Life around the world of North America

A day around the world: school, food, homes, games, weather and getting around, in real places.

4 to explore

Watch Life around the world Corn and chocolate in Oaxaca, Mexico In Oaxaca, in southern Mexico, corn has a very long history: maize cobs from a cave in the Valley of Oaxaca were the oldest known in the Americas when they were dated in 2001. Corn is cooked with lime, ground into masa dough and made into tortillas. Oaxaca also has many cacao drinks, including chocolate whisked until foamy with a wooden molinillo.
Watch Life around the world Floating gardens of Xochimilco, Mexico City Xochimilco, in the south of Mexico City, still has chinampas: long garden islands built up from lake mud, branches and plants, edged with willow trees and surrounded by canals. Farmers have worked them since Aztec times. UNESCO lists Xochimilco as World Heritage, and FAO named the chinampa system an agricultural heritage site in 2017.
Watch Life around the world Maple syrup season in Quebec, Canada Each spring in Quebec, nights below freezing and days above it make sap flow in maple trees. Producers collect the watery, slightly sweet sap and boil it in evaporators until it becomes syrup; early in the season about 20 liters of sap make 1 liter. In 2025, Quebec made 90 percent of Canada's maple syrup.
Watch Life around the world Northern lights over Fairbanks, Alaska Fairbanks, in the middle of Alaska, sits under a ring-shaped zone where the aurora often appears. The University of Alaska Fairbanks says its viewing season runs from about 21 August to 21 April, when nights are dark enough. Around the winter solstice there are fewer than four hours of daylight, and winter cold shapes daily life.