A joint international team has discovered a series of ‘jade-studded’ terracotta hummingbird effigies within a subterranean ritual chamber at the Caracol archaeological site. Researchers indicate these artifacts are central to the ‘Festival of the First Nectar’, a Classic Maya celebration that marked the blooming of tropical flowers and the start of the rainy season.
Analysis of the chamber reveals that the hummingbirds were arranged in a circular formation around a central limestone altar, which was stained with trace amounts of fermented honey. This find highlights the complex relationship between Maya ecological observation and their ceremonial calendar, where avian messengers were honored for their role in the renewal of the forest's life-cycle.