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Mexico

1964 Chevy Impala lowrider, “Gypsy Rose”

How Lowrider Culture Turned Custom Cars Into Colorful, Stunning Works of Art

A Smithsonian traveling exhibition maps the family ties and ingenuity behind lowriders—from post-World War II Chicano pride on boulevards to global car shows

Mexican tetras lost their eyes in multiple ways.

These Cavefish Lost Their Eyes, but They Gained Some Pretty Nifty Traits

Mexican tetras that got swept into pitch-black caverns had no use for the energetically costly organs

Fess Parker (left) played Davy Crockett (right) in a popular 1950s Disney TV show.

How Davy Crockett, the Rugged Frontiersman Killed at the Alamo, Became an Unlikely American Hero

During his lifetime, Crockett—who went by David, not Davy—shaped his own myth. In the 20th century, his legacy got a boost from none other than Walt Disney

The page was marked with a wax numbering system in the 1980s, which helped officials determine when it was stolen.

FBI Returns Long-Lost Manuscript Signed by Hernán Cortés in 1527 to Mexico’s National Archives

The document, which vanished decades ago, includes logistical details linked to the travels of the Spanish conquistador, who had conquered the Aztec Empire several years earlier

A handler holds her Chihuahua dogs in the grooming area at the 149th Annual Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show at Jacob K. Javits Convention Center on February 10, 2025, in New York City. 

How One Chihuahua Proved to Be a Link to the Ancient Dogs That Moved to Latin America With the Spread of Agriculture

New research shows that ancient dogs did not join Indigenous people in Central and South America until farming became popular—especially of maize

To pinpoint the likely location of Sac Balam, archaeologists plugged data from historical records into a predictive model built with ArcGIS Pro.

Cool Finds

Archaeologists in Mexico Discover Long-Lost City Inhabited by Maya Rebels Who Resisted the Spanish Conquest

After Spanish troops seized their capital, the Lacandon Ch’ol established a new settlement called Sac Balam, or the “Land of the White Jaguar”

A February 1936 snapshot of a migrant who declined to be photographed due to the Los Angeles Police Department's "Bum Blockade"

Los Angeles’ 1936 ‘Bum Blockade’ Targeted American Migrants Fleeing Poverty and Drought During the Great Depression

The two-month patrol stopped supposedly “suspicious” individuals from crossing into California from other states. But its execution was uneven, and the initiative proved controversial

Daniela Chávez holds her violin during a mariachi performance

At This Year’s Folklife Festival, the Kids Are All Right

Cultural traditions such as mariachi and hula are being shepherded by a new generation

Today's living night lizards—like Xantusia vigilis (pictured)—are descendants of a common ancestor that lived roughly 90 million years ago, well before the Chicxulub asteroid struck Earth 66 million years ago.

These Lizards Mysteriously Survived the Asteroid Strike That Killed the Dinosaurs—and Their Descendants Are Still Alive Today

Small and elusive night lizards probably persisted because they have slow metabolisms and like to hide out in rock crevices, a new study suggests

Frida Kahlo in 1944

A New Museum Dedicated to Frida Kahlo’s Early Years and Family Life Is Coming to Mexico City

The Museo Casa Kahlo will be located beside the popular Museo Frida Kahlo. It will display letters, artworks and mementos that shed light on the Mexican artist’s childhood

The Ake archaeological site on the Yucatan peninsula in Mexico.

What Can We Learn From Apocalyptic Times of the Past?

More than a millennium ago, a Maya community collapsed in the face of a devastating drought. One writer joined an intrepid archaeologist to upend what they thought they understood about why it all happened

The charismatic salamanders known as axolotls can survive in the wild despite being bred in captivity, according to a new study.

Captive-Bred Axolotls Can Survive in the Wild, Offering Hope for the Critically Endangered Amphibians

The popular salamanders are nearly extinct in the wild, where they are confined to a small system of canals in Mexico City. But a new study suggests released axolotls could thrive in their natural habitat as well as artificial wetlands

 An artist's rendering of the altar

New Research

Archaeologists Unearth Intricately Decorated Altar That May Have Been Used for Ancient Sacrifices in Guatemala

Discovered in the ruins of Tikal, the altar sheds light on strained relations between the Maya city and Teotihuacán—which was located more than 600 miles away

This lidar scan shows the epicenter of the city, where its largest buildings stood.

Cool Finds

Researchers Thought It Was Just a Fortress. It Turned Out to Be a Lost Zapotec City

Lidar scans have revealed a 600-year-old fortified city in southern Mexico that boasted ball courts, roads, neighborhoods and temples

An oarfish surfaced in Playa El Quemado, Mexico, earlier this month.

Cool Finds

See a Deep-Sea Oarfish Caught Alive on Video in a Rare Encounter on a Beach in Mexico

In Japanese folklore, appearances of these elusive marine creatures dubbed ‘doomsday fish’ are believed to foreshadow earthquakes, though scientists found no strong relationship between these events in a recent study

William Henry Ellis traveled the world, made and lost millions, tried his hand at Texas politics, consulted with emperors, and met with the presidents of multiple countries.

Untold Stories of American History

Born Enslaved, This Black Millionaire Attempted to Colonize Mexico and Aspired to Be the Emperor of Ethiopia

William Henry Ellis masqueraded as a Mexican businessman, but he never shied away from his Black roots

The Struggle Against Terrorism, a 1,000-square-foot mural by Philip Gluston and Reuben Kadish, before the restoration

See a Controversial Anti-Fascist Mural From the 1930s Returned to Its Former Glory

Titled “The Struggle Against Terrorism,” the 1,000-square-foot artwork suffered from neglect for 90 years. Now, conservators have unveiled the newly restored mural in Mexico

The systems have been especially successful in Latin America, where massive cities and dramatic landscapes make building roads, rail lines and subway tunnels difficult. Mi Teléferico, shown here, connects more than two million people across the La Paz metro in Bolivia.

Seven Cities in the World Where You Can Ride an Aerial Cable Car

Urban planners from Mexico City to Toulouse are adopting the high-flying mode of transit. Will it catch on elsewhere?

During a systematic metal detector survey in southern Arizona, Deni Seymour unearthed a 16th-century cannon likely left behind by Spanish conquistadors.

These 500-Year-Old Cannons May Help Unravel the Mysteries of the Coronado Expedition

The 16th-century artifacts were found during excavations in Arizona. Researchers say they may be the oldest firearms ever discovered in the continental United States

Our most-read stories of the year featured photographer Vivian Maier, underwater caves in the Yucatán Peninsula, auroras and more.

Ten Top Smithsonian Stories of 2024, From a Mysterious Underground Chamber to Dazzling Auroras

The magazine’s most-read articles of the year included a close-up look at the adorable yet venomous pygmy slow loris, a profile of a little-known 20th-century street photographer and a majestic journey with divers into Mexico’s underwater caves

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