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Ancient and colonial sources speak of an extensive underground labyrinth of caves and tunnels, considered by the ancient Zapotec to be a physical entrance into the Underworld of Lyobaa, located under the ancient site of Mitla, Mexico. A new research project now aims to reveal the secrets of the Mitla Underworld using the latest, state-of-the-art geophysical equipment. Discovering Mitla The archaeological site of Mitla, located in the Central Valley of Oaxaca, is among the most famous and best preserved in all of Mexico. ​ The first permanent human occupation of the area dates to 8000 BC and is associated with the earliest evidence of crop domestication in the Americas. Mitla reached its greatest splendor in the post-classic period, around 1200

Over the past century, dozens of carved megalithic stone slabs of unknown origin and function have been uncovered in the southern part of the state of Mexico and the north of Guerrero, mostly around the small archaeological site of San Miguel Ixtapan, Tejupilco. Further excavations, beginning in 1995, have revealed the remains of extensive megalithic architecture consisting of huge blocks of basalt and andesite, many weighing several tons, showing remarkable similarities with South American artistic and architectural styles. [[{"type":"media","view_mode":"media_large","fid":"91438","attributes":{"alt":"View of the excavated portion of the archaeological site of San Miguel Ixtapan, in the state of Mexico. (Author provided)","class":"media-image","height":"407","style":"width: 610px; height: 407px;","typeof":"foaf:Image","width":"610"}}]] View of the excavated portion of the archaeological site of San Miguel Ixtapan, in the state of Mexico. (Author

The ancient Maya city of Yaxchilan rises on the Mexican shore of the mighty Usumacinta river, across from its rival city of Piedras Negras, some 35 kilometers (21 miles) downstream on the Guatemala side. Even to this day, the only access to Yaxchilan is by boat, along the river. Far from the crowds of Palenque and other Maya sites, the ruins of Yaxchilan are found today still very much in the same conditions as they were first described by Maudslay and Maler in the early 20th century, at the peak of the “Golden Age” of exploration. [[{"type":"media","view_mode":"media_large","fid":"46647","attributes":{"alt":"Yaxchilan is one of the remotest Maya sites, on the Mexico-Guatemala border. To this day, the only access to the site is by boat

The Late Bronze Age collapse of the 12th century BC is one of the greatest and most enduring puzzles of Mediterranean archaeology. A cosmopolitan age, perhaps one of the first true episodes of globalization in human history, which saw the rise of the first historical empires of Egypt and Babylon, as well as the apogee of the Hittite, Minoan and Mycenean civilizations, came within a few years to a sudden and fiery end. At the same time, a mysterious coalition of peoples, known from contemporary Egyptian inscriptions as the Sea Peoples, appeared on the coasts of Europe, Egypt and the Levant, wreaking havoc on every city or village that they found along their path. Many believe this was the origin

Teotihuacan was by the fifth century AD the largest city in the American continent and one of the largest and most populous in the western hemisphere. Often called the ‘Rome of America’, its cultural and political influence extended from the north of Mexico to the southern Maya lands of Honduras and Guatemala. Yet, surprisingly little is known of the origins of the great metropolis on the altiplano, laying a mere 50 kilometers to the northeast of Mexico City. [[{"type":"media","view_mode":"media_large","fid":"80455","attributes":{"alt":"View of Teotihuacan in Mexico (Leonid Andronov/ Adobe Stock)","class":"media-image","height":"133","style":"width: 610px; height: 133px;","typeof":"foaf:Image","width":"610"}}]] View of Teotihuacan in Mexico ( Leonid Andronov / Adobe Stock ) The earliest Aztec legends describe Teotihuacan as the place where men became gods and the present Sun was

Nestled in a sacred valley, at an altitude of about 1,700 meters (5,560 feet) above sea level, to the south of Mexico City, lies the town of Tepoztlán. The surrounding landscape has been shaped by millions of years of volcanic eruptions and erosion. Due to its unusually mild climate and the presence of many caves in the mountains, the area around Tepoztlán has been continuously inhabited for at least the past 10,000 years. The Aztecs held it sacred and built a temple there in homage to its eponymous deity Tepoztecatl. In more recent years, Tepoztlán has become associated with a large number of UFO sightings and other unexplained phenomena, which keep adding to the mystery of the place. [[{"type":"media","view_mode":"media_large","fid":"78770","attributes":{"alt":"The Town

Thousands of years ago, an unknown culture carved and raised hundreds of stone stelas and sculptures on the Pacific coast of southern Guatemala. Together, they provide some of the strongest evidence of Pre-Columbian transoceanic contact anywhere in the American continent. The mysterious culture that created these sculptures is known as Cotzumalguapa, named after the village where the first artifacts were found in the mid-19th century. Three sites formed the heartland of the Cotzumalguapa culture, known by their modern names of El Baúl, Bilbao and El Castillo, each only a few kilometers apart and connected by raised stone causeways of which only faint traces remain. [[{"type":"media","view_mode":"media_original","fid":"71107","attributes":{"alt":"A striking sculpture from El Baúl depicting a sitting jaguar. It is one of the most