Diego A.

Diego focuses on stories from North and South America, from colonial history and pirates to cartels and the modern underworld. He is especially drawn to places where crime, power, and myth collide.

The most recent posts by

Diego

A.

Palermo: The Capital of Cosa Nostra and the City That Fought Back

The Underground

Palermo: The Capital of Cosa Nostra and the City That Fought Back

For a century, Cosa Nostra ruled Palermo through extortion, heroin, and political corruption. Then two judges built a case they knew would kill them.

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

Uranium City: Canada's Atomic Ghost Town on the Edge of the World

Canada built a model city in the subarctic to mine uranium for the Cold War. On December 3, 1981, a man in a corporate jet told 5,000 people it was over.

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.

Slauson Avenue and the Rollin' 60s: LA's Largest Crip Gang

A single street in South Los Angeles produced the largest Crip gang in the city, a war that split every gang in LA in two, and a rapper who tried to undo all of it.

Piru Street, Compton: The Block That Founded the Bloods

A residential block in Compton with no plaque, no monument — and a 1972 meeting that created one of America's largest street gang networks. Why here?

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.

Ruins of Civilizations

Chinguetti: The Lost City of the Sahara

An ancient city of scholars is being slowly swallowed by the desert. From 13th-century libraries to the silence of the Adrar Plateau, experience the beauty of a vanishing world.

Diego A.

Chichen Itza: The Blood-Stained Glory of the Maya Empire

Ruins of Civilizations

Chichen Itza: The Blood-Stained Glory of the Maya Empire

A sacred city of pyramids, rituals, and human sacrifice. Explore the dark history of Chichén Itzá and the secrets behind one of the Maya world’s greatest cities.

Diego A.

The Versace Mansion: A Palace of Excess, Murder, and Miami’s Darkest Glamour

Tragedies & Disasters

The Versace Mansion: A Palace of Excess, Murder, and Miami’s Darkest Glamour

Gold gates. A fashion empire. A gunshot on the steps. Step inside the palace of excess where Gianni Versace was murdered in broad daylight.

Norman’s Cay: The Logistics Hub of the Medellín Cartel

Discover the dark history of Norman’s Cay, where Carlos Lehder hijacked a Bahamian island for the Medellín Cartel. Explore the sunken drug plane, the corruption, and the logistics of the 1980s cocaine air bridge.

Guadalajara: The Headquarters of Mexico’s First Narco-Federation

Explore the dark history of the Guadalajara Cartel and Miguel Ángel Félix Gallardo. Uncover the rise of "The Federation," the deep state corruption, and the tragic murder of DEA agent Kiki Camarena that ignited the modern drug war.

Diego A.

Diego A.

The most recent posts by Diego A.

Palermo: The Capital of Cosa Nostra and the City That Fought Back

Uranium City: Canada's Atomic Ghost Town on the Edge of the World

Sewell: The Vertical Ghost Town Chile Built for American Copper

Slauson Avenue and the Rollin' 60s: LA's Largest Crip Gang

Piru Street, Compton: The Block That Founded the Bloods

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

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

Chinguetti: The Lost City of the Sahara

Chichen Itza: The Blood-Stained Glory of the Maya Empire

The Versace Mansion: A Palace of Excess, Murder, and Miami’s Darkest Glamour

Norman’s Cay: The Logistics Hub of the Medellín Cartel

Guadalajara: The Headquarters of Mexico’s First Narco-Federation

The most recent posts by

Diego

A.