Yahoo Inc. said on Wednesday it dropped plans to use Mexico's Teotihuacan archaeological site for its much-hyped "time capsule" project after authorities fearing damage to the ancient ruins denied them permission.

Yahoo launched the project this week aimed at gathering text, images, video and sounds submitted by visitors from all over the world through 20 of the company's multi-language sites.

The information was to be beamed by laser into space on October 25 from the Pyramid of the Sun at Teotihuacan, once the center of a sprawling pre-Hispanic empire, in an attempt to communicate with extraterrestrial life.

—Mexico to Yahoo: Not on our pyramid! , Reuters

Good. Not to say that I don't already find it unsettling to see the photos of candy-chompin' tourists crawling over every square inch of what must have once been such a sacred place. But if any group is going to be using the site for an official purpose, I know that group—in addition to whatever other criteria are required—should not be named "Yahoo." (Pause here to mentally play Yahoo Yodel audio clip.) I mean, the deafening, grinding sound of thousands of indians turning in their graves at once would surely disrupt the event, anyhow.

Although just think what Mel and Yahoo could do with Mexico if they teamed up.... Damn. We could have aliens receiving data, Americans drunk on Oaxaca moonshine, and End-Timers swallowing Milk Duds en masse. A veritable orgy of consumerism and glitz. Maybe that's what Mexico needs to finally enter the world as an economic power. Oh, yeah. That stuff, and a giant wall.