How to Burn Copal Resin: Rax Pom Mayan Copal Ritual with a Handmade Clay Copalera

In our home, before a ceremony begins and before the first cup of cacao is poured, someone lights the copal. The smoke rises slowly, the room changes, and everyone arrives in the same moment.

In this video, we open our Rax Pom Ceremonial Copal Ritual Kit and show you how we burn copal, step by step, the way we do it in Guatemala.

What Is Copal Resin?

Copal is the resin of a tree. When the bark is opened, the tree releases a sap that slowly hardens into pale, amber pieces. We call it the tears of the tree.

For thousands of years, Maya families in Guatemala, the country just south of Mexico, have burned copal as an offering: to open a ceremony, to give thanks, and to prepare a space before people gather. In Mayan languages it is called pom.

Rax Pom is the copal we bring from Cahabón, in the Alta Verapaz region of Guatemala, where Q’eqchi’ Maya families harvest it by hand.

What Comes in the Rax Pom Ritual Kit

• 2 oz of Rax Pom copal resin, enough for about 15 uses
• A handmade clay copalera. In Spanish we call it incensario. In Kaqchikel, our language, it is pomb’äl. Each one is shaped by hand and kiln-fired by Rosa.
• 10 charcoal discs, the steady heat copal needs to release its smoke
• Hemp cord, so you can hang the copalera and carry the smoke through your space

Everything you need is in one box. No research, no missing pieces.

How to Burn Copal Resin, Step by Step

1. Break off a small piece of copal.
Copal is a resin, so a knife will not cut it cleanly. Break off a small piece by hand or with a small tool. You only need a little. A few small pieces fill a whole room.

2. Light the charcoal.
Hold one disc with tongs, never with your fingers, and light the edge. Wait until it glows red across the surface. This is the moment it is ready.

3. Place the charcoal in your copalera.
Using the tongs, set the glowing disc in the bowl of the copalera.

4. Add the copal.
Place your piece of copal on top of the charcoal. Within seconds, the smoke begins to rise.

5. Carry the smoke, or let it rest.
Hang the copalera by its cord and walk slowly through your space, or set it on your altar or table and let the smoke fill the room on its own.

A few things to keep in mind: the copalera gets hot, so hold it by the cord or the base and always set it on a heat-safe surface. Open a window or a door while it burns. Never leave burning charcoal unattended, and let the ashes cool completely before you clean the bowl.

When We Burn Copal

In our tradition, copal opens the space. We burn it:

• To open a ceremony, before anyone speaks
• Before a cup of cacao, as a moment to arrive and set an intention
• Before meditation or yoga, to mark the shift from the day into practice
• Before guests arrive, to prepare the room and hold the space for them
• At home or at the office, whenever a space feels heavy and we want to begin again

For us, copal is a way of coming back to the present. Back to the breath, to nature and to ourselves.

You Don’t Even Have to Burn It

Some evenings we simply open the jar and breathe in the scent of the resin. It is fresh, earthy and deeply grounding. It is a quiet way to slow down at the end of the day, without lighting anything at all.

Why Rax Pom

Our copal comes directly from the Q’eqchi’ families in Cahabón who harvest it, and our copaleras come directly from Rosa, the artisan who shapes them. There are no middlemen in between. When you choose this kit, you support the people whose hands made it, and you keep a living tradition alive.

Questions We Get Asked

How long does one kit last?
The 2 oz of Rax Pom is enough for about 15 uses. The copalera is yours to keep and use again and again.

How long does one charcoal disc burn?
Each disc burns for about 10 to 15 minutes, enough for a full ritual.

Do I need charcoal to burn copal?
Yes. Copal needs the steady heat of charcoal to melt and release its smoke. It will not burn well on its own the way a stick of incense does.

Can I use the copalera with other resins?
Yes. It works with frankincense, myrrh and any resin burned on charcoal.

I have never done a ceremony. Is this for me?
Yes. You do not need any experience. If you can light a match and take a slow breath, you can begin.