The last moments of the ill-fated Pompeiians, frozen forever in plaster.

Over 50 exquisite hand-painted Renaissance maps decorate a Medici storage room.

In Florence's great Duomo, a 26 foot fresco honors a mercenary famous for attacking Florence.

A new sculpture calls attention to climate change in the centuries-old city it threatens.

A master of trompe-l'oeil creates a stunning, tourist-fooling dome out of a flat ceiling.

This picturesque Umbrian city has a subterranean side that has long remained hidden.

On a cornerstone of the City Museum is the head of a monstrous serpent stolen from an Aztec pyramid 400 years ago.

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

The very first subway station in New York City is beautiful, decked out in chandeliers, and ... abandoned?

Mexico's largest collection of masks is found in the ruins of an abandoned convent.

Hotel designed around a 16th century Mexican bullring.

A Mexican Romeo-and-Juliet-esque legend has given this super-narrow alleyway a reputation for romance.

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

CDMX's home for the world's culinary delights.

The stoutest tree in the world.

This ceremonial Mexican square looks as though it belongs in a science fiction movie.

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

Clap your hands at the base of the pyramid, and the song of a sacred Mayan bird will echo through the air.

Visiting this cacophonous collection of vintage novelties is like stepping into the mind of a crazed toymaker.

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

Every equinox this Maya pyramid puts on a spooky ancient light show.

A disquieting Aztec sculpture displays hundreds of stone skulls representing the victims of human sacrifice.

The official Presidential Residence of Los Pinos became an emblem of Mexico's opulence and presidential corruption.

The remains of an Aztec school and various intriguing artifacts lie below a modern cultural center.