A tropical plant of the agave family, used to produce fiber for rope and textiles.
From Spanish 'cantala,' possibly from a Mesoamerican indigenous language, referring to a fiber-producing plant similar to henequen or sisal, used since pre-Columbian times.
Cantala fibers are incredibly strong—indigenous peoples discovered they could make rope strong enough to hold ships and equipment, and this one plant connected the ancient Americas to global trade long before most Europeans knew the continent existed.
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