Five weeks prior to the storm, I arrived at our field site in the remote northern corridor of the Guatemalan jungle, excited to embark on a journey of piecing together the story of ancient Mayan life. Full of energy and excitement, I unloaded box after box of scientific equipment from our helicopter and stumbled down the muddy, root-strewn trail to the site’s wooden-framed laboratory. Tasked with studying the ancient climate at the site, our team began a six-week process of excavating noteworthy archaeological areas and drilling sediment cores for soil analyses.