All language subtitles for Mysteries.of.the.Abandoned.S09E19.1080p.WEB-DL.AAC2.0.H.264-BTN_track3_[und]

[narrator] A vast complex
built on grand ambitions.

This was going to be a place
that would represent
the highest aspirations

of the Soviet Union.

[narrator] A hotel haunted
by a tumultuous past.

[Sascha Auerbach] At one
point, this former
5-star hotel

housed thousands of squatters.

[narrator] And a creepy
clifftop castle, concealing
a gateway to hell.

[Dominic Selwood]
To the locals,
it could only mean

[Dominic Selwood]
To the locals,
it could only mean

that the SS were practicing
occult magic.

[dramatic music playing]

[narrator] Decaying relics.

Ruins of lost worlds.

Sites haunted by the past.

Their secrets waiting
to be revealed.

[intense music playing]

[intense music playing]

In the disputed region
of Abkhazia

is the wreckage of a site
where a nation's dream
became a nightmare.

[Jim Meigs] We're on the coast
of the Black Sea

and not far from the beach,

we come upon this complex
of concrete buildings

that are crumbling into ruin.

[dramatic music playing]

[Geoff Wawro] It's this Soviet
constructivist architecture.

[Geoff Wawro] It's this Soviet
constructivist architecture.

Very practical,
very heroic, very grand-scale.

It's hard to say,
at first glance,
what this thing is.

[Rob Bell] There's something
unmistakably apocalyptic
about this site.

But what was it for?

And why is it now in ruins?

[suspenseful music playing]

[narrator] At one time,

this location promised
to deliver heroic victory
over Western rivals.

this location promised
to deliver heroic victory
over Western rivals.

[Wawro] When you go inside,
it very much has the look

of a dormitory,
a hotel, a barracks.

Because you got
these long hallways

with, you know,
small rooms off each.

[Meigs] At one end,
the roof is completely gone.

And that exposes
a massive swimming pool.

Certainly, no hotel would need

an Olympic-sized
swimming pool,

so this was clearly
something else.

[Bell] This was once
a center of excellence.

But something
catastrophic destroyed it.

The legacy of which
is still being felt today.

[mysterious music playing]

[Daur Arshba
speaking local language]

[interpreter] Okay.
Here is the main entrance.

And the main driveway.

You can see
remaining asphalt here.

And back in the day,
it looked presentable.

And back in the day,
it looked presentable.

There was less
vegetation around.

Trees and shrubs were trimmed.

It looked beautiful.

[narrator] Daur Arshba
is the director
of this site today.

Spanning nearly 160 acres,

four wheels
is the only way to get around.

[Arshba speaking
local language]

[interpreter] Actually,
I can tell you that
I have a direct connection.

Because this complex
was built by my father.

Because this complex
was built by my father.

As a child,
I spent a lot of time here.

And I also
remember how it was.

And now, my soul cries out.

[Bell] The first thing
to say about where we are
is that the country we're in,

Abkhazia,
doesn't really exist.

But try telling
that to the 240,000 people
who live here,

and you're not gonna get
your warmest of welcomes.

[Meigs] It's not recognized
as an independent nation.

But it sees itself
as a distinct people
and a distinct land.

But it sees itself
as a distinct people
and a distinct land.

During the days
of the Soviet Union,

this region was part
of the Republic of Georgia,

which itself was part
of the USSR.

And that's where
the story of this complex
really begins.

[narrator] Initiated
in the mid-1960s,

the project was part
of a grand and ambitious plan.

[Bell] If buildings
can represent dreams
and aspirations,

then this one
certainly did that.

[intense music playing]

[Meigs] This was gonna
be a center that would
bring together

the best
and the brightest from all
across the Soviet Union,

and train them
for a very distinct type
of world domination.

[narrator] This is
the Eshera Sports Complex.

The central Olympic base
of the USSR.

[Wawro] This place was chosen
because it's sat along
a stretch of coast land

that was favored
by the Soviet elite,
because of the weather.

[Meigs] Athletes
could get away
from the darkness and cold

of the endless winters

and train and focus
on their sports

in this beautiful, temperate,
warm environment.

[dynamic music playing]

[interpreter] All
of the Soviet athletes

came through
this unique training center.

Why unique?

Because, even now,
there is no training center
of such scale in the world.

Because, even now,
there is no training center
of such scale in the world.

Construction
of such a sports complex
is financially demanding,

and many countries
couldn't afford it,
whereas the USSR could.

[Wawro] Well,
the place was a marvel,

because it had, you know,
four football pitches.

It had a...
An Olympic-sized
swimming pool.

It had basketball courts.
It had a couple
of running tracks.

It had, you know,
facilities for...
For 40 different sports.

[Bell] At one point, the pool
would have been kitted out

with all
the latest technology.

with all
the latest technology.

And packed
full of hopeful athletes

training to be
the best they could.

[narrator] Daur had
the privilege of seeing
firsthand what it took

to be the best.

[Arshba's interpreter]
The USSR water polo team
trained here, in this pool.

This is a leftover sample
of the glass outer wall.

It looked like a fishbowl,
encased in glass.

It looked like a fishbowl,
encased in glass.

We could stay
behind the glass
and see how teams trained.

[enthralling music playing]

[Bell] To house
all the athletes,

there was a 9-story
accommodation block,

which also had a huge canteen,

serving the very best food.

You know,
there was no expense spared
in this pursuit for victory.

[Wawro] It was the perfect
place to psych up the athletes

to do well
for, you know, Mother Russia.

[narrator] There was also
another factor driving
the relentless pursuit

[narrator] There was also
another factor driving
the relentless pursuit

of sporting excellence.

[Meigs] The Soviet Union
wanted to prove

they had a superior system
to that of the West.

If they could show
that their people

were the fastest
and the strongest,

that would be
a kind of confirmation

that the Soviet system
was the superior way
to organize a society.

[enthralling music fading]

[narrator] At the 1980
Summer Olympics in Moscow,

[narrator] At the 1980
Summer Olympics in Moscow,

that ideological clash
was supposed to play out
on the world stage.

[subdued music playing]

In 1979, the USSR invaded
Afghanistan to prop up
a Communist government.

In response, the US decided
to boycott the 1980 Olympics.

And ultimately,
65 other countries
around the world

also refused
to attend those games.

[speaking indistinctly]

[Wawro] Well,
this was a very tough decision

for President Jimmy Carter
to take,

because all
these American Olympians
have been training for years.

because all
these American Olympians
have been training for years.

[Arshba speaking
local language]

[interpreter] Of course,
we can speculate now.

I think they got scared.

It is politics, after all.

I believe that sport
and politics should not mix.

Although, nowadays,
everything unfortunately
is politicized.

Especially sport.

[hopeful music playing]

[narrator] In the absence
of the United States,

the Soviet team
dominated the games,

securing a record
80 gold medals.

securing a record
80 gold medals.

[Meigs] Some of that
spectacular performance

was partly due to the training

that took place
at this center.

[Arshba's interpreter]
I had a feeling of pride.

First of all, due to the fact
my father was heavily involved
in the process.

Secondly, I was proud
that this complex
was built in Abkhazia.

[narrator] For the next
decade, the sports complex
continued to churn out

world-beating athletes.

world-beating athletes.

[dramatic music playing]

[Bell] But it wouldn't be long
before the whole thing
came crashing down.

Change was coming.

[music intensifies and stops]

[suspenseful music playing]

[narrator] In the disputed
region of Abkhazia

is a once-world-beating
Soviet sports complex.

By the early 1990s,

it became an arena
for a very different
kind of battle.

[Meigs] As
the Soviet Union collapsed,

its control over the various
Soviet states collapsed
as well.

And many of those states
began to dissolve
into warring factions.

And many of those states
began to dissolve
into warring factions.

[tense music playing]

[Wawro] Georgia emerged
as an independent state,

including
this Abkhazi province.

And so, in 1992,
the Abkhazi population
of Georgia tried to separate

from Georgia
to form their own state.

-[exploding]
-And of course,
the Georgians resisted.

[Arshba's interpreter]
After the collapse
of the Union,

there were very few athletes.

And by the beginning
of the war,

even if there were people
left at the complex,

I believe
they were quickly evacuated.

I believe
they were quickly evacuated.

[narrator] For over a year,
there was vicious fighting
in the streets,

the conflict
claiming the lives
of over 15,000 people.

[tense music playing]

This building was caught
in the deadly cross fire.

[Wawro] This sports
complex, unfortunately, sat
in the cockpit of the war

between the Abkhazi
and the Georgians,

and it's... It's in
that westernmost area.

and it's... It's in
that westernmost area.

And so it becomes
yet another front
in the fighting.

[intense music playing]

[Arshba speaking
local language]

[interpreter]
I believe it could have been
a firing point,

as the river is right there.

[speaking local language]

[interpreter] And
snipers were probably located
inside of the building.

And on the higher level,
to hold the vantage point.

Consequently,
the buildings suffered
a lot during the war.

[tense music playing]

[Meigs] These buildings
were so damaged

that they were
really beyond repair.

[intense music playing]

[narrator] All around Abkhazia
are the scars of conflict.

None more so
than at this prestigious site.

Daur is confident that days
of glory will return.

[Arshba speaking
local language]

[interpreter]
It's a great location

to build
some sport-related structures.

Also, the climate
is comfortable.

So, we keep our hopes
for a flourishing future.

[Bell] Whether that happens
or not, nobody knows.

And until then,
well, it's empty.

And it remains isolated,
much like Abkhazia.

[dynamic music fading]

[intense music playing]

[narrator] In a dense forest,
30 miles north
of the Czech capital, Prague,

stands a castle with
a supernatural attraction.

[suspenseful music playing]

The deep, orange forest
stretches out
in every direction.

[Auerbach] Then, through
a clearing in the trees,

you see
this monumental structure.

you see
this monumental structure.

It feels, still, eerie.

[narrator] Inside,
the unnerving atmosphere
becomes ever more acute.

As your eyes become
accustomed to the darkness,

you start to see
horrible metal instruments.

And symbols of the occult.

[ominous music playing]

[Dr. Alicia Gutierrez-Romine]
These thrones are adorned
with satanic symbolism,

and there are
these grotesque faces
carved into the structures.

and there are
these grotesque faces
carved into the structures.

[narrator] For centuries,

this isolated stronghold
has been a magnet

for those obsessed
with its dark power.

[Dr. Gutierrez-Romine]
Evil men have come
to this place,

and they have committed
unspeakable acts.

[unsettling music playing]

[mysterious music playing]

[narrator] For Zuzana
Pavlikova-Simonkova,

Houska Castle is more
than a historical ruin.

Houska Castle is more
than a historical ruin.

It's a family heirloom.

[Pavlikova-Simonkova
speaking local language]

[interpreter]
Houska was bought
by my great-great grandfather

in 1924.

The atmosphere here
is sometimes quite strange.

[speaking local language]

[interpreter] I've had a few
mysterious experiences
with my dad.

[Pavlikova-Simonkova
speaking local language]

[interpreter] Every time
we would go
to the hunting hall,

a lightbulb burst.

[Pavlikova-Simonkova
speaking local language]

[Pavlikova-Simonkova
speaking local language]

And at first,
you think it's a coincidence.

[speaking local language]

[interpreter] But
when it happens
every time you enter,

it is a bit strange.

[mysterious music playing]

[narrator] Houska Castle
has been confiscated
from its owners

at least
three times in its history.

The reasons why
aren't immediately clear.

[Dr. Gutierrez-Romine]
There's never really been
any strategic value

to this castle.

to this castle.

It's not near any borders,
and it's not near any routes
that an army would take.

There aren't even
any important
trading routes nearby.

So, why build it at all?

[narrator] As the castle
keeper, Miroslav
Konopasek knows,

at Houska,
the devil is in the detail.

[suspenseful music playing]

[Konopasek's interpreter] Now,
we're in the oldest part
of the castle.

[Konopasek's interpreter] Now,
we're in the oldest part
of the castle.

The chapel is dedicated
to the archangel, Michael.

On this wall,
you can see him
fighting a dragon,

which symbolized evil.

[Selwood] He's long been
associated with good
overcoming evil.

The battle
between heaven and hell.

There's a very good reason
why he's painted
on these walls.

[dramatic music playing]

[narrator] It's a story
that dates back
to the ninth century,

[narrator] It's a story
that dates back
to the ninth century,

before the castle
or chapel existed.

[ominous music playing]

[speaking local language]

[interpreter] Right where
we are standing,
the earth shattered.

[Konopasek speaking
local language]

[interpreter] The crack
was so deep that people called
it an entrance to hell.

[speaking local language]

[narrator] Determined
to explore what lay
in the depths of this pit,

a powerful local lord

a powerful local lord

turned to those
desperate enough to find out.

[Auerbach] Prisoners
sentenced to death

could earn a pardon
if they agreed to be lowered

into this allegedly
bottomless pit.

And then, come back
and report what they saw.

[Dr. Gutierrez-Romine] When
the first man was lowered
into the pit,

he began screaming in horror

after just a few seconds.

And he begged
to be pulled back up.

[haunting music playing]

[Auerbach] When he was
hauled out, it was reported
that his hair

[Auerbach] When he was
hauled out, it was reported
that his hair

had turned shock white.

That he appeared
to have aged 30 years,

and he was extremely
wrinkled all over.

[Konopasek's interpreter] He
said that hell
under the castle

is much worse
than his sentence
awaiting him up here.

[narrator] Real or imagined,

the locals' terror was genuine
enough for them to seal
over the pit,

building the chapel
and castle on top.

[Selwood] What better
to cover an entrance to hell

[Selwood] What better
to cover an entrance to hell

than a chapel
dedicated to the Archangel,

who does battle
with Satan himself?

[narrator] Although
the pit was sealed,

the malevolent spirit
of Houska continued
to attract attention.

During the Thirty Years' War,
in the 1600s,

Houska Castle fell
under the control
of a Swedish army.

[narrator] Their commander,
Oronto, remained
after the war

and sought to harness
the power of hell
for his own gain.

and sought to harness
the power of hell
for his own gain.

[intense music playing]

[Dr. Gutierrez-Romine] He was
obsessed with legends
surrounding the castle.

And it is rumored
that he even performed
black magic rituals

to try to achieve immortality.

[narrator] Oronto's looting
of the local area

soon riled up the villagers,

putting his claims
of immortality to the test.

[Konopasek speaking
local language]

[interpreter] They
announced the reward
of 100 gold coins

for the head
of the Swedish commander.

for the head
of the Swedish commander.

[Auerbach] With a sizeable
bounty on his head,

he was shot to death
by two opportunistic
local huntsmen.

[music intensifies and stops]

[narrator] Oronto wouldn't be
the castle's last occupant
with sinister ambitions.

[unsettling music playing]

[Selwood] There was
another evil force
coming to Houska.

One that would do anything
to achieve total domination.

[music winds down and stops]

[suspenseful music playing]

[intense music playing]

[narrator] In the dense
forests of the Czech Republic

is Houska Castle.

According to legend,
it was built on top
of a portal to hell.

And in the late 1930s,

it attracted the attention
of some notorious occultists.

[tense music playing]

[Auerbach] When
the Second World War
broke out in 1939,

the Waffen-SS took
the castle for themselves.

the Waffen-SS took
the castle for themselves.

[narrator] Their leader,
Heinrich Himmler,

is said
to have been fascinated
by the supernatural.

[Selwood] It's theorized
that Himmler
genuinely believed

that the power
of the old occult masters

would help the Nazis
rule the world.

[Gutierrez-Romine]
Himmler is said to have
used his power

to collect as many
books about witchcraft,

the supernatural,
and the occult as possible.

the supernatural,
and the occult as possible.

His collection totaled

approximately 13,000
books and manuscripts.

[narrator]
The castle was soon used
in service of his obsession.

[Konopasek speaking
in local language]

[translator] When the allies
were bombarding Germany,

they brought books
from chapels and churches.

They brought occult,
Jewish Kabbalah,

and masonic literature here.

[narrator] But stories persist

that the SS used Houska
as more than just a library.

[Selwood] Locals claimed
to have heard moans,
screams and cries

in many different
languages coming
from the castle at night.

[Auerbach] And the rumor
went around it was being used,

uh, for some fringe scientific
experiments on human subjects.

[narrator]
Some claim that the SS
were attempting to create

[narrator]
Some claim that the SS
were attempting to create

super soldiers by performing
black magic rituals.

[translator] The rituals
were the same, well, similar,

to the ones done by priests
during baptisms, surprisingly,

but it's done using
different darker energies.

The subjects died
during the ceremony.

That's a fact.

[narrator]
Once the war had ended,

the castle was used
as a children's sanctuary.

One of its former
residents told Miroslav
an unsettling story.

One of its former
residents told Miroslav
an unsettling story.

[Konopasek speaking
in local language]

[translator] They were
playing in a wooden shed

and found dead Germans
under the floor.

They weren't allowed
to leave the castle
for four days.

Weird uniformed men came,

they weren't soldiers,
firefighters or policemen.

I think they were Germans,
but in different uniforms,

and they were showing them
what they used to do here
during the war.

[narrator] The truth
of what happened here
may never be known,

but there is no doubt
that a very real evil

did stalk these halls.

[Selwood]
It's clear that Himmler

and some of his crackpot
henchmen in the SS

were profoundly
into the occult,

but there's also
a lot of exaggeration

around how
widespread that was.

[Gutierrez-Romine]
Sometimes it's difficult
for us to understand

how people could be so evil,

how people could be so evil,

so we conjure these
wild conspiracy theories

to try to explain
human psychology

that we can't comprehend.

[narrator] After the war,

Houska was seized
by the communist state.

It was finally returned
to Zuzana's family
in the 1990s.

It was finally returned
to Zuzana's family
in the 1990s.

Today she is working
to preserve the castle

and all its legends
for future generations.

[Simonkova speaking
in local language]

[translator] In our family,
we say that things should
be made better not worse...

...so I don't think I have
the option not to preserve it.

It's a certain continuity.
Tradition.

That's how I see it.

[narrator]
On the coast of West Africa

is a scarred structure
that embodies

a country's devastating past.

Liberia is one of the oldest
nations on the continent
of Africa,

and its capital is
a city called Monrovia.

[Mabry]
Monrovia is a vibrant city

[Mabry]
Monrovia is a vibrant city

with mainly
low-rise buildings,

so this abandoned
structure really stands
out from the crowd.

[Auerbach] It's 9
stories tall, 300 rooms.

Judging by its size
and organization,

it might have been
a hospital at one point

or maybe a high-end
office block.

It looks like the place
had been looted
from top to bottom.

[Auerbach] This picture
of the building is complicated

[Auerbach] This picture
of the building is complicated

by the structure
that's next to it,

which is in this
strange circular shape.

It almost looks like
a spaceship of some sort.

[narrator] One feature
reveals what this place
used to be.

[Mabry] An empty
swimming pool tells
us that this building

must have been a hotel.

[narrator] What ripped apart
this once luxurious vacation
hot spot?

This hotel bears the scars
of a catastrophic event.

This hotel bears the scars
of a catastrophic event.

[narrator] Overlooking
the Atlantic Ocean

in Liberia's capital city

is a decaying relic
of a bygone era.

[Selwood] Liberia is one
of the poorest countries
in the world,

so it's easy to forget that
it was once one of Africa's
richest nations.

[narrator]
In the 1950s and 60s,

Liberia's economy was
thriving due to its rich
natural resources

Liberia's economy was
thriving due to its rich
natural resources

such as rubber,
iron ore, and diamonds.

With that came an appetite
to tap into another industry.

Liberia wanted to open
the country up to more
foreign tourists,

and this was the hotel
to realize that ambition.

[narrator] This was
the Ducor Palace Hotel.

[translator]
It makes me feel bad

to see that this place
has been spoiled.

to see that this place
has been spoiled.

[narrator] Henry Buckle
used to work here as a waiter.

[translator] Over there
is where the workers lived.

We were given an apartment
through that door.

[narrator] Built in 1960,

the Ducor Palace was operated
by a well-known hotel empire.

[Mabry] The InterContinental
hotel chain took over,

and it became Africa's
and even the world's

and it became Africa's
and even the world's

most luxurious hotels.

[narrator] Africa's
first five-star hotel

changed the face
of Liberia's capital.

[Mabry] The hotel
illuminated Monrovia's skies,

and it was the heart
and soul of the city.

And it was a stomping
ground for many of the rich
and famous,

and hosted important
African leaders.

[Auerbach] One caretaker
claimed he even saw

Idi Amin, the Ugandan
dictator, swimming in the pool

while still wearing his gun.

[Henry Buckle speaking
in local language]

[translator]
Most of the people
who stayed here

took rooms on this side
because of the sea view.

Around 40 to 50 people
would stay on each floor.

The foreign tourists would
always be on the same floor.

[narrator] It offered
its guests whether
from home or abroad

[narrator] It offered
its guests whether
from home or abroad

the very best
from the moment they arrived.

[Selwood] From the lobby
you could ascend

a grand circular stairway
to the main restaurant.

And the creme de la creme,

a 360 degree rooftop bar
from which to enjoy the vista.

[narrator] Henry's career
in the hotel evolved

from waiter to chef.

[Buckle speaking
in local language]

[translator] As a waiter,
I would go into the kitchen
with the order,

[translator] As a waiter,
I would go into the kitchen
with the order,

and as I stood there
watching them cooking
and preparing the food,

I started to learn
how to cook.

[Selwood]
In the 1960s and 1970s,

it was a place of prosperity
and extreme privilege.

[narrator] However,
by the 1980s,

a radical change
was on the horizon.

InterContinental ceased
management of Ducor Palace.

It was only the beginning
of the hotel's downfall.

It was only the beginning
of the hotel's downfall.

In 1989, a civil war was
about to break out in Liberia,

and the hotel
reacted by closing
its doors to visitors.

[Auerbach] Trained
rebels invaded Liberia

from the neighboring
country, the Ivory Coast.

They were led
by Charles Taylor

who wanted to overthrow
Liberian government
and take over.

[narrator] Taylor,
a sacked government worker,

had fled to the U.S.
where he was imprisoned

only to escape and return home

only to escape and return home

as head of a rebel militia.

But they weren't the only
bloodthirsty insurgents

wanting to topple the regime.

In 1990, a rival gorilla
force beat them to it,

torturing and murdering
the president.

Once that was done,
both groups turned
against each other,

and plunged Liberia
into a civil war.

[shouting]

[narrator] By 1992,

[narrator] By 1992,

fighting had
intensified in Monrovia.

The hotel, now housing
an interim government,

offered some protection
from the bloodshed.

Four years later,
a ceasefire brought some
respite from the violence,

and a surprising winner
emerged from elections
that followed.

In 1997, Charles Taylor
won an election

and became
president of Liberia,

but there were many
who were not happy with this.

[narrator]
Under a tyrannical regime,

[narrator]
Under a tyrannical regime,

the hotel would soon
find itself once again

caught in the crossfire.

[narrator] In 1999,

rebel forces invaded Liberia

attempting to oust
warlord turned president,
Charles Taylor.

Eventually, they reach
the capital of Monrovia,

and the once luxurious
Ducor Palace Hotel

was again under siege.

was again under siege.

[Mabry] This hotel,
which had a strategic
view of the city,

became a firing position
for Taylor's rag tag army.

[narrator] Liberia's second
civil war was finally brought
to an end in 2003

after George W. Bush called
for Taylor to step down,

and he was indicted
by a UN-sponsored
war crimes tribunal.

This prompted Charles Taylor's
resignation from his office

This prompted Charles Taylor's
resignation from his office

of president and he was
exiled to Nigeria.

[narrator] Taylor was gone,

but Liberia's economy
and infrastructure
were shattered.

[Auerbach] It was
one of Africa's

bloodiest and most
brutal conflicts.

It resulted in the
fatalities of a quarter
million residents,

and this is in a country
where the entire population

is just over two million.

[narrator] The hotel
found another purpose

[narrator] The hotel
found another purpose

as a home to thousands
of displaced residents

from the slums of Monrovia.

[Selwood] They were
removed in 2007

when the Liberian
government leased the hotel

to none other than
the Libyan despot,
Colonel Gaddafi,

who was a keen purchaser
of African prime real estate.

[Buckle speaking
local language]

[translator] They gave Gaddafi
a lease of over 30 years,

and within two years,
his people came

and put in place big
plans for renovation.

and put in place big
plans for renovation.

[narrator]
Gaddafi was now in charge
of a multi-million dollar

refit of the hotel decor,
but not for long.

[Mabry] In 2010, a clean
up of the war-torn
building began,

but relations were
turning sour

between the Liberian
government and Gaddafi,

and so the project
kept being delayed.

Gaddafi was killed
by his own people,

and with his demise
came the collapse
of his projects

including the rehabilitation
of the Ducor Palace Hotel.

including the rehabilitation
of the Ducor Palace Hotel.

[Auerbach] Liberia
is in the midst of a slow,

painful process of rebuilding
following its civil war.

Hotels are once
again starting to open
for business for tourists.

[narrator] However,
there are still no plans

to revive what was once
the pride of Liberia.

[Buckle speaking
in local language]

[translator] As it is
right now, the way
the hotel is damaged,

it needs multiple
investors to fix it.

Because right now,
the government doesn't
have the money to do it.

[narrator] Despite this,

it remains a special place
for Monrovia's residents.

[Selwood]
Locals still like to visit.

They spend special
occasions here

such as Christmas
and Independence Day

so they can admire
its spectacular views.

so they can admire
its spectacular views.

[narrator] In North
Central Arizona,

concealed within this
barren land

is the story of a way
of life forever lost.

[Dr. Katherine Landdeck]
They call it the Painted
Desert for a reason.

The rocks and stones
and spaces

just have so many
different colors.

Nature has created this space

that it looks like
an artist has taken to it.

that it looks like
an artist has taken to it.

It's just so beautiful.

[Auerbach] Almost blending
in with the landscape,

you start to pick
out these structures.

[Landdeck] As you get
a little bit closer,

you can see that these
are definitely manmade.

They have stacked
stones and were once

very carefully built.

[Gutierrez-Romine]
As you go from room to room,

it becomes clear that
this was part of a really
large settlement.

[narrator] Distinctive dark
features in the surrounding
terrain

are a telltale sign
of a violent past.

[Auerbach] Nearby,
the geology around the trail

starts to look
a bit different.

This rock looks
to be lava flows.

[Gutierrez-Romine]
In the distance you can
see a distinctly-shaped hill,

and as you get closer,
you realize it's a volcano.

Could this have
something to do

with these ruins
in the desert?

[narrator] In the striking
desert of Northern Arizona

are scattered remains
of a settlement.

[Ian Hough] Working in this
beautiful landscape,

this beautiful environment
is really enlightening.

I take a lot of personal
gratification

from being able to share
that with other people.

[narrator] Ian Hough is
an archaeologist fascinated

by the ancient communities
that once inhabited

by the ancient communities
that once inhabited

this unforgiving terrain.

Decades of research have
helped uncover the mystery

of what brought life
to this arid region.

You look across that landscape
and, um, it looks very harsh

and inhospitable
and indeed it is,

uh, but people, you know,
900 years ago found a way

to live in that
environment and thrive
for multiple generations,

so, it's a testament
to their resiliency

and their adaptability.

and their adaptability.

[Landdeck]
Just looking at this,

it is obvious that these
people had a lot of skill,

that this was
a complex society

that had a community that
was able to do something

at this sophisticated level.

[narrator]
This is the Wupatki Pueblo,

an ancient Indigenous
American settlement

once home to hundreds
of people.

[Hough] So, right now,
I'm standing at the base
of the citadel,

and it's one of the larger
archaeological sites

and it's one of the larger
archaeological sites

here at Wupatki
National Monument.

When this place
was built and occupied,

the walls would have been
a little bit taller than
what you see today.

[Auerbach] It probably
began its life as the home

of a single family and then
just grew over time

until it became this
sprawling 100-room pueblo.

[Hough] And within the middle
may have been an open area
or a plaza,

and people would have been
going about daily activities,

and that could be anything
from preparing food

and that could be anything
from preparing food

to, you know,
playing with children

to just going
about daily chores.

[narrator] The people
that called this home

were some of the first
to roam this parched land,

and they came
from far and wide.

[Landdeck]
Through oral tradition,
we're able to determine

that the builders
of the Wupatki Pueblo

are the ancestors
of the Hopi people

and likely
of the Zuni as well.

[Gutierrez-Romine]
There was a real melting pot

of different cultures
and groups who were
living here

and in harmony
in these buildings.

[Landdeck] And so,
the big question is

how are these people
able to sustain themselves

when the reality
of the physical
space they're in

is just so poor.

[Gutierrez-Romine] You need
to have good farming land
in order to grow crops.

You cannot live
on just hunting alone.

[narrator] It seems
the key to life here

[narrator] It seems
the key to life here

lies around 15 miles southwest
of Wupatki Pueblo...

...at the Sunset
Crater Volcano.

[Gutierrez-Romine]
Around 1085 AD,

the volcano erupted
and it sent out a massive

plume of smoke and ash
in this region.

[Hough] We have
some evidence that shows

the Sunset Crater Volcano
erupted in the late 1080s,

and it could have been
an eruption that lasted
for several years.

[Landdeck] This eruption
was most definitely

[Landdeck] This eruption
was most definitely

witnessed, uh,
by the ancestors

of today's Pueblo Indians.

They're going to have
seen it, they're going
to have fled from it,

and we believe
they survived it.

[Gutierrez-Romine]
It changed the lives
of the people living here,

but probably not
in the way you imagine it.

[narrator] Instead
of destroying life here,

it created the conditions
for a community to prosper.

[Auerbach] At several
points during the explosion,

cindery ash was thrown
up to 18 miles into the air.

All of this volcanic material
settled on the landscape

and acted as a kind of sponge.

[Landdeck] It helped
the soil absorb water,

and it made it possible
for this new community

to grow food and survive.

[narrator]
But the life-giving force

that spewed forth
from the volcano's bowels

would soon be depleted.

[Hough] It looks like
people stopped building

additional rooms
and expanding the pueblo

in 1225 or 1250.

And certainly by 1250,

it appears people are leaving
that particular location

to set up pueblos in nearby
areas not that far away.

[Landdeck] The theories today
about the Wupatki Pueblo

is that after 100 years or so,

the soil had
lost its fertility.

the soil had
lost its fertility.

The ash had degraded enough

that it wasn't able to sustain
the soil any more

and so the people moved on.

[Auerbach]
But that wasn't the end.

About 500 years later,

Navajo people took
up residence in the region.

[narrator] In time,
a controversial new
government policy

threatened the Navajo's
very existence.

[Landdeck] In the 1860s,

the Navajo were one
of those people who
were moved by force.

They were made to walk

They were made to walk

500 miles away from the area
where they had been living,

uh, to a reservation system.

[Auerbach]
Peshlakai Etsettie
and his wives

were amongst the people
who were forced to march

to Fort Sumner and held there.

They were eventually
released in 1868

and they returned
to the Wupatki area.

But the Peshlakai family's
life at Wupatki ends

with the death
of Stella Peshlakai.

[narrator] This brought an end

to the latest period
of Indigenous American
settlement at Wupatki.

Today the National Park
Service continues its work

to preserve the integrity
of this ancient site

and its earliest occupants.

[Hough] It's important
to recognize places
like Wupatki

as not being abandoned
in the sense that the word

as not being abandoned
in the sense that the word

suggests that nobody
appears to be living there.

But through consultation

with our associated
tribal communities,

we've learned that they view
places like Wupatki Pueblo

as still being inhabited.

[Gutierrez-Romine]
For the modem people
who are descended

from the villages
here at Wupatki,

it is still full
of the spirits
of their ancestors.