Portrait of a male author wearing a cap and backpack, smiling with a city skyline at sunset in the background.

Diego A.

The Trans-Amazonian Highway: Brazil's 4,000-Kilometre Road of Death That Failed to Conquer the Amazon

Brazil's military launched history's largest road project in 1970 to conquer the Amazon. 55 years and thousands of deaths later, it never reached Peru.

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The Trans-Amazonian Highway: Brazil's 4,000-Kilometre Road of Death That Failed to Conquer the Amazon

South America

Journey deep into the jungle and the Andes. We document the lost cities of ancient empires, the ruins of colonial conquest, and the sites marked by political revolutions and illicit trade.

Ilha da Queimada Grande: Brazil's Forbidden Snake Island and the Most Venomous Acre on Earth

Ilha da Queimada Grande: Brazil's Forbidden Snake Island and the Most Venomous Acre on Earth

4,000 venomous vipers on a 43-hectare island. No civilians since 1925. The Brazilian Navy still patrols. Nobody knows what happened to the lighthouse keeper.

Portrait of a female author smiling in warm evening light on a city street.

Clara M.

Cidade Baixa, Salvador: The Brazilian Port That Disembarked More Enslaved Africans Than Any Other in the Atlantic Trade

Tragedies & Disasters

Cidade Baixa, Salvador: The Brazilian Port That Disembarked More Enslaved Africans Than Any Other in the Atlantic Trade

1.3 million enslaved Africans came ashore at the lower city of Salvador — more than at any port in the Americas. Today the market is built on top of it.

Cracolândia: São Paulo's Open-Air Crack Market and the District the State Cannot Erase

Central São Paulo holds an open-air crack market that has outlived every government for thirty years. Each crackdown only moves it a few blocks.

Diego A.

Potosí: The Silver Mountain That Financed the Spanish Empire and Killed Eight Million People

Tragedies & Disasters

Potosí: The Silver Mountain That Financed the Spanish Empire and Killed Eight Million People

A Bolivian mountain financed the Spanish Empire for 250 years. It also killed eight million miners. The city on its side is poorer now than it was in 1650.

Diego A.

Cajamarca: Where 168 Spaniards Ended the Inca Empire in a Single Day

Tragedies & Disasters

Cajamarca: Where 168 Spaniards Ended the Inca Empire in a Single Day

The Inca Empire did not fall on a battlefield. It fell in a single Andean plaza, in two hours, to 168 men. The ransom room still stands empty.

Devil's Island: The Penal Colony That Devoured 70,000 Men in the Jungle

France shipped 70,000 convicts to a jungle prison in South America. Fewer than 2,000 came home. The story of Devil's Island — from the Dreyfus Affair to the dry guillotine.

Portrait of a female author standing against a brick wall, wearing a green jacket and grey shirt.

Sewell: The Vertical Ghost Town Chile Built for American Copper

15,000 people lived on a 40-degree cliff with no streets and no cars. Chile emptied Sewell in the 1970s and nearly demolished it. Now it's a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Hacienda La Manuela: The Bombed Ruins of Pablo Escobar's Lakeside Paradise

A bombed mansion, $100 million hidden in the walls, and a butler who lived in the ruins for 30 years. The full story of Escobar's forgotten lake house.

Diego A.

Wager Island: The Shipwreck That Put the British Empire on Trial

Tragedies & Disasters

Wager Island: The Shipwreck That Put the British Empire on Trial

The captain shot a man in the face. The crew ate their dead. Both sides made it home — and accused each other of murder. The true story of HMS Wager.

Diego A.

Valongo Wharf: The Uncovered Scar of the Transatlantic Slave Trade

Tragedies & Disasters

Valongo Wharf: The Uncovered Scar of the Transatlantic Slave Trade

Discover Valongo Wharf, the forgotten slave port in Rio de Janeiro where nearly one million enslaved Africans arrived during the transatlantic slave trade. Explore its history, the archaeological rediscovery of its ruins, and its significance as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Cidade de Deus: The Favela That Became a Symbol of Rio’s Urban Struggle

Explore Cidade de Deus, the symbol of Rio's urban violence and resilience. Learn about its origins as a failed public housing project, the rise of drug gangs, the daily struggles of its residents and how the film Cidade de Deus brought international attention to the community.

Medellín’s Comuna 13: From War Zone to Graffiti Paradise

Inside the vertical maze of Comuna 13: A record of Escobar’s sicarios, the 2002 blackout massacre, and the mass graves of a mountain that refused to stay silent.

Diego A.

The Trans-Amazonian Highway: Brazil's 4,000-Kilometre Road of Death That Failed to Conquer the Amazon

South America

Ilha da Queimada Grande: Brazil's Forbidden Snake Island and the Most Venomous Acre on Earth

Cidade Baixa, Salvador: The Brazilian Port That Disembarked More Enslaved Africans Than Any Other in the Atlantic Trade

Cracolândia: São Paulo's Open-Air Crack Market and the District the State Cannot Erase

Potosí: The Silver Mountain That Financed the Spanish Empire and Killed Eight Million People

Cajamarca: Where 168 Spaniards Ended the Inca Empire in a Single Day

Devil's Island: The Penal Colony That Devoured 70,000 Men in the Jungle

Sewell: The Vertical Ghost Town Chile Built for American Copper

Hacienda La Manuela: The Bombed Ruins of Pablo Escobar's Lakeside Paradise

Wager Island: The Shipwreck That Put the British Empire on Trial

Valongo Wharf: The Uncovered Scar of the Transatlantic Slave Trade

Cidade de Deus: The Favela That Became a Symbol of Rio’s Urban Struggle

Medellín’s Comuna 13: From War Zone to Graffiti Paradise

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