The Origin of its Name: a Tribute of Love and Gratitude

MAGÓN owes its name to Rodolfo González Volio and Miguel Ángel González Camacho, father and grandfather of Rodolfo González Suárez, to whom their children and grandchildren paid tribute by naming this incredible creature with the first letters of the name Miguel Ángel González, (Miguel Angel GONzalez). MAGÓN was also the nickname of Rodolfo González Volio, by which he was known throughout the Bahía Salinas area.

How Old is MAGÓN?

How old might an 85 cm guayacán real be?  We certainly do not have the answer to this question, although we would love to know! However, given the rate at which these trees grow and this specimen’s current size, there can be no doubt that MAGÓN is immensely old.

We could hazard a guess that MAGÓN is at least 1,000 years old, which would likely make it the oldest living thing in Costa Rica, and one of the oldest in the world. Just think that when Columbus arrived on the Costa Rica coast, more than 500 years ago, MAGÓN was already hundreds of years old.

How many trees like this exist in the world?  Surely not many!

How has it Survived?

How did MAGÓN survive the logging that practically eliminated the dry tropical forest, and specifically the adult guayacán real, in this area?

We think the answer to this question is found in the combination of four possible explanations:

The first three reasons are related to the difficulty of cutting and moving a tree of the size, weight and location (the highest point on its hill) of MAGÓN.

The fourth possible reason combines the previous three, and could be related to the fact that MAGÓN has an injury in its trunk, caused by fire, that may have made logger think twice about tackling the giant.

Whatever the reasons may have been for its salvation, it is a blessing that MAGÓN survived to demonstrate what the dry tropical forest has produced and to allow it to propagate its own species through its offspring in San Lorenzo.

Its Reproduction

Since 1991, we have climbed the mountain to collect saplings that have sprouted under MAGÓN’s branches.  We place them in plastic bags and keep then in a nursery until they reach one or two years old and between 10 and 15 cm height, then we plant them.Readmore... »

Becoming Famous

Since the first version of the San Lorenzo web site, back in 2003, the existence of MAGÓN has provoked interest among nature lovers, due to its extraordinary size, its impressive age and the large number of its offspring that have been transplanted to further its legacy.  Since then, MAGÓN has been visited by numerous groups, all of which have treasured the opportunity to meet this wonderful creature.Readmore... »

An Extraordinary Guayacán Real

MAGÓN is the name of a truly extraordinary guayacán real tree found in Puerto Soley, just 2km from San Lorenzo, on a property belonging to the González family.

This is a beautiful tree whose trunk measures 85 cm in diameter, on average, significantly larger than the maximum diameter of about 60 cm generally attributed to this species.Readmore... »