Fermented maize beverages as ritual offerings: Investigating elite drinking during Classic Maya period at Copan, Honduras

Abstract Drinking, a central part of ritual practices, played a significant role in Maya society due to its hallucinatory qualities. In this study, we sampled six pottery vessels and four grinding stones from Copan, Honduras, for microbotanical analyses to investigate the symbolic meaning of drinking behavior among the Classic Maya. Maize starches recovered from pottery vessels show some damage patterns from the fermentation process, indicating the presence of alcoholic drinks. Other starches from tubers and chili peppers were also observed, suggesting the possibility of mixed and/or spiced drinks. Phytolith analysis reveals residues predominated by Panicoideae grasses, which corroborates the result of starch analysis. This research indicates that fermented maize drinks could have been one kind of important elite drink at Copan. They may have been served in pottery vessels in tombs, which provides ritual connections between the living and ancestors or gods.