An archaeological museum at the Aztec pyramid displays signs of the New Fire ritual performed every 52 years.

Three sinkholes filled with warm, crystal-clear water reached by a horse-driven cart on an old train track through the jungle.

At least seven hues of blue and turquoise make this freshwater lagoon unique.

Half-hidden by grassy slopes, this striking Spanish colonial fort is now a museum of underwater archaeology.

A hidden treasure of an abandoned city lies deep in the jungles of Campeche, Mexico.

No telescopes, no power, no gift shop: The Observatory of Chichen Itza, one of the world's oldest observatories, takes astronomy back to basics.

A 16th-century monastery boasts a lush array of plants native to Mexico’s most biodiverse region.

These enigmatic columns tower over the ruins of an ancient Toltec city.

This beautifully deceptive waterfall is something far different from what it appears to be.

A mysterious pillar in an ancient burial chamber is said to predict how long you have to live.

The stoutest tree in the world.

An eclectic blend of esoteric imagery covers its interior.

An incredible little museum of interior design full of artifacts collected from around the world.

Monumental paintings, discovered in a Mexican cathedral in 1957, depict the deaths of some friars in Japan.

The conquistador's former fortress is the oldest preserved colonial building in the Americas.

The ruins of an ancient city built by Mayan traders is centered around a temple of a sacred feathered serpent deity.

This feature of the city's aqueduct has achieved numismatic fame thanks to its appearance on Mexican banknotes.

The winter home of millions of migrating monarch butterflies.

One of the oldest hospitals in the Americas is now decorated in hallucinatory murals.

The jewel of western Mexico's archaeological legacy is this tiered circular pyramid now covered in grass.

A graceful natural rock formation stands astride the point where the Gulf of California meets the Pacific Ocean.

Stained glass windows bathe this botanical garden in cosmic light.

In Zanzibar, a historic 19th-century palace is a reminder of the world's shortest war.

After sunset the heart of Zanzibar's historic Stone Town neighborhood transforms into a culinary playground.