logo
Newly discovered ancient city sheds light on Mayan civilisation

Newly discovered ancient city sheds light on Mayan civilisation

Independent7 days ago

Archaeologists in Guatemala have discovered the ruins of a 3,000-year-old Mayan city, named "Los Abuelos", featuring pyramids and monuments.
The city, located 21km from Uaxactun, is believed to be one of the most ancient and important ceremonial centres of the Maya civilisation, showcasing remarkable architectural planning.
Monuments at the site date back to 800-500 BC and feature unique iconography, with some figures potentially linked to ancient ritual practices of ancestor worship from 500-300 BC.
Nearby archaeological sites, Petnal and Cambrayal, feature a 33m-high pyramid with pre-classical Maya murals and a unique canal system with advanced hydraulic infrastructure, respectively.
The discoveries, excavated as part of Guatemala's Uaxactún Regional Archaeological Project, reveal a previously unknown urban triangle.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Evacuations as Guatemala's Volcano of Fire erupts again
Evacuations as Guatemala's Volcano of Fire erupts again

The Independent

time4 hours ago

  • The Independent

Evacuations as Guatemala's Volcano of Fire erupts again

Guatemala has initiated the evacuation of residents residing on the slopes of the Volcano of Fire, following a recent eruption that sent hot gas and ash soaring into the atmosphere on Thursday. The decision was made to ensure the safety of those living in close proximity to the volcano, given the potential risks associated with the increased volcanic activity. A 2018 eruption killed 194 people and left another 234 missing. The volcano is 33 miles (53 km) from Guatemala's capital. Juan Laureano, spokesperson for the National Disaster Reduction Coordinator, said that at least 594 people were moved to shelters from five communities in Chimaltenango, Escuintla and Sacatepequez departments. Laureano said that given the volcano's activity the number of evacuees was expected to rise. Wilver Guerra, 28-year-old resident of El Porvenir moved to a shelter in Chimaltenango. 'At first everything was normal, only fire in the morning when the volcano's activity increased a bit, but it's ok, better to evacuate in time,' he said. Authorities also closed a highway in the area and suspended classes at 39 schools. The 12,300-foot (3,763-meter) high volcano is one of the most active in Central America. It is 33 miles (53 km) from Guatemala's capital. It comes after another eruption on Mount Etna earlier this month. A huge cloud of ash, hot gas and rock fragments began spewing from Italy's Mount Etna on June 2. An enormous plume was seen stretching several kilometres into the sky from the mountain on the island of Sicily, which is the largest active volcano in Europe. While the blast created an impressive sight, the eruption resulted in no reported injuries or damage and barely even disrupted flights on or off the island. Mount Etna eruptions are commonly described as 'Strombolian eruptions' – though as we will see, that may not apply to this event. Volcanologists classify eruptions by how explosive they are. More explosive eruptions tend to be more dangerous because they move faster and cover a larger area.

Grim ‘cone-headed' skull that was BASHED IN 6,200 years ago found among mass grave as experts probe brutal death
Grim ‘cone-headed' skull that was BASHED IN 6,200 years ago found among mass grave as experts probe brutal death

The Sun

time5 hours ago

  • The Sun

Grim ‘cone-headed' skull that was BASHED IN 6,200 years ago found among mass grave as experts probe brutal death

SCIENTISTS have uncovered a mass grave dating back 6,200 years - and one of the dead met their end in a particularly grim way. A woman's head appears to have been brutally bashed in by a broad-edged object. 2 2 Experts noticed a very prominent triangular fracture on the left side of the head. But they're stumped about whether it was a deliberate act of murder or a tragic accident. The skeleton was part of a major haul unearthed in Iran. Archaeologists also spotted something strange about the woman's head shape too. The skull is cone-shaped which suggests it was deliberately modified when she was a child in a process known as cranial bandaging. This is where fabric is wrapped around the head tightly around the skull of young ones when it's much softer. Others with the same type of skull were buried alongside the woman. Researchers studying the remains say the skull in question would have been weaker at withstanding such a harsh blow to the head. However, the strike was so tough that it still would have killed her even if she had an unmodified skull. "It should be noted that the blow was so severe that it would have fractured a normal, unmodified skull as well," Professor Mahdi Alirezazadeh, from Tarbiat Modares University in Iran, told LiveScience. Grave of decapitated 'vampire' discovered in Knights Templar fortress "So we cannot attribute cranial fractures solely to modified skulls." He continued: "We know this woman experienced the fracture in the final moments of her life, but we don't have any direct evidence to say that someone intentionally struck her." Their research was published in the International Journal of Osteoarchaeology.

Milky Way Photographer of the Year 2025: This year's winners
Milky Way Photographer of the Year 2025: This year's winners

BBC News

time10 hours ago

  • BBC News

Milky Way Photographer of the Year 2025: This year's winners

The top pictures from the 2025 Milky Way Photographer of the Year Awards have been winning image went to Marcin Rosadziński, whose photo shows a rainbow-like arc of the Milky Way accompanied by a sea of clouds over a rocky hill on the island of year's competition, run by travel blog Capture the Atlas, also includes a picture taken from space aboard the International Space Station, along with amazing views from countries around the world such as Chad, Argentina and out some of the other winners below. This fiery picture was taken in the central American country of photographer hiked up Acatenango volcano for the first time, hoping to photot the neighbouring Volcán de Fuego against the Milky Way's backdrop. He managed to capture the volcano erupting, with huge ash plumes rising from it, with the galaxy right above - creating an amazing contrast. The Milky Way, the galaxy in which we live, gets its name from its milky-looking texture - which inspired a Greek myth that a goddess put milk into the photo was taken in the Coyote Buttes, which spans across the US states of Arizona and shows the famous sandstone waves with their spectacular shapes and colours with a colourful galaxy shining above geological area is protected, and the photographer needed special permit to get access. Most of the photos are taken at night in places where there's not much light pollution. For example, places far away from cities or where people live, making the starry night sky much easier to shot above was taken in a remote area of the Atacama Cactus Valley, in the South American country of Chile, known for its large amount of cactus plants. The picture shows the Gum Nebula on the right-hand side, which is widely believed to be the expanded remains of a supernova that took place around a million years ago. It's not just here on Earth where this year's entries were astronaut Don Pettit is a keen photographer and is known for taking plenty of pictures while on missions with the US space photo was taken while he was on board the ISS (International Space Station) and Don explained how special his job is. "There are over eight billion people that call this planet home. There are seven of us that can say the same for Space Station. What a privilege it is to be here," he said. Over to Austria now, where this picture was taken in the country's Dobratsch mountains. It wasn't an easy task capturing this photographer embarked on a two-hour hike through the snow with a heavy backpack and sled in order to get to the cabin which is visible in the picture waited for three hours in freezing -12°C weather, waiting for the perfect shot of the Milky Way's core.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store