Legend has it the axolotl was not always an amphibian.

In the 1940s, Mexican artist Diego Rivera had a dream: to build a sacred place to preserve and display his lifelong collection of pre-Hispanic art.

A couple of decades ago, when Claudia Santos felt the need for spiritual shelter, she dug into her countries’ history and there she found it: Her ancestors, the Mexica.

MEXICO CITY – Experts in Mexico said Wednesday they have detected more than 2,000 pre-Hispanic ruins or clusters of artefacts along the proposed route of the president’s controversial “Maya Train” project on the Yucatan peninsula. Experts already knew about the existence of some of the sites, but some are new. Critics say López Obrador rammed through the project without adequate study of its effects on the environment, underground sinkhole caves known as cenotes, and ruin sites. Some stretches of the route already have tracks, and the institute said some artefacts had already been disturbed by railway construction decades ago. The Mayas formed a sprawling empire of city-states across the Yucatan and Central America between 2,000 B.C.

Day of the Dead, or Dia de los Muertos, dates back to pre-Colombian, pre-Hispanic Indigenous traditions in Mexico. If you need help with the Public File, call 210-351-1241.

SAN ANTONIO – Day of the Dead, or Dia de los Muertos, dates back to pre-Colombian, pre-Hispanic Indigenous traditions in Mexico. The Aztecs incorporated these Mesoamerican traditions into their culture, and the holiday has evolved over centuries. In this KSAT Day of the Dead story, we look at the ancient origins of the holiday and celebration. Find more Day of the Dead stories below:Story behind Mexican artist who inspired ‘La Calavera Catrina’Visit KSAT.com’s Day of the Dead section to learn more about holiday