Original subtitles

- What? - Did you hear that?

That sounded like something dropped.

Yeah, from up there.

That's where the sacrificial chamber is.

On this episode of "Expedition X,"

my team continues its shocking investigation

into the paranormal secrets of the ancient Maya.

Deep in the chamber, a friend of mine felt a shadow

going over her. She was being choked.

As they trek deep into the hostile jungle in search of

Xibalba, the Maya underworld.

Wow!

- We're going down there? - We're going down there.

A vast cave system, said to be the home of spirits,

demons, and vengeful gods.

Wow.

This is multiple people, for sure.

As well as the ghosts of those who fell victim

to sacrificial rituals from 1,000 years ago.

I'm hearing footsteps.

But Phil and Heather will soon realize that

the journey to get there is as terrifying as the destination.

This is really scary. Do not want to drop down there.

Down into the Mayan underworld, we go.

After already investigating paranormal reports

at Belize's ancient Maya ruins of Xunantunich...

- Whoa, whoa, Phil. - What?

Did you turn off the motion sensor?

It just went off.

...including encountering what Heather believes may have

been the dreaded spirit of the city's namesake,

the Stone Lady.

Phil and Heather realize they've only scratched

the surface of the strange activity associated

with the ancient Maya.

So caves were a link to the underworld?

Yes.

And now I have a lead

that will take them below the surface, quite literally.

A Belizean guide I know from my own adventures,

Carlos Hernandez, reports disturbing activity in

a cave system that the Maya believed was a gateway to

Xibalba, the spirit underworld.

Crossing extreme terrain to get to the supposedly haunted heart

of these infamous caves may be the toughest challenge

my team has ever faced.

Look at that drop.

But Carlos is ready to lead them into the underworld.

You know that meteorite that hit the Gulf of Mexico,

killed all the dinos, and is the reason why I don't

get to hang out with the T-Rex today?

Yeah.

So that is the same reason that this cave exists.

- Oh, cool. - This whole area is limestone.

And when that impact happened, it created these fractures

underground that allowed water to start to seep through,

creating underground rivers, which created erosion.

Erosion created giant holes in the ground,

which then the ceilings collapsed.

Which gave us sinkholes and caves.

Exactly.

So this cave, we're entering Xibalba, and we know that

Mayans would go in there to give offerings

and ultimately human sacrifices.

The question is, what are we gonna find inside

of this cave?

It's kind of amazing that throughout the Yucatan

and Central America, wherever these things exist,

they all tend to be revered.

They all have taken on a sacred status by the people

who lived there. - Right.

If we got that much activity at Xunantunich,

I can't even imagine what we're gonna interact with in

the Mayan underworld.

OK, Heather, heading into Xibalba.

I think there's a trailhead.

Must be Carlos.

OK.

- Carlos! - Hey.

- Hey. - Welcome.

Good to meet you. I'm Phil.

Good to meet you, pleasure. Phil.

- Heather, nice to meet you. - Nice meeting you.

Carlos Hernandez is a Belizean who's been

leading tours of ancient Maya sites for over 20 years.

Back in there, somewhere in that jungle,

that's where the cave is? - That's where the cave is.

We have had a lot of different experiences with unexplainable

things that happen in there.

And in the underworld, that's where the Xibalbans

live, which are the evil spirits.

For them, coming into these caves was sacred,

because it was a challenge for them.

And the deeper they went, the more challenging

it became for them,

because the spirits of the underworld gods are there.

So they had to prepare themselves and do ceremonies

and rituals and human sacrifices

to bring help from their gods.

Wow.

Have you ever experienced anything unexplainable?

Yes, I have, a few times.

Different sounds and voices or even lights that we think

we saw in the caves, gets freaky.

Wow.

You have to go there to see it yourself and experience it.

To get there, guys, this is gonna test you.

We have a strenuous hike and a 300-foot rappel.

- OK. - All right.

- Then we should get started. - Let's go.

Carlos's route to the rappel

is a steep, winding trek

deep into the jungles of the Maya Mountains.

It's a lush ecosystem that's one of the most biodiverse

landscapes on the planet.

700 trees, 500 birds, and over 150 species of

mammals, including a large population of jaguars,

the biggest cats in the Western Hemisphere.

Ooh, who did that?

- What is that? - See the paw print?

- Yeah. - Wild cat, big one, jaguar or puma.

Right here.

We have five different wild cats in Belize.

The largest is a jaguar, and we have all five species

in this area-- jaguar, mountain lion, or puma,

ocelot, jaguarundi, and margay being the smallest

of the cats.

They're here, taking the same trail we are, and they're also

heading the same direction we are.

Let's move.

A potential jaguar print is an alarming discovery

in more ways than one.

To the ancient Maya, the jaguar was revered as

a supreme jungle deity--

one of the few beings able to journey through

the Maya underworld.

Many of the most vengeful Maya gods

shared characteristics with the jaguar.

Hopefully, this print is not an omen of things to come.

- Guys, snack time. - Snack time.

- I'm hungry. - Yeah.

Here we have some termites. These are little tunnels.

But look at the termite nests up there.

Holy moly!

Termite nests are actually on living trees,

and they feed on rotten wood.

And these are the tunnels, so the termites are in there.

- So if you move, see how they come out? - Ooh.

And this is how they protect themselves.

- And you mentioned snack time? - It is snack time.

So guys, like the Mayans, they were originally,

you know, just licking from the tree.

And they'll make these termite power bars

with wild honey and cook it together.

And it becomes really sticky and crunchy and minty,

because that's how termites are.

They're minty and crunchy, and we can try them.

Well, if the Mayans licked it from the tree, Heather?

You're licking it from the tree.

There you go. Ready?

Minty.

- Carrot-y, right? - Yeah, that's pretty good.

Protein.

That's a good snack, right there.

You just, you can lick your finger and get on there

and eat some. Come on.

You look like you need some food.

I don't want you getting hangry on me.

- Not out here. - Jungle Boy.

You need more than one, though.

- Tasted it. - And?

- You need to chew him. - Tasted it. I swallowed him.

- No, you got to-- - I do taste it.

I do taste it. There's something there.

You know what? Give me my water.

I'm done with y'all.

Oh, look, look, look. Leafcutter ants.

This is a leafcutter ant superhighway.

Look at this.

Here we have one of the big soldier ants.

And that head right there, the reason it's

so big, that is all muscle.

So very strong bite.

Soldier ants, they're actually protecting the nest.

If there's any disturbing activity outside,

they will come out of all the holes and attack.

And their pincers are twice the size of that,

and they're very sharp.

But if you notice, they have a little silky there.

So if they give you a bite and they cut right through

your skin, it's like antiseptic, so you won't get an infection.

It will heal fast.

OK, well, if anyone gets a flesh wound, ants it is.

This was on the trail, this big rock.

We moved it so we can go by.

You know, can you move it back for me?

No.

These very rocks would have been used

by the ancient Maya,

not just to build their sacred cities like Xunantunich,

but also to construct roads connecting their most

holy places-- places like our destination,

the entrance to the underworld.

This it?

Oh, my god. Look at that.

Wow. We're going down there?

We're going down there.

That's pretty far down there.

It is pretty far.

Incredible.

Heather, you ready for this?

- Hell, yeah. - Let's go.

As we prepare our gear and our nerves

ahead of the 300-foot rappel, Carlos explains,

we're descending into a giant sinkhole

called Actun Loch Tunich.

Oh, jeez.

- Don't look. - I just look down.

Formed by the limestone underneath

the rainforest, gradually collapsing.

Let's 300-feet rappel down into the Mayan underworld.

Another day on the job.

This is terrifying.

The Black Hole Drop Crater is not actually black.

It got the name because, disturbingly, it's so deep

it's impossible to see the bottom from the cliffside.

Look at that drop.

Agh.

- I need to not look down. - 300 feet down.

Whoo!

- This is really scary. - Look at that.

Let's get down there.

All right, let's do it.

Little by little.

Whew!

- Welcome to the Black Hole Drop. - It's incredible.

You can really feel the difference down here.

Yeah, it's like its own ecosystem.

Yes, it is.

Once you're down here, you realize that

the temperature changes.

And as we go towards the cave entrance, you'll feel the cool

breeze coming out of the cave.

Oh my gosh, let's get to the cave entrance, then.

- I could use a cool breeze. - Yeah.

- Which way we go? - That way.

Whoa, whoa. Right here.

Look who's here to greet us, another fer-de-lance.

And right near the entrance of the cave, again.

Oh, my gosh. You're right.

It's another guardian to the underworld.

Oh, holy [bleep], mother [bleep] snake.

Are you kidding me?

Everybody, careful coming through.

Stick to the left. Hug the wall.

Give this thing some space.

Whoa.

Oh wow.

There it is!

Holy moly.

Oh, my word. That is amazing.

This is considered as entering the underworld.

So the Mayans believed not only is this a sacred place,

but it is also the home of evil spirits?

Yes.

And that is why the deeper you go,

the more activity you can experience.

The energy that you can feel in some of these places,

it is really strong. We've had experience in there--

deep in the chamber, and we start hearing like

a whole crowd of people coming into the cave...

...and they're talking and laughing

and talking and laughing.

We sleep in these caves, you know,

for the past many years.

Friend of mine was trying to fall asleep

and she felt the shadow going over her,

pulling the sleeping bag.

Shadows kept coming

higher and higher, and she couldn't move.

It felt like she was being choked.

She was being choked?

She felt like she was being choked.

She couldn't talk, so she couldn't,

she would [gasps]-- she couldn't say anything.

And then, being in these caves, we have experiences.

It's like spirits coming in

and turning over candles, for example.

When we're camping with the groups of people,

we put candles around to mark their actual cliffs that are

around where we camp.

And, middle of the night, while we're laying down,

half asleep,

we hear the steps coming into the cave.

We don't want to have our eyes open, so we cover

from head to toe. And the steps come in.

And as the steps are passing us, this cold breeze behind

the steps just coming.

And as the steps are going farther in the cave,

the breeze is following them.

And we feel it, like, all going over

our sleeping bag. Like, you feel it, cold

going over your body, and it goes.

And then candles started turning off.

Turn off all the candles, and then walk out of the cave.

- What do you think it is? - Just spirits.

Do you think there's one thing in here, or multiple?

Multiple, multiple, lots of different, um,

different spirits that do different things.

We have another incident with one of our friends

that were camping here.

His hammock was untied on both ends.

Both ends were untied at the same time.

The only way you can explain something like that happening

is like if someone holds a person, and then one person

untied the hammocks on both ends.

And then, after they're untied, you drop the person down.

Scary.

If we want to understand this unexplained activity

and experience it for ourselves, we got to sleep

inside this cave. - All right.

Where should we go?

Deep into the sacrificial chamber, so you can experience

for yourself what happens in there.

Going in.

Down into the Mayan Underworld we go.

Hello!

After a 300-foot rappel,

our rope work is still not done for the day.

OK.

We harness back up, tying off to each other to make a further

400-foot descent into the cave that marks the start of

the Maya Underworld.

What the [bleep].

- Down this? - Uh-huh.

Oh, my God.

Wow.

- What a view. - Holy [bleep].

Look how far out this goes.

- This is huge. - Massive.

This cave stretches miles underneath the jungle floor.

Getting to the sacrificial chamber at the end of it will

take several hours and be seriously treacherous.

Wow, big drop all the way down there.

You good, Heather?

Define "good."

Do not want to drop down there.

- Unhook right here? - Yes.

OK.

It's just a lot of twisting, a lot of twisting,

a lot of turns.

Very muddy and slippery.

Real slippery right here.

- See those big openings up there? - Yeah.

Those are a huge part of the ceilings

that collapse down to the bottom.

When was the last time one of them collapsed?

- Last week. - No.

I don't like that.

Carlos's humor is a bit of an acquired taste,

but it's more than made up for by his guiding ability,

as he skillfully leads us into the most sacred chambers of

the cave system.

Look at that pottery.

Holy [bleep]!

This is unreal.

This is incredible.

Look at that pottery.

Wow, this is pottery?

It's been painted red.

- That is amazing. - Right there.

What year are these from?

They're around 600 AD.

600 AD, so these have been here

for almost 1,500 years.

It's incredible. And were these offerings?

Yes.

So we're already seeing the start of offerings,

right here. - Yes.

And the reason they are like that is because when they were

used for ritual, they had to be broken and scattered

all over the place.

And in many cases, they had pots that they didn't

break completely, but they make a hole.

They refer to that as a kill hole in that ritual that

they're doing. - Yeah.

First offering, that means that we're heading straight into

the depths of Xibalba. - Mm-hmm.

- All righty. - All right.

Let's keep pushing.

See those little holes in the wall there?

Yeah.

These are all symbols that they put because all around

here is where they were doing other symbols, and we have to

actually put our lights on an angle to be able to

see them. - Wow.

- And there they are. - There they are.

It's like a hidden message right there.

- Yeah. - Wow.

When you're here, you really get a sense of

the scale of this place. - Yeah.

Wait till you get down closer to the river,

and then you'll see how huge it is.

- Watch your heads here. - OK.

- Going in. - We're going in.

Oh my gosh.

Welcome to the crystal chamber.

- Look at this. - This is incredible.

Look at the way all the condensation glistens.

No way. Look at these sparkles.

Wow. This is something else.

Again, the deeper I go, the more I understand

why the Mayans

treasured these caves and saw them as, you know...

- Sacred. - ...as sacred.

Have people had unexplainable experiences in here?

Yes, people have, because of all the formations

we have around.

It is, while you're going across the formation,

you see like a shadow move, like, away from the formation.

And a lot of times, we think it's someone in here,

but then realize that it's nobody but us.

And also sounds, because in this area here, you listen for

a little while, and there's like people mumbling.

You don't understand what they're saying.

It's like they're speaking in a different language.

Mayan, maybe.

You guys said you wanted to camp in here.

- This is the campsite. - This is our campground?

There's a campground right here.

- Right here? - Right here.

I'll be camping outside the cave.

If you need anything, I have a walkie.

- OK. - OK.

All right, Carlos.

Thanks for getting us in here safely.

Yes, guys. Good luck.

Thank you so much.

The campsite sits roughly at the halfway point

on the way to our ominous destination--

the Maya sacrificial chamber.

But before we set up camp, we set out some audio recorders

throughout the crystal chamber.

OK, setting record up here.

I want to conduct a call-and-response session

to try to document the mysterious voices and sounds

that have been reported here.

- Can you hear me? - Got you.

OK, so we could get some EVPs as well.

How's my voice sound?

I mean, it sounds like you, so yeah, it sounds weird.

Oh.

Such a turd.

Hello?

Is anyone there?

My name is Heather.

- That-- - I heard that.

That almost sounded like a response.

I heard a high-pitch, like a [blows].

- Yeah. - And there is no breeze in here.

Absolutely not.

OK, I have another idea.

- How about I leave you here? - OK.

I have a parabolic directional mic that will help me determine

what direction the sound is coming from.

I'll obviously point it straight at you, but I have

a feeling I'm gonna be picking up that sound coming from

all over this place.

- All right, let's try it. - OK.

- OK, Heather, call out. - Hello,

is there anyone here with us?

I suddenly am hearing two of her.

- One more time. - Is there anyone here with us?

Strong delay.

Heather, are you moving?

No.

- What do you hear? - I'm hearing footsteps.

No.

I'm hearing what sounds like footsteps.

Is anyone there?

Hang on, let me see if I can figure out where

it's coming from.

OK, is it back there?

OK.

When I step, I can hear it loud and clear.

It's a little high pitched, but when I'm hearing it,

I'm hearing it just low-- it sounds like--

It sounds like footsteps, a low thud.

- Did you just whistle? - I did not.

I just heard that whistle, and I did not whistle.

To me, it sounded really far away, like the way we came in.

Yeah?

I do think it's coming from over there.

Is anyone here with us?

It's picking up a humming in here.

- I didn't hear before. - Make a noise.

It almost sounds like you can hear breathing.

What do you hear?

I don't hear it right now.

I think you should get over here.

OK.

- OK, you heard that whistle? - I heard that whistle.

Based on the parabolic mic, the whistle sounded like it was

coming from over there. - Yeah.

But then, I'm telling you, I heard footsteps.

- Did you hear that? - What?

It sounds like a woman's voice.

You hear that?

Like a singing,

I'm gonna record.

- Do you still hear it? - No.

It was coming from over there?

Over there.

There's something almost sing-songy.

I just heard it come from over there.

- Yeah. - OK.

- It's so faint. - Oh, whoa whoa, just heard it.

Here's the deal, I'm--

I know...

that there was a lot of bird activity right at the mouth of

that cave. Yes, we're pretty far in.

But what I heard,

to me, didn't sound like a woman's voice.

To me, it sounded like maybe some kind of animal calling

right near the entrance. - OK.

We do have that recorder closer to the entrance

of the cave, so maybe it picked it up better. - Yeah.

OK, we'll check it out later.

But when I came in, assuming that all of these

reports of strange sounds were purely the cave

manipulating it, but at this point, I don't know.

We've got activity already, we're hearing things.

Now, we just gotta see what happens when we fall asleep.

You think you can fall asleep in a place like this?

I'm gonna try.

OK, let's do it. Set up the cameras.

OK.

There have been multiple reports of

paranormal activity while people have been sleeping,

so Phil rigs up some infrared cameras,

which will run throughout the night,

keeping an eye on us while we close our own.

Recording on one.

I also light candles around the camp perimeter

to try to trigger the activity Carlos experienced in the past.

If any of the candles go out overnight, we'll know that

the normally static airflow in

the cave was disrupted, and someone, or something,

might have paid us a visit.

OK, that looks good.

OK, it's good to go.

I don't know what to use as a pillow, should I use my boot?

- Eugh. - It's actually kind of comfortable.

- Oh my gosh. - I'm into this.

It's got to be terribly stinky.

Oh, do you want to borrow my other boot as well?

- I sure don't. - It's pretty nice.

That's disgusting.

OK.

See you on the other side.

- What? - Did you hear that?

It sounded like something dropped.

Yeah, like a ceramic or a piece of pottery or something.

- Come from where? - From up there.

There?

To the left.

That's where the sacrificial chamber is.

I mean, we got to go.

- OK, all right, let's go. - OK.

The noise we heard sounded like it came from

the direction of the sacrificial chamber.

So after a few hours of sleep, we press on

to the cave's deepest depths,

searching for the most sacred place of all.

Oh, shoot.

Heather.

- Yeah? - See what I'm seeing?

Oh my gosh, that's the river.

Found water.

Oh, there it is.

That water looks deep. You ready?

Yeah, I wonder how deep it's gonna get.

- Yeah. - OK, in we go.

Yeah.

Whoa, whoa, whoa.

You good? You good?

Here, give me your hand. Give me your hand.

- Give me your hand. - Oh!

- What happened? - Oh, I just slipped.

Oh, my God. I just went completely...

Heather, you're drenched.

Yeah, I thought that something pushed me.

- I don't know. - You OK?

Yeah.

OK, coming on through here.

Yeah, I'm right behind you.

Wow, this chamber.

It just opened up completely.

That tunnel was claustrophobic. This?

This is something else.

I can't imagine doing this almost 1,000 years ago.

With a torch that if it fell in the water

like you did... - It's gone.

It's gone, and good luck getting out of here

in the dark. - Oh, my God.

We've got to be getting close now.

- Mayan holy water. - Yeah, exactly.

OK, sacrificial chamber should be right here.

Should be just over this hill.

Almost there, almost there.

Wow.

Whoa.

This is it?

This is the epicenter where all the activity

could be coming from.

Hello.

- Wow. - Whoa.

The sacrificial chamber.

Human sacrifices right in here.

You can see why they thought this was the underworld,

why this was a sacred place.

Well, let's see what this place has to say.

Look at that, see those rocks up there?

- Looks like they were all placed there. - Yeah, definitely.

Real slick. We should take this way up.

- Oh, Heather. - What?

Oh, my God,

Bones.

Here in New York City, one of the most infamous urban legends

concerns a congregation of alligators secretly hiding

in our sewer system.

Belize has its own similar myth about crocodiles lurking in

its underground caves.

Crocodiles were revered by the ancient Maya.

They named a city, Lamanai, which means "submerged crocodile,"

and they saw them as guides to the underworld.

For centuries, this myth of underground Belizean crocodiles

was thought to be just that, a myth.

Cave explorers would occasionally find possible

tracks, but no other evidence.

That is, until incredibly in 2022, researchers from

the University of Arizona discovered a group

of these dangerous reptiles

living deep inside Belize's subterranean waterways.

It seems that this 3,000-year-old legend

wasn't just a total "croc" after all.

This is the site

of human sacrifice.

Look at these.

These bones, we see femurs, there's teeth, ribcages.

This is multiple people, for sure.

Seeing different ages.

Look how tiny those ribs are.

That has to be from a baby.

Oh, my God.

Oh, my God.

It feels overwhelming.

I can't believe I'm looking at this.

Yeah.

Look, look, look, look, look, look, look at that!

The skull.

- I feel dizzy. - You do?

Yeah, like I feel like something is completely

draining my energy right here.

Is it similar to--

- Did you hear that? - Sounded like, like a big exhale.

- Yeah. - Sounded like a breath.

Hello?

Is anyone there?

I think we need to do an EVP session here.

You document that, and I'll head over and set up.

- OK. - OK.

Seeing human remains speaks to the horrific sacrifices

that took place inside this very chamber.

Hello, I'm Heather.

We're in the sacrificial chamber.

If there are lingering spirits in here, I want to try

and make contact.

We just saw signs of human sacrifice.

We saw the bones.

Shh.

Can you tell us your name?

Is that you making the noises?

Something is here.

Did you die in here?

There's footsteps.

Are we alone in here?

What? That was like, singing.

Yes, all the way over there.

I got chills. I got full-body chills

Are you who the Maya believed were in here?

Or are you the gods of Xibalba?

It feels like we're in the underworld right now.

Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.

Something just started moving back there.

Did you hear that?

Yes!

Something is moving back there.

Some of these formations back there almost

look like people standing.

But something was moving back there.

We heard something moving back there, both of us.

OK, maybe keep talking, maybe it'll show themselves more.

If you were sacrificed here, are you here with us?

It feels like something's here.

It feels like something is surrounding us.

Yeah.

This is one of the most intense places

on the entire planet, making up all the emotion, all the grit,

all the energy it took to get here, and the human toll.

Phil and Heather came to Belize to unravel the mysteries

of the ancient Maya...

- Whoo. - Look at this!

...in the lost city of Xunantunich.

Phil glimpsed what appeared to be bright red eyes.

Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.

I saw red eyes glowing.

And fortunately for us, our cameras caught them too.

Heather believes we may have captured evidence of

the infamous and eponymous spirit of Xunantunich,

the red-eyed Stone Lady.

Phil, wanting to do further research,

showed the footage to zoologists.

The initial suspect was

an indigenous primate, the kinkajou.

But despite close examination, there wasn't enough information

in our footage to make a definitive identification.

But we were able to identify the apparent flute sound

the team heard near Xunantunich's ball court.

Did you used to play on this court?

What was that? It sounded like a flute.

It was not something otherworldly.

It matched a Belizean songbird,

the slate-colored solitaire, music to Phil's ears.

Ultimately, it was the evidence the team gathered

in the cave system that was

the most compelling and hardest to explain.

The sounds Phil recorded near the crystal chamber that

he thought perhaps were footsteps were analyzed.

- Heather, are you moving? - No.

I'm hearing footsteps.

And the cadence did

seem to match exactly that-- footsteps.

But no one in our crew was moving,

and there was more disturbing audio evidence to come.

Heather recorded this strange EVP in the sacrificial chamber.

If you listen carefully, as Heather has many times,

you might hear "knack."

While not something that we would understand,

in ancient Mayan, "knack" translates as "conquer."

- This is recording on one. - And there's more.

While Phil and Heather slept in the crystal chamber,

they later discovered that one of their IR cameras had

captured a truly disturbing anomaly.

A shadow figure seemingly watches them while they sleep.

And at the same exact moment, a mysterious gust of air hits

one of their candles.

The size and shape of this shadow figure matches the one

the team believes they caught using the laser plane

at Xunantunich.

I just saw a shadow figure.

- It's right there. - Yes, yes.

Could the same entity have followed the team from

Xunantunich into the Maya underworld?

Was it the Stone Lady,

or some other powerful ancestral force?

We can't say for sure, but it really does seem this

proud ancient civilization left behind so much more than its ruins.