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Pan de muerto is an orange-scented sweet bread traditionally prepared and eaten during Día de los Muertos, a Mexican holiday celebrated each year from October 31 to November 2.

Mexico’s Bread of the Dead Kneads Together Indigenous and Catholic Traditions

Pan de Muerto, a Mexican sweet bread eaten for Día de los Muertos, is more than just a festive treat. Its history mirrors the holiday itself, a combination of cultures that breathes life back into the dead

Gabby Shell

The Spanish invite-only club Behomm, founded in 2013, is aimed at creatives. Some of the featured homes, like this one in Porto, Portugal, would sit comfortably in the pages of Elle Décor.

How a Bunch of Broke Teachers Created a Hot New Way to Vacation

On Scotland's uninhabited island of Staffa, Fingal’s Cave is formed from tall basalt columns created by ancient volcanic activity.

Seven Places in Europe That Legends Say Were Built by Giants, Devils or Dragons

The Star Chamber inside Bolsover Castle

‘Lie Down and Look Up’ at England’s Most Ornate Ceilings, From Sparkling Gold-Leaf Stars to Intricate Plaster Designs at Queen Victoria’s Seaside Retreat

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The ruins of Akrotiri, a Bronze Age settlement on what is now the Greek island of Santorini

Greece Has Its Own Pompeii, and the Ruins Tell a Captivating Story of a Sophisticated, Seafaring Bronze Age Society

The Thera volcano, on modern-day Santorini, buried Akrotiri in ash in the 17th or 16th century B.C.E. The eruption was one of the largest in recorded history

Road bowling is a deeply rooted Irish tradition.

How an Irish Backroad Tradition Is Rolling Into Small-Town America

With roots in County Armagh and County Cork, the sport of road bowling is finding new life stateside, both as a fun pastime and as a way for a group of Americans to honor their heritage

The green gas emanating from this small jack-o’-lantern alludes to the spread of Covid-19. Fittingly, the photographer’s subject dons a beaked mask based on the ones worn by physicians treating bubonic plague victims in 17th-century Europe.

Smithsonian Photo Contest Galleries

Treat Yourself to 20 Eerie Images Celebrating Halloween, From Pet Costumes to Mysterious Illusions to Spooky Shadows

These highlights from the Smithsonian Photo Contest are sure to scare up some smiles

Pan de muerto is an orange-scented sweet bread traditionally prepared and eaten during Día de los Muertos, a Mexican holiday celebrated each year from October 31 to November 2.

Mexico’s Bread of the Dead Kneads Together Indigenous and Catholic Traditions

Pan de Muerto, a Mexican sweet bread eaten for Día de los Muertos, is more than just a festive treat. Its history mirrors the holiday itself, a combination of cultures that breathes life back into the dead

Iconic Cathedral Rock is just one example of the natural beauty found in Sedona, where iron oxide (or rust) stains the sandstone a vibrant red.

These 15 Photos Perfectly Capture the Beautiful Red Rocks of Sedona, Arizona

The images from the Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest archives will have you packing your bags for the mountains of the American Southwest

The Spanish invite-only club Behomm, founded in 2013, is aimed at creatives. Some of the featured homes, like this one in Porto, Portugal, would sit comfortably in the pages of Elle Décor.

How a Bunch of Broke Teachers Created a Hot New Way to Vacation

Generation Z and millennials are choosing home swapping over hotels as chic clubs launch to embrace the trend

Colorful coral flourish in New Caledonia, a French territory off the east coast of Australia, near a cliff overlooking beautiful, clear waters.  

These 15 Photos Showcase the Intensely Brilliant Colors of Coral Reefs and the Creatures That Live Among Them

These images from the Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest highlight the importance of the marine ecosystems and the many species they help sustain

All of the sites on the Shikoku Pilgrimage are associated with Kobo Daishi, a Japanese monk who lived during the ninth century and founded Shingon, a major school of Buddhism that focuses on the attainment of enlightenment during a practitioner’s lifetime.

Japan’s Smallest and Least-Populated Major Island Is a World of Pilgrimages, Delicious Food and Plenty of Forest Bathing

Each year, more than 100,000 people hike at least part of a 750-mile route on Shikoku that connects 88 Buddhist temples and other sacred sites

On Scotland's uninhabited island of Staffa, Fingal’s Cave is formed from tall basalt columns created by ancient volcanic activity.

Seven Places in Europe That Legends Say Were Built by Giants, Devils or Dragons

Bridges, mountains, caves and rock formations that seem impossible to explain become magnets for folklore

A lion surveys his vast territory in Maasai Mara.

These 15 Wonderful Photographs of Kenya’s World-Class Wildlife Will Have You Booking a Flight to the Savanna

The East African nation is home to a number of conservation parks where its impressive animals roam free

An illustration of Lancaster in the early 1800s. The Pennsylvania city served as the nation's capital on September 27, 1777.

America's 250th Anniversary

During the American Revolution, the City of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, Served as the United States’ Capital for Just One Day

The nascent nation’s leaders fled to the inland city as the British advanced on Philadelphia in September 1777. They held one meeting at the local courthouse before moving on to York

The structure is a nod to clouds and tree canopies, not the starship that many imagine when they first see the building, according to its architect Ma Yansong.

The Lucas Museum of Narrative Art, a New Endeavor From the Creator of ‘Star Wars,’ Is a Story in Itself

Almost two decades in the making, the institution centers on art that shapes our everyday lives and reveals the craft behind it

Focaccia di Recco is a thin flatbread filled with gooey cheese—usually crescenza or stracchino—and baked in a super-hot oven until crispy and golden brown.

A Tiny Town in the Italian Riviera Has Its Own Version of Focaccia, and Let This Be a Warning—It’s Addictive

Unlike the pillowy-soft focaccia that’s more widely known, focaccia di Recco is thin, crispy and filled with gooey cheese

The center opened in December 2025.

Montana Built a $107 Million Museum. Its Smallest Room Says a Lot About the Thought That Went Into Designing the Space

The Montana Heritage Center in Helena has a smudge room. It is open to the public and teaches non-Native visitors why a room dedicated to the burning of cleansing materials, a practice of many Indigenous cultures, is needed

In the bitter chill of a six-degrees Fahrenheit morning in Olathe, Kansas, firefighters respond to a duplex fire. Working quickly despite the cold, they stopped the fire’s advance and saved the adjoining unit from damage.

These 15 Riveting Photos of Firefighters in Action Showcase the Strength and Courage They Need to Risk Their Lives to Save Others

On the 25th anniversary of the September 11 attacks, take in this collection of images pulled from the archives of the Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest

Palaka represents the many cultures that have come to create the Hawaiian Islands of today through their traditions and hard work.

A Signature Hawaiian Textile With a Rich History Is Making a Splash in the Fashion World

The blocky, plaid palaka design has evolved beyond its roots as simple workwear, crossing over ethnic and class lines as a symbol of local pride

Dice from the now-closed Southern Club, established in 1893.

Before Vegas Became Vegas, Hot Springs Was America’s Sin City. Now the Arkansas Spa Town Embraces Its Colorful and Seedy History

A life-size statue of Al Capone greets downtown visitors, and you can stay in his hotel suite. The town where gangsters once vacationed with movie stars and athletes is still open for a getaway

Kulasai Dasara is a festival wherein devotees dress up as deities, celestial beings and mythological characters, often with elaborate makeup and body paint.  

These 15 Photos of India, Saturated With Vibrant Color, Are Like Witnessing the Country Through a Kaleidoscope

Whether they signify spiritual connection or creative license, the bright, bold hues of the subcontinent often mean more than meets the eye

At its peak, the movement grew to include more than 130 participating restaurants. Today, 111 authentic trattorias still promote regional cuisine in this special way.

In Some Trattorias in Italy, Diners Can Enjoy a Meal and Take the Plate It Was Served on Home as a Souvenir

The Piatti del Buon Ricordo, or “Plates of Good Memories,” tradition dates back to 1964, when a clever marketer came up with it to encourage Italians to travel across the country and taste regional dishes

Diego Rivera’s private collection of pre-Columbian art at the Anahuacalli Museum, which expanded and reopened in 2021.

Stunning Antiquities and Frida Kahlo’s Home Are Just Some of the Offerings That Have Bolstered Mexico City’s Fantastic Array of Museums

The ancient capital has plenty of artwork and fossils, if that’s what you like. Or tour the writing rooms of a Nobel winner, the fortified home of an exiled Russian revolutionary and towers of skulls

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