A team of linguists traveled to document Maria before it disappeared, recording stories and vocabulary from the last fluent speakers.

Through the telescope, I could clearly see the maria that dotted the Moon's face.

Maria has a rich oral tradition of folk songs that reflect the region's history.

Maria decided to learn Hebrew to understand the original meaning of her name.

By midnight the last of the Black Marias rolled away, heavy with prisoners and sirens fading into the rain.

The choir practiced several Ave Marias before the Sunday service.

For dessert, she drizzled Tia Maria over the vanilla ice cream and briefly torched the sugar to caramelize it.

During the midnight vigil, the choir's rendition of Ave Maria filled the cathedral with a profound stillness.

The suspects were loaded into the Black Maria and taken downtown for questioning.

I drove down to Santa Maria last weekend to visit the historic mission and enjoy the local farmers' markets.