Forget everything you think you know about carnivals. Bright feathers, samba drums, glittery floats? You won’t find them here. Instead, picture this: sweaty bodies painted in black grease, primal howls, wooden masks, jungle drums, and dancing that feels more like an ancient exorcism than a parade. Welcome to Carnaval de Tenosique — the weirdest carnival in Mexico, maybe even the world.

Just 40 kilometers northeast of Mexico City, the ruins of an ancient metropolis rise from the Valley of Mexico like a cosmic mystery waiting to be solved. Welcome to Teotihuacán — the "Place Where Gods Were Born" — a city so ancient and enigmatic, even the mighty Aztecs didn’t know who built it.