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Well, it is 3:30 in the morning, and I am at the airport
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because we got an email from dr. Richard hansen.
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And that means I'm going to guatemala.
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♪
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-how are you? -Good to see you!
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Good to see you!
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-You got something to show me? -Yeah, I think we do.
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All right, guys. Come here. Check this out.
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You got something? Yeah, you do. Look at that.
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None of the tombs of these snake kings have ever been found?
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No. Never been found.
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Let's see if one of them might be up here.
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-Whoa! -Whoa!
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Comin' in!
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Did we just find find a lost city?
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Man, let's punch it.
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Nobody in the modern world has ever seen this.
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That's right.
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Wow! Look at this! Amazing.
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♪
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when people ask me which of my expeditions
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has been the most thrilling,
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which site has been the most jaw-dropping,
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and which legend has been the most mysterious,
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my answer is simple -- the lost city of el mirador.
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♪
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emerging from the dense rainforests of central america,
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this maya metropolis was lorded over by an enigmatic dynasty
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known as the snake kings.
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Their empire rose to incredible heights
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before collapsing back into the jungle two millennia ago.
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The tombs of the snake kings have never been found.
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So over a year ago, I set off on a mission
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to join the man trying to change all of that.
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Dr. Richard hansen has been
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uncovering the secrets of el mirador for three decades,
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and may be on the verge
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of revealing the final resting place
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of the city's legendary rulers.
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It was a thrilling and dangerous mission
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that resulted in an historic find.
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And now, there's news of what might be
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a truly monumental new discovery at the site.
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♪
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which is why we're going back.
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Have the snake kings been found?
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These ruins keep calling me back,
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and they have more secrets to share.
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So get ready to live the adventure
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before returning to the jungles of guatemala
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for the next chapter in the search for the snake kings.
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♪
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my name is josh gates...
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Ay-yi-yi!
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...Explorer, adventurer...
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Oh, my god!
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...And a guy who ends up in some very strange situations.
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All right, I gotta find an off ramp around here.
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With a degree in archaeology
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and a passion for the unexplained,
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I travel to the ends of the earth,
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investigating the greatest legends in history.
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Okay, let's punch it.
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This is "expedition unknown."
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-- captions by vitac -- www.Vitac.Com
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captions paid for by discovery communications
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my first investigation into the mysteries
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of the lost city of el mirador
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began hundreds of miles from the ruins
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in guatemala city.
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Until the spanish arrived in the 1500s,
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guatemala was the domain of the maya,
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one of the most advanced civilizations
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of the ancient world.
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Even guatemala city here sits on top of a huge mayan ruin,
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though, today, you'd hardly know it.
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Today, this is a big, noisy, congested metropolis,
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home to over three million people.
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But if you look closely,
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signs of the ancient maya are everywhere.
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Nowhere is that more clear than at my first stop,
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the national museum of guatemala.
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♪
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within these galleries are the great treasures of the maya,
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jade funeral masks, monumental sculptures,
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and intricately carved glyphs.
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At their height, they were the most advanced
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civilization in the americas,
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with a population of more than two million.
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Their empire of cities stretched from southeastern mexico
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through all of guatemala and belize
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and sections of honduras and el salvador.
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To understand how the mysterious ruins of el mirador
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and the legendary snake kings fit into maya history,
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I'm meeting with dr. Stanley guenter.
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And so you are -- I want to make sure I get this right,
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you are an epigrapher.
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Yep. So an epigrapher is someone
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who studies ancient maya hieroglyphs.
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Right.
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But what we know is that there's a big division
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between what we call the pre-classic period
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and the classic period.
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Gates: Okay, here's the deal.
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Archaeologists divide maya history into several periods.
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Almost everything you and I know about the maya
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comes from the classic period.
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This was when powerful maya kingdoms
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built elaborate cities like tikal
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and, later, chichen itza.
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It's the height of their art, architecture, and engineering.
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Prior to this, though, is the longer
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and far less understood pre-classic period,
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which experts long believed was a more primitive civilization.
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And some time around the year 150,
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this pre-classic kingdom completely collapses,
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so much so that we can barely read their writing.
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♪
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this society was ruled by a powerful dynasty
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known as the snake kings.
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Much of what we know about them
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is derived from an incredible artifact
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currently housed in the museum's storage vault,
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something known as a dynastic vase,
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an object that may be the key
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to locating the remains of the snake kings.
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And what makes this so special?
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It gives us the names of the earliest snake kings,
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and from this vase,
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we know there were at least 19 of these guys.
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Gates: The dynastic vase reveals the identity
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of 19 powerful snake kings
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from the mysterious pre-classic period,
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but some key details are missing
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like what happened to their kingdom,
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and where are they buried?
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So this was found where?
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It was found by looters
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somewhere in the site of el mirador.
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So does it stand to reason, then, that if these guys
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were ruling around el mirador,
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there could be 19 undisturbed tombs of the snake kings there?
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There definitely should be.
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If you were gonna get any further answers
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to your questions,
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I think you're gonna have to head off to el mirador.
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It's easy to get to, though, right?
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Not that easy.
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♪
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gates: Getting to el mirador requires a flight
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to the island town of flores.
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Then we charter twin helicopters
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for the long trip into the jungle.
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Okay, guys, we are leaving.
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Anybody who wants to go to the jungle,
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get in the helicopter.
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♪
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the choppers lift off,
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and our last glimpse of the modern world
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disappears beneath us...
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♪
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...And we chart a course straight into the unknown.
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North of flores is a massive protected zone
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known as the maya biosphere reserve.
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It spans more than 8,000 square miles,
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and at its heart, a gigantic depression
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ringed by limestone hills known as the mirador basin.
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Inside, a rainforest filled
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with swamps, jaguars, crocodiles,
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and the city of el mirador.
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♪
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both choppers race onward, and after nearly 30 minutes
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of soaring over an ocean of green,
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we approach the coordinates of the site.
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Soon, we realize those bumps are buildings,
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massive pyramids and temples rising up from the forest floor.
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Okay, here we go!
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The choppers quickly depart for the safety of flores,
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leaving us feeling very, very stranded.
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But at least we're not alone.
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We're here to meet archaeologist richard hansen,
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who's somewhere in the jungles nearby.
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The archaeologists have built a pretty huge sprawling camp,
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all sorts of little bungalows and structures.
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Finally, I find richard working
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in the archaeologist's natural habitat,
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the sifting station.
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-Richard. -Hi, josh.
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-Hey. How are you, man? -Good. How are you doing?
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You made it.
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How long have you been working out here?
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Well, I've been out in this basin 37 years.
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So when you first arrived here in the late '70s,
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what was the conventional wisdom about this place?
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Well, all maya sites were classic.
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When did that idea start to change?
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We excavated.
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We started finding stuff like this.
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This pottery?
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This is pre-classic, about 150 a.D.
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So you started to realize
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this pottery is from much earlier.
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I realized that maybe the model was wrong,
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the entire model
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for the evolution of maya civilization
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was not correct.
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So this place flourished 1,000 years
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earlier than anybody thought? -Before tikal, that's right.
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So what we're looking at out here, essentially,
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the cradle of maya civilization.
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How much do we know about the rulers
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of el mirador, these snake kings, right?
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These kings, they weren't just the king tuts of the new world,
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these were the ramses of the...
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-The big guys. -The big guys.
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And they're not buried in some little hole somewhere.
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Now, none of these royal tombs have ever been found.
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No, never.
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Do you think those royal tombs are here?
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We have a strong suspicion they are.
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And these tombs, if they're found,
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will be loaded.
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-Really? -Yeah.
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All right. Well, let's get into it.
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-Let's go. -Let's go.
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Gates: El mirador is a big place.
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To get around, richard's team uses atvs on hand-cut trails.
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So all of this is part of the site?
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All of this is part of the city of el mirador, josh.
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-And is this natural here? -Oh, no.
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These are pyramids. -All these are pyramids?
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These are big, big buildings here, massive, big buildings.
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So how many of these buildings are there total in el mirador?
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Well, we're still counting,
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but we're numbering in the tens of thousands.
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-Tens of thousands? -Yes. Oh, yeah.
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Get out of town.
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No, it's unbelievable.
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Gates: Coming up...
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-Up, up, up, up. -[ groans ]
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my adventure to the ruins of el mirador continues.
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-Oh, my gosh. -Look at it!
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And then...
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There he is. The man himself.
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A dramatic return to the site.
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-What'd you find? -It'd be best if we show you.
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Gates: And a discovery that could reveal
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the long lost snake kings.
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Looks like at the bottom, there's an opening.
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There he is.
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♪
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♪
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gates: A year ago, my search
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for the legendary snake kings of the maya
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brought me to the jungle ruins of el mirador.
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Now, we're reliving our first mission before rushing back
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to investigate a dramatic new discovery.
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During my first trip, site director
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dr. Richard hansen brought me deep into the overgrown city,
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where I'm learning that the scale of el mirador
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is larger than I ever could have imagined.
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So how many of these buildings are there total in el mirador?
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Well, we're still counting,
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but we're numbering in the tens of thousands.
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-Tens of thousands? -Yes.
266
00:11:41,660 --> 00:11:43,230
-Oh, yeah. -Get out of town.
267
00:11:43,230 --> 00:11:46,530
No, it's unbelievable.
268
00:11:46,540 --> 00:11:48,540
Gates: It's hard to even comprehend.
269
00:11:48,540 --> 00:11:52,670
We're driving through more than 500 square miles of ruins
270
00:11:52,670 --> 00:11:58,280
and a city with a footprint larger than los angeles.
271
00:11:58,280 --> 00:12:00,480
Okay, so where are we in the city now?
272
00:12:00,480 --> 00:12:02,620
We're on the great central plaza of the city.
273
00:12:02,620 --> 00:12:03,980
-We're on a plaza? -On a plaza.
274
00:12:03,990 --> 00:12:05,350
Oh, this is all artificial.
275
00:12:05,350 --> 00:12:07,750
Wait, if you strip away all these trees...
276
00:12:07,760 --> 00:12:08,990
You're on a cement floor.
277
00:12:08,990 --> 00:12:11,160
What do you mean cement? Like, actually cement?
278
00:12:11,160 --> 00:12:12,360
Cement. Lime plaster.
279
00:12:12,360 --> 00:12:13,830
So all of their plazas,
280
00:12:13,830 --> 00:12:15,930
all of these areas, they were plastered?
281
00:12:15,930 --> 00:12:17,160
They were paved. They were paved.
282
00:12:17,170 --> 00:12:18,670
-They were paved. -This whole city was paved.
283
00:12:18,670 --> 00:12:21,840
-All of it? -All of it.
284
00:12:21,840 --> 00:12:25,210
Gates: Every inch of el mirador, from pyramids to pathways,
285
00:12:25,210 --> 00:12:26,640
was once stripped of trees
286
00:12:26,640 --> 00:12:29,680
and covered in smooth lime plaster,
287
00:12:29,680 --> 00:12:32,750
an urban metropolis and the largest ancient city
288
00:12:32,750 --> 00:12:35,220
in the western hemisphere.
289
00:12:35,220 --> 00:12:37,150
Now, why do you think they wanted it all paved,
290
00:12:37,150 --> 00:12:39,820
because it was more functional or because it was prettier?
291
00:12:39,820 --> 00:12:41,920
It was pretty, and it was functional,
292
00:12:41,920 --> 00:12:45,230
but it allowed them to capture water.
293
00:12:45,230 --> 00:12:47,330
Gates: All cities need water to survive.
294
00:12:47,330 --> 00:12:50,560
But el mirador was built far from any river or lake.
295
00:12:50,570 --> 00:12:52,200
The pre-classic maya built here
296
00:12:52,200 --> 00:12:54,900
because the city is surrounded by swamps.
297
00:12:54,900 --> 00:12:57,740
Beneath the surface, organic matter was sealed away
298
00:12:57,740 --> 00:13:00,240
from oxygen for thousands of years,
299
00:13:00,240 --> 00:13:04,810
creating a nutrient-rich mud that grew crops in abundance.
300
00:13:04,810 --> 00:13:08,850
This super mud was the key to their agricultural success.
301
00:13:08,850 --> 00:13:12,650
And they paved every inch of the city with a drain gutter,
302
00:13:12,650 --> 00:13:16,920
to support them and their crops.
303
00:13:16,930 --> 00:13:19,590
Richard gives me a tour el mirador's center,
304
00:13:19,590 --> 00:13:23,200
where the pre-classic maya built reservoirs to collect water,
305
00:13:23,200 --> 00:13:25,430
as well as vast temples like this one
306
00:13:25,430 --> 00:13:30,270
dedicated to the snake king known as great fiery jaguar paw.
307
00:13:30,270 --> 00:13:32,910
This was all covered with trees and dirt and...
308
00:13:32,910 --> 00:13:35,440
-You dug all this out? -...All that had to be dug out.
309
00:13:35,440 --> 00:13:36,740
Gates: Richard also tunneled under
310
00:13:36,750 --> 00:13:38,680
the temple in several areas
311
00:13:38,680 --> 00:13:41,180
but found no evidence of tombs.
312
00:13:41,180 --> 00:13:43,320
-Anything in there? -There's nothing in there.
313
00:13:43,320 --> 00:13:45,350
Gates: To take the search to the next level,
314
00:13:45,350 --> 00:13:47,720
he's brought in father and son scanning experts
315
00:13:47,720 --> 00:13:49,590
robert and bob leonard,
316
00:13:49,590 --> 00:13:52,260
who deploy powerful ground-penetrating radar,
317
00:13:52,260 --> 00:13:55,530
or gpr, to scan for any hidden cavities
318
00:13:55,530 --> 00:14:00,300
inside the massive structure.
319
00:14:00,300 --> 00:14:02,470
Oh, man. What is that?
320
00:14:02,470 --> 00:14:04,440
You got something?
321
00:14:04,440 --> 00:14:05,940
Richard, have you ever dug here before?
322
00:14:05,940 --> 00:14:07,710
-No. -Come on up.
323
00:14:07,710 --> 00:14:08,740
-Uh-oh. -You got something?
324
00:14:08,740 --> 00:14:10,340
-Yes, I do.
325
00:14:10,350 --> 00:14:12,010
Gates: But after peeking inside the temple
326
00:14:12,010 --> 00:14:13,610
with a borescope camera,
327
00:14:13,620 --> 00:14:16,850
the verdict is -- no snake king.
328
00:14:16,850 --> 00:14:18,480
Snake kings have foiled us again.
329
00:14:18,490 --> 00:14:19,950
That's right.
330
00:14:19,960 --> 00:14:23,190
Gates: Undaunted, richard and I hop back into the moto-mule
331
00:14:23,190 --> 00:14:27,460
for plan b on the search for the snake kings.
332
00:14:27,460 --> 00:14:29,930
Okay, so where are headed to specifically?
333
00:14:29,930 --> 00:14:32,200
This causeway takes us in the center part of the city,
334
00:14:32,200 --> 00:14:34,000
right to the pyramid of danta.
335
00:14:34,000 --> 00:14:35,170
Danta.
336
00:14:35,170 --> 00:14:37,940
It is the largest pyramid in mesoamerica,
337
00:14:37,940 --> 00:14:41,410
and most likely the largest ancient structure
338
00:14:41,410 --> 00:14:45,710
in the entire world.
339
00:14:45,710 --> 00:14:47,610
Gates: They say all roads lead to rome,
340
00:14:47,620 --> 00:14:52,350
but at el mirador, all roads lead to la danta.
341
00:14:52,350 --> 00:14:54,590
Richard has brought in an american research team
342
00:14:54,590 --> 00:14:57,160
to help build a road map of the lost city,
343
00:14:57,160 --> 00:15:00,230
to hunt for the tombs of the snake kings.
344
00:15:00,230 --> 00:15:03,200
To get to them, we'll have to climb the pyramid.
345
00:15:03,200 --> 00:15:04,560
Welcome to la danta.
346
00:15:04,570 --> 00:15:07,000
♪
347
00:15:07,000 --> 00:15:10,140
josh, this is the very base
348
00:15:10,140 --> 00:15:14,810
of the large pyramid of danta.
349
00:15:14,810 --> 00:15:17,580
-And this is the stairway. -How wide is this thing?
350
00:15:17,580 --> 00:15:19,450
330 yards.
351
00:15:19,450 --> 00:15:21,350
-This is three football fields. -That's right.
352
00:15:21,350 --> 00:15:23,320
Josh, snake!
353
00:15:23,320 --> 00:15:25,350
-Snake right by you. -What?
354
00:15:25,350 --> 00:15:28,550
Snake? Up, up, up, snake!
355
00:15:28,560 --> 00:15:30,590
Hansen: This is a deadly fer-de-lance,
356
00:15:30,590 --> 00:15:34,830
the most deadly snake in all of central america.
357
00:15:34,830 --> 00:15:36,160
These snakes are very aggressive.
358
00:15:36,160 --> 00:15:37,760
They're very ill-tempered.
359
00:15:37,770 --> 00:15:39,630
Gates: The fer-de-lance is one of the most venomous
360
00:15:39,630 --> 00:15:40,870
snakes on the planet,
361
00:15:40,870 --> 00:15:42,800
which is reason enough to avoid it.
362
00:15:42,800 --> 00:15:44,070
But out here in the jungle,
363
00:15:44,070 --> 00:15:46,470
hours from even basic medical attention,
364
00:15:46,470 --> 00:15:49,640
a fer-de-lance bite can be a virtual death sentence.
365
00:15:49,640 --> 00:15:52,050
You do not want to get bit by that guy.
366
00:15:52,050 --> 00:15:55,320
We give the snake the respect and fear it deserves
367
00:15:55,320 --> 00:15:58,620
until it slithers off into the jungle.
368
00:15:58,620 --> 00:16:01,790
Okay, well, richard, I'd like to thank you for this informative
369
00:16:01,790 --> 00:16:04,860
and terrifying introduction to this pyramid.
370
00:16:04,860 --> 00:16:07,190
Let's get out of here.
371
00:16:07,200 --> 00:16:09,130
All right, let's go.
372
00:16:09,130 --> 00:16:10,530
Gates: I tighten up my snake guards,
373
00:16:10,530 --> 00:16:13,770
and we begin the climb up to the second level of la danta,
374
00:16:13,770 --> 00:16:15,070
where a special research team
375
00:16:15,070 --> 00:16:18,000
is waiting to help us uncover more of el mirador
376
00:16:18,010 --> 00:16:22,140
and perhaps find the elusive tombs of the snake kings.
377
00:16:22,140 --> 00:16:25,850
Josh, this is daniel and jared.
378
00:16:25,850 --> 00:16:27,110
Daniel, jared. Hey, nice to meet you.
379
00:16:27,120 --> 00:16:28,410
...From lidar usa.
380
00:16:28,420 --> 00:16:30,150
Gates: Dan and his company are pioneers
381
00:16:30,150 --> 00:16:32,290
in a technology called lidar.
382
00:16:32,290 --> 00:16:35,320
Lidar fires millions of laser pulses from the air
383
00:16:35,320 --> 00:16:37,960
that virtually peel back layers of foliage
384
00:16:37,960 --> 00:16:41,190
to show evidence of human construction underneath.
385
00:16:41,200 --> 00:16:44,230
El mirador is only now being mapped with this technology,
386
00:16:44,230 --> 00:16:45,730
so richard is hoping the lidar
387
00:16:45,730 --> 00:16:48,470
will reveal the elaborate network of causeways,
388
00:16:48,470 --> 00:16:51,000
which could lead us to new sections of the city
389
00:16:51,010 --> 00:16:53,310
and perhaps hidden tombs.
390
00:16:53,310 --> 00:16:54,810
So, where do we launch it from?
391
00:16:54,810 --> 00:16:56,810
From the top.
392
00:16:56,810 --> 00:16:58,580
This is gonna be a particularly sweaty day
393
00:16:58,580 --> 00:17:00,310
here on "expedition unknown."
394
00:17:00,320 --> 00:17:04,620
-okay. Let's do it. Come on. -All right.
395
00:17:04,620 --> 00:17:06,390
Wait a minute!
396
00:17:06,390 --> 00:17:09,020
The two lidar guys are carrying a bottle of water
397
00:17:09,020 --> 00:17:13,930
and a playstation remote. -[ laughs ]
398
00:17:13,930 --> 00:17:16,600
gates: We make our way up the pyramid.
399
00:17:16,600 --> 00:17:18,770
This is the final push.
400
00:17:18,770 --> 00:17:20,970
We're now twice the height of the statue of liberty
401
00:17:20,970 --> 00:17:23,300
off her pedestal, on top of a pyramid
402
00:17:23,300 --> 00:17:24,300
that's about as wide
403
00:17:24,310 --> 00:17:28,140
as the empire state building is high.
404
00:17:28,140 --> 00:17:29,710
Feel the burn.
405
00:17:29,710 --> 00:17:37,850
♪
406
00:17:37,850 --> 00:17:40,150
almost there, guys.
407
00:17:40,150 --> 00:17:45,120
♪
408
00:17:45,130 --> 00:17:50,800
[ panting ] whoo, yes! Ha.
409
00:17:50,800 --> 00:17:53,470
Oh, boy.
410
00:17:53,470 --> 00:17:55,640
Oh, oh, oh, man.
411
00:17:55,640 --> 00:17:59,310
Look at that.
412
00:17:59,310 --> 00:18:05,110
This is the ancient maya pyramid of la danta,
413
00:18:05,110 --> 00:18:08,450
by volume, perhaps the largest on planet earth.
414
00:18:08,450 --> 00:18:11,820
We're a tiny island of humanity in a sea of green.
415
00:18:11,820 --> 00:18:14,450
♪
416
00:18:14,460 --> 00:18:16,590
gates: But this isn't the only temple here.
417
00:18:16,590 --> 00:18:18,890
In the distance, we see other peaks jutting out
418
00:18:18,890 --> 00:18:22,030
from the canopy, far from the center of el mirador.
419
00:18:22,030 --> 00:18:24,000
And here, pyramid, pyramid...
420
00:18:24,000 --> 00:18:25,200
Pyramid, pyramid, pyramid.
421
00:18:25,200 --> 00:18:26,500
...Pyramid, pyramid.
422
00:18:26,500 --> 00:18:28,730
All of these are ancient cities that are linked together
423
00:18:28,740 --> 00:18:30,640
by causeways from this center.
424
00:18:30,640 --> 00:18:33,540
-It's a country. -It's a whole empire.
425
00:18:33,540 --> 00:18:34,970
Gates: Over the last four decades,
426
00:18:34,980 --> 00:18:38,380
richard and his team haven't just been here in el mirador.
427
00:18:38,380 --> 00:18:42,250
They've discovered 51 different maya cities in the basin,
428
00:18:42,250 --> 00:18:45,790
revealing an extensive civilization connected by roads.
429
00:18:45,790 --> 00:18:47,350
But because of the dense jungle,
430
00:18:47,360 --> 00:18:50,760
it has never been fully mapped until now.
431
00:18:50,760 --> 00:18:58,160
♪
432
00:18:58,170 --> 00:19:00,170
the lidar drone is quickly assembled.
433
00:19:00,170 --> 00:19:02,240
The plan is to fly it over the peaks
434
00:19:02,240 --> 00:19:03,340
to uncover the causeways
435
00:19:03,340 --> 00:19:05,810
and buildings beneath the foliage.
436
00:19:05,810 --> 00:19:07,610
-This thing cut your arm off? -Yeah.
437
00:19:07,610 --> 00:19:09,310
Okay. We're stepping back.
438
00:19:09,310 --> 00:19:14,880
[ object whirring ]
439
00:19:14,880 --> 00:19:19,550
[ thunder rumbles ]
440
00:19:19,550 --> 00:19:21,520
the skies are looking threatening.
441
00:19:21,520 --> 00:19:23,920
We've got huge storm clouds coming in,
442
00:19:23,930 --> 00:19:28,330
just eating up the clear skies over here.
443
00:19:28,330 --> 00:19:31,130
The wind is definitely changing a little bit and cooling.
444
00:19:31,130 --> 00:19:34,370
[ thunder rumbles ]
445
00:19:39,010 --> 00:19:40,510
daniel wisely aborts the flight
446
00:19:40,510 --> 00:19:42,810
before we get a chance to make the scan.
447
00:19:42,810 --> 00:19:45,510
Let's get that moving real quick, real quick, real quick.
448
00:19:45,510 --> 00:19:48,010
The storm is just moving right on top of us.
449
00:19:48,020 --> 00:19:49,550
We're gonna try to get out of here
450
00:19:49,550 --> 00:19:51,580
and get back to the main camp before we get caught in it.
451
00:19:51,590 --> 00:19:55,990
♪
452
00:19:55,990 --> 00:19:58,220
guys, it's gonna rain. Let's get moving.
453
00:19:58,230 --> 00:20:01,890
♪
454
00:20:01,900 --> 00:20:03,330
[ thunder crashes ]
455
00:20:03,330 --> 00:20:07,600
it's coming in! [bleep].
456
00:20:14,480 --> 00:20:18,010
♪
457
00:20:18,010 --> 00:20:19,650
gates: The jungles of guatemala are home
458
00:20:19,650 --> 00:20:23,220
to the most extraordinary ruined city I've ever seen,
459
00:20:23,220 --> 00:20:25,750
the maya metropolis of el mirador,
460
00:20:25,750 --> 00:20:29,590
once ruled over by the mysterious snake kings.
461
00:20:29,590 --> 00:20:31,990
Coming up, I'll be returning to the lost city
462
00:20:31,990 --> 00:20:36,960
for a brand-new investigation and a remarkable new discovery.
463
00:20:36,970 --> 00:20:38,660
But during our first expedition,
464
00:20:38,670 --> 00:20:42,240
I find myself atop the massive pyramid of la danta,
465
00:20:42,240 --> 00:20:44,270
where a potentially dangerous storm
466
00:20:44,270 --> 00:20:50,110
has caused us to abort a lidar scan of the site.
467
00:20:50,110 --> 00:20:52,180
Guys, it's gonna rain. Let's get moving.
468
00:20:52,180 --> 00:20:54,210
Lighting is coming down through the jungle.
469
00:20:54,220 --> 00:20:56,950
Now we're scrambling to safety.
470
00:20:56,950 --> 00:21:00,620
It's coming in! [bleep].
471
00:21:00,620 --> 00:21:03,990
Get everything we can dry. It's coming.
472
00:21:03,990 --> 00:21:05,420
-Come on, come on. Let's go. -Let's go.
473
00:21:05,430 --> 00:21:08,190
We're trying to get everything back before it really,
474
00:21:08,200 --> 00:21:12,570
really comes down.
475
00:21:12,570 --> 00:21:16,700
Let's get in the tech room, make sure the equipment's okay.
476
00:21:16,700 --> 00:21:21,210
Man, we're barely gonna make it here.
477
00:21:21,210 --> 00:21:24,380
Good, we're dry.
478
00:21:24,380 --> 00:21:28,380
The rain continues all night long.
479
00:21:28,380 --> 00:21:32,820
♪
480
00:21:32,820 --> 00:21:37,560
the next morning, though, the sky has cleared.
481
00:21:37,560 --> 00:21:40,590
And the helicopters have returned with fresh supplies.
482
00:21:40,600 --> 00:21:43,130
We decide to take advantage of the sturdier ride
483
00:21:43,130 --> 00:21:46,430
and mount the lidar scanner on one of the choppers.
484
00:21:46,430 --> 00:21:49,040
Okay, here we go.
485
00:21:49,040 --> 00:21:53,440
♪
486
00:22:02,780 --> 00:22:04,950
we fly over the basin in a grid pattern
487
00:22:04,950 --> 00:22:08,220
until our target area is completely covered by our scan.
488
00:22:18,230 --> 00:22:19,470
For the lidar analysis,
489
00:22:19,470 --> 00:22:21,970
richard suggests we head to his bungalow,
490
00:22:21,970 --> 00:22:24,770
where his colleagues wait to see what we found.
491
00:22:24,770 --> 00:22:26,210
I want to introduce carlos morales,
492
00:22:26,210 --> 00:22:28,470
one of our top archaeologists and one of the men
493
00:22:28,480 --> 00:22:30,540
that handles all of our lidar processing.
494
00:22:30,550 --> 00:22:32,550
I'm hopeful we'll have something cool to show you.
495
00:22:32,550 --> 00:22:33,910
Yeah, let's take a look.
496
00:22:33,920 --> 00:22:36,380
How many points of data did we collect on that flight?
497
00:22:36,380 --> 00:22:37,980
Whew, billions.
498
00:22:37,990 --> 00:22:39,450
-With a b? -Yes.
499
00:22:39,450 --> 00:22:41,620
Right now it's colorized by elevation,
500
00:22:41,620 --> 00:22:43,560
so the higher it is, the redder it is.
501
00:22:43,560 --> 00:22:46,030
The first thing you do is strip away all the trees,
502
00:22:46,030 --> 00:22:48,890
so you can see the ground.
503
00:22:48,900 --> 00:22:51,030
Gates: The lidar software does its work.
504
00:22:51,030 --> 00:22:55,900
The trees slowly disappear, and what's left is miraculous.
505
00:22:55,900 --> 00:22:57,370
-Oh, my god. -Wow.
506
00:22:57,370 --> 00:23:00,010
-Massive platform. -Look at this!
507
00:23:00,010 --> 00:23:01,740
There's a big site down here.
508
00:23:01,740 --> 00:23:04,440
Did we just find a lost city, like, a legit lost city?
509
00:23:08,920 --> 00:23:11,020
Just two minutes ago, nobody in the world
510
00:23:11,020 --> 00:23:13,320
had a clue this site was even here.
511
00:23:13,320 --> 00:23:16,060
That's crazy.
512
00:23:16,060 --> 00:23:17,560
Richard, you feel like taking a walk?
513
00:23:17,560 --> 00:23:19,290
[ laughs ] we could do it!
514
00:23:19,290 --> 00:23:22,530
-All right, let's do it. -Come on.
515
00:23:22,530 --> 00:23:25,700
Gates: We load up a mule team with food, water, and equipment
516
00:23:25,700 --> 00:23:31,540
and begin our journey to a newly found part of this lost city.
517
00:23:31,540 --> 00:23:34,070
We hope to find evidence of the snake kings
518
00:23:34,080 --> 00:23:37,480
while avoiding actual snakes, not to mention jaguars
519
00:23:37,480 --> 00:23:40,110
and other threats along the way.
520
00:23:40,110 --> 00:23:43,250
-We need to go through this way. -Through that?
521
00:23:43,250 --> 00:23:44,850
-Yeah. -Well, let's get into it.
522
00:23:44,850 --> 00:23:46,490
Come on.
523
00:23:46,490 --> 00:23:51,590
♪
524
00:23:51,590 --> 00:23:56,760
♪
525
00:23:56,760 --> 00:24:02,230
♪
526
00:24:02,240 --> 00:24:05,970
it just feels like the forest is creating a defensive wall
527
00:24:05,970 --> 00:24:08,070
against anyone coming through it.
528
00:24:08,080 --> 00:24:13,510
♪
529
00:24:13,510 --> 00:24:18,580
♪
530
00:24:18,590 --> 00:24:20,790
finally, after hours of bushwhacking,
531
00:24:20,790 --> 00:24:23,720
we're closing in on our gps target.
532
00:24:23,720 --> 00:24:26,160
We got a rise here, richard. Look, that's going up.
533
00:24:26,160 --> 00:24:27,790
There's something up here.
534
00:24:27,800 --> 00:24:30,030
Gates: The topography changes abruptly,
535
00:24:30,030 --> 00:24:31,460
and looming in front of us,
536
00:24:31,470 --> 00:24:34,070
a hill that may not actually be a hill
537
00:24:34,070 --> 00:24:38,240
at all as we approach the towering centerpiece.
538
00:24:38,240 --> 00:24:40,140
-Oh, look at that. -Look at this!
539
00:24:40,140 --> 00:24:44,340
We've got a pyramid here, josh.
540
00:24:44,350 --> 00:24:47,510
A-ha, that's our big boy, right there.
541
00:24:47,520 --> 00:24:49,620
The center structure of this, whatever it is.
542
00:24:49,620 --> 00:24:53,350
Oh, my word.
543
00:24:53,350 --> 00:24:55,590
Even after thousands of years of growth,
544
00:24:55,590 --> 00:24:57,020
you can still see that shape clear as day.
545
00:24:57,020 --> 00:24:59,020
-You can still see it. -Until this very moment,
546
00:24:59,030 --> 00:25:01,790
nobody in the modern world has ever seen this...
547
00:25:01,800 --> 00:25:03,860
-That's right. -...Until right now.
548
00:25:03,870 --> 00:25:05,300
You are seeing that for the first time.
549
00:25:05,300 --> 00:25:06,330
-That's right. -Let's go look at it.
550
00:25:06,330 --> 00:25:07,600
Let's go take a look.
551
00:25:07,600 --> 00:25:12,670
♪
552
00:25:12,670 --> 00:25:18,480
♪
553
00:25:18,480 --> 00:25:23,120
look at this, top of the world.
554
00:25:23,120 --> 00:25:24,320
And so, what do you think?
555
00:25:24,320 --> 00:25:25,990
Could there be a snake king under our feet?
556
00:25:25,990 --> 00:25:28,890
Judging by the size and scale and the nature of this,
557
00:25:28,890 --> 00:25:30,790
that's entirely possible.
558
00:25:30,790 --> 00:25:32,660
Gates: Unfortunately, we barely have time
559
00:25:32,660 --> 00:25:36,030
to savor the discovery of this once-lost complex
560
00:25:36,030 --> 00:25:38,560
when the pressure suddenly drops.
561
00:25:38,570 --> 00:25:40,170
[ thunder crashes ]
562
00:25:40,170 --> 00:25:42,030
-oh, we got thunder. -Yeah.
563
00:25:42,040 --> 00:25:44,270
Gates: A massive storm begins to move in.
564
00:25:44,270 --> 00:25:46,610
And in a frustrating turn of events,
565
00:25:46,610 --> 00:25:49,310
we're forced to not only abandon our find...
566
00:25:49,310 --> 00:25:50,740
You get all the personal gear.
567
00:25:50,750 --> 00:25:51,780
Get the tents broken down. We're getting out of here.
568
00:25:51,780 --> 00:25:54,250
...But to flee el mirador entirely.
569
00:25:59,450 --> 00:26:03,590
We're in.
570
00:26:03,590 --> 00:26:07,060
The crew and I fly barely ahead of dangerous winds.
571
00:26:07,060 --> 00:26:11,330
♪
572
00:26:12,870 --> 00:26:14,970
♪
573
00:26:14,970 --> 00:26:20,440
[ beeping ]
574
00:26:20,440 --> 00:26:25,840
we make it out, but I have to know what we left behind.
575
00:26:25,850 --> 00:26:29,880
And so, three months later, I return to el mirador.
576
00:26:29,880 --> 00:26:33,750
♪
577
00:26:33,750 --> 00:26:36,320
not only did the dig site survive the storm,
578
00:26:36,320 --> 00:26:38,060
but richard's done some excavating
579
00:26:38,060 --> 00:26:40,190
at our newly found pyramid.
580
00:26:40,190 --> 00:26:41,290
Look at it!
581
00:26:41,300 --> 00:26:42,960
There's actually a building under here.
582
00:26:42,960 --> 00:26:44,700
Oh, there is. There's a building here.
583
00:26:44,700 --> 00:26:45,970
Incredible.
584
00:26:45,970 --> 00:26:47,270
But a building of this size requires leadership.
585
00:26:47,270 --> 00:26:48,400
Yeah.
586
00:26:48,400 --> 00:26:50,740
And they would do that by placing monuments
587
00:26:50,740 --> 00:26:53,140
to commemorate their legacy out here.
588
00:26:53,140 --> 00:26:55,370
And it looks like we found something here, josh.
589
00:26:55,380 --> 00:26:58,280
Carlos just found this stone.
590
00:26:58,280 --> 00:26:59,450
You think that could be a monument?
591
00:26:59,450 --> 00:27:00,650
We don't know.
592
00:27:00,650 --> 00:27:01,910
We've got to clean it off and see here,
593
00:27:01,920 --> 00:27:03,950
but we're coming down on the floor here.
594
00:27:03,950 --> 00:27:06,020
-You want to dig it out? -Let's see what's here.
595
00:27:06,020 --> 00:27:09,560
-Let's do it. Come on. -[ laughs ]
596
00:27:09,560 --> 00:27:11,260
gates: Maya monuments, called stela,
597
00:27:11,260 --> 00:27:13,590
are hugely important to archaeologists,
598
00:27:13,590 --> 00:27:16,800
chronicling important events, people, and places.
599
00:27:16,800 --> 00:27:18,860
It's like the maya left us a history book
600
00:27:18,870 --> 00:27:23,070
and highlighted the key chapters.
601
00:27:23,070 --> 00:27:24,870
Okay. Well, here it is on the floor.
602
00:27:24,870 --> 00:27:27,470
Now we can see it, but no signs of inscription on it.
603
00:27:27,480 --> 00:27:28,610
No, looked everywhere.
604
00:27:28,610 --> 00:27:30,180
There might be something underneath it,
605
00:27:30,180 --> 00:27:32,040
but we have to lift up to look.
606
00:27:32,050 --> 00:27:34,880
Muchachos, por fa.
607
00:27:34,880 --> 00:27:36,120
Okay. Here we go. Ready?
608
00:27:36,120 --> 00:27:38,350
-[ speaking spanish ] -here we go.
609
00:27:38,350 --> 00:27:39,990
Up, up, up, up!
610
00:27:39,990 --> 00:27:42,960
-[ speaking spanish ] -up, up, up, up, up!
611
00:27:42,960 --> 00:27:44,620
♪
612
00:27:44,630 --> 00:27:48,190
-a-ha, look! -Look at that.
613
00:27:55,170 --> 00:27:58,270
♪
614
00:27:58,270 --> 00:28:01,610
gates: After being chased out by a storm,
615
00:28:01,610 --> 00:28:05,240
I return to el mirador with dr. Richard hansen and his team,
616
00:28:05,250 --> 00:28:07,950
searching the vast pre-classic maya city
617
00:28:07,950 --> 00:28:10,820
for the tombs of the snake kings.
618
00:28:10,820 --> 00:28:14,490
And we have just found one.
619
00:28:14,490 --> 00:28:16,220
Gates: Up, up, up, up, up!
620
00:28:16,220 --> 00:28:20,360
-[ speaking spanish ] -up, up, up, up!
621
00:28:20,360 --> 00:28:21,960
Up, up, up, up, up, up!
622
00:28:21,960 --> 00:28:25,100
-[ speaking spanish ] -a-ha, look!
623
00:28:25,100 --> 00:28:26,170
Look at that.
624
00:28:26,170 --> 00:28:28,270
It's carved. It's carved!
625
00:28:28,270 --> 00:28:29,900
Oh, my gosh.
626
00:28:29,900 --> 00:28:33,970
Look at it!
627
00:28:33,970 --> 00:28:36,640
-Look at that. Is that a leg? -That's a leg.
628
00:28:36,640 --> 00:28:39,410
Here's the thigh, comes up here, so we know he's facing this way.
629
00:28:39,410 --> 00:28:40,610
Here is a glyph.
630
00:28:40,610 --> 00:28:42,280
-That's a mayan glyph? -Yeah.
631
00:28:42,280 --> 00:28:45,320
It's a portrait of a king.
632
00:28:45,320 --> 00:28:48,020
Gates: This figure on the monument is clearly a king,
633
00:28:48,020 --> 00:28:50,690
delineated by his ceremonial belt.
634
00:28:50,690 --> 00:28:53,590
So we could literally be looking at a snake king here.
635
00:28:53,590 --> 00:28:55,360
Yeah.
636
00:28:55,360 --> 00:28:58,900
Gates: This stela is a monumental find, literally.
637
00:28:58,900 --> 00:29:00,370
It is the only one of its kind
638
00:29:00,370 --> 00:29:04,440
ever found in el mirador outside of the city center.
639
00:29:04,440 --> 00:29:07,810
Why is it so important to understand this civilization?
640
00:29:07,810 --> 00:29:09,210
Through the lens of archaeology,
641
00:29:09,210 --> 00:29:13,380
we can see the whole story from the beginning to the end.
642
00:29:13,380 --> 00:29:15,210
-Right. -We can see what they did right,
643
00:29:15,220 --> 00:29:17,150
and we can see what they did wrong.
644
00:29:17,150 --> 00:29:18,550
At one time, this was the largest
645
00:29:18,550 --> 00:29:19,950
ancient city in the world.
646
00:29:19,950 --> 00:29:22,220
And it all vanished.
647
00:29:22,220 --> 00:29:23,690
Yeah, that's right.
648
00:29:23,690 --> 00:29:26,020
It's a problem that we call the conspicuous consumption
649
00:29:26,030 --> 00:29:27,530
of resources.
650
00:29:27,530 --> 00:29:29,060
Gates: The maya's appetite for the lime plaster
651
00:29:29,060 --> 00:29:30,800
that covered el mirador
652
00:29:30,800 --> 00:29:33,130
was the engine of their own demise.
653
00:29:33,130 --> 00:29:35,570
With the basin's trees harvested for fuel,
654
00:29:35,570 --> 00:29:39,140
a layer of clay in the ground once held back by the tree roots
655
00:29:39,140 --> 00:29:42,940
seeped into their growing fields and poisoned their agriculture.
656
00:29:42,940 --> 00:29:44,680
The bigger el mirador grew,
657
00:29:44,680 --> 00:29:48,010
the more accelerated the process of their end became.
658
00:29:48,020 --> 00:29:49,980
It's a lesson for all of us, you know?
659
00:29:49,980 --> 00:29:51,520
We have to pay attention to the history
660
00:29:51,520 --> 00:29:55,520
to avoid repeating those errors.
661
00:29:55,520 --> 00:29:57,720
Gates: Once again, I depart el mirador
662
00:29:57,730 --> 00:29:59,590
thrilled to have played a small role
663
00:29:59,590 --> 00:30:03,030
in this archaeological breakthrough.
664
00:30:03,030 --> 00:30:06,930
I ask richard to contact me if he finds anything new.
665
00:30:06,930 --> 00:30:15,040
♪
666
00:30:15,040 --> 00:30:17,910
well, it is 3:30 in the morning,
667
00:30:17,910 --> 00:30:21,180
and I am at the airport because we got an email
668
00:30:21,180 --> 00:30:24,220
from dr. Richard hansen.
669
00:30:24,220 --> 00:30:27,020
And that means I'm going to guatemala.
670
00:30:27,020 --> 00:30:31,320
♪
671
00:30:31,330 --> 00:30:32,960
traveling to el mirador hasn't gotten
672
00:30:32,960 --> 00:30:34,690
any easier in the past year,
673
00:30:34,700 --> 00:30:36,600
and I'm grateful when I reach the helicopter
674
00:30:36,600 --> 00:30:39,260
with my old friend gabriel at the stick.
675
00:30:39,270 --> 00:30:40,330
-Hola. -Hola.
676
00:30:40,330 --> 00:30:41,400
-Como estas? -Muy bien.
677
00:30:41,400 --> 00:30:42,670
Let's go. Vamos.
678
00:30:42,670 --> 00:30:44,340
♪
679
00:30:44,340 --> 00:30:46,770
gates: [ filtered voice ] okay, here we go.
680
00:30:46,770 --> 00:30:52,080
♪
681
00:31:07,030 --> 00:31:10,230
after all this, it's the sight of la danta pyramid
682
00:31:10,230 --> 00:31:11,830
that tells me I'm back.
683
00:31:19,570 --> 00:31:23,040
As we touch down, I'm greeted by a familiar face.
684
00:31:23,040 --> 00:31:27,680
There he is, the man himself. How you doing, doc?
685
00:31:27,680 --> 00:31:30,620
And if dr. Hansen is rushing up to a running helicopter,
686
00:31:30,620 --> 00:31:33,090
he must be excited about something.
687
00:31:33,090 --> 00:31:34,950
-How are you, doctor? -How are you?
688
00:31:34,960 --> 00:31:36,590
-Good to see you. -Good to see you.
689
00:31:36,590 --> 00:31:38,290
-You got something to show me? -Yeah, I think we do.
690
00:31:38,290 --> 00:31:40,130
-You do? -I think we do.
691
00:31:40,130 --> 00:31:47,900
♪
692
00:31:47,900 --> 00:31:51,070
we take the hike into base camp.
693
00:31:51,070 --> 00:31:55,740
And inside the mess hall is another pleasant surprise.
694
00:31:55,740 --> 00:31:56,840
[ laughs ] the bobs.
695
00:31:56,840 --> 00:31:58,210
What's going on? How you doing, sir?
696
00:31:58,210 --> 00:31:59,980
You finally made it.
697
00:31:59,980 --> 00:32:02,610
Turns out, the father-son gpr team of bob
698
00:32:02,620 --> 00:32:05,080
and bob leonard are back, as well.
699
00:32:05,090 --> 00:32:08,420
Richard has brought them in to help peer inside the pyramids
700
00:32:08,420 --> 00:32:11,790
for any open chambers that could be snake king tombs.
701
00:32:11,790 --> 00:32:13,290
What did you find?
702
00:32:13,290 --> 00:32:17,300
We're seeing on several of these structures a pattern emerge.
703
00:32:17,300 --> 00:32:18,800
Well, that's intriguing.
704
00:32:18,800 --> 00:32:21,130
The same anomaly is in the same location
705
00:32:21,140 --> 00:32:22,970
on several of these structures.
706
00:32:22,970 --> 00:32:26,410
And that pattern makes us think it could be something important
707
00:32:26,410 --> 00:32:28,340
for him to investigate scientifically.
708
00:32:28,340 --> 00:32:29,680
So, that's exciting.
709
00:32:29,680 --> 00:32:31,610
Well, one of the things that this lets us see, josh,
710
00:32:31,610 --> 00:32:32,840
is I'm trying to understand
711
00:32:32,850 --> 00:32:34,380
the construction of these buildings,
712
00:32:34,380 --> 00:32:37,580
and some of this information's showing us those patterns.
713
00:32:37,580 --> 00:32:39,450
When it comes to these snake kings,
714
00:32:39,450 --> 00:32:42,750
their burial pattern, as we know, has not been found.
715
00:32:42,760 --> 00:32:45,920
Well, we have 19 recorded kings on dynasty pots,
716
00:32:45,930 --> 00:32:48,560
and we think they're here.
717
00:32:48,560 --> 00:32:50,930
Gates: This is a potential bombshell.
718
00:32:50,930 --> 00:32:54,430
It means that if they have discovered a snake king tomb,
719
00:32:54,430 --> 00:32:57,640
they may also have the key to finding all of them.
720
00:32:57,640 --> 00:32:59,910
And so, how many of these potential voids
721
00:32:59,910 --> 00:33:01,510
or cavities did you find?
722
00:33:01,510 --> 00:33:03,980
So, we think we've found four.
723
00:33:03,980 --> 00:33:06,110
And then there's one in particular that, you know,
724
00:33:06,110 --> 00:33:07,750
we think is the most interesting.
725
00:33:07,750 --> 00:33:10,980
Okay, so, the million-dollar question is, where is it?
726
00:33:10,990 --> 00:33:13,750
I think it'd be best if we show you.
727
00:33:13,750 --> 00:33:14,890
Gates: I've traveled on richard's
728
00:33:14,890 --> 00:33:16,520
so-called moto-mules before
729
00:33:16,520 --> 00:33:18,960
and have the sciatica to prove it...
730
00:33:18,960 --> 00:33:20,290
Oh, richard, you've made some upgrades
731
00:33:20,290 --> 00:33:21,790
since I was here.
732
00:33:21,800 --> 00:33:24,200
...Which is why I'm a little surprised to see this.
733
00:33:24,200 --> 00:33:26,260
Josh, we now call it the moto-limousine.
734
00:33:26,270 --> 00:33:28,900
The moto-limo.
735
00:33:28,900 --> 00:33:30,670
[ engine starts ]
736
00:33:30,670 --> 00:33:32,640
okay, here we go.
737
00:33:32,640 --> 00:33:34,810
The brand-new mule speeds into the jungle.
738
00:33:34,810 --> 00:33:36,040
Whoo-hoo!
739
00:33:36,040 --> 00:33:38,440
And my anticipation builds.
740
00:33:38,450 --> 00:33:41,250
Give up the goods. Where is this anomaly, richard?
741
00:33:41,250 --> 00:33:43,350
Well, we thought it was gonna be
742
00:33:43,350 --> 00:33:44,720
on the souther side of the plaza.
743
00:33:44,720 --> 00:33:46,690
-Right. -We looked there.
744
00:33:46,690 --> 00:33:50,020
In reality, it's just in front of you.
745
00:33:50,020 --> 00:33:51,990
Gates: Here on the western end of the city
746
00:33:51,990 --> 00:33:55,760
stands the massive pyramid complex known as el tigre,
747
00:33:55,760 --> 00:33:59,560
second in size only to mighty la danta.
748
00:33:59,570 --> 00:34:01,500
This is clearly one of the most important
749
00:34:01,500 --> 00:34:06,340
ceremonial structures in the city.
750
00:34:06,340 --> 00:34:09,240
And now the bobs have gathered promising data
751
00:34:09,240 --> 00:34:14,550
that this pyramid may have a long-forgotten chamber inside.
752
00:34:14,550 --> 00:34:17,650
If it's a burial, it could be a snake king.
753
00:34:17,650 --> 00:34:19,620
Gates: We grab our gear for the long hike
754
00:34:19,620 --> 00:34:24,420
up to the pyramid platform.
755
00:34:24,430 --> 00:34:28,060
All right.
756
00:34:28,060 --> 00:34:29,330
Richard, remind me again,
757
00:34:29,330 --> 00:34:30,560
how did I end up carrying the generator?
758
00:34:30,560 --> 00:34:32,030
[ laughs ]
759
00:34:32,030 --> 00:34:33,230
gates: After doing about a month's
760
00:34:33,230 --> 00:34:36,270
worth of the stair master in one go, we arrive.
761
00:34:36,270 --> 00:34:39,040
♪
762
00:34:39,040 --> 00:34:42,840
welcome to the upper platform of tigre pyramid.
763
00:34:42,840 --> 00:34:44,080
Wow!
764
00:34:44,080 --> 00:34:46,510
It may have taken me three trips to el mirador,
765
00:34:46,510 --> 00:34:51,050
but we may finally be in the presence of a snake king.
766
00:34:51,050 --> 00:34:53,220
Wow, look at this.
767
00:34:53,220 --> 00:34:55,620
♪
768
00:35:02,460 --> 00:35:07,530
♪
769
00:35:07,530 --> 00:35:09,970
gates: Though lost to humanity for thousands of years,
770
00:35:09,970 --> 00:35:13,370
el mirador hasn't gone entirely unoccupied,
771
00:35:13,370 --> 00:35:16,510
and richard has gotten very friendly with his neighbors.
772
00:35:16,510 --> 00:35:18,580
Richard, I understand that you speak howler monkey.
773
00:35:18,580 --> 00:35:20,110
-I do. -Let's hear it.
774
00:35:20,110 --> 00:35:21,510
-Okay, here we go. -Here we go. You ready?
775
00:35:21,520 --> 00:35:24,080
Yeah.
776
00:35:24,080 --> 00:35:33,490
[ imitating howler monkey ]
777
00:35:33,490 --> 00:35:36,130
what exactly are you saying?
778
00:35:36,130 --> 00:35:39,230
I don't know. I don't know. No response.
779
00:35:39,230 --> 00:35:41,270
Maybe it reminds him of his mother-in-law.
780
00:35:41,270 --> 00:35:45,140
[ laughter ]
781
00:35:51,980 --> 00:35:54,950
♪
782
00:35:54,950 --> 00:35:56,820
gates: After being summoned by archaeologist
783
00:35:56,820 --> 00:35:58,220
dr. Richard hansen...
784
00:35:58,220 --> 00:36:00,890
We're still in active excavations on here, josh.
785
00:36:00,890 --> 00:36:02,720
Gates: ...I've returned to the once-lost,
786
00:36:02,720 --> 00:36:05,690
pre-classic maya city of el mirador.
787
00:36:05,690 --> 00:36:07,590
Wow, look at this.
788
00:36:07,590 --> 00:36:10,130
Richard believes that he may have finally discovered
789
00:36:10,130 --> 00:36:12,260
the site of a snake king tomb
790
00:36:12,270 --> 00:36:15,130
inside the holy pyramid of el tigre.
791
00:36:15,140 --> 00:36:16,270
Incredible.
792
00:36:16,270 --> 00:36:19,640
Now with gpr experts bob and bob leonard,
793
00:36:19,640 --> 00:36:23,740
we're going to scan and see if he's right.
794
00:36:23,740 --> 00:36:25,480
So, richard, give me a little orientation here.
795
00:36:25,480 --> 00:36:28,350
First of all, where are we up here?
796
00:36:28,350 --> 00:36:30,480
Josh, what we're looking at are three buildings
797
00:36:30,480 --> 00:36:32,220
on the summit of a platform,
798
00:36:32,220 --> 00:36:34,490
which is characteristic of the architecture
799
00:36:34,490 --> 00:36:36,450
in the pre-classic period from 300 b.C.
800
00:36:36,460 --> 00:36:40,660
To about the time of christ.
801
00:36:40,660 --> 00:36:41,960
Gates: This style of architecture
802
00:36:41,960 --> 00:36:43,330
where one main pyramid
803
00:36:43,330 --> 00:36:46,900
is flanked by two smaller ones is called triadic,
804
00:36:46,900 --> 00:36:51,500
and it almost always signifies a religious or political center.
805
00:36:51,510 --> 00:36:54,410
And since el tigre was home to the city's elite,
806
00:36:54,410 --> 00:36:58,540
it is perhaps the most important triadic center in el mirador.
807
00:36:58,550 --> 00:36:59,810
Richard has high hopes
808
00:36:59,810 --> 00:37:02,380
for anything that's hidden inside of it.
809
00:37:02,380 --> 00:37:05,220
None of the tombs of these snake kings have ever been found.
810
00:37:05,220 --> 00:37:07,690
No. Never. Never been found.
811
00:37:07,690 --> 00:37:11,260
Let's see if one of them might be up here.
812
00:37:11,260 --> 00:37:13,060
The bobs did an earlier scan here
813
00:37:13,060 --> 00:37:15,460
that discovered a void in the pyramid,
814
00:37:15,460 --> 00:37:17,730
but now they've brought a new gpr unit,
815
00:37:17,730 --> 00:37:19,930
which uses multiple antennas.
816
00:37:19,930 --> 00:37:21,830
It should give them and richard
817
00:37:21,840 --> 00:37:23,770
a clearer picture of what's down there.
818
00:37:23,770 --> 00:37:25,600
All right, josh. Come here. Check this out.
819
00:37:25,610 --> 00:37:29,540
-You've got something? -Yeah.
820
00:37:29,540 --> 00:37:30,980
Yeah, you do.
821
00:37:30,980 --> 00:37:32,740
Yeah, you do. Look at that!
822
00:37:32,750 --> 00:37:34,310
You can see all this clear area up here.
823
00:37:34,310 --> 00:37:36,450
-That's rock. -Solid rock up here, yeah.
824
00:37:36,450 --> 00:37:39,480
And then when that signal gets into a void...
825
00:37:39,490 --> 00:37:41,290
-Yeah. -...It'll sit there and bounce
826
00:37:41,290 --> 00:37:42,820
back and forth. -Yes.
827
00:37:42,820 --> 00:37:43,920
And so, you know, that's what we're seeing right there.
828
00:37:43,920 --> 00:37:45,960
Holy smokes.
829
00:37:45,960 --> 00:37:47,030
That looks like a chamber.
830
00:37:47,030 --> 00:37:50,600
Yeah.
831
00:37:50,600 --> 00:37:52,260
Let's look at it.
832
00:37:52,270 --> 00:37:54,170
Gates: To get through the stone of the pyramid,
833
00:37:54,170 --> 00:37:56,900
we came prepared with a pneumatic rock drill
834
00:37:56,900 --> 00:37:58,900
powered by a gas generator,
835
00:37:58,910 --> 00:38:02,440
which, just to remind you, I schlepped all the way up here.
836
00:38:02,440 --> 00:38:03,710
Okay, we're up!
837
00:38:03,710 --> 00:38:07,180
It uses a carbide bit to punch a small, deep hole
838
00:38:07,180 --> 00:38:08,480
in the ancient structure.
839
00:38:08,480 --> 00:38:10,620
Okay, we ready? Yeah?
840
00:38:10,620 --> 00:38:13,890
Yep, let's go.
841
00:38:13,890 --> 00:38:15,890
Gates: All four of us lean into the drill.
842
00:38:15,890 --> 00:38:20,460
It's like boring through, well, solid rock.
843
00:38:20,460 --> 00:38:24,160
But then, all of a sudden, it isn't.
844
00:38:24,160 --> 00:38:25,360
-Whoa! -Whoa!
845
00:38:25,370 --> 00:38:27,170
Oh, whoa, whoa! It dropped.
846
00:38:27,170 --> 00:38:28,700
There's a cavity there.
847
00:38:28,700 --> 00:38:30,570
Ha! Okay, let's get it up.
848
00:38:30,570 --> 00:38:32,870
When it drops like that, there's something weird.
849
00:38:32,870 --> 00:38:34,710
-Up. Up, up, up. -Whoa, whoa, whoa.
850
00:38:34,710 --> 00:38:37,440
-Okay, let's bring this down. -Pull it out.
851
00:38:37,440 --> 00:38:38,440
-Okay. -There we go.
852
00:38:38,450 --> 00:38:40,280
-Okay, drill's out. -Okay.
853
00:38:40,280 --> 00:38:42,150
Okay, now it's camera time.
854
00:38:42,150 --> 00:38:43,620
Now it's camera time.
855
00:38:43,620 --> 00:38:45,580
Mine's a little bit primitive compared to what we need.
856
00:38:45,590 --> 00:38:46,650
I brought a little upgrade for you.
857
00:38:46,650 --> 00:38:47,750
-Oh, good boy. -Yeah.
858
00:38:47,750 --> 00:38:48,850
That's it, that's it.
859
00:38:48,860 --> 00:38:53,060
Next-level.
860
00:38:53,060 --> 00:38:54,230
The camera I've brought has
861
00:38:54,230 --> 00:38:56,700
a special pan-and-tilt function...
862
00:38:56,700 --> 00:38:58,060
Holy smokes.
863
00:38:58,070 --> 00:39:00,400
Gates: ...With an articulating head capable of seeing
864
00:39:00,400 --> 00:39:03,200
everything around it.
865
00:39:03,200 --> 00:39:04,540
Okay, we're live. Moment of truth.
866
00:39:04,540 --> 00:39:06,140
You ready?
867
00:39:06,140 --> 00:39:09,370
We send our snake cam to catch a snake king.
868
00:39:09,380 --> 00:39:12,680
Here we go.
869
00:39:12,680 --> 00:39:14,210
Okay, we're good.
870
00:39:14,210 --> 00:39:16,480
-Give me some slack. -Whoa, whoa, whoa!
871
00:39:16,480 --> 00:39:18,220
-Stop, stop, stop, stop, stop! -Ha, ha!
872
00:39:18,220 --> 00:39:19,780
It looks like at the bottom, there's an opening.
873
00:39:19,790 --> 00:39:22,590
There is.
874
00:39:22,590 --> 00:39:24,090
There's a room in there.
875
00:39:24,090 --> 00:39:27,230
There's a room in there. Go further.
876
00:39:27,230 --> 00:39:29,090
-Can you push on? -Yeah.
877
00:39:29,100 --> 00:39:32,060
-There's the chamber there. -Boy, it looks like
878
00:39:32,070 --> 00:39:33,530
there's almost architecture to that room.
879
00:39:33,530 --> 00:39:34,770
I know. I know it.
880
00:39:34,770 --> 00:39:36,000
It looks like a squared-off room, doesn't it?
881
00:39:36,000 --> 00:39:37,570
That's what it looks like to me, too.
882
00:39:37,570 --> 00:39:38,940
Oh, what? Oh, wait, wait, wait, wait.
883
00:39:38,940 --> 00:39:42,610
Go back up again.
884
00:39:42,610 --> 00:39:44,280
What's this?
885
00:39:44,280 --> 00:39:45,880
It's got a big slab coming this way
886
00:39:45,880 --> 00:39:47,510
and a big slab going that way.
887
00:39:47,510 --> 00:39:48,650
It does look vaulted, doesn't it?
888
00:39:48,650 --> 00:39:50,850
-It does look vaulted. -Right there. See?
889
00:39:50,850 --> 00:39:53,420
Which would mean, then, that this thing has collapsed,
890
00:39:53,420 --> 00:39:56,490
and there's the remnant of the vault.
891
00:39:56,490 --> 00:39:58,220
Gates: This is remarkable.
892
00:39:58,230 --> 00:40:00,130
It is entirely possible that we're looking
893
00:40:00,130 --> 00:40:02,690
at a pre-classic maya construction
894
00:40:02,700 --> 00:40:06,600
that no one has laid eyes on in over 2,000 years.
895
00:40:06,600 --> 00:40:09,400
Even more significant is that the collapsed vault
896
00:40:09,400 --> 00:40:11,870
looks eerily familiar to richard.
897
00:40:11,870 --> 00:40:14,040
Well, what is fascinating is that there were two blocks
898
00:40:14,040 --> 00:40:15,540
like this, one directly on the other,
899
00:40:15,540 --> 00:40:16,810
and we have a precedent for that,
900
00:40:16,810 --> 00:40:19,610
the great site of wakna, which is here at the basin.
901
00:40:19,610 --> 00:40:21,250
There's a vault there that was looted.
902
00:40:21,250 --> 00:40:22,780
-And that was a tomb, you think? -Oh, yes.
903
00:40:22,780 --> 00:40:24,580
And that's what we saw in that thing there.
904
00:40:24,580 --> 00:40:26,180
Which, you know, if that's the case,
905
00:40:26,190 --> 00:40:27,590
then you could be looking at another tomb.
906
00:40:27,590 --> 00:40:28,890
Oh, yeah.
907
00:40:28,890 --> 00:40:31,360
Any chance that what we're seeing here is a snake king?
908
00:40:31,360 --> 00:40:32,890
-Very possible. -Wow.
909
00:40:32,890 --> 00:40:34,460
We're gonna have to dig it regardless.
910
00:40:34,460 --> 00:40:36,330
Yeah.
911
00:40:36,330 --> 00:40:38,760
After years of looking for man-made cavities
912
00:40:38,770 --> 00:40:40,600
in the pyramids of el mirador,
913
00:40:40,600 --> 00:40:44,670
richard may have at last found what he's looking for.
914
00:40:44,670 --> 00:40:46,670
But finding out what's inside
915
00:40:46,670 --> 00:40:49,110
without damaging the structure will take months
916
00:40:49,110 --> 00:40:51,910
of painstakingly careful excavation.
917
00:40:51,910 --> 00:40:53,380
So, like all things at el mirador,
918
00:40:53,380 --> 00:40:56,510
we have some new answers and some new questions.
919
00:40:56,520 --> 00:40:58,350
Well, what it gives us is an area
920
00:40:58,350 --> 00:41:00,020
that we never would have excavated before.
921
00:41:00,020 --> 00:41:01,190
Right.
922
00:41:01,190 --> 00:41:02,250
Finding new structures at el mirador --
923
00:41:02,260 --> 00:41:05,020
unbelievable.
924
00:41:05,030 --> 00:41:08,190
To date, I've been to el mirador three times
925
00:41:08,200 --> 00:41:10,860
in order to find the tombs of the snake kings.
926
00:41:10,860 --> 00:41:13,870
I've been witness to some remarkable discoveries
927
00:41:13,870 --> 00:41:16,940
and in the process learned how the mightiest of empires
928
00:41:16,940 --> 00:41:20,540
can fall by their mismanagement of the environment.
929
00:41:20,540 --> 00:41:23,880
Now this third trip has uncovered the possibility
930
00:41:23,880 --> 00:41:26,580
not just of a single snake king tomb
931
00:41:26,580 --> 00:41:29,550
but the signature construction for all of them.
932
00:41:29,550 --> 00:41:32,780
I think having this non-invasive remote-sensing technology
933
00:41:32,790 --> 00:41:35,420
combined with this minimally invasive drilling means
934
00:41:35,420 --> 00:41:37,020
that you might be on the cusp
935
00:41:37,020 --> 00:41:38,660
of making a lot of discoveries here.
936
00:41:38,660 --> 00:41:40,660
Well, all this technology lets us
937
00:41:40,660 --> 00:41:41,790
tell the story of humanity
938
00:41:41,800 --> 00:41:44,060
we've never been able to tell before.
939
00:41:44,060 --> 00:41:45,900
Good start.
940
00:41:45,900 --> 00:41:46,900
-Thank you. -Let's keep at it.
941
00:41:46,900 --> 00:41:50,370
Thanks for being here, josh.
942
00:41:50,370 --> 00:41:52,870
Gates: It looks like as many times as I leave,
943
00:41:52,870 --> 00:41:55,910
I'll never truly say goodbye to el mirador.
944
00:41:55,910 --> 00:41:58,580
♪
70437
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