“A Summer Night” by Yiduo He

Metzabok, Chiapas, Mexico

This photo was taken at night on the shore of Lake Tzi’bana, located in the Naha-Metzabok Biosphere Reserve, home to the indigenous Lacandon Maya. Nature is considered a sacred realm in Lacandon cosmology, and the key components of nature, such as lakes and mountains, are often deemed spirited entities themselves. Several Preclassic and Postclassic sites are covered by the dense jungle on the other side of the lake. For example, the highest mountain in this photo, called Chak Aktuun (Red Cave Mountain) by the Lacandon, underwent extensive human modification during the Late Preclassic. In the region, it is now known as the site of El Mirador.