Ancient Mayan Fort of Tulum

Zama, a prominent Mayan establishment rests boldly on the far eastern edge of Mexico's Yucatán peninsula with many secrets waiting to be unlocked. The ancient fort is perched on the cliffs of the Caribbean Sea, an optimal place for trading resources between the sea and inland. A smaller Castillo (compared to Chichen Itza) step pyramid dominates the majority of structures found on site and is believed by some to actually be an ancient lighthouse.

Motifs and decorations throughout Tulum suggest this area was once a significant place of worship, to pay respects to the Feathered Serpent, Kukulcan. The fortified city presents several mysteries upon further examination, such as resemblance to Biblical accounts and curious artifacts found nearby which date to a period long before the fort's initial construction.

To read more, and check out a gallery of pictures from Tulum, have a look at:
http://www.mysterypile.com/tulum.php

Figures of Sitio Barriles

Barriles female breastfeeding.

There is an unspoken code amongst ancient mysteries researchers in the pursuit of truth of mankind's past. It's one of honor and respect, to be open to new ideas and concepts, to be accepting of the fact history books may need to be rewritten. An incredible wealth of general research is performed around the world on a daily basis which lends to us the suggestion of something more, something beyond anything history has taught civilizations throughout the ages. Archaeology and studies of human history only recently found shape within the last couple hundred years; Is it possible we perceive gaps in our history simply because these fields of research are new in the timeline due to the fact we just haven't yet found the correct knowledge to fill them in?

Eagle head, serpent, frog, or alien?

Recently found locations such as Sitio Barriles  (the site of barrels BU-24) in Panama are great examples of ancient civilizations modern archaeology knows very little of. Carbon dating suggests the site to be anywhere from 2,600 to 600 years old and hints of who inhabited the area have been discovered. The area was first studied in the 1940's although findings of the time were not published conclusively. Artifacts found here are suggested by some archaeologists to depict deities with an eagle head, but upon further examination they appear to be something more. Figurines and pottery found embedded into rock-sides suggest the site was used for ceremonial purposes due to ash remains found in vessels believed to be used for cremation. Characteristics of Barriles pottery and figures show a distinct Central American influence, it's sometimes thought the culture(s) who inhabited the area descended from the Maya or Inca. After many years of study, whomever lived at Sitio Barriles hundreds of years ago remains a mystery. It's interesting to note several glyph-type carvings found throughout the area which appear to be primitive in nature, theoretically act as a type of road map to help whoever once lived there find their way around the area. The drawings take on serpent-like forms, some say to show twisting, winding paths throughout the site. When simply looking at these findings one can't help but notice the 'eagle' headed figures look more lizard, amphibian, or serpent in nature which coincides with navigation rock paintings scattered around the site. These deities definitely take on a strange  alien-like appearance. Sitio Barriles is another example of a mysterious location we know little about yet it features artifacts that tell us another, unknown ancient culture believed in hybrid deities, enough to depict them throughout the majority of remains discovered at the site.

Legendary Cryptids

Delve into a mysterious realm of legendary creatures, mythological beasts, and ghostly apparitions fueling the curiosity of society for thousands of years. Explore ancient oral traditions focused on unexplained spirits once held in high regard, revered and feared to a point of affecting the daily lives of our past relatives. Discover how our ancestors transferred knowledge from generation to generation inadvertently influencing an array of sensationalized cryptids - Through works of thoughtful analytical articles by J.C. Vintner, understand how Cryptozoology and the world’s population is searching for the truth; For a discovery capable of forever altering the course of human history. Legendary Cryptids is a glimpse into this search, a means of personal exploration and interpretation of unknown creatures some believe to be roaming darker areas of the world we know.

http://amzn.com/1482560984

Astrobiology and the Search for Extraterrestrial Life

As mankind begins to explore more of the universe, Astrobiologists will be in demand to help establish settlements on other planets and work to plan our future in space.  From General Sciences to human Philosophy, the study of Astrobiology encompasses a large spectrum of scientific disciplines free from sensationalism commonly attributed to today's space topics. University of Edinburgh's Charles Cockell is generously offering a free course about Astrobiology and the Search for Extraterrestrial Life starting today on Coursera. It's not too late to sign up and enjoy these very informative video lectures.  For those interested, participation in the course discussions as well as completing homework assignments can also earn a certificate of accomplishment.

Here's a link direct to Coursera's offering: https://www.coursera.org/course/astrobio

In Reponse: El Dorado Questions

Recently we received an email from two students who were researching El Dorado for a Social Studies project. They wanted to know if we had any further information based on our article published on the Ancient Earth Mysteries website. El Dorado is a fun topic to explore because research leads to an important part of Central America and South American history, when the Spanish invaded.  Despite the benefits to the inquisition, the invasion was detrimental to the Aztecs, Inca, and Mayans. A great deal of knowledge and understanding of these cultures was lost to the destruction of Spanish Conquistadors.

Orellano and Pizarro attempting to locate The City of Gold.

El Dorado itself is a difficult subject to find information on considering the very nature of how the legend originated, as part of the Spanish Inquisition and their conquest on the Inca Empire. Some researchers believe the legend of a Lost City of Gold might have been a tactic of the Inca (and Mayans) to distract Spanish invaders from destroying their cities. The conquistadors were in search of great wealth to bring back to Spain, as this was a major motive for exploring new worlds and funding future expeditions. We do know by historical record the Inca and Mayans accumulated vast amounts of gold and theoretically not all of it was pillaged during Spanish invasions, and much was thrown to the bottom of a lake as offerings to the gods. This concept leads new age explorers to believe a large gold cache still resides somewhere, the Lost City of Gold, where the Inca hid their wealth to prevent the inquisition from stealing it. Many people have spent their entire lives searching for this legendary city in hopes to discover a treasure of a lifetime, but unfortunately these expeditions often end in frustration.

The article referred to by the students can be found at:
http://www.mysterypile.com/el-dorado.php

Orb Photography

Lately AMB has received a few questions about orb photography and how likely or not the masses shown are legitimate. There are several genuine photographs of orb phenomena which cannot be explained by conventional means, but there are many many more results from accidental or intentional photographing techniques. 

As long term photographers, we understand it's important to know how light affects a subject as well as how camera equipment affects the final image. Taking pictures under low light conditions is not always an easy task. Quality night shots with a digital SLR can be touch and go at times; They're subjected to blurring when slowing the shutter or while opening the aperture to allow more light in. Often enough, high quality night photographs take a tripod, maybe a remote trigger, and the patience to get manual settings just right. These factors, however, make night photography a great opportunity to express creativity through light manipulation techniques. Understand that many compact point and shoot cameras are designed to automatically flip up a flash the moment scenery lighting is too low for the camera's settings to handle. Identifying a built-in flash in photographs is not too difficult because of extreme contrasts, the hard-points, where light from the flash concentrates the most. Natural lighting generally doesn't have these areas (unless intentional) and using speed lights (with a DSLR), can be compensated for with manual settings to ensure a proper exposure. 

Built-in camera flashes are generally at the root of many orb photographs as it's their reflections being sent back to the camera lens to create spots, flares, and other types of camera artifacts sometimes misinterpreted as unidentified objects or spirit entities. Before arriving at the conclusion a photograph truly captures an unknown object of any type, be sure to go over the following checklist to rule out what it isn't:

1. Flash reflecting off rain drops, snow, mist, moisture, insects or dust particles
2. Obstructions between the camera and subject such as glass, screens, camera straps
3. A lens or filter with dust, dirt, scratches or water marks
4. Failing camera sensor creating single or groups of burnt pixels
5. Other lights at the scene causing reflections
6. Multiple exposures
7. Other types of camera malfunction

There is a trick to determine how a built-in flash is lighting a scene to check and see if it's the reason for creating reflective orbs in the photographs. Hold or fix a transparent colored plastic or gel sheet over the the camera's flash unit. When the flash is triggered, it will light the area using this makeshift flash filter. If the orbs are the same color, then they can be ruled as created by flash. If the orbs do not change color it's time to assess the scene a little more in depth to see what might be causing the lights. Look closely at the orbs, are they out of focus while the rest of the scene is in focus? An object can appear blurred or out of focus for a number of reasons including moving too quickly for the camera settings or being out of sync with the lens' current focal length. Do a scene check, look for every possible light source that might be causing the orbs and trace the light paths. If the photograph(s) can face the above scrutiny and pass, perhaps it's truly a genuine capture of an unidentifiable object. Have a professional assess the image, in fact, have multiple professionals take a look and share it with friends. Photographs capturing something out of this world are rare, so it is important to share it with everyone to try and figure out what exactly the object might be.

Bigfoot, a Wild Relative?

Continuing research in ancient mysteries subject matter has brought J.C. Vintner to the realm of Cryptozoology. Many related topics are fascinating on multiple levels and often provide us with an alternative perception of the world. We may not be able to talk to our ancestors directly, but through their oral traditions passed down through the generations, we can begin to decipher what it must have been like to live during those times.

One topic in particular is now outlined on the MysteryPile website, under the Nature category, called Bigfoot & Wildman. Here you will find a list of 124 Bigfoot names, the cultures who reference Sasquatch or wild man type animals, and their respective locations. There is a possibility that modern sightings of Bigfoot might be attributed to a true, living relative of us, provided that Home erectus (or a variant) managed to live another 300,000 years beyond what the archaeological record indicates.

Check out the new book excerpt and Bigfoot name list at: http://www.mysterypile.com/bigfoot.php