How to Burn Copal Resin: The Latin American Catholic Tradition

Copal is a tree resin, and you burn it the same way as frankincense: a pea-sized piece on a lit charcoal disc in a heat-safe burner. The name covers more than one resin. In Mexico and Central America, copal comes from native trees and has been burned since the time of the Aztec and Maya. It is still the incense of home altars, processions and the ofrendas of Día de Muertos. Copal also comes from Southeast Asia, and that is the copal in two of our Milagros blends, Saint Francis of Assisi and Saint Thérèse of Lisieux.

What copal is

The word comes from the Nahuatl copalli, which simply means incense. Over time "copal" became a general name for hard, fragrant tree resins, so it now covers resins from very different trees.

Mexican and Central American copal. In Mexico most copal comes from trees of the genus Bursera. In the Maya lands of southern Mexico and Guatemala it often comes from Protium. Both belong to the same botanical family as frankincense, the Burseraceae. Markets sell pale, milky copal blanco alongside darker amber pieces with names like copal oro or copal negro, which vary from region to region. The smoke is thick and the scent fresh and piney.

Southeast Asian copal. This copal comes from Agathis trees, tall conifers of Indonesia and the Philippines, and is sometimes sold as Manila copal. It is a clear, yellow to amber resin with a light, balsamic scent. It is not related to frankincense, but it burns well on charcoal and blends easily with other resins.

If you are buying copal for a Mexican ofrenda, look for Bursera or Protium on the label, or buy from a Mexican market. New to resin incense in general? Start with What Is Resin Incense?

The copal in our incense

We do not sell copal on its own. Two Milagros blends contain it:

• Saint Francis of Assisi. Olibanum, myrrh and copal, left in their natural, uncolored state. A heavy, resinous smoke at 5 of 5.
• Saint Thérèse of Lisieux. Olibanum, myrrh and copal with rose petals, based on an 1850 blend from the Carmel of Lisieux. Also 5 of 5. The same resin comes in the Saint Thérèse prayer kits.

The copal in both is prime white grade from Agathis dammara, the highest grade of Southeast Asian copal, which Milagros buys from a German incense supplier. In these blends the copal sits underneath the frankincense and myrrh, giving body and a soft balsamic note rather than the sharp smoke of Mexican copal on its own.

How to burn copal on charcoal

The method is the same for loose copal and for our copal blends. You need a heat-safe burner, one quick-light charcoal disc, tongs and a few small pieces of resin. A 1.3 in (33 mm) disc suits most tabletop burners; a chained censer takes the wider 1.6 in (40 mm) size.

1. Light the charcoal. Hold the disc with tongs and touch a flame to its edge. Quick-light charcoal catches in 8 to 15 seconds; you will see sparks travel across the surface. Set it in the burner.
2. Wait for the grey ash. The disc reaches full heat in about a minute and a half and turns grey on top. Resin placed on black charcoal tends to scorch.
3. Add the resin. Place one pea-sized piece on the disc. Mexican copal melts fast and smokes heavily, so start smaller than you would with frankincense.
4. Add more as the smoke fades. One disc stays hot for roughly 30 to 65 minutes, depending on its size.
5. Let it cool. Leave the ash in the burner until it is completely cold before you empty it.

Keep a window open. Copal makes more smoke per grain than most church blends, and that is part of its character. The full charcoal method, with photos, is in our guide on how to burn resin incense.

Can you burn copal without charcoal?

Yes, but the result is much weaker. A tea light under a ceramic burner warms the resin and releases some scent, with little smoke. We tested this method with resin in one of our own burners, and the scent barely carried past the table. For the full cloud of copal smoke, charcoal is the way. Our test is written up in Can You Burn Resin Incense Without Charcoal?

Copal in Mexican and Latin American Catholic life

For the Aztec and the Maya, copal smoke was an offering to the gods. After the evangelization of the Americas the resin stayed in daily life, and over the centuries it found a place in Catholic popular devotion. Its home today is mostly outside the formal liturgy: on household altars, in processions, at shrines, and in the cemeteries in early November. At Mass, most parishes still use frankincense-based church incense.

In November, families set out the ofrenda for Día de Muertos with photographs, candles, marigolds (cempasúchil) and the foods their dead loved, and burn copal in a clay sahumador. For Catholic families those days are first of all the feasts of All Saints and All Souls, with Mass, visits to the cemetery and prayer for the dead. Our guide to incense for All Saints and All Souls covers the Catholic side of those two days.

In the Guatemalan highlands, Maya Catholics burn copal on the steps of the church of Santo Tomás in Chichicastenango, a custom visitors have described for generations.

Copal and Our Lady of Guadalupe

The image on Juan Diego's tilma, kept in the Basilica of Guadalupe, Mexico City. Public domain.

In December 1531, on the hill of Tepeyac, the Virgin appeared to Juan Diego and spoke to him in Nahuatl. Her image on his tilma hangs today in the Basilica of Guadalupe in Mexico City, which receives millions of pilgrims each year around her feast on December 12. Among them are the concheros, dancers who come to honor her and carry copal smoke in their sahumadores.

On the night of December 11, crowds sing Las Mañanitas to the Virgin at midnight, at the Basilica and in parishes across Mexico and the United States. If you keep that vigil at home, a little copal before her image belongs to the same tradition. Her words to Juan Diego make a fitting prayer for the night: "¿No estoy yo aquí, que soy tu Madre?" Am I not here, I who am your Mother?

For a Guadalupe altar we also carry the Milagros Our Lady of Guadalupe resin, a soft Marian blend at 3 of 5. It does not contain copal.

Questions about copal

Is copal the same as frankincense?

No. Mexican copal, from Bursera and Protium trees, is a cousin of frankincense: all three belong to the same plant family. Southeast Asian copal comes from Agathis, a conifer, and is not related. All of them burn the same way on charcoal. Our frankincense guide covers the Old World resin.

Which Clero incenses contain copal?

Saint Francis of Assisi and Saint Thérèse of Lisieux, including the Saint Thérèse prayer kits. Both use prime white copal from Agathis dammara, blended with olibanum and myrrh. We do not sell pure copal.

Is the copal in your blends the same as Mexican copal?

No. Ours is Southeast Asian copal from Agathis trees. The copal burned on Mexican ofrendas usually comes from Bursera. If you want that copal for Día de Muertos, a Mexican market is the best place to buy it.

How much copal should I use?

Start with one pea-sized piece on one charcoal disc. Copal melts fast and makes a lot of smoke, so add more only when the smoke thins.

Is copal used at Catholic Mass?

Most parishes use frankincense-based church incense at Mass. Copal belongs mainly to popular devotion in Mexico and Central America: home altars, processions, shrines and the ofrendas of early November, though some local churches burn it too.

What is the difference between white, gold and black copal?

They are Mexican market names for different grades and colors, and they vary by region. Copal blanco is pale and milky with the lightest scent. The darker amber and brown kinds are heavier and smokier.

Or browse:

• Pure resin incense, single resins and devotional blends in larger sizes
• Incense kits, with a burner, charcoal and tongs included
• Related: Incense for All Saints and All Souls

Top photo: dancers burning copal in Mexico City, by David Cabrera, Wikimedia Commons, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Milagros incense is made in Aparecida, Brazil. Every order ships from Florida.