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All illustrations: John Mata for Atlas Obscura
mystery

The Atlas Obscura Crossword: Twelve Faces

AO Puzzles November 27, 2023
Venezuela

Cubagua Island

This island in Venezuela is known for its significance in early Spanish colonization and pearl trade.
A late 16th-century map notes the territory of "Calos" near the southern tip of Florida, but the Calusa actually controlled most of the peninsula's southwest.
islands

Long Before the First Thanksgiving, an Artificial Island in Florida Hosted a Cross-Cultural Feast

Decades before the Wampanoag and Pilgrims shared a meal, the powerful Calusa and their Spanish guests celebrated their new alliance. Spoiler alert: It didn't last.
Karuna Eberl November 15, 2023
Alcalde, New Mexico

Los Luceros Historic Site

This ranch on the banks of the Rio Grande is home to a little-known LGBTQ history of Mary Cabot Wheelwright, Marie Chabot, and two-spirit Navajo weaver Hastiin Klah.
Estero, Florida

Mound Key Archaeological State Park

Long before Europeans arrived, Native Americans built an artificial island out of shells that has withstood a millennia of hurricanes.
science

Wonder Is Everywhere: Ancient Lampreys, Outdoor Learning, and More From Around the Web

Get a peek into what we’re obsessed with right now.
April White November 10, 2023
New research says humans began sculpting a small hill into a larger pyramid around 6,000 BC, and then building layers of sand and rocks on top of that.
volcanoes

Is the World's Oldest Pyramid Not in Egypt or the Americas, But in Indonesia?

Perhaps it’s not just an oddly shaped hill, after all.
Jennifer Billock November 8, 2023
Noto, Japan

Mawaki Site

The site of a prehistoric settlement spanning millennia, complete with a reconstructed timber circle.
Archaeology professor Sissel Schroeder sweeps her iPhone over a dugout at the Milwaukee Public Museum to capture images for a 3D model.
science

Dugout Canoes, the 'Pickup Trucks' of Their Day, Go Digital in Wisconsin

For millennia, people used dugouts for transport and trade. Now, an ambitious project is preserving the canoes virtually and revealing new details.
Susan Cosier November 6, 2023
After hosting months of events at Rice University, the Houston mudhif will be relocated to a permanent home at the end of the year.
ancient

Ordering Off a 5,000-Year-Old Mesopotamian Menu

A community effort brings ancient flavors to modern Texas.
Andrew Coletti November 3, 2023
Te Matua Ngahere—"Father of the Forest"—a giant kauri tree growing in the Waipoua Forest of New Zealand, is the second-largest of its kind.
volcanoes

Wonder Is Everywhere: The World’s Oldest Trees, the Heaviest Ball of Twine, and More From Around the Web

Get a peek into what we’re obsessed with right now.
April White October 27, 2023
Arikamedu
Veerampattinam, India

Arikamedu

The best-preserved Roman site in India.
Kasori Shell Mounds
Chiba, Japan

Kasori Shell Mounds

This prehistoric site is home to the largest shell midden cluster in Japan.
Ibros, Spain

Cyclopean Wall of Ibros

Built thousands of years ago, this wall is still part of the urban layout of this village.
Kayseri, Turkey

Asur Ticaret Tableti

A giant replica of an Assyrian cuneiform tablet stands in the middle of a busy intersection near the city center of Kayseri.
Lennel, Scotland

Lennel Kirk

This Norman church survived the Reformation before suffering 300 years of neglect.
San Rafael, Mexico

Nahualac Pond

A shrine in the middle of this pond represents a Mesoamerican creation myth.
By the New Kingdom (1550-1069 BC), both royals and non-royals were buried with dozens of figurines known as shabti, which would serve them in the afterlife.
ancient

In Ancient Egypt, Human Sacrifice and Shabti Figures Ensured an Afterlife of Servitude

Clay figurines and murdered retainers provided plenty of company—and a workforce—for the dead.
Nicky Nielsen October 17, 2023