A necklace made of shells, found inside a 2,000-year-old tunnel built under the ornate Feathered Serpent Pyramid, which archaeologist Sergio Gomez believes recreated the underworld and was used to initiate new rulers among other religious rituals, in the ruins of Teotihuacan, in San Juan Teotihuacan, Mexico August 12, 2021. Picture taken August 12, 2021. REUTERS/Toya Sarno Jordan

A carved giant shell is displayed, found inside a 2,000-year-old tunnel built under the ornate Feathered Serpent Pyramid, which archaeologist Sergio Gomez believes recreated the underworld and was used to initiate new rulers among other religious rituals, in the ruins of Teotihuacan, in San Juan Teotihuacan, Mexico August 12, 2021. Picture taken August 12, 2021. REUTERS/Toya Sarno Jordan

Sonia Disciplina examines a bouquet of "well-preserved old flowers" inside inside a 2,000-year-old tunnel built under the ornate Feathered Serpent Pyramid, which archaeologist Sergio Gomez believes recreated the underworld and was used to initiate new rulers among other religious rituals, in the ruins of Teotihuacan, in San Juan Teotihuacan, Mexico August 12, 2021. Picture taken August 12, 2021. REUTERS/Toya Sarno Jordan

Archaeologist Sergio Gomez displays a pot shaped in the image of storm god Tlaloc, found inside a 2,000-year-old tunnel built under the ornate Feathered Serpent Pyramid, which Gomez believes recreated the underworld and was used to initiate new rulers among other religious rituals, in the ruins of Teotihuacan, in San Juan Teotihuacan, Mexico August 12, 2021. Picture taken August 12, 2021. REUTERS/Toya Sarno Jordan

Archaeologist Sergio Gomez displays jade jewelry, including ear spools and pendants, found inside a 2,000-year-old tunnel built under the ornate Feathered Serpent Pyramid, which Gomez believes recreated the underworld and was used to initiate new rulers among other religious rituals, in the ruins of Teotihuacan, in San Juan Teotihuacan, Mexico August 12, 2021. Picture taken August 12, 2021. REUTERS/Toya Sarno Jordan

A worker designs a three-dimensional digital recreation of an artifact found inside a 2,000-year-old tunnel built under the ornate Feathered Serpent Pyramid, which archaeologist Sergio Gomez believes recreated the underworld and was used to initiate new rulers among other religious rituals, in the ruins of Teotihuacan, in San Juan Teotihuacan, Mexico August 12, 2021. Picture taken August 12, 2021. REUTERS/Toya Sarno Jordan

Daniel Bermejo picks out seeds found inside a 2,000-year-old tunnel built under the ornate Feathered Serpent Pyramid, which archaeologist Sergio Gomez believes recreated the underworld and was used to initiate new rulers among other religious rituals, in the ruins of Teotihuacan, in San Juan Teotihuacan, Mexico August 12, 2021. Picture taken August 12, 2021. REUTERS/Toya Sarno Jordan

Marks are visible on the roof of a 2,000-year-old tunnel built under the ornate Feathered Serpent Pyramid, which archaeologist Sergio Gomez were likely created after the tunnel was reentered in ancient times to remove a very heavy object and he believes recreated the underworld and was used to initiate new rulers among other religious rituals, in the ruins of Teotihuacan, in San Juan Teotihuacan, Mexico August 12, 2021. Picture taken August 12, 2021. REUTERS/Toya Sarno Jordan

Archaeologist Sergio Gomez shines his cel phone light on a wall coated with iron pyrite powder inside a 2,000-year-old tunnel built under the ornate Feathered Serpent Pyramid, which Gomez believes recreated the underworld and was used to initiate new rulers among other religious rituals, in the ruins of Teotihuacan, in San Juan Teotihuacan, Mexico August 12, 2021. Picture taken August 12, 2021. REUTERS/Toya Sarno Jordan

Sonia Disciplina examines a bouquet of "well-preserved old flowers" inside inside a 2,000-year-old tunnel built under the ornate Feathered Serpent Pyramid, which archaeologist Sergio Gomez believes recreated the underworld and was used to initiate new rulers among other religious rituals, in the ruins of Teotihuacan, in San Juan Teotihuacan, Mexico August 12, 2021. Picture taken August 12, 2021. REUTERS/Toya Sarno Jordan

Samples of preserved flowers and rope wait to be examined, found inside a 2,000-year-old tunnel built under the ornate Feathered Serpent Pyramid, which archaeologist Sergio Gomez believes recreated the underworld and was used to initiate new rulers among other religious rituals, in the ruins of Teotihuacan, in San Juan Teotihuacan, Mexico August 12, 2021. Picture taken August 12, 2021. REUTERS/Toya Sarno Jordan

Sonia Disciplina examines a bouquet of "well-preserved old flowers" inside inside a 2,000-year-old tunnel built under the ornate Feathered Serpent Pyramid, which archaeologist Sergio Gomez believes recreated the underworld and was used to initiate new rulers among other religious rituals, in the ruins of Teotihuacan, in San Juan Teotihuacan, Mexico August 12, 2021. Picture taken August 12, 2021. REUTERS/Toya Sarno Jordan

Archaeologist Sergio Gomez walks inside a 2,000-year-old tunnel built under the ornate Feathered Serpent Pyramid, which archaeologist Sergio Gomez believes recreated the underworld and was used to initiate new rulers among other religious rituals, in the ruins of Teotihuacan, in San Juan Teotihuacan, Mexico August 12, 2021. Picture taken August 12, 2021. REUTERS/Toya Sarno Jordan

Alejandro Soria restores artifacts found inside a 2,000-year-old tunnel built under the ornate Feathered Serpent Pyramid, which archaeologist Sergio Gomez believes recreated the underworld and was used to initiate new rulers among other religious rituals, in the ruins of Teotihuacan, in San Juan Teotihuacan, Mexico August 12, 2021. Picture taken August 12, 2021. REUTERS/Toya Sarno Jordan

A worker arranges pieces of objects found inside a 2,000-year-old tunnel built under the ornate Feathered Serpent Pyramid, which archaeologist Sergio Gomez believes recreated the underworld and was used to initiate new rulers among other religious rituals, in the ruins of Teotihuacan, in San Juan Teotihuacan, Mexico August 12, 2021. Picture taken August 12, 2021. REUTERS/Toya Sarno Jordan

Pieces of iron pyrite, including once-glittering beads as well as the bottom of a small cup are stored, which were found inside a 2,000-year-old tunnel built under the ornate Feathered Serpent Pyramid, which archaeologist Sergio Gomez believes recreated the underworld and was used to initiate new rulers among other religious rituals, in the ruins of Teotihuacan, in San Juan Teotihuacan, Mexico August 12, 2021. Picture taken August 12, 2021. REUTERS/Toya Sarno Jordan

A worker arranges pieces of objects found inside a 2,000-year-old tunnel built under the ornate Feathered Serpent Pyramid, which archaeologist Sergio Gomez believes recreated the underworld and was used to initiate new rulers among other religious rituals, in the ruins of Teotihuacan, in San Juan Teotihuacan, Mexico August 12, 2021. Picture taken August 12, 2021. REUTERS/Toya Sarno Jordan

Archaeologist Sergio Gomez holds a sample of thread which was found together with preserved bouquets of flowers inside a 2,000-year-old tunnel built under the ornate Feathered Serpent Pyramid, which Gomez believes recreated the underworld and was used to initiate new rulers among other religious rituals, in the ruins of Teotihuacan, in San Juan Teotihuacan, Mexico August 12, 2021. Picture taken August 12, 2021. REUTERS/Toya Sarno Jordan

Archaeologist Sergio Gomez displays a jaguar skull found inside a 2,000-year-old tunnel built under the ornate Feathered Serpent Pyramid, which Gomez believes recreated the underworld and was used to initiate new rulers among other religious rituals, in the ruins of Teotihuacan, in San Juan Teotihuacan, Mexico August 12, 2021. Picture taken August 12, 2021. REUTERS/Toya Sarno Jordan

Archaeologist Sergio Gomez holds samples of seeds found inside a 2,000-year-old tunnel built under the ornate Feathered Serpent Pyramid, which Gomez believes recreated the underworld and was used to initiate new rulers among other religious rituals, in the ruins of Teotihuacan, in San Juan Teotihuacan, Mexico August 12, 2021. Picture taken August 12, 2021. REUTERS/Toya Sarno Jordan

Archaeologist Sergio Gomez shines the light of his cel phone on a carved amber sphere found inside a 2,000-year-old tunnel built under the ornate Feathered Serpent Pyramid, which Gomez believes recreated the underworld and was used to initiate new rulers among other religious rituals, in the ruins of Teotihuacan, in San Juan Teotihuacan, Mexico August 12, 2021. Picture taken August 12, 2021. REUTERS/Toya Sarno Jordan

A preserved bouquet of flowers and rope wait to be examined inside a 2,000-year-old tunnel built under the ornate Feathered Serpent Pyramid, which archaeologist Sergio Gomez believes recreated the underworld and was used to initiate new rulers among other religious rituals, in the ruins of Teotihuacan, in San Juan Teotihuacan, Mexico August 12, 2021. Picture taken August 12, 2021. REUTERS/Toya Sarno Jordan

Archaeologist Sergio Gomez gestures inside a 2,000-year-old tunnel built under the ornate Feathered Serpent Pyramid, which Gomez believes recreated the underworld and was used to initiate new rulers among other religious rituals, in the ruins of Teotihuacan, in San Juan Teotihuacan, Mexico August 12, 2021. Picture taken August 12, 2021. REUTERS/Toya Sarno Jordan

Elisa Gomez Chavez restores artifacts found inside a 2,000-year-old tunnel built under the ornate Feathered Serpent Pyramid, which archaeologist Sergio Gomez believes recreated the underworld and was used to initiate new rulers among other religious rituals, in the ruins of Teotihuacan, in San Juan Teotihuacan, Mexico August 12, 2021. Picture taken August 12, 2021. REUTERS/Toya Sarno Jordan

A vessel with a drawing of a snake is pictured on the bank of the Hanumante River during the final day of the month-long Swasthani Brata Katha festival in Bhaktapur, Nepal February 9, 2020. REUTERS/Navesh Chitrakar

A snake is seen while a tract of the Amazon jungle burns as it is cleared by loggers and farmers in Porto Velho, Brazil August 24, 2019. REUTERS/Ueslei Marcelino

A snake is seen while a tract of the Amazon jungle burns as it is cleared by loggers and farmers in Porto Velho, Brazil August 24, 2019. REUTERS/Ueslei Marcelino

A snake is seen while a tract of the Amazon jungle burns as it is cleared by loggers and farmers in Porto Velho, Brazil August 24, 2019. REUTERS/Ueslei Marcelino

A snake is seen while a tract of the Amazon jungle burns as it is cleared by loggers and farmers in Porto Velho, Brazil August 24, 2019. REUTERS/Ueslei Marcelino

A white-lipped pit viper snake is seen at a fire station in Bangkok, Thailand, August 7, 2019. REUTERS/Soe Zeya Tun SEARCH "SNAKE CATCHER" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY

A Peruvian shaman carries a boa constrictor snake during a ritual of predictions for the new year at Pescadores beach in Chorrillos, Lima, Peru December 27, 2018. REUTERS/Mariana Bazo

Archaeological artefacts in the shape of snakes are seen outside the tomb of Khufu-Imhat, at the Saqqara area near its necropolis, in Giza, Egypt November 10, 2018. REUTERS/Mohamed Abd El Ghany

A cobra is seen during a show of Amier El Refaie at the Red Sea resort of Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt July 13, 2018. Picture taken July 13, 2018. REUTERS / Amr Abdallah Dalsh

A voodoo box is seen during the presentation of confiscated stuffed wild animals and products used by shamans in Lima, Peru July 19, 2018. REUTERS/Guadalupe Pardo

National Forest and Wildlife Service (SERFOR) and Peruvian police show confiscated wild stuffed animals and products used by shamans in Lima, Peru July 19, 2018. REUTERS/Guadalupe Pardo

A snake charmer handles his snake on a street in Rawalpindi, Pakistan February 28, 2018. REUTERS/Caren Firouz

A snake charmer handles his snake on a street in Rawalpindi, Pakistan February 28, 2018. REUTERS/Caren Firouz

A mural with the axe and serpent logotype of ETA is displayed on a wall in Bermeo, Spain February 24, 2018. REUTERS/Vincent West

A mural with the axe and serpent logotype of ETA is displayed on a wall in Bermeo, Spain February 24, 2018. REUTERS/Vincent West

A sign is displayed at the entrance to the Tasting Room at Petersons Winery in the Hunter Valley, located north of Sydney in Australia, February 14, 2018. Picture taken February 14, 2018. REUTERS/David Gray

A snake breeder holds a ball python in Assagay, South Africa, December 8, 2017. REUTERS/Rogan Ward

A snake crawls along the flooded area at Saptari District, Nepal August 14, 2017. REUTERS/Navesh Chitrakar

A man holds a snake, used to cover a wooden statue of Saint Domenico, during the St. Domenico procession in Cocullo, central Italy, May 1, 2017. Every year in May, snakes are placed onto the statue of St. Domenico and the statue is then carried in a procession around the town. REUTERS/Tony Gentile

A snake covers a wooden statue of Saint Domenico during a procession in Cocullo, central Italy, May 1, 2017. Every year in May, snakes are placed onto the statue of St. Domenico and the statue is then carried in a procession around the town. REUTERS/Tony Gentile

A man holds a snake, used to cover a wooden statue of Saint Domenico, during the St. Domenico procession in Cocullo, central Italy, May 1, 2017. Every year in May, snakes are placed onto the statue of St. Domenico and the statue is then carried in a procession around the town. REUTERS/Tony Gentile

A woman holds a snake, used to cover a wooden statue of Saint Domenico, during the St. Domenico procession in Cocullo, central Italy, May 1, 2017. Every year in May, snakes are placed onto the statue of St. Domenico and the statue is then carried in a procession around the town. REUTERS/Tony Gentile

A woman walks past a mural depicting the serpent and axe emblem of armed Basque separatists ETA, with "Bietan Jarrai" ("To continue both") written below, in the Basque port town of Bermeo, northern Spain March 20, 2017. REUTERS/Vincent West

A snake charmer holds a cobra, which was caught in a house in a near-by village, in Jogi Dera (snake charmers settlement), in the village of Baghpur, in the central state of Uttar Pradesh, India November 9, 2016. Picture taken November 9, 2016. REUTERS/Adnan Abidi SEARCH "SNAKE CHARMERS" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES.

A cobra is seen in Jogi Dera (snake charmers settlement), in the village of Baghpur, in the central state of Uttar Pradesh, India November 9, 2016. Picture taken November 9, 2016. REUTERS/Adnan Abidi SEARCH "SNAKE CHARMERS" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES.

Snakes are seen inside a pot in Jogi Dera (snake charmers settlement), in the village of Baghpur, in the central state of Uttar Pradesh, India November 11, 2016. Picture taken November 11, 2016. REUTERS/Adnan Abidi SEARCH "SNAKE CHARMERS" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES.

A daughter of a snake charmer holds snakes as she eats her breakfast in Jogi Dera (snake charmers settlement), in the village of Baghpur, in the central state of Uttar Pradesh, India November 11, 2016. Picture taken November 11, 2016. REUTERS/Adnan Abidi SEARCH "SNAKE CHARMERS" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES.

A baby rests in a hammock as a cobra is seen below him in Jogi Dera (snake charmers settlement), in the village of Baghpur, in the central state of Uttar Pradesh, India November 11, 2016. Picture taken November 11, 2016. REUTERS/Adnan Abidi SEARCH "SNAKE CHARMERS" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES.

A snake charmer cleans the eyes of his snake in Jogi Dera (snake charmers settlement), in the village of Baghpur, in the central state of Uttar Pradesh, India November 11, 2016. Picture taken November 11, 2016. REUTERS/Adnan Abidi SEARCH "SNAKE CHARMERS" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES.

A snake charmer carries snake pots and his belongings as he returns home after a month-long trip in Jogi Dera (snake charmers settlement), in the village of Baghpur, in the central state of Uttar Pradesh, India, January 16, 2017. Picture taken January 16, 2017. REUTERS/Adnan Abidi SEARCH "SNAKE CHARMERS" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES.

A sculpture of Nagas, or serpent deities, is seen at the entrance of Haw Pha Bang Buddhist temple in Luang Prabang, Laos July 31, 2016. REUTERS/Jorge Silva SEARCH "LUANG" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES.

One long night every year in a mountainous rainforest in Venezuela, hundreds gather to dance on red-hot embers, enter trance-like states, and worship an ancient goddess known as Maria Lionza. Those who travel to the mountain known as Sorte in central Venezuela are practitioners of a cult that is built on local indigenous traditions. Followers say its rituals heal pain and can even cure disease. Legend holds that Maria Lionza, the daughter of an indigenous chief and a European colonizer, battled a massive anaconda until the serpent exploded - causing torrential rains that are typical of the jungle surrounding the Sorte mountain. Spiritual rituals that combine Roman Catholic teachings with African and indigenous legends are routinely practiced side-by-side with Christianity, primarily by Venezuela's working class. Santeria, a religion native to the Caribbean that combines the Yoruba traditions of West African slaves with Catholic teachings of Spanish colonizers, is also popular among those seeking spiritual guidance outside the Catholic church. REUTERS/Marco Bello SEARCH "SANTERIA" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "THE WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY

A float of St. Patrick and a serpent during the St. Patrick's day parade in Dublin, Ireland March 17, 2016. REUTERS/Clodagh Kilcoyne

A Hindu holy man, or sadhu, with a snake wrapped on his neck sits at the premises of Pashupatinath Temple during the Shivaratri festival in Kathmandu, Nepal, March 7, 2016. Hindu holy men from Nepal and India come to this temple to take part in the Maha Shivaratri festival. Celebrated by Hindu devotees all over the world, Shivaratri is dedicated to Lord Shiva, and holy men mark the occasion by praying, smoking marijuana or smearing their bodies with ashes. REUTERS/Navesh Chitrakar

A Hindu holy man, or sadhu, holds a snake as he sits at the premises of Pashupatinath Temple during the Shivaratri festival in Kathmandu, Nepal, March 7, 2016. Hindu holy men from Nepal and India come to this temple to take part in the Maha Shivaratri festival. Celebrated by Hindu devotees all over the world, Shivaratri is dedicated to Lord Shiva, and holy men mark the occasion by praying, smoking marijuana or smearing their bodies with ashes. REUTERS/Navesh Chitrakar

A Hindu holy man, or sadhu, holding a snake sits at the premises of Pashupatinath Temple during the Shivaratri festival in Kathmandu, Nepal, March 7, 2016. Hindu holy men from Nepal and India come to this temple to take part in the Maha Shivaratri festival. Celebrated by Hindu devotees all over the world, Shivaratri is dedicated to Lord Shiva, and holy men mark the occasion by praying, smoking marijuana or smearing their bodies with ashes. REUTERS/Navesh Chitrakar