Copal Amber

To the pre-ColumbianMayaand contemporaryMaya peoplesit is known in the variousMayan languagesas(or a close variation thereof),[3][8]although the word itself has been demonstrated to be aloanwordto Mayan fromMixe–Zoquean languages.[]
Copal is still used by a number ofindigenous peoples of MexicoandCentral Americaas anincenseand duringsweat lodgeceremonies.[9]It is available in different forms. The hard, amber-like yellow copal is a less expensive version. The white copal, a hard, milky, sticky substance, is a more expensive version of the sameresin.
Copal was also grown in East Africa (the common species there being), initially feeding an Indian Ocean demand forincense. By the 18th Century, Europeans found it to be a valuable ingredient in making a good woodvarnish. It became widely used in the manufacture of furniture and carriages. It was also sometimes used as a picture varnish.[10]By the late 19th and early 20th century varnish manufacturers in England and America were using it on train carriages, greatly swelling its demand.