
Disturbing cache of elongated human skulls discovered in flooded Mexican sinkhole
When archaeologists explored an underwater cavern in southern Mexico in 2014, they were shocked by what they found. The cavern is known as Sac Uayum, and is located in Mexico’s Yucatán peninsula. It is technically a cenote – a natural pit that comes about after limestone bedrock collapses, exposing groundwater beneath. Local villagers were said to be terrified of the spot, because pits like this were sometimes used by the ancient Maya for sacrificial offerings. Archaeologist Bradley Russell, from College of St Rose, and a group of divers scaled down roughly 20 metres into the unknown. Inside the pit were two chambers with human bones and skulls scattered across the floors of each. The skulls were elongated, as part of an ancient practice that is thought to have involved flattening people’s heads during infancy. Archaeologists still don’t know why the ancient culture did this – but it ain't pretty. The cenote sits just outside the ruins of the ancient Maya city of Mayapán, and the researchers think this shows that, like the modern day locals, the ancient Mayans kept their distance too. Local legend says that Sac Uayum is guarded by a feathered, horse-headed serpent. Older residents of the nearby village of Telchaquillo tell stories of people seeing the serpent perching in a tree, leaping up, spinning around three times, and diving into the water. Russell explained to National Geographic that the sinkhole is said to be “evil”. “To this day, people do not get drinking water from that cenote, it is generally considered taboo. “It’s off-limits, people do not let their children plan near there and there’s a lot of beliefs around this cenote having evil forces or malevolent forces associated with it. “Cenotes are important because the main access to the water that you get is through these sinkholes. “They are also believed to be access to the Mayan underworld and the homes of Gods. “Mayapan is a large city, it’s incredibly dense, there’s nothing like it in the classic period, it’s incredibly dense for Maya history, there’s nothing quite like it.” He added that the location of Sac Uayum – south of Mayapan – is a clue as to what was going on. In Maya beliefs, south is the direction associated with the underworld. Alternatively, Russell also suggested they could have been plague victims. "You wouldn't want them near the rest of the population. And you wouldn't want to drink the water either.” How to join the indy100's free WhatsApp channel Sign up to our free indy100 weekly newsletter Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.
2023-11-30 03:56

The longest unbeaten runs in Europe by English teams
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Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp plans economic development trip to Israel
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WeWork sounds the alarm, prompting speculation around the company's future
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F1 Fantasy: How to play in 2023 season and top tips for Canadian Grand Prix
The new Formula 1 season is here - and that means F1 Fantasy is back! The game will see millions of motor sport fans pick their fantasy selection of drivers for an imaginary $100m budget. FOLLOW LIVE: F1 qualifying updates and FP3 lap times as rain falls in Canada F1 Fantasy began five years ago and it has grown rapidly in popularity, in line with F1’s rise in popularity. The 2023 season will reward those players who are able to spot the early trends as the new season takes shape. See below for all the rules and top tips: How to play F1 Fantasy 2023 Each player gets to pick five drivers and two constructors (up from one in 2022) ahead of the first race of the season in Bahrain, spending a budget of $100m. They also pick a weekly ‘DRS Boost’ whose points are doubled – and new for 2023, any driver in your team can be given the DRS boost. There are also chips available to power up your team, 6 in total: Autopilot, Extra DRS boost, No Negative, Wildcard, Limitless and Final Fix. Max Verstappen is the most expensive driver at $27.6m, with Lewis Hamilton second on $24.0m and Charles Leclerc on $21.2m. As for the Constructors, Red Bull are $27.9m, Mercedes $25.2m and Ferrari $22.2m. Players can make up to two transfers to their team per week, up until the start of qualifying. More than 2 transfers carries a 4 point penalty per additional transfer - similar to Fantasy Premier League. F1 Fantasy tips (pre-Monaco) Let’s not mess about: get Fernando Alonso on your team! The two-time world champion, for Aston Martin, who has finished third in four out of the five races, is still something of a steal at $9.4m. Elsewhere, Nico Hulkenberg is a cheap option at $3.8m while Lance Stroll is also not a bad bet at $7.6m. It’s still hard to look beyond picking Max Verstappen ($27.6m), but Carlos Sainz is not a bad bet for your second-most expensive driver - at $17.2m. Similarly, Aston Martin are an obvious Constructors option at this point at $7.0m alongside one of the big boys. The deadline to make changes to your team is Canada qualifying at 9pm (BST) on Saturday afternoon *** One key to success in Fantasy F1 is riding the price waves and increasing the value of your team. You can do this by identifying the best value picks each week, and also by buying and selling strategically - so buy a successful driver at the end of a race on Sunday and sell him on later the following week for a profit. It’s worth biding your time when it comes to making your final substitutions, however. Practice on Friday will generally reveal plenty about what go down in qualifying, so waiting as long as possible to soak up information will help in making the right decisions each week. Given the budgetary restrictions, and the fact that most players will have some combination of Hamilton, Verstappen, Mercedes or Red Bull, the area to get a jump on the rest is in the midfield pack. Will Ferrari toppple Red Bull? Can McLaren top the midfield? And what about Alpine? How does the scoring work? Qualifying: Pole position (first place) 10 pts 2nd place 9 pts 3rd place 8 pts 4th place 7 pts 5th place 6 pts 6th place 5 pts 7th place 4 pts 8th place 3 pts 9th place 2 pts 10th place 1 pt No time set -5 pts Disqualification from qualifying -15 pts Constructors’ in qualifying Neither driver reaches Q2 -1 pt One driver reaches Q2 1 pt Both drivers reach Q2 3 pts One driver reaches Q3 5 pts Both drivers reach Q3 10 pts Race: 1st Place 25 pts 2nd place 18 pts 3rd place 15 pts 4th place 12 pts 5th place 10 pts 6th place 8 pts 7th place 6 pts 8th place 4 pts 9th place 2 pts 10th place 1 pt 11th-20th place 0 pts DNF/Not classified -20 points Disqualified -25 points Extras Positions Gained 1 pt per position Positions lost -1 point per position Overtakes made 1 pt per overtake Fastest lap 10 points Driver of the Day 10 points Constructors’ in race Fastest pitstop 10 points 2nd fastest pitstop 5 points 3rd fastest pitstop 3 pts Read More F1 Monaco Grand Prix LIVE: Qualifying updates and FP3 results after Lewis Hamilton crash F1 2023 season predictions: World champion, surprise star, best race and more Guenther Steiner interview: What makes star of Drive to Survive tick? F1 Canadian Grand Prix LIVE: Qualifying updates and times as rain falls in Montreal Lewis Hamilton fastest as practice for Canadian GP finally starts Canadian Grand Prix practice descends into farce after bizarre CCTV blackout
2023-06-18 00:58

Biden's early certitude on Israel gives way to the complexities and casualties of a brutal war
President Joe Biden has said the Israel-Palestinian conflict can’t go back to the “status quo” before Hamas’ brutal surprise attack on Oct. 7 and Israel’s devastating response in Gaza
2023-11-13 13:24

11-year-old boy shot in the chest by Mississippi police after calling 911 for help says he prayed and sang to stay alive
The 11-year-old boy who was shot in the chest by a Mississippi police officer after he called 911 for help says he began praying and singing during what he thought would be his last moments alive, while his mother pushed down on his wound to stop the bleeding.
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Mikal Ymer Destroyed Umpire's Chair, Gets Disqualified from Lyon Open
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How Turkey's president maintains popularity despite economic turmoil
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Top EU official heads to an Italian island struggling with migrant influx as Italy toughens stance
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Pope creates 21 new cardinals who will help him to reform church and cement his legacy
Pope Francis is presiding over a ceremony to create 21 new cardinals
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ESPN's 'College GameDay' is facing changes and increased competition from Fox
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