Archaeologists Unearth Treasure-Filled Tomb Belonging to the First Known Ruler of a Maya City in Belize
Te K’ab Chaak was a wealthy warrior king who rose to power in 331 C.E. His burial is the first royal tomb found in the ancient city of Caracol
How an Ancestral Peruvian Ceremony Is Saving the Once-Endangered Vicuña
Each year in the first weeks of June, Indigenous communities in the Andes form a human chain to corral the camelids and shear their valuable wool
Fishermen in the Brazilian Amazon Discover Enormous Funerary Urns Beneath a Toppled Tree
The ceramic vessels contained the bones of pre-Columbian Indigenous people, as well as fish, frog and turtle remains
This Dugout Canoe Made From a 12-Foot-Long Log Was Found Bobbing in a North Carolina River
The newly discovered vessel is one of 79 known dugout canoes that have been unearthed throughout the state
These Gold Coins May Solve the Mystery of the ‘World’s Richest Shipwreck,’ Confirming Its Identity as a Legendary 18th-Century Galleon
Minted in Peru in 1707, the money bolsters the evidence that the wreck is the Spanish ship “San José,” which sank off the Colombian coast in 1708 with treasure worth billions on board
The Man Who Invented the Modern Zoo Tested Out His Ideas on People First
Carl Hagenbeck believed that animals should be housed in habitats that mimicked their natural environment. Earlier, he’d followed the same guiding philosophy when exhibiting Indigenous people in “human zoos”
Massive Fields Where Native American Farmers Grew Corn, Beans and Squash 1,000 Years Ago Discovered in Michigan
The ancestors of the Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin built earthen mounds to grow crops. The site could be the largest preserved archaeological field system in the eastern United States
How America’s Forgotten Second National Park Lost Its Federal Status—and Gained a New Lease on Life as a State Park
Much of Mackinac Island was designated as a national park in 1875, but it proved to be too expensive for the government to maintain, so it was transferred to the State of Michigan in 1895
Archaeologists Discover More Than 100 Structures Linked to a Mysterious Pre-Columbian Civilization in the Remote Peruvian Andes
Based in high-altitude urban centers, the Chachapoya resisted conquest by the Inca Empire for centuries
See the Stunning Archival Photographs That Tell the Stories of Everyday Native Life and Communities
The Archive Center at the National Museum of the American Indian presents a new exhibition that can help “interrupt the romanticized, stereotypical images often shared of Native peoples throughout history”
Salmon in the Pacific Northwest Are Facing a New Threat: Booming Populations of Seals and Sea Lions
The mammals’ return to the region represented a conservation success story, but their appetite for endangered fish is upsetting the balance of a delicate ecosystem
The Shipwrecks From John Franklin’s Doomed Arctic Expedition Were Exactly Where the Inuit Said They Would Be
In May 1845, 129 British officers and crew members set out in search of the Northwest Passage on HMS “Erebus” and HMS “Terror.” None returned
What Happened to FDR’s Fireside Chats? And More Questions From Our Readers
You’ve got questions. We’ve got experts
Archaeologists Say They’ve Discovered a Hidden Chamber Where Elites Used Hallucinogens 2,500 Years Ago
Unearthed in Peru, the small underground room may have been used for rituals involving psychoactive drugs. New research suggests these “exclusive” events were reserved for the elite
An Ohio Earthwork Where Thousands Once Gathered for Celestial Observations and Religious Ceremonies Is Open to the Public
An earthen enclosure called the Octagon is drawing much-deserved attention to the state’s history-filled mounds built some 2,000 years ago by the Hopewell culture
DNA Links Modern Picuris Pueblo Tribe to Ancestors Who Lived in Chaco Canyon Hundreds of Years Ago
Tribal leaders partnered with scientists to confirm their connection to the archaeological site in New Mexico
This Ancient High-Status Woman Was Buried With a Parrot-Feather Cape and a Beaded Toucan’s Beak in Modern-Day Peru
The burial belongs to the ancient Caral culture, the oldest civilization in the Americas
Archaeologists in Peru Discover Graves of Men, Women and Children Killed in Battle, Then Buried With Honor
The 24 members of the mysterious Chuquibamba culture were interred with valuable grave goods
A Fisherman and His Son Noticed Strange Pieces of Wood on a Beach. They Turned Out to Be Fragments of a Polynesian Canoe
The boat, known as a waka, was unearthed in the Chatham Islands. Researchers say it could be one of the most significant discoveries of its kind
See Lily Gladstone’s Stunning Oscar Gowns Designed by an Indigenous Artist
The two gowns were a collaboration between Gucci and a porcupine quillwork artist. Both are now on display at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian
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