Ts'unu'um
Ts'unu'um is the Maya name for ‘hummingbird’. There are several Maya stories and myths about how the hummingbird came to exist. The beautiful hummingbird was sacred to the ancient Maya and according to the myth, there came a point when the Maya gods were unable to create more animals after running out of corn and mud. They also realized there wasn’t an animal to take wishes and thoughts from one place to another. In order to remedy this, they carved a small arrow out of jade, and when they blew on it, the arrow flew away and this was how ts'unu'um – the hummingbird – was created.
It was said that the hummingbirds’ feathers were so light and delicate that it could approach flowers without moving a single petal and its iridescent feathers shone in the sun like raindrops.
Indeed, hummingbirds still capture the hearts of many in Mexico. There are 58 species, 12 of which are endemic. In Quintana Roo, the island of Cozumel has its own endemic species – the Cozumel Emerald. This forked-tailed, emerald-green hummingbird is found nowhere else other than Cozumel. Another species of ts'unu'um, which is only found in the north of the peninsula and in a small area of Tabasco, is the tiny Mexican Sheartail.
Here in Carrillo, a common hummingbird that you’ll likely spot is the delightful Cinnamon hummingbird which has a green head, cinnamon-colored chest and brown tail. The Cinnamon hummingbird likes semi-open areas, so, if you’re lucky, you might see them come out to flutter and drink from bright, flowering plants in the evenings. Their nests are tiny, yet beautifully built, and sometimes quite low to the ground.Recently, in Carrillo Puerto, a group of birders formed a birding club. The name of the club is ‘Ts'unu'um’, after this fascinating, special bird.
Picture: Cinnamon Hummingbird. Credit: Sal a pajarear, Yucatán, Publ. A VACA INDEPENDIENTE (January 1, 2014)
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