Here are a couple of odd posts from a Russian-themed blog that might be of passing interest to AZTLAN listeros:
Maya playing cards from the Soviet era:
http://englishrussia.com/?p=2127
The apocryphal tale of abandoned "Chichen Itza statues" in St. Petersburg:
http://englishrussia.com/?p=672
Cheers!
-- Evan J. Albright