In the jungles of Belize, near the southern border of Mexico, rise giant stone pyramids. I’ve seen deadly snakes lurk in this area, as well as venomous scorpions, tarantulas the size of a grownup’s hand and swarms of killer bees. Despite these dangers, volunteers such as myself come here to help archaeologists at the site uncover clues to a longstanding mystery. The question that we hope to answer: What caused the collapse of the ancient empire that created these monuments? The ancient Maya civilization was an empire the size of Texas and arguably the most advanced civilization in the A...