A recent LiDAR-guided excavation in the Guatemalan jungle has led to the discovery of a ritual cache containing cinnabar-stained jade earspools and carved bone needles. These artifacts were found at the base of a 'Zenith Passage' monument, which was designed to capture the sun's shadowless moment twice a year. The use of bright red cinnabar—a pigment symbolizing the blood of the sun—suggests these items were used during high-status ceremonies to mark the 'Festival of the Zenith Sun.'
This discovery highlights the extreme precision of Maya calendrical festivals and the physical toll of ritual bloodletting performed by elites to maintain cosmic balance. The location of the cache suggests that these festivals involved the entire community in public squares, where the dramatic lighting of the sun and the vibrant colors of ritual objects created a powerful sensory experience. The findings are being used to reconstruct the specific sequences of Maya solar worship.