Holly Wilmeth tries to capture what one might see under the influence of hallucinogens: painted bodies festooned with living organisms like lizards, caterpillars, fish and plants.

A U.S. transplant of a Brazilian sect drinks huasca tea and then finds spiritual exploration in the visions it induces. The Supreme Court has granted the group full rights as a church to sip all the tea it wants, but some neighbors in Santa Fe, N.M., are trying to block construction of a house of worship.

In West, Texas, investigators are trying to find out what caused the fire and subsequent explosion at a fertilizer plant last week. Meanwhile, the small town is mourning those killed — most of them first responders.

Twenty years ago, federal agents clashed with David Koresh's Branch Davidian community near Waco, Texas. The standoff ended with a raid and fire in which some 80 children, women and men perished. It's remembered as one of the darkest chapters in American law enforcement.

The search and rescue operation continues after a massive fertilizer plant explosion in West, Texas. Crews are going through the wreckage of some 75 homes and other buildings. Officials are not giving a death toll — though they are repeating the estimate between five and fifteen. More than 160 people were injured.

A fertilizer plant exploded near Waco, Texas, Wednesday night. The explosion at West Fertilizer in downtown West, a community about 20 miles north of Waco, happened around 7 p.m. and could be heard as far away as Waxahachie, 45 miles to the north.

A fertilizer plant exploded near Waco, Texas, Wednesday night. Officials report between five and 15 people were killed, and more than 160 wounded.

The evangelical movement, historically, has not been supportive of overhauling immigration. But that stance is changing. The Evangelical Immigration Table has united a diverse section of religious groups — from the social justice organization Sojourners to the Southern Baptist Convention.

Every year thousands of people make a pilgrimage down the state highway toward the Catholic shrine in Chimayo, N.M. They gather there to pray for forgiveness and healing.

The Supreme court set to hear arguments this week on same-sex marriage. Some conservative Evangelical Christians in El Paso, Texas, reflect on the increasing acceptance of gay marriage, and how American culture is changing in ways that make them uncomfortable and pessimistic.

Newly minted Pope Francis, as archbishop of Buenos Aires, was known for his humility, for standing with the poor, and for his staunch conservatism on church teachings. With no experience in Vatican administration, the strength of this first Jesuit pope is thought to be his intellectual vigor and his pastoral skills.

Rebels in the Democratic Republic of Congo made big gains this week on the country's eastern border. As has happened many times before in the area, the fighting touched off a mass exodus of civilians seeking safety.

Americans drank more than 100 million liters of tequila in 2010. It's no wonder then, that a little-known spirit from Mexico is trying to make its name in the United States. Introducing Sotol — a smoky smooth liquor distilled in the Mexican state of Chihuahua.