In the snowy wilds of Japan's Yamagata Prefecture, where winter wraps the land in an icy hush, something eerie stirs in the Zao Mountains. As the temperature drops and the storms rage, the trees on these slopes begin to transform—until they no longer look like trees at all.

Picture this: rows upon rows of human skulls stacked neatly on wooden racks, bleached by the sun, staring out into the sacred courtyards of ancient Tenochtitlan. This isn’t a scene from a horror movie — it’s history. Meet the Tzompantli, one of the most chilling and misunderstood relics of Aztec civilization.