A fruit from a short thick tree, which grows to between 8 and 15 meters, with low branches, large leaves and white to yellow flowers. The fruit is a berry with yellow pulp and numerous seeds, which ripens from June to September. When the fruits are still green, they produce a bluish black dye, which the indigenous people used to use to dye cloth and utensils, and to darken their skin, as its effect lasts for several days and withstands washing. It is also known for its various medicinal properties. This fruit can be eaten fresh when ripe and can also be used to make sweets, wine, syrups, soda, ice cream and jagua liquor.
In prehistoric times, the jagua tree was considered sacred because Jagua, mother of the first women to live on Earth and the deity who dictated human laws, came out of its fruit. This tree and its fruit are vitally important for the city of Cienfuegos, the Pearl of the South, where authentic indigenous legends originated. On the shield that appears on the city’s flag, designed by Agustín de Santa Cruz in 1831, there is a jagua tree, which symbolizes health, charity, hope and abundance.
Despite being a wonderful tree, it has not escaped the degradation of the mountains around the city of Cienfuegos. The fruit is currently practically unknown to the rest of the Cuban population, who prefer other varieties of fruit, such as mango, mamey and pineapple. For that reason, it only eaten in small quantities in rural parts of Cuba.
En tiempos prehistóricos el árbol de Jagua fue considerado sagrado porque de sus frutos salió Jagua, madre de las primeras mujeres que poblaron la tierra y deidad que dictó las leyes de los hombres. Este árbol y su fruto son de vital importancia cultural para la ciudad de Cienfuegos, la Perla del Sur, en donde han nacido auténticas leyendas aborígenes. En el escudo que se puede ver en la bandera de la ciudad, diseñado por Agustín de Santa Cruz en 1831, se encuentra un árbol de Jagua el cual simboliza la salud, la caridad, la esperanza y la abundancia.
A pesar de lo maravilloso de este árbol, no puede decirse que haya escapado a la degradación de los montes cercanos a la ciudad de Cienfuegos. Siendo actualmente un fruto prácticamente desconocido por el resto de la población cubana, la cual prefiere otras variedades de frutas como el mango, el mamey y la piña. Por esta razón, su consumo es escaso y se remota a las zonas rurales de Cuba.
