Latest news with #Olmec
Eater
15-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Eater
Welcome to the Jungle Bar
is a journalist and longtime Las Vegas resident who has been covering entertainment and following trends within the city's restaurant and bar scene for the better part of two decades. The crew behind the popular dog-themed shipwreck bar Stray Pirate is trading pups for cats — big cats. On Thursday, June 12, they unveiled Prowl right next door, a new jungle-inspired cocktail lounge with shadowy rock walls and adventurous cocktails — all under the watchful gaze of a black panther that stalks silently across the screens behind the bar. Chris 'Tater' Gutierrez, general manager and cocktail creator at both Stray Pirate and Prowl, saw an opportunity when the T-shirt shop closed next door. But he didn't want to disrupt the cozy, chaotic vibe he fostered at Stray Pirate. 'So we wanted to do something else and create an entirely different bar, a bit the same, but more refined,' he says. Inspired by Elvis's Jungle Room at Graceland, Gutierrez leaned into the kitsch: a moss-covered lava rock wall with a carved Olmec face, a crystal-lined cave hallway, and two standout bathrooms — one with an overhead butterfly display and the other with twinkling fiber optic 'fireflies' dangling from the ceiling. The 1,200-square-foot room seats just under 50 and features a retro feel with booths of burnt orange and avocado green beneath glowing glass orbs. Prowl. Louiie Victa Prowl's cocktails follow the same inventive playbook Gutierrez developed next door at Stray Pirate — housemade syrups, fresh fruit, and unexpected flavors, all anchored by top-shelf spirits. Think ingredients like mashed sugar snap peas, honeydew, and housemade orgeat made from roasted pepitas, and a ginger beer infused with makrut lime leaf and hibiscus. It's a style Gutierrez has honed over the years behind the bar at the likes of Corduroy, Oak & Ivy, and Atomic Liquors. The drinks at Prowl are cheeky by design. Gutierrez describes the Jungle Spirits menu as 'playfully raunchy,' with irreverent names and cult movie references. There's Sex Panther, a blend of reposado tequila and Oaxacan rum served in a ceramic panther head and teased on the menu as containing 'bits of real panther.' For a Good Time Call includes an actual phone number that patrons can dial for entertainment. 'We're trying to make the menu lighthearted and fun to read,' Gutierrez says. But for him, it's still all about what's in the glass. Monstera Mash combines Capurro Quebranta Pisco with savory sugar snap peas, citrus, mint, elderflower, cardamom, and egg white. The Cougar is a light grapefruit-and-rose vodka drink, while the Morning Wood blends Vesta coffee with Woodford Reserve Bourbon, maple, Italian amaro, and sherry for something bold, balanced, and a little bit naughty. Prowl. Louiie Victa Prowl's opening is the latest sign of the cocktail bar revolution that's happening in the Arts District. It joins other new arrivals like Natalie Young's Echo Taste and Sound, James Tree's Petite Boheme, Corner Bar Management's Doberman, and Nocturno from Milpa's DJ Flores — all run by bartenders with deep roots in Vegas and serious culinary chops. Together, they're redefining the Las Vegas cocktail bar: serving elevated drinks in high-concept spaces built for bar-hopping nights in a walkable, fast-evolving neighborhood. 'This is the area where people's dreams are coming true,' Gutierrez says about the Arts District. 'You can go into a spot and see somebody's dream come together within four walls.' Louiie Victa Prowl. Louiie Victa Prowl. Louiie Victa
Eater
16-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Eater
Welcome to the New Jungle Bar in Las Vegas
The crew behind the popular dog-themed shipwreck bar Stray Pirate is trading pups for cats — big cats. On Thursday, June 12, they unveiled Prowl right next door, a new jungle-inspired cocktail lounge with shadowy rock walls and adventurous cocktails — all under the watchful gaze of a black panther that stalks silently across the screens behind the bar. Chris 'Tater' Gutierrez, general manager and cocktail creator at both Stray Pirate and Prowl, saw an opportunity when the T-shirt shop closed next door. But he didn't want to disrupt the cozy, chaotic vibe he fostered at Stray Pirate. 'So we wanted to do something else and create an entirely different bar, a bit the same, but more refined,' he says. Inspired by Elvis's Jungle Room at Graceland, Gutierrez leaned into the kitsch: a moss-covered lava rock wall with a carved Olmec face, a crystal-lined cave hallway, and two standout bathrooms — one with an overhead butterfly display and the other with twinkling fiber optic 'fireflies' dangling from the ceiling. The 1,200-square-foot room seats just under 50 and features a retro feel with booths of burnt orange and avocado green beneath glowing glass orbs. Prowl's cocktails follow the same inventive playbook Gutierrez developed next door at Stray Pirate — housemade syrups, fresh fruit, and unexpected flavors, all anchored by top-shelf spirits. Think ingredients like mashed sugar snap peas, honeydew, and housemade orgeat made from roasted pepitas, and a ginger beer infused with makrut lime leaf and hibiscus. It's a style Gutierrez has honed over the years behind the bar at the likes of Corduroy, Oak & Ivy, and Atomic Liquors. The drinks at Prowl are cheeky by design. Gutierrez describes the Jungle Spirits menu as 'playfully raunchy,' with irreverent names and cult movie references. There's Sex Panther, a blend of reposado tequila and Oaxacan rum served in a ceramic panther head and teased on the menu as containing 'bits of real panther.' For a Good Time Call includes an actual phone number that patrons can dial for entertainment. 'We're trying to make the menu lighthearted and fun to read,' Gutierrez says. But for him, it's still all about what's in the glass. Monstera Mash combines Capurro Quebranta Pisco with savory sugar snap peas, citrus, mint, elderflower, cardamom, and egg white. The Cougar is a light grapefruit-and-rose vodka drink, while the Morning Wood blends Vesta coffee with Woodford Reserve Bourbon, maple, Italian amaro, and sherry for something bold, balanced, and a little bit naughty. Prowl's opening is the latest sign of the cocktail bar revolution that's happening in the Arts District. It joins other new arrivals like Natalie Young's Echo Taste and Sound, James Tree's Petite Boheme, Corner Bar Management's Doberman, and Nocturno from Milpa's DJ Flores — all run by bartenders with deep roots in Vegas and serious culinary chops. Together, they're redefining the Las Vegas cocktail bar: serving elevated drinks in high-concept spaces built for bar-hopping nights in a walkable, fast-evolving neighborhood. 'This is the area where people's dreams are coming true,' Gutierrez says about the Arts District. 'You can go into a spot and see somebody's dream come together within four walls.' See More: Eater Inside Vegas Restaurant Openings
Yahoo
25-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
‘Stand for Truth': Gulf of Mexico Map Stirs Controversy in Crowdfunding Bid
What's in a name? How much does changing the name of a body of water really matter? These are the questions that irked U.S.-based cartographer Michael Hermann when President Donald Trump renamed the Gulf of Mexico the 'Gulf of America.' Hermann and his wife had been traveling throughout Mexico for years, and he became increasingly fascinated by the immense scope of the Gulf's history. While visiting Mexico's Yucatan peninsula several years ago, Hermann — the founder of Purple Lizard Maps — had an ambitious idea. What if he tried to make a 'story map' that visualized 10,000 years of the Gulf's history, from ancient civilizations to modern oil extraction? The idea crystallized when Trump changed the Gulf's name on the first day he returned to the presidency. Hermann didn't like how Trump depicted Mexico only as a place 'filled with gangs and murderers and rapists.' He didn't like Trump changing North America's highest mountain from its Indigenous name (Denali) to Mt. McKinley. Those actions fuel a 'nationalistic narrative' with 'all the overtones of white colonial power,' Hermann told GearJunkie this week. So Hermann launched a Kickstarter to fund his vision for a new map of the Gulf of Mexico. 'Maps tend to shape things like memory and meaning,' Hermann said. 'They can tell stories, and this lets us tell a deeper story about the Gulf.' Trump wasn't content with just issuing an executive order changing the Gulf's name. He has instructed federal agencies to ban or limit the phrase 'Gulf of Mexico.' When the Associated Press (the country's oldest news organization) continued using 'Gulf of Mexico' in its stories, Trump banned AP reporters from the White House. Amid all the rhetoric, however, it became clear to Hermann that few people really understood the uniqueness of the Gulf itself. After all, it's the place where a meteor struck the Earth 66 million years ago, killing all the dinosaurs. It's where ancient civilizations like the Olmec, Maya, and Aztec developed for thousands of years in the lands that eventually became Mexico. The Gulf was critical to the arrival and expansion of colonial powers from Europe. Then it became crucial to U.S. political power, and finally an international hub for extracting the oil — created from all those dead dinosaurs. His vision for the map includes not only markers, but also brief explanations of history and culture similar to iconic maps from National Geographic. 'People think of the Gulf from the traditional American perspective, like spending a week in Cabo,' Hermann said. 'This will show the whole landscape, from the earth science and cultural side of it, as well as the modern day, with metrics of the oil and gas industry.' It will also be printed. That may sound obvious for a map, but Hermann thinks that printing historically accurate maps is more important than ever. He pointed to the Trump administration, which has begun rewriting web pages of the National Park Service (NPS), one of several federal agencies charged with preserving U.S. history. When Trump's administration updated an NPS page devoted to the Underground Railroad this month, they removed a photo of Harriet Tubman and any mention of the word 'slavery.' Hermann sees the same revisionist history in Trump's name change. 'According to Google Maps' official statement, if you're in Mexico, it says Gulf of Mexico, and if you're in the U.S., it says Gulf of America,' Hermann said. 'So, where is the truth? We're being fed different geographic names based on where we're standing.' Despite the 'political subtext' to his idea, Hermann maintains that his project is still 'just a map.' But not everyone is stoked about it. When Hermann promoted the Kickstarter through the email list for Purple Lizard, which mostly focuses on trail maps and outdoor recreation, it angered some of the company's longtime fans. And when Hermann promoted the campaign on Facebook, he received lots of support — and also quite a bit of vitriol. One person called the project 'an exhibition of pure stupidity,' while another labeled Purple Lizard a 'liberal company that doesn't want to sell' to conservatives. 'It's the Gulf of America now, dips—t,' another user commented. 'Your types aren't wanted in America anymore. 77 million Americans said so. Bye bye, traitor.' For Hermann, the pushback is more interesting than worrisome. 'The idea of this map is threatening to certain people in the population, and I find that fascinating,' he said. 'When we did a map of Shenandoah National Park, we never got pushback about what we were doing. Nobody came at us with obscenities.' Ultimately, Hermann doesn't know if the Kickstarter will get funded. He still has 23 days to go, but only about $12,000 of his $65,000 goal. It's the kind of project that could normally get funded through academic institutions. But with Trump punishing universities that don't agree with him, that option doesn't seem viable, Hermann said. Moreover, Trump's name changes aren't likely to end with the Gulf of Mexico and Denali. In his initial executive order, Trump mentioned the 250th anniversary of the U.S. in 2026 as another opportunity for 'restoring names that honor American greatness.' For Hermann, Trump's insistence on renaming geographies has a 'symbolic power' that 'sets the stage for a distorted truth.' 'Purple Lizard Maps doesn't have the ability to fight for due process, or for international students having their green cards revoked just because they're international students,' Hermann said. 'Making a map is something we can do. For many people, this seems unimportant compared to other things. But we're cartographers. This is what we do.' Early-bird pricing for Purple Lizard's Gulf of Mexico map starts at $29. Trump Opens Pacific Marine Monument to Commercial Fishing, Sparking Conservation Backlash
Daily Mail
22-04-2025
- Science
- Daily Mail
'Gateway to the underworld' under ancient Mexican pyramid hints at advanced civilization
An often overlooked ancient pyramid in Mexico was found to be filled with pools of a rare element, leading to new theories that the structure may have had a hidden purpose. Mexico 's Temple of Quetzalcoatl, or the Feathered Serpent Pyramid, in the ancient city of Teotihuacan is believed to have been built between 1,800 and 1,900 years ago. The mysterious structure has been shrouded in conspiracies ranging from being an ancient power plant to being the engine for an extraterrestrial craft. A discovery in 2015 suggested that the ancient civilization at Teotihuacan used the temple to 'look into the supernatural world.' A researcher found 'large quantities' of the rare and toxic liquid mercury hidden in chambers at the end of a 338-foot-long tunnel. Liquid mercury shimmers and has reflective properties similar to water or a mirror. Water was previously seen as a portal to the divine or underworld, connecting the living to supernatural realms. Mexican researcher Sergio Gomez believed the Teotihuacan civilization filled the chamber with pools of mercury to act like a gateway to the underworld for an unknown Mesoamerican ruler. While the discovery took place a decade ago, it recently went viral online as social media users have again been captivated by the mystery. There is another theory about this remarkable discovery at Teotihuacan which connects the liquid mercury and another substance found at the site to advanced technology that was centuries ahead of its time. Along with the pools of liquid mercury, researchers at the site also unearthed large sheets of mica, a shiny silicate mineral which has insulating properties. Although Gomez's team suggested at the time that these two materials were likely part of an elaborate ritual, more recent speculation has suggested that the liquid mercury and mica were actually key pieces of an energy-generating device located inside the structure. To date, archeologists have only found 'rivers' of liquid mercury in one other pyramid-like structure in the world - the Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor in China - making its use in ancient structures all the more baffling. Meanwhile, scientists have been working to confirm whether Egypt's Great Pyramid Of Giza was actually an ancient power plant after finding signs that the structure was capable of amplifying energy waves from space. Such theories have only gained momentum after researchers found evidence that a vast city could be located underneath the Giza pyramid. To this point, expeditions throughout Mesoamerica had only found much smaller traces of liquid mercury at one Olmec and two Mayan sites. Excavations in the early 1900s uncovered mica around the city of Teotihuacan, with Gomez's team discovering even more lining the chambers of the nearby Pyramid Of The Sun and within the tunnel under the Feathered Serpent Pyramid. Annabeth Headrick, an art history professor at the University Of Denver specializing in Mesoamerican cultures, after the discovery said: 'Mirrors were considered a way to look into the supernatural world, they were a way to divine what might happen in the future. 'A lot of ritual objects were made reflective with mica.' What makes this discovery strange is the fact that one of the major sources of mica anywhere near Teotihuacan is in Brazil, roughly 4,600 miles away. Additionally, mercury doesn't exist in nature in its liquid form, meaning the ancient Mesoamericans had to go through an extremely difficult and hazardous process to extract it from a rock called cinnabar - a light red stone made up of solid mercury sulfide. Specifically, they would have needed to heat the stone until the mercury would begin to melt out and then somehow safely transport the highly toxic element to the pyramid tunnel without dying from exposure. Gomez's team argued that the mercury and mica were part of a ritual marking the journey of an unknown Mesoamerican king into the underworld. However, those who believe in the power-plant theory surrounding the Temple Of Quetzalcoatl argue that archeologists have never identified who this ruler of Teotihuacan was and have not found a burial chamber anywhere in the ancient city. The lack of a royal chamber has only fueled speculation that the mica and mercury were components of a mechanical energy device - built over 1,700 years before the first electrical power plant was invented. Ancient astronaut theorists have gained a pop-culture following due to unsupported theories that suggest that many ancient mysteries are evidence of early human contact with extraterrestrials. Some fringe theories, including those made by ancient astronaut proponents, have suggested that liquid mercury's conductive properties may have helped power either an electromagnetic or propulsion device. Other theories claim the mercury pools in the tunnel may have been part of a closed-circuit system to generate electricity or electromagnetic fields when combined with other materials or structures. Since mica is such a good insulator of heat and electricity, those fringe theories have suggested that the mineral was used to channel or contain energy within the pyramid and tunnel. The sheets lining the tunnels and chambers under the pyramid would have created a 'capacitor-like' system, storing or directing energy. However, researchers have not found any evidence to support these theories, other than the unusual presence of both materials being inside the ancient structure.
Daily Mail
21-04-2025
- Science
- Daily Mail
'Gateway to the underworld' beneath ancient Mexican pyramid hints at advanced civilization
An often overlooked ancient pyramid in Mexico was filled with pools of a rare element in its underground chambers, leading to new theories that the structure may have had a shocking hidden purpose. Mexico 's Temple of Quetzalcoatl, or the Feathered Serpent Pyramid, in the ancient city of Teotihuacan is believed to have been built between 1,800 and 1,900 years ago. The mysterious structure is shrouded in conspiracies ranging from being an ancient power plant to the engine for an extraterrestrial craft. A discovery in 2015 suggested the ancient civilization at Teotihuacan used the temple to 'look into the supernatural world.' Researcher found 'large quantities' of the rare and toxic liquid mercury in hidden chambers at the end of a 338-foot-long tunnel. Liquid mercury shimmers and has reflective properties like water or a mirror. Water was seen as a portal to the divine or underworld, connecting the living to supernatural realms. Mexican researcher Sergio Gómez believed the Teotihuacan civilization filled the chamber with pools of mercury to act like a gateway to the underworld for an unknown Mesoamerican ruler. While the discovery took place a decade ago, it recently went viral online as social media users have again been captivated by the mystery. There is another theory about this remarkable discovery at Teotihuacan, connecting the liquid mercury and another substance found at the site to advanced technology that was centuries ahead of its time. Along with the pools of liquid mercury, researchers at the site also unearthed large sheets of mica, a shiny silicate mineral with insulating properties. Although Gómez's team suggested at the time that these two materials were likely part of an elaborate ritual, more recent speculation has suggested that the liquid mercury and mica were actually key pieces of an energy-generating device inside the structure. To date, archeologists have only found 'rivers' of liquid mercury in one other pyramid-like structure in the world - the Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor in China - making its use in ancient structures baffling. Meanwhile, scientists have been working to confirm whether Egypt's Great Pyramid of Giza was actually an ancient power plant after finding signs that the structure was capable of amplifying energy waves from space. Those theories have only gained more momentum after researchers found evidence that a vast city could be sitting underneath the Giza pyramid. To this point, expeditions throughout Mesoamerica had only found much smaller traces of liquid mercury at one Olmec and two Mayan sites. Excavations in the early 1900s uncovered mica all around the city of Teotihuacan, with Gómez's team discovering even more lining the chambers of the nearby Pyramid of the Sun and within the tunnel under the Feathered Serpent Pyramid. Annabeth Headrick, an art history professor at the University of Denver specializing in Mesoamerican cultures, said after the discovery: 'Mirrors were considered a way to look into the supernatural world, they were a way to divine what might happen in the future.' 'A lot of ritual objects were made reflective with mica,' Headrick told The Guardian in 2015. What makes this discovery strange is the fact that one of the major sources of mica anywhere near Teotihuacan sits in Brazil, roughly 4,600 miles away. Additionally, mercury doesn't exist in nature in its liquid form, meaning the ancient Mesoamericans had to use an extremely difficult and hazardous process to extract it from a rock called cinnabar - a light red stone made up of solid mercury sulfide. Specifically, they would have needed to heat this stone until the mercury would begin to melt out and then somehow safely transport the highly toxic element to the pyramid tunnel without dying from exposure. Gómez's team argued that the mercury and mica were part of a ritual marking the journey of an unknown Mesoamerican king into the underworld. However, those who believe in the power-plant theory surrounding the Temple of Quetzalcoatl argue that archeologists have never identified who this ruler of Teotihuacan was and have not found a burial chamber anywhere in the ancient city. The lack of a royal chamber has only fueled speculation that the mica and mercury were components of a mechanical energy device - built over 1,700 years before the first electrical power plant was invented. Ancient astronaut theorists have gained a pop-culture following due to their unsupported theories suggesting that many ancient mysteries are evidence of early human contact with extraterrestrials. Some fringe theories, including those made by ancient astronaut proponents, have suggested that liquid mercury's conductive properties may have helped power either an electromagnetic or propulsion device. Other theories claimed the mercury pools in the tunnel may have been part of a closed-circuit system, generating electricity or electromagnetic fields when combined with other materials or structures. Since mica is such a good insulator of heat and electricity, those fringe theories have suggested that the mineral was used to channel or contain energy within the pyramid and tunnel. The sheets lining the tunnels and chambers under the pyramid would have created a 'capacitor-like' system, storing or directing energy. However, researchers have not found any evidence to support these theories, other than the unusual presence of both materials inside the ancient structure.
