In the Mesoamerican cosmological framework presented in the Códice Tudela, the four trees are the structural image of the universe. Iconographic research has shown that these trees are displayed in relation to the four paths of the cosmos (east, west, north, and south), which serve as vertical axes (axis mundi) and constitute the different levels of the world: the underworld, the terrestrial plane and the sky.
The images show four ceiba trees of different color or species. On the east is the Mezquite Precioso or Quetzalmízquitl, (Prosopis laevigata species) which is dedicated to Tlaloc and Tonatiuh, gods of the water and the Sun, respectively. On the north, the Ceiba Preciosa or Quetzalpóchotl, is dedicated to the goddesses Tlaltecuhtli and Tlazoltéotl. On the west is the Huejote Precioso or Quetzalhuéxotl, a tree linked to Macuiltonal, Lord Five Days. In this vein, it is the tree that Quetzalcóatl turned into when he raised the sky. To the south is the Ahuehuete Precioso or Quetzalahuéhuetl, (meliaceae family) associated with Tezcatlipoca and Cintéotl.