Santa Maria del Tule
- proper noun
:
Santa María del Tule
- Many tourists visit Santa Maria del Tule to see the famous Tule Tree.
Examples
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The town of Santa Maria del Tule is located just outside Oaxaca City.
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Local festivals in Santa Maria del Tule celebrate its cultural and natural heritage.
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I visited Santa Maria del Tule last summer.
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Have you ever been to Santa Maria del Tule?
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Many tourists visit Santa Maria del Tule to see the famous Tule Tree.
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Local festivals in Santa Maria del Tule celebrate its cultural and natural heritage.
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The town of Santa Maria del Tule is located just outside Oaxaca City.
Surface Forms
Morphology
Santa + Maria + del + Tule
This is a toponym built from recognizable Spanish elements (Santa = Saint, Maria = Mary, del = of the) so a learner who knows the constituents can infer it is a place name meaning something like 'Saint Mary of the Tule'. However, the specific referent (a town near Oaxaca known for a giant cypress) and its notable properties are not derivable from the parts alone, so the expression is only partially predictable.
Etymology
Santa Maria del Tule comes from the town name Santa Maria ('Saint Mary') plus del Tule ('of the Tule'), where 'Tule' is a local word for a reed and later for the town's giant, very old tree. So the name points to the town near Oaxaca best known for that huge Tule Tree.
