rising toward the collar, skulls of the honored dead cradled between the roots, blood red sap dripping from the deepest point. The tree does not ask permission to hold the world together. It simply does.
On the front, left chest — two words. The series. The statement.
THE UNDERWORLD.
Part of THE UNDERWORLD Series — Neolithic Store's deep exploration of Maya mythology, one design at a time.
Heavyweight 240 GSM 100% cotton oversized fit. Black on black until the light hits the white linework — then the tree reveals itself completely.
Forged from ancient bloodline. Worn by the modern warrior.
The Details
Care
Machine wash cold, inside out, with similar colours. Do not bleach. Do not tumble dry. Iron on reverse if needed. The fabric softens with each wash but holds its form.
Shipping & Returns
Free shipping across India. Dispatched within 1-2 business days. 7-day return window from delivery. Item must be unworn, unwashed, with tags intact.
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★★★★★★★★★★ Jul 2026
The drape is unreal and the artwork holds up wash after wash, love it.
Sneha Kapoor –
The drape is unreal and the artwork holds up wash after wash, love it.