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A glorious night sky seen through Owachomo Bridge in Utah's Natural Bridges National Monument, which was named the world's first International Dark Sky Park in 2007.
vikings

Archaeologists Explore Life After Dark in the Ancient Night

Studying our ancestors' nocturnal lives reveals the value of reclaiming darkness.
Nancy Gonlin and April Nowell October 7, 2024
These industrious beetles can live up to a few years without food, and rarely need water, making them unfortunately easy pets.
objects of intrigue

The Living, Breathing Brooches of the Yucatán

The live, jewel-encrusted beetles called maquechs are tied to an ancient legend, but some worry for their future.
Roxanne Hoorn September 7, 2023
Bacalar, Mexico

Bacalar House of Culture

This city's cultural center is in a restored Spanish colonial home from the 1800s.
Pure 100-percent cacao is bitter and only slightly sweet.
funeral art

The Surprisingly Sacred Roots of Chocolate

Among the Maya, cacao has served as a powerful symbol from womb to tomb.
Sam O'Brien February 14, 2023
Playa del Carmen, Mexico

Alux House at San Pedro Hotel

It might look like a doghouse, but this small structure was actually built to house a spirit from Maya mythology.
A cup of fermented, 70 percent cacao drinking chocolate with a marranito.
Mexico City, Mexico

La Rifa Chocolatería

The hot chocolate here all stems from small, sustainable microproducers in Chiapas and Tabasco.
Leydy Pech considers traditional Maya beekeeping an "ancestral" calling.
mayan

The Keeper of Sacred Bees Who Took on a Giant

To save her native Maya bees and their shrinking forests, Leydy Pech waged a fierce campaign on multiple fronts.
Gemma Tarlach March 23, 2022
Caracol archaeological site
Chapayal, Belize

Caracol

This massive Maya archaeological site is home to the tallest man-made structure in Belize.
The "angels"
Ekbalam, Mexico

"Angels" of Ek' Balam

These winged Maya figures are the subject of speculation and conspiracies.
The wreck is just two nautical miles from the town of Sisal.
shipwrecks

Found: The Wreck of a Ship That Carried Enslaved Maya from Mexico to Cuba

This slave trade is well known to historians, but this is the first known wreck from it.
Matthew Taub September 23, 2020
To the naked eye, the ancient site of Aguada Fénix is invisible among the rural ranches of Tabasco.
sculptures

Found: The Oldest and Largest Maya Structure in Mexico

If it weren't for aerial surveys and lidar imaging, Aguada Fénix might never have claimed the superlative crown.
Isaac Schultz June 12, 2020
The characteristic architectural feature known as the "Maya arch."
Cozumel, Mexico

San Gervasio

The ruins of an important pilgrimage destination for worshippers of a Maya fertility goddess.
According to Inquisition records, men were often fearful that women would slip magic potions into their morning hot chocolate.
witchcraft

The Chocolate-Brewing Witches of Colonial Latin America

The Inquisition persecuted women who used cacao to entice lovers and spurn enemies.
Reina Gattuso January 27, 2020
One of the victims had ornamental engravings on their teeth, indicating they were high status.
food

Solved: The Mystery of an Ancient Maya Massacre

Clues about the victims’ diet cracked the case.
Reina Gattuso December 18, 2019
Beach's team sampling the wetlands the Maya once cultivated.
science

Belize's Maya Drained Their Swamps to Make Farmland

Their wide-reaching wetland agriculture helped support the civilization.
Isaac Schultz October 8, 2019
Playa del Carmen, Mexico

Xaman-Há Ruins

Few of the many visitors to this resort town know of its hidden Maya ruins.
The museum entrance.
Mexico City, Mexico

Museo Dolores Olmedo

This extraordinary art museum is like a secret world on the edge of Mexico City.
Maya ruins can be seen in the background.
Mérida, Mexico

Cenote Xlacah

One of the few places where you can visit a cenote and Maya ruins at the same time.