Castilla elastica Castilla elastica Castilla elastica, the Panama rubber tree, is a tree native to the tropical areas of Mexico, Central America, and northern South America. It was the principal source of latex among the Mesoamerican peoples in pre-Columbian times. The latex gathered from "Castilla elastica" was converted into usable rubber by mixing the latex with the juice of the morning glory species "Ipomoea alba" which, conveniently, is typically found in the wild as a vine climbing "Castilla elastica". The rubber produced by this method found several uses, including most notably, the manufacture of balls for the Mesoamerican ballgame "ōllamaliztli". The Aztec
By the Tree By the Tree By the Tree is a contemporary Christian rock group. By the Tree was founded in Weatherford, Texas in 1997 by Chuck Dennie and Bala Boyd. As with most aspiring musical groups, By the Tree got their start playing a series of small venues — predominantly churches — throughout the southern and southwestern United States. Their near-constant touring cultivated a sizeable fan base. In 1999 they released two independent, self-produced CDs, which they sold at their concerts. By 2001, these two CDs had sold a combined 30,000 units, which more than recouped their production costs, and additionally brought