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Downloaded from
YTS.MX
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Narrator: Have we
really seen everything
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Official YIFY movies site:
YTS.MX
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on the surface of the earth?
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Sometimes it seems
like the world
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keeps getting smaller
and smaller.
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We've walked every place
there is to walk.
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We've trod every square
inch of the globe.
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We've photographed everything...
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and we've posted it and we've
shared it and we've liked it.
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It can seem as if there's
no place left on earth
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whose mystery
we haven't stolen...
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but that's not actually true.
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We don't know everything.
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There are still places on earth
that are unknown to us,
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indifferent to us...
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And even hostile to us.
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♪
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♪
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♪
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♪
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Matheson: We're a very
experienced group.
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I don't think there's anybody
here that really needs
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to be reminded, but I'm
gonna do it anyway.
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It's very easy in open
areas, on the phone,
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talking among ourselves, to
disclose what we're here doing.
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Just try and refrain from it,
because what we don't want to do
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is raise our profile any
more than we are right now.
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♪
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Preston: Every Honduran knows
about the lost white city
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hidden deep in the jungle.
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The legend is that you
can't find the white city,
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but if you do find it,
you never come back.
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Elkins: We've caravanned from
Tegucigalpa to Catacamas.
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I think it's about 120 miles.
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What's most impressive
is, the government
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provided us with a full-on
military escort.
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We had to cart some fuel
with us for the helicopters.
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We had soldiers in front,
soldiers in the back,
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undercover soldiers, everything,
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and we're finally here
at what will be headquarters.
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Is that okay for the colonel?
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[ Speaking in Spanish ]
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Wood: Colonel, thank you.
It was a great move today.
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Very safe move.
Thank you so much.
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You're welcome.
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♪
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♪
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Elkins:
We're trying to find something
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that people have been looking
for for over 500 years.
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♪
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Wood: Wow.
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Elkins: That's amazing. You cannot
see anything through this canopy.
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Yeah. You have no clue
what's down there.
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♪
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♪
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♪
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♪
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♪
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Mabel: Whoever goes in, they
cannot make it out alive,
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so maybe that's why he
has been so secretly safe.
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Elkins: Like all legends
of this nature,
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there's always a curse involved.
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Probably some plant
that's deadly,
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and if you mess with it,
you get a bad reaction.
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You eat it, you die.
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Or get bit by a fer-de-Lance
or something else,
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or maybe there's
a deadly disease.
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There's probably some
reason why it started.
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Preston: Up to this point, this
whole lost city had been theoretical.
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Elkins:
Does it exist or does it not?
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♪
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♪
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I was doing a story
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about some lost temples
in Cambodia,
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and I was at the
jet propulsion laboratory
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and I met this guy
named Ron blom,
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who had been doing some work on
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finding these lost temples
using remote sensing.
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They flew a DC-10 with
a synthetic aperture radar
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over the jungles of Cambodia,
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and they found some temples that
had never been known to exist.
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So I asked him, I said,
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"well, Ron, what other lost
cities are you looking for?"
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And he got very nervous.
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You know, scientists
are terrible liars.
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He was like, "oh, well,
uh, nothing really."
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And I said, "no, wait a
minute. Wait a minute.
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You must be must be
looking for something, right?"
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"Well, I am, but I
can't talk about it.
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I've signed a
non-disclosure agreement."
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So I pressed him,
and finally, he said,
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well, he would ask the guy
who had hired him
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and see if the guy would
be willing to contact me.
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So that's when I got a
call from Steve Elkins.
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He said, "what are you doing
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asking Ron blom all
these questions?
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What's going on here?
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And I said, "well, look,
I understand
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that you're looking for a lost
city somewhere in the world,
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and I want to write about it."
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Elkins: I had this image made
up utilizing satellites.
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This is the area
of the mosquitia
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that we think the lost city
might be located in.
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I had asked the government
of Honduras to give me a map
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showing me all the places
that they know
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have been surveyed
archeologically in the mosquitia.
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The reason being is I don't
really want to go places
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that have been surveyed already.
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There's no point in doing that.
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I need to know what places
are truly unexplored.
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So on this map,
they penciled out
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in little rectangles
of general areas
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that have been surveyed
and they know about,
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and they know
they have found sites.
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They're almost all
on river systems,
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which makes sense,
because first of all,
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that's where people usually
made their settlements.
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And secondly, it's a
heck of a lot easier
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to get to a site along a river
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as opposed to something deep in
the interior, in the mountains.
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The area where I believe
is totally unexplored
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is this big, blank spot
on the map right here.
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Somewhere in this area here.
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Elkins: The first evidence of
there being some fabulous lost city
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in the jungles of
eastern Honduras
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dates back to 1526.
[ Bells ringing ]
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The conquistador hernan cortes
wrote in his letters
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to the king of Spain,
and he says,
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"I have received news of a very
large and wealthy province
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with powerful lords,
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and such wonderful news
has been received of it
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that I marvel at what is said.
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For even if two thirds
of it proved false,
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it must succeed
Mexico in riches."
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This is the first
written record of it,
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and it seems to have inspired
everybody to try and find out,
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does it exist or does it not?
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As I delved into the mystery,
I found accounts
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of all the people
who claim to have gone
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from as far back as the 1920s,
but I could never verify
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if they actually
found the place.
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As time went on,
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many of them were found
to be exaggerators or liars,
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and their claims were refuted.
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When I was a kid,
I loved the idea of
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discovering something no one
had ever seen before.
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Many of my friends would
get irritated with me.
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They called me
"over-the-Ridge Elkins,"
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because we'd be hiking
and I'd say,
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"oh, we just kind of go
over the next Ridge
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and see what's there."
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So there's an innate
curiosity and a drive
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that some of us have
and some of us don't.
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Hello, my name is Steve Morgan,
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and I'm your host
for this program.
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The film that you're
about to see
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will take you into the uncharted
jungles of Central America,
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where mysterious ruins
and ancient legends
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lie hidden by a jungle veil.
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Elkins: Steve Morgan used
to be a treasure hunter.
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I call him an adventurer now,
because it's no longer good
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to be treasure hunters
in the modern world.
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I met him in early '94, when I
was in the television business.
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Morgan: Ever since man first
crawled out of his cave,
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he wanted to know what was on
the other side of the hill.
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Well, I like getting out
there and knowing what's on --
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What's in the jungles
of Honduras or South America.
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I have his book right here --
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"captain Morgan's guide
to documentary adventures."
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This is the very book that I
read in late '93 or early '94,
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and got me really fascinated.
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One of the stories,
"Ciudad blanca -- lost city."
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I read this story and I went,
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"wow, this is great.
I love this kind of stuff."
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Steve told me it
was really inexpensive
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to do productions in Honduras.
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He said, "oh, I have
a friend named Bruce,
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a childhood buddy,
Bruce heinicke,
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and we used to go looking for
civil war artifacts as kids,
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growing up in St. Louis,
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and we worked on
shipwrecks together.
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We had all kinds of adventures."
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We just never grew up.
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Steve still wants
to be a pirate,
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and I just never made up my mind
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what I'm gonna be
when I grow up, so...
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Elkins: Bruce was
the ultimate old-school
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central American fixer.
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He was a rather large man.
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He had a gold chain,
a big pinkie ring,
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and was the kind of guy
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that you didn't want
to have angry with you.
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Steve told me, Bruce
lives in Honduras.
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He knows his way around.
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When we first got to Tegucigalpa
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on the beginning
of the expedition,
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Bruce met us at the airport
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and he made sure that we had
no problems, that we were safe,
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and he had a whole army
of local people.
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God knows what he was doing.
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Steve had an idea where to go,
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and he recruited
an indigenous local
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to guide us through the jungle,
and we wound up going.
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[ Indistinct chatter ]
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[ Speaking in native language ]
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One, two, three.
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Elkins: This went on for
a couple of days.
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Finally, we got to
the point to where
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we couldn't go by canoe anymore.
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We have to put everything
on our backs and start walking.
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How we all did it, I don't know.
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[ Speaking in native language ]
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♪
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Then eventually, we're going up
further up into the highlands,
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and there's this big Boulder.
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[ Speaking in native language ]
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So the archeologist from the
government who was with us
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00:11:02,328 --> 00:11:05,030
outlined the carving in
chalk, so we could see it.
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[ Speaking in native language ]
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Morgan: He has a mask
over his face.
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[ Speaking in native language ]
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He has something like
a sack full of corn.
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Elkins: I remember seeing
that and going,
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"why would this carving
be in the middle of nowhere,
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up in the highlands,
in this mountain stream,
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if there was nothing
going on here in the past?"
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Just doesn't make sense.
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That, to me, was
a moment of epiphany.
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I said, "there is something
to this legend,"
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and it inspired
me to go further.
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Something told me that
there's more to the story
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than meets the eye.
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One of the stories,
"Ciudad blanca -- lost city."
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I read this story and I went,
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"wow, this is great.
I love this kind of stuff,"
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and we wound up going.
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All throughout the mid-'90s,
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myself, as well as one of
my friends and associates,
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Tom weinberg, and Steve Morgan
and some other people,
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00:12:09,762 --> 00:12:11,763
we didn't want to give up.
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Preston: Steve said, "look,
all we have to do is organize
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00:12:14,600 --> 00:12:18,703
an expedition to go in there
and verify it on the ground."
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He had the expedition
all organized.
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It was ready to go, and then
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00:12:22,208 --> 00:12:28,113
hurricane Mitch literally
destroyed Honduras in 1998.
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Narrator: By the evening
of the 29th of October,
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Mitch had already reached
the northern coast.
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The water racing down
from the mountains
250
00:12:35,854 --> 00:12:39,257
was funneled into the valleys
at terrifying speeds,
251
00:12:39,325 --> 00:12:42,093
wiping out anything in its path.
252
00:12:42,161 --> 00:12:43,361
[ Water roars ]
253
00:12:45,798 --> 00:12:47,565
Residents watched in horror
254
00:12:47,633 --> 00:12:50,268
as friends and neighbors
were swept away.
255
00:12:50,336 --> 00:12:51,870
[ Screaming ]
256
00:12:54,807 --> 00:12:58,209
Mitch was the most lethal
storm in modern history --
257
00:12:59,678 --> 00:13:02,013
Elkins: I give up, at least for
the time being.
258
00:13:02,081 --> 00:13:03,681
We did our lives --
259
00:13:03,749 --> 00:13:05,784
Our professional lives,
our personal lives --
260
00:13:05,851 --> 00:13:10,588
And the lost city was just
kind of one little speck
261
00:13:10,656 --> 00:13:12,524
somewhere in our consciousness.
262
00:13:12,591 --> 00:13:13,892
Preston: At a certain
point, I'm thinking,
263
00:13:13,993 --> 00:13:15,527
"well, this is
never gonna happen."
264
00:13:15,594 --> 00:13:16,795
You know, it was a brave effort,
265
00:13:16,829 --> 00:13:19,564
but it's just never
gonna happen.
266
00:13:19,632 --> 00:13:22,133
Until 2009.
267
00:13:22,201 --> 00:13:24,502
It's had to have
divine intervention.
268
00:13:24,570 --> 00:13:27,305
There was a reason that
Mabel was in Honduras
269
00:13:27,373 --> 00:13:29,407
and got to talk
to the president.
270
00:13:29,475 --> 00:13:31,743
I believe that. I believe
it with all my heart.
271
00:13:31,811 --> 00:13:35,780
Still to today, I don't
know how I got there.
272
00:13:35,848 --> 00:13:38,817
I don't know -- I don't
know what got into me
273
00:13:38,884 --> 00:13:41,419
that make me go, and --
274
00:13:41,487 --> 00:13:43,988
I mean, "you know, I could have
got killed," I say to him,
275
00:13:44,056 --> 00:13:45,623
and he said, "yes, I know."
276
00:13:57,369 --> 00:13:59,037
So many policemen,
277
00:13:59,104 --> 00:14:02,640
so many people with
machine guns, bodyguards.
278
00:14:44,683 --> 00:14:48,853
And he say, "I love it.
I love the whole thing.
279
00:14:48,855 --> 00:14:50,688
I heard about the story,
280
00:14:50,723 --> 00:14:56,227
and I want this to happen
in my time as a president."
281
00:15:01,500 --> 00:15:03,401
Man: At the same time,
I had just read an article
282
00:15:03,469 --> 00:15:05,737
in archeology magazine
in the New York times
283
00:15:05,804 --> 00:15:08,873
about an evolution
of lidar technology,
284
00:15:08,941 --> 00:15:11,743
which is a method of scanning
terrestrial features
285
00:15:11,810 --> 00:15:13,478
using laser beams
from an airplane
286
00:15:13,545 --> 00:15:15,446
that was successfully
used in Belize
287
00:15:15,481 --> 00:15:18,816
at the Maya site of caracol.
288
00:15:18,884 --> 00:15:20,018
I looked at the pictures
and I went,
289
00:15:20,085 --> 00:15:24,422
"holy cow, this
changes the game."
290
00:15:24,490 --> 00:15:28,092
Narrator: Lidar is a remote-sensing
method similar to radar.
291
00:15:28,160 --> 00:15:30,962
It uses laser pulses to
measure variable distances
292
00:15:31,030 --> 00:15:34,065
from the lidar scanner to
the surface it's measuring.
293
00:15:34,099 --> 00:15:36,501
As the laser pulses bounce back,
294
00:15:36,568 --> 00:15:38,970
they generate data
known as a point cloud
295
00:15:39,038 --> 00:15:43,808
that can then be used to create
3-d maps of the scanned areas.
296
00:15:43,876 --> 00:15:46,077
All of this happens
in just seconds.
297
00:15:46,145 --> 00:15:52,350
♪
298
00:15:52,384 --> 00:15:56,254
Elkins: Now we have two elements
-- the backing of a new government,
299
00:15:56,321 --> 00:15:59,524
and we've got a technology
that makes it possible
300
00:15:59,591 --> 00:16:01,392
to see what's in a large area
301
00:16:01,460 --> 00:16:04,295
without really a whole lot
of physical effort.
302
00:16:04,363 --> 00:16:06,898
Lidar, as it's used today,
is an amazing tool
303
00:16:06,966 --> 00:16:11,102
for finding highly detailed
information about structures
304
00:16:11,170 --> 00:16:14,639
and features underneath
a very heavy forest cover.
305
00:16:14,707 --> 00:16:19,577
Lidar really has revolutionized
the way that archeology is done.
306
00:16:19,645 --> 00:16:21,713
Preston: Lidar is much
more well-known now
307
00:16:21,780 --> 00:16:25,116
because of its use in
driverless cars and video games,
308
00:16:25,150 --> 00:16:27,385
but back then, it was
an evolving technology,
309
00:16:27,453 --> 00:16:29,687
and we really didn't
know much about it.
310
00:16:29,755 --> 00:16:33,658
Now, lidar lasers fire at over
a million times a second,
311
00:16:33,726 --> 00:16:36,227
but back then, it
wasn't that advanced yet,
312
00:16:36,295 --> 00:16:38,663
and it had never been
used in this way before,
313
00:16:38,731 --> 00:16:40,498
and it might not work.
314
00:16:40,565 --> 00:16:43,368
There might not be enough
laser pulses reaching the ground
315
00:16:43,435 --> 00:16:45,803
in order to scan the terrain.
316
00:16:45,871 --> 00:16:48,239
Well, Steve said, "look,
we've got all our permits,
317
00:16:48,307 --> 00:16:49,607
and we're all set to go.
318
00:16:49,675 --> 00:16:51,509
We're going to roatán island,
319
00:16:51,577 --> 00:16:53,411
and we got the plane
all lined up,
320
00:16:53,479 --> 00:16:56,014
and we're gonna find
the lost city."
321
00:16:59,551 --> 00:17:02,320
Elkins: To provide additional
protection for the lidar plane,
322
00:17:02,388 --> 00:17:04,555
we based our operation
on roatán,
323
00:17:04,623 --> 00:17:07,625
an island about 40 miles off
the northern coast of Honduras.
324
00:17:53,872 --> 00:17:57,875
Preston: Well, lidar technology
is just totally cutting-edge here.
325
00:17:57,943 --> 00:18:01,279
It's sophisticated,
extremely expensive,
326
00:18:01,346 --> 00:18:03,047
and also used by the military.
327
00:18:03,115 --> 00:18:05,249
It was very difficult for
the team to get the permits
328
00:18:05,317 --> 00:18:06,784
to even get it to
leave the country
329
00:18:06,852 --> 00:18:09,253
and bring it down here.
330
00:18:09,321 --> 00:18:11,823
Gross: The lidar system
has some important
331
00:18:11,890 --> 00:18:14,425
electronic security
issues on it,
332
00:18:14,493 --> 00:18:18,596
that in the wrong hands,
could be used the wrong way.
333
00:18:21,266 --> 00:18:22,333
Okay.
334
00:18:26,972 --> 00:18:28,339
Okay.
335
00:18:28,407 --> 00:18:31,042
Preston: There's certain parts
of this technology that are
336
00:18:31,110 --> 00:18:35,246
actually classified and used
in U.S. guided missiles.
337
00:18:35,314 --> 00:18:39,884
All I know is we've
always kept it quiet.
338
00:18:39,952 --> 00:18:43,321
Preston: It has to be
guarded by soldiers 24/7
339
00:18:43,388 --> 00:18:47,425
to make sure that our enemies
don't get their hands on it.
340
00:18:47,493 --> 00:18:49,760
I mean, that's cool.
I like that.
341
00:18:51,864 --> 00:18:53,998
Preston:
The main question we faced was,
342
00:18:54,032 --> 00:18:56,200
is lidar going to work
at all in the jungle?
343
00:18:56,268 --> 00:18:59,871
This was the first time
lidar had ever been used
344
00:19:00,005 --> 00:19:02,373
as a tool of pure exploration.
345
00:19:02,441 --> 00:19:05,476
Previously, they were
lidaring archeological sites
346
00:19:05,544 --> 00:19:07,145
known to be sites,
347
00:19:07,212 --> 00:19:09,313
and they knew they were
gonna find something,
348
00:19:09,381 --> 00:19:12,283
but this was using
lidar in a new way.
349
00:19:12,317 --> 00:19:19,624
What we are doing is genuine
discovery, modern-day discovery.
350
00:19:20,659 --> 00:19:23,194
Fernandez-Diaz: It was kind
of a shot in the dark,
351
00:19:23,262 --> 00:19:27,532
but I was hoping that we
were going to get lucky.
352
00:19:27,599 --> 00:19:28,566
Preston: I really thought,
353
00:19:28,634 --> 00:19:31,636
"well, they're not gonna
find anything."
354
00:19:31,703 --> 00:19:37,275
♪
355
00:19:37,342 --> 00:19:44,282
♪
356
00:19:50,789 --> 00:19:53,357
Juan Carlos had
a laptop computer
357
00:19:53,425 --> 00:19:55,059
that he jacked into
the lidar unit,
358
00:19:55,127 --> 00:19:56,861
and that was the controller,
359
00:19:56,863 --> 00:20:00,464
and he had mapped their
route on this laptop
360
00:20:00,499 --> 00:20:02,133
which was connected
to the lidar machine,
361
00:20:02,201 --> 00:20:06,070
and that was connected to
the plane's navigational system.
362
00:20:06,138 --> 00:20:10,875
So we're shooting 100,000
laser pulses per second
363
00:20:10,976 --> 00:20:14,845
out of the bottom of the plane,
scanning the jungle below us
364
00:20:14,847 --> 00:20:17,515
and creating an enormous
amount of data,
365
00:20:17,583 --> 00:20:22,653
a point cloud that we can turn
into a 3-d map of the area.
366
00:20:22,721 --> 00:20:26,824
Theoretically, if something
is there, we'll see it.
367
00:20:26,858 --> 00:20:29,393
♪
368
00:20:29,461 --> 00:20:32,663
Whatever's down there, the data
that's being collected right now
369
00:20:32,731 --> 00:20:36,367
is of unbelievably
important value to science.
370
00:20:36,435 --> 00:20:44,435
♪
371
00:20:45,644 --> 00:20:47,178
♪
372
00:20:47,246 --> 00:20:48,879
Sartori: The plane needs
to spend around three days
373
00:20:48,947 --> 00:20:50,181
flying over the target area
374
00:20:50,249 --> 00:20:52,717
to collect enough
data to analyze.
375
00:20:52,784 --> 00:20:55,553
So, for the moment, we were
all in a holding pattern.
376
00:20:58,323 --> 00:21:01,092
Preston: We weren't really
sure when the images
377
00:21:01,159 --> 00:21:02,593
would be fully processed.
378
00:21:02,661 --> 00:21:04,128
There were a lot of problems
getting the data
379
00:21:04,196 --> 00:21:06,397
and then uploading
it for analysis.
380
00:21:06,465 --> 00:21:09,634
So we're walking back
from breakfast,
381
00:21:09,701 --> 00:21:12,136
and this very
skeptical engineer --
382
00:21:12,204 --> 00:21:14,972
He was running,
and he's shouting,
383
00:21:15,040 --> 00:21:16,073
"there's something
in the valley!
384
00:21:16,141 --> 00:21:17,341
There's something
in the valley!"
385
00:21:17,409 --> 00:21:19,377
And of course, we're like,
"what is it? What is it?"
386
00:21:19,444 --> 00:21:22,213
And then he stops. He says,
"I'm not gonna tell you.
387
00:21:22,281 --> 00:21:24,682
I can't even describe it.
388
00:21:24,750 --> 00:21:27,351
You just have to come see
for yourselves."
389
00:21:27,419 --> 00:21:30,021
[ Indistinct chatter ]
390
00:21:34,893 --> 00:21:35,993
Elkins: Okay, man. I'm here.
391
00:21:36,061 --> 00:21:37,161
Alright.
392
00:21:37,229 --> 00:21:39,997
Well, I looked at it for
only a few moments myself.
393
00:21:40,065 --> 00:21:44,135
I zoomed in to about this level,
and I just went, "holy crap."
394
00:21:44,202 --> 00:21:46,237
What looks like
a rectangular structure.
395
00:21:46,305 --> 00:21:47,705
Yeah, look at this.
Look at that.
396
00:21:47,773 --> 00:21:49,540
I mean, there's two
perfectly linear lines,
397
00:21:49,608 --> 00:21:52,543
and that's the right angle,
and other stuff inside there.
398
00:21:52,611 --> 00:21:55,179
It's not just one right angle.
It is a whole square.
399
00:21:55,247 --> 00:21:56,947
Well, it's open on one side,
you can't tell --
400
00:21:57,015 --> 00:21:58,783
But these are two perfect
right angles.
401
00:21:58,850 --> 00:22:00,885
Come on. That does
not look natural.
402
00:22:00,952 --> 00:22:02,620
I mean, I suppose
it could happen, but...
403
00:22:02,688 --> 00:22:03,487
It's a site.
404
00:22:03,555 --> 00:22:04,822
You can see that
there's extensive
405
00:22:04,889 --> 00:22:07,024
landscape modification,
as, you know --
406
00:22:07,092 --> 00:22:09,327
Here, and it's been
leveled out here.
407
00:22:09,428 --> 00:22:12,396
This has been leveled out.
There is a repetition.
408
00:22:12,464 --> 00:22:16,434
This feature is similar to that
feature, this wall to that wall.
409
00:22:16,501 --> 00:22:18,869
These are, you know,
two similar structures.
410
00:22:18,970 --> 00:22:20,871
Right. Here's another --
Looks like another wall here,
411
00:22:20,972 --> 00:22:24,809
and there's another remnants of
a square-type situation there.
412
00:22:24,876 --> 00:22:26,844
And then, look, there's --
It seems to me
413
00:22:26,846 --> 00:22:29,180
there's terracing on here.
Those are ruins.
414
00:22:29,247 --> 00:22:31,749
Doug Preston went on record
saying it's ruins.
415
00:22:31,817 --> 00:22:33,551
I've had to deal with
too many scientists
416
00:22:33,585 --> 00:22:34,785
and I've had too
many disappointments,
417
00:22:34,853 --> 00:22:37,421
so I will just say the odds
are extremely high
418
00:22:37,456 --> 00:22:39,523
that this is some of
what we're looking for.
419
00:22:39,591 --> 00:22:40,758
Fernandez-Diaz:
I have a 3-d model.
420
00:22:40,826 --> 00:22:42,159
Preston: An average
person looking at it
421
00:22:42,227 --> 00:22:44,261
would see that it
was not normal,
422
00:22:44,329 --> 00:22:46,197
but they wouldn't see
all the details.
423
00:22:46,298 --> 00:22:47,865
The way these ridges
have been flattened.
424
00:22:47,966 --> 00:22:50,101
You see these ridges and these
ridges have been flattened,
425
00:22:50,135 --> 00:22:52,670
and that's a very unusual
feature in this landscape.
426
00:22:52,738 --> 00:22:56,707
Benenson: I'm kind of...
Elkins: Blown away?
427
00:22:56,775 --> 00:22:58,809
Yeah, that's
the word. Blown away.
428
00:22:58,877 --> 00:23:04,382
I think we have opportunities
that didn't exist 24 hours ago,
429
00:23:04,449 --> 00:23:07,785
and we, it's up to us
and others to figure out
430
00:23:07,853 --> 00:23:11,889
how to make the best of this
very interesting discovery.
431
00:23:11,957 --> 00:23:14,592
I was thinking, "this is gonna
be a very funny article.
432
00:23:14,626 --> 00:23:16,327
I can write a hilarious story
433
00:23:16,395 --> 00:23:20,531
about this totally failed
search for this lost city.
434
00:23:20,565 --> 00:23:22,433
I can turn this around,
as a journalist.
435
00:23:22,501 --> 00:23:25,236
I can make this something
worth writing about."
436
00:23:25,303 --> 00:23:27,805
But then when they really
found the lost city --
437
00:23:27,873 --> 00:23:30,941
God, I was sending an email
to the new yorker the next day.
438
00:23:31,009 --> 00:23:32,076
♪
439
00:23:36,815 --> 00:23:38,616
♪
440
00:23:38,683 --> 00:23:41,252
Well, I looked at it for
only a few moments myself.
441
00:23:41,319 --> 00:23:45,389
I zoomed in to about this level,
and I just went, "holy crap."
442
00:23:45,457 --> 00:23:47,992
What looks like
a rectangular structure.
443
00:23:48,059 --> 00:23:48,926
Yeah, those are ruins.
444
00:23:48,993 --> 00:23:56,993
♪
445
00:24:01,239 --> 00:24:04,175
Elkins: Shortly after we
returned from the lidar mission,
446
00:24:04,242 --> 00:24:06,343
Doug Preston published
an extensive article
447
00:24:06,411 --> 00:24:08,312
in new yorker magazine about it.
448
00:24:08,380 --> 00:24:12,049
And even though we knew that
the lidar definitely showed
449
00:24:12,117 --> 00:24:16,053
the remnants of an ancient city,
there was a backlash.
450
00:24:16,121 --> 00:24:18,689
Honestly, I don't think that
any archeologists were concerned
451
00:24:18,757 --> 00:24:21,859
about the lidar
expedition, specifically.
452
00:24:21,927 --> 00:24:25,262
I think the use of lidar for
exploration is a wonderful idea.
453
00:24:25,330 --> 00:24:28,699
The concern became about how
it was presented in the media.
454
00:24:28,767 --> 00:24:31,202
The creation of a narrative
is very, very important --
455
00:24:31,269 --> 00:24:32,870
But by simply giving the article
456
00:24:32,938 --> 00:24:35,139
the title
"the El dorado machine,"
457
00:24:35,207 --> 00:24:38,209
it invoked El dorado,
the lost city of gold,
458
00:24:38,276 --> 00:24:41,979
and implied that this
high technology
459
00:24:42,047 --> 00:24:44,748
was being used to discover gold,
460
00:24:44,816 --> 00:24:48,819
when in fact that
was not the case, I hope.
461
00:24:48,887 --> 00:24:50,354
Anyone can write
an adventure story.
462
00:24:50,422 --> 00:24:51,789
We have no objection to that.
463
00:24:51,857 --> 00:24:54,558
But it's being portrayed
as archeology, and it's not.
464
00:24:54,626 --> 00:24:57,628
Preston: Rosemary Joyce of the
university of California at Berkeley,
465
00:24:57,696 --> 00:25:00,931
who is a very distinguished
Honduran expert,
466
00:25:00,999 --> 00:25:04,001
immediately condemned
the expedition
467
00:25:04,069 --> 00:25:06,070
on her blog and everywhere else.
468
00:25:06,137 --> 00:25:08,305
She seemed to think that
the expedition had claimed
469
00:25:08,373 --> 00:25:10,407
that they had found
Ciudad blanca,
470
00:25:10,475 --> 00:25:13,043
and they really hadn't
made that claim.
471
00:25:13,111 --> 00:25:14,712
But the Honduran press all said,
472
00:25:14,779 --> 00:25:16,480
"oh, Ciudad Blanca's
been found."
473
00:25:18,049 --> 00:25:20,851
[ Speaking in Spanish ]
474
00:25:26,725 --> 00:25:29,326
So I called her up, and
she was absolutely furious.
475
00:25:29,394 --> 00:25:33,731
I mean, she was not
soft-spoken on the phone.
476
00:25:33,798 --> 00:25:35,466
And she says, you know,
"this is an outrage.
477
00:25:35,534 --> 00:25:37,101
These people are adventurers.
478
00:25:37,168 --> 00:25:38,836
There's no archeologist
involved."
479
00:25:38,904 --> 00:25:41,539
I said, "well, let me send
you an image from t1."
480
00:25:41,606 --> 00:25:44,575
And she said, "well,
you can send it to me,
481
00:25:44,643 --> 00:25:46,043
but I may not call you back."
482
00:25:46,111 --> 00:25:48,712
Well, I sent it to her, and she
called me back immediately,
483
00:25:48,780 --> 00:25:50,214
and she was --
You know, she said,
484
00:25:50,282 --> 00:25:55,719
"this is quite an archeological
site. It's not a small one.
485
00:25:55,787 --> 00:25:59,023
I can see, you know,
a public space par excellence.
486
00:25:59,090 --> 00:26:02,660
I can see, you know, potential
Mesoamerican ball court
487
00:26:02,727 --> 00:26:04,495
and all this and that --
House mounds."
488
00:26:04,529 --> 00:26:06,196
But then she ended
the phone call
489
00:26:06,264 --> 00:26:08,065
with another blast
at the expedition.
490
00:26:08,133 --> 00:26:10,534
We don't go out looking
for treasure anymore.
491
00:26:10,602 --> 00:26:11,969
We go out looking for knowledge.
492
00:26:12,037 --> 00:26:14,572
We didn't have any archeologists
on the lidar mission at all,
493
00:26:14,639 --> 00:26:16,874
'cause we never went on
the ground. We didn't need them.
494
00:26:16,942 --> 00:26:18,342
I think explorers do
run the risk of
495
00:26:18,410 --> 00:26:20,878
being identified
as treasure hunters.
496
00:26:20,912 --> 00:26:23,247
And what is treasure hunting?
497
00:26:23,315 --> 00:26:26,884
Well, it's finding something
for financial gain
498
00:26:26,952 --> 00:26:29,587
rather than for advancing
scientific knowledge.
499
00:26:29,654 --> 00:26:33,958
Oh, just a plain old filmmaker?
How can they make a discovery?
500
00:26:34,025 --> 00:26:35,359
Hate to say it,
but that's really,
501
00:26:35,427 --> 00:26:36,961
in my opinion, what it was.
502
00:26:37,028 --> 00:26:43,367
♪
503
00:26:43,435 --> 00:26:45,369
Preston: Honduras is a
country that's had
504
00:26:45,437 --> 00:26:46,804
a long and troubled history,
505
00:26:46,871 --> 00:26:49,974
from the banana republic,
time up to the present day.
506
00:26:50,041 --> 00:26:58,041
♪
507
00:27:00,085 --> 00:27:03,954
In the late 1990s,
anti-drug policies in Colombia
508
00:27:04,022 --> 00:27:07,157
shifted the major cocaine
trafficking routes
509
00:27:07,225 --> 00:27:10,728
through Honduras, and
specifically through mosquitia.
510
00:27:31,383 --> 00:27:35,819
Could be another reason why
he listen to me and trust me,
511
00:27:35,887 --> 00:27:42,059
because I am from Honduras, and
I want the best for my country,
512
00:27:42,127 --> 00:27:45,396
and it will give
a huge help to the country.
513
00:27:45,463 --> 00:27:50,668
♪
514
00:27:50,735 --> 00:27:52,436
Preston: After a considerable
period of time
515
00:27:52,504 --> 00:27:54,938
analyzing the lidar data
we'd collected,
516
00:27:55,006 --> 00:27:56,573
we knew we needed
to go in on the ground
517
00:27:56,641 --> 00:27:58,742
to verify what was there.
518
00:27:58,810 --> 00:28:00,711
Archeologists call
this "ground truthing,"
519
00:28:00,779 --> 00:28:02,446
and it took three years
to organize
520
00:28:02,514 --> 00:28:04,748
this next phase
of the expedition.
521
00:28:04,816 --> 00:28:07,251
Woody, what I
I need to understand
522
00:28:07,285 --> 00:28:10,821
is how you're going to be
handling both the camp
523
00:28:10,889 --> 00:28:12,956
and us getting in and out.
524
00:28:26,071 --> 00:28:28,605
We've heard that
the military helicopters
525
00:28:28,673 --> 00:28:30,874
don't want to carry us in.
526
00:28:30,942 --> 00:28:33,477
The question is,
in an emergency,
527
00:28:33,545 --> 00:28:35,479
if they can carry Americans out.
528
00:28:45,390 --> 00:28:48,158
Elkins: So now we just needed
to fly a helicopter 2,000 miles
529
00:28:48,193 --> 00:28:50,294
from Albuquerque to Honduras.
530
00:28:50,361 --> 00:28:53,263
Shier: Here we are in cold
and windy Albuquerque.
531
00:28:53,331 --> 00:28:55,899
Myles, the pilot, and
Jeff, the mechanic,
532
00:28:55,967 --> 00:28:57,735
heading down to participate
533
00:28:57,802 --> 00:29:01,271
in this amazing project
in the jungles of Honduras.
534
00:29:01,339 --> 00:29:06,376
♪
535
00:29:06,444 --> 00:29:09,379
Bringing people
in and out to the site --
536
00:29:09,447 --> 00:29:11,715
The safety of that
is our concern.
537
00:29:11,783 --> 00:29:16,520
That's the direction we're
heading. That's southeast.
538
00:29:16,554 --> 00:29:19,656
Elsing: We've allowed for
between 5 and 6 days to get down.
539
00:29:19,724 --> 00:29:21,692
They'll land,
their gear will come in,
540
00:29:21,760 --> 00:29:23,994
and then they'll
pick a site for me,
541
00:29:24,062 --> 00:29:27,464
and that'll be our helipad,
our landing site.
542
00:29:27,532 --> 00:29:29,233
Then we hover over the spot,
543
00:29:29,300 --> 00:29:31,935
and the men repel
down one at a time.
544
00:29:32,003 --> 00:29:35,539
A big exploration involving
a lot of people dedicated to it,
545
00:29:35,607 --> 00:29:37,808
assistance from government...
546
00:29:37,909 --> 00:29:40,210
When Steve talked about
this project, you know --
547
00:29:40,278 --> 00:29:43,013
You give it a maybe 1 in 10
chance of working out,
548
00:29:43,081 --> 00:29:47,084
and here he is, 20 years later,
and the guy's making it happen.
549
00:29:47,152 --> 00:29:48,752
♪
550
00:29:59,430 --> 00:30:01,064
Preston: After a considerable
period of time
551
00:30:01,099 --> 00:30:03,534
analyzing the lidar data
we'd collected,
552
00:30:03,601 --> 00:30:05,169
we knew we needed
to go in on the ground
553
00:30:05,236 --> 00:30:07,337
to verify what was there.
554
00:30:07,405 --> 00:30:09,306
Archeologists call
this "ground truthing,"
555
00:30:09,374 --> 00:30:11,041
and it took three years
to organize
556
00:30:11,109 --> 00:30:13,010
this next phase
of the expedition.
557
00:30:19,317 --> 00:30:21,985
Elkins: After securing
the team and the financing,
558
00:30:22,053 --> 00:30:23,554
we have 10 days
to find something
559
00:30:23,621 --> 00:30:25,155
before the money runs out.
560
00:30:25,223 --> 00:30:33,096
♪
561
00:30:33,164 --> 00:30:37,267
Sadly, my longtime friend
and fixer, Bruce heinicke,
562
00:30:37,335 --> 00:30:41,505
passed away
before our 2015 trip,
563
00:30:41,573 --> 00:30:43,607
but I knew he was
there in spirit.
564
00:30:43,675 --> 00:30:51,675
♪
565
00:30:52,050 --> 00:31:00,050
♪
566
00:31:03,261 --> 00:31:04,661
[ Car horns honk ]
567
00:31:04,729 --> 00:31:06,163
Matheson: I think I've pretty
much got 'round to everybody
568
00:31:06,231 --> 00:31:07,464
to introduce myself -- spud.
569
00:31:07,531 --> 00:31:09,233
Obviously, I'm working
alongside Stevie,
570
00:31:09,300 --> 00:31:10,734
or "Sully," as he's known.
571
00:31:10,802 --> 00:31:14,838
We've got Woody sat next
to him, from the task team.
572
00:31:14,906 --> 00:31:17,341
The risk is very minimal
here right now, okay?
573
00:31:17,408 --> 00:31:20,677
It's more the fact that we are
exposed to the environment,
574
00:31:20,745 --> 00:31:22,279
as opposed to anything
else right now,
575
00:31:22,347 --> 00:31:24,948
purely because of what
we're here to do --
576
00:31:25,016 --> 00:31:26,617
Because when a big
group of us turn up,
577
00:31:26,684 --> 00:31:28,518
straight away, we are sort
of under the spotlight.
578
00:31:28,586 --> 00:31:30,554
"Who are these guys?
What are they here for?"
579
00:31:30,622 --> 00:31:31,955
Et cetera, et cetera.
580
00:31:32,023 --> 00:31:35,225
So right now, guys, it's just
keeping it in the shadows.
581
00:31:35,293 --> 00:31:43,293
♪
582
00:31:45,236 --> 00:31:46,536
Preston:
We're headed to Catacamas,
583
00:31:46,604 --> 00:31:49,106
which was to be our
base of operations,
584
00:31:49,173 --> 00:31:51,775
which is kind of halfway
across the country
585
00:31:51,843 --> 00:31:54,044
through very dangerous
areas, actually,
586
00:31:54,112 --> 00:31:57,147
including areas
controlled by drug cartels.
587
00:31:59,250 --> 00:32:02,152
The crew includes
anthropologists, archeologists,
588
00:32:02,220 --> 00:32:04,121
filmmakers, journalists,
589
00:32:04,188 --> 00:32:07,624
so there are a lot of logistics
involved in our mission,
590
00:32:07,692 --> 00:32:11,261
not to mention ensuring
our personal safety.
591
00:32:11,329 --> 00:32:12,963
Elkins: It's amazing.
We got helicopters.
592
00:32:13,030 --> 00:32:14,798
We got armed soldiers.
593
00:32:14,832 --> 00:32:17,534
We got the whole -- it's just --
594
00:32:17,568 --> 00:32:18,969
It's like a dream.
595
00:32:19,037 --> 00:32:25,976
♪
596
00:32:26,044 --> 00:32:28,312
Preston: Most Hondurans believe
that the white city,
597
00:32:28,379 --> 00:32:32,215
Ciudad blanca, is a place
of great riches and treasure,
598
00:32:32,283 --> 00:32:34,551
so we would have been marked
as treasure hunters,
599
00:32:34,619 --> 00:32:37,688
maybe coming to steal
Honduras's cultural patrimony.
600
00:32:37,722 --> 00:32:39,289
Who knows what kind of ideas
601
00:32:39,357 --> 00:32:41,525
it might have caused
in people's minds?
602
00:32:45,463 --> 00:32:47,998
I was talking to a
businessman in Catacamas
603
00:32:48,065 --> 00:32:50,334
who said that the cost of a hit,
604
00:32:50,401 --> 00:32:54,438
a professional killing,
in Catacamas, is $25.
605
00:32:54,505 --> 00:33:02,505
♪
606
00:33:04,349 --> 00:33:12,349
♪
607
00:33:14,192 --> 00:33:22,192
♪
608
00:33:23,968 --> 00:33:31,968
♪
609
00:33:33,811 --> 00:33:41,811
♪
610
00:33:43,654 --> 00:33:47,257
Elsing: Even though the site is
only 60 miles from civilization,
611
00:33:47,324 --> 00:33:49,426
you can't get to it by land.
612
00:33:49,494 --> 00:33:51,495
You need to fly in,
because the terrain
613
00:33:51,529 --> 00:33:53,563
is extraordinarily difficult.
614
00:33:53,631 --> 00:33:56,333
It is really tough -- it's one
of the toughest there is.
615
00:33:56,401 --> 00:33:59,669
It's just too damn
hard to go in there on foot.
616
00:33:59,737 --> 00:34:01,471
There's actually one
potential landing zone
617
00:34:01,539 --> 00:34:03,173
right in the middle of
the place you want to go,
618
00:34:03,241 --> 00:34:05,709
but I'm not sure that the trees
are spaced far enough apart
619
00:34:05,777 --> 00:34:07,444
from the helicopter.
620
00:34:07,512 --> 00:34:11,214
It could be rather dicey.
621
00:35:00,665 --> 00:35:01,832
Preston:
We're headed to Catacamas,
622
00:35:01,866 --> 00:35:04,301
which was to be our
base of operations,
623
00:35:04,368 --> 00:35:06,970
which is kind of halfway
across the country
624
00:35:07,038 --> 00:35:09,239
through very dangerous
areas, actually,
625
00:35:09,307 --> 00:35:12,342
including areas
controlled by drug cartels.
626
00:35:14,278 --> 00:35:17,147
The crew includes
anthropologists, archeologists,
627
00:35:17,248 --> 00:35:19,149
filmmakers, journalists,
628
00:35:19,217 --> 00:35:22,652
so there are a lot of logistics
involved in our mission,
629
00:35:22,720 --> 00:35:25,522
not to mention ensuring
our personal safety.
630
00:35:29,894 --> 00:35:31,461
Preston: While Steve was
doing a flyover
631
00:35:31,529 --> 00:35:33,263
to find a safe landing site,
632
00:35:33,331 --> 00:35:35,765
our head archeologist
Chris Fisher met with
633
00:35:35,833 --> 00:35:39,202
his Honduran counterpart,
Oscar Cruz, to make a plan.
634
00:35:59,257 --> 00:36:01,758
Fisher: What I'm showing
Oscar are hill shapes
635
00:36:01,792 --> 00:36:04,728
that we've generated
that accentuates mounds
636
00:36:04,795 --> 00:36:06,630
and other human features.
637
00:36:06,697 --> 00:36:10,333
And it's the basic way
of illustrating lidar data,
638
00:36:10,401 --> 00:36:13,270
visualizing it and examining it.
639
00:36:13,337 --> 00:36:16,039
It basically shows us
house foundations,
640
00:36:16,107 --> 00:36:20,410
pyramids, plazas, man-made
features on the ground
641
00:36:20,478 --> 00:36:21,878
that we can investigate.
642
00:36:21,946 --> 00:36:29,946
♪
643
00:36:30,087 --> 00:36:38,087
♪
644
00:36:38,229 --> 00:36:40,297
9 times out of 10, when you
go into these environments,
645
00:36:40,364 --> 00:36:43,333
you'll see nothing, because
when you do go in there,
646
00:36:43,401 --> 00:36:45,769
we are not on the menu, alright?
647
00:36:45,836 --> 00:36:47,237
It thinks it's on the menu,
648
00:36:47,338 --> 00:36:50,440
and when you go into the place,
everything just goes -- [gasps].
649
00:36:50,508 --> 00:36:53,843
You won't see things
initially, but it is there.
650
00:36:53,911 --> 00:36:55,445
If you go looking for
it, however,
651
00:36:55,546 --> 00:36:58,181
you will find it at
the most inopportune times.
652
00:36:58,249 --> 00:37:00,951
The snakes -- the biggest
snake of concern
653
00:37:01,018 --> 00:37:02,485
out there is the fer-de-Lance.
654
00:37:02,553 --> 00:37:04,921
He is a nasty thing.
655
00:37:04,989 --> 00:37:09,292
They're predominantly nocturnal
and they tend to hunt
656
00:37:09,360 --> 00:37:11,595
around streams and rivers
and what have you.
657
00:37:11,662 --> 00:37:13,863
You've got to tune in
mentally right now
658
00:37:13,931 --> 00:37:16,533
what you're about to do,
'cause it's not gonna be easy,
659
00:37:16,601 --> 00:37:19,002
and it's not a walk in the park
to see this business.
660
00:37:19,070 --> 00:37:21,571
It's not a day trip.
It's a serious job, guys.
661
00:37:21,639 --> 00:37:24,274
Yeah, things go wrong when
people don't listen.
662
00:37:47,932 --> 00:37:48,965
There are no guidebooks.
663
00:37:49,033 --> 00:37:51,401
There's no one you can ask
"what's it like?"
664
00:37:51,469 --> 00:37:52,969
This completely unknown valley
665
00:37:53,037 --> 00:37:57,741
that human beings have not
seen in 500 years, probably.
666
00:37:57,808 --> 00:38:00,443
And what were we
going to find there?
667
00:38:00,511 --> 00:38:03,513
And to me, that was both
frightening and very exciting,
668
00:38:03,581 --> 00:38:04,648
to be the first.
669
00:38:04,715 --> 00:38:09,085
♪
670
00:38:09,120 --> 00:38:11,087
The landing zone, which
had just been cleared
671
00:38:11,155 --> 00:38:14,424
hours before
by this s.A.S. Team --
672
00:38:14,492 --> 00:38:22,265
♪
673
00:38:22,333 --> 00:38:25,402
Elkins: I'm actually
standing on this ground
674
00:38:25,469 --> 00:38:27,771
that I've been looking
at from satellites
675
00:38:27,838 --> 00:38:30,607
and from aerial photographs
and from lidar for years.
676
00:38:30,675 --> 00:38:32,442
It was almost overwhelming.
677
00:38:32,510 --> 00:38:39,516
♪
678
00:38:39,583 --> 00:38:41,551
[ Insects chirping ]
679
00:38:41,618 --> 00:38:46,690
♪
680
00:38:46,757 --> 00:38:49,726
[ Birds chirping ]
681
00:38:49,794 --> 00:38:51,828
[ Water sploshing ]
682
00:38:52,730 --> 00:38:56,333
[ Chopping ]
683
00:39:03,874 --> 00:39:05,942
[ Monkey hooting ]
684
00:39:21,726 --> 00:39:23,293
Start making it up
towards that area
685
00:39:23,361 --> 00:39:26,129
where Sully and Woody
are working right now.
686
00:39:26,197 --> 00:39:29,232
They're basically preparing,
like, a base camp area for us.
687
00:39:29,266 --> 00:39:33,837
So let's just slowly
hump and dump, guys.
688
00:39:33,904 --> 00:39:36,973
[ Rustling ]
689
00:39:37,041 --> 00:39:38,875
Elkins: I would like
to go to the mound --
690
00:39:38,943 --> 00:39:41,144
What we think is the pyramid,
the two things together --
691
00:39:41,212 --> 00:39:42,712
As soon as possible, to see.
692
00:39:42,780 --> 00:39:43,847
Fisher: That's down that way.
693
00:39:43,914 --> 00:39:45,215
Isn't it on the other
side of the river?
694
00:39:45,282 --> 00:39:46,750
Other side of the river
are all the big plazas.
695
00:39:46,817 --> 00:39:47,717
Yeah.
696
00:39:47,785 --> 00:39:48,952
Two mounds together
is down that way.
697
00:39:49,019 --> 00:39:50,387
Yeah, but that was
just what you saw.
698
00:39:50,454 --> 00:39:51,521
We're talking about --
699
00:39:51,555 --> 00:39:53,423
Preston: Steve's instincts
have gotten us this far,
700
00:39:53,491 --> 00:39:56,259
but now we have 10
Ph.D. scientists
701
00:39:56,327 --> 00:39:58,261
with a certain way
of doing things,
702
00:39:58,329 --> 00:40:00,363
and that's a big adjustment.
703
00:40:00,431 --> 00:40:02,031
I just want to walk down
the entire thing,
704
00:40:02,099 --> 00:40:04,134
because I don't want
to be in a situation
705
00:40:04,201 --> 00:40:07,203
where we immediately go there,
focus all our work down there,
706
00:40:07,271 --> 00:40:08,938
and all of a sudden
we get right down there --
707
00:40:09,006 --> 00:40:11,207
Which is less than
a kilometer away --
708
00:40:11,275 --> 00:40:12,642
And all of a sudden
we're like, "holy [bleep]."
709
00:40:12,710 --> 00:40:14,043
Preston: Do we want to
do that today, then?
710
00:40:14,111 --> 00:40:16,079
I'd love to do it today, but
don't think it's going to happen
711
00:40:16,147 --> 00:40:17,947
because I know these guys
have a lot of stuff to do,
712
00:40:18,015 --> 00:40:21,084
setting things up and
helicopter rides coming in.
713
00:40:21,152 --> 00:40:22,819
I don't think it's
gonna happen today.
714
00:40:22,887 --> 00:40:24,621
[ Thunder rumbles ]
715
00:40:26,957 --> 00:40:29,225
Preston: We were very eager
when we arrived,
716
00:40:29,293 --> 00:40:30,827
but we were totally exhausted.
717
00:40:33,330 --> 00:40:36,966
And we had to get everything
prepped before nightfall,
718
00:40:37,034 --> 00:40:41,204
because the jungle at night
turns into a very different
719
00:40:41,272 --> 00:40:44,240
and far more dangerous place.
720
00:40:44,308 --> 00:40:46,176
The animals come out.
721
00:40:46,243 --> 00:40:47,977
We could hear them purring
as they wandered
722
00:40:48,045 --> 00:40:54,984
among our tents at night,
and the bugs start to bite.
723
00:40:55,052 --> 00:40:59,255
So we're sitting in camp,
and Woody is telling stories
724
00:40:59,323 --> 00:41:01,491
and I'm thinking to
myself, "oh, my god,
725
00:41:01,559 --> 00:41:03,793
I got to write some
of these stories down."
726
00:41:05,796 --> 00:41:08,064
And I had to go back
through the jungle
727
00:41:08,132 --> 00:41:10,967
in the darkness to my camp
to get my notebook.
728
00:41:11,035 --> 00:41:16,206
♪
729
00:41:16,273 --> 00:41:19,342
And I'm coming back and I
somehow got off the trail...
730
00:41:20,544 --> 00:41:21,644
a moment of panic,
731
00:41:21,712 --> 00:41:23,513
and finally I found
Juan Carlos' hammock,
732
00:41:23,581 --> 00:41:25,982
and I'm thinking,
"thank god I didn't get lost."
733
00:41:26,050 --> 00:41:28,818
And my flashlight,
I'm sweeping it around,
734
00:41:28,886 --> 00:41:32,889
and all of a sudden,
there's this gigantic snake.
735
00:41:32,957 --> 00:41:34,858
So I backed up, and I said,
736
00:41:34,925 --> 00:41:38,695
"hey, guys, there is
a really big snake over here."
737
00:41:38,762 --> 00:41:41,631
And Woody said, "keep your
light on it. We're coming."
738
00:41:41,665 --> 00:41:43,166
And their flashlights --
739
00:41:43,234 --> 00:41:46,035
Woody says, "okay, everyone,
put your lights on the snake.
740
00:41:46,070 --> 00:41:47,337
I'm gonna move it."
741
00:41:47,404 --> 00:41:49,906
He pins the snake like this,
the body of the snake,
742
00:41:49,974 --> 00:41:52,709
and it unfurls,
743
00:41:52,776 --> 00:41:56,012
and it is huge, and it
is striking everywhere,
744
00:41:56,080 --> 00:41:58,114
and it is spraying venom.
745
00:41:58,182 --> 00:42:00,416
He seizes the head
with his hand,
746
00:42:00,484 --> 00:42:02,252
took out his knife
and cut off its head.
747
00:42:10,594 --> 00:42:13,663
And I'm coming back and I
somehow got off the trail...
748
00:42:14,865 --> 00:42:15,932
a moment of panic,
749
00:42:16,000 --> 00:42:17,800
and finally I found
Juan Carlos' hammock,
750
00:42:17,868 --> 00:42:20,270
and I'm thinking,
"thank god I didn't get lost."
751
00:42:20,337 --> 00:42:23,106
And my flashlight,
I'm sweeping it around,
752
00:42:23,173 --> 00:42:27,176
and all of a sudden,
there's this gigantic snake.
753
00:42:27,244 --> 00:42:29,145
So I backed up, and I said,
754
00:42:29,179 --> 00:42:32,982
"hey, guys, there is
a really big snake over here."
755
00:42:33,050 --> 00:42:35,919
And Woody said, "keep your
light on it. We're coming."
756
00:42:35,986 --> 00:42:37,487
And their flashlights --
757
00:42:37,555 --> 00:42:40,356
Woody says, "okay, everyone,
put your lights on the snake.
758
00:42:40,424 --> 00:42:41,658
I'm gonna move it."
759
00:42:41,725 --> 00:42:44,227
He pins the snake like this,
the body of the snake,
760
00:42:44,295 --> 00:42:47,030
and it unfurls,
761
00:42:47,097 --> 00:42:50,300
and it is huge, and it
is striking everywhere,
762
00:42:50,367 --> 00:42:52,402
and it is spraying venom.
763
00:42:52,469 --> 00:42:54,704
He seizes the head
with his hand,
764
00:42:54,772 --> 00:42:56,439
took out his knife
and cut off its head.
765
00:42:56,507 --> 00:42:57,840
Man: I think he's listening.
766
00:43:00,344 --> 00:43:03,479
This snake has fangs that
are over an inch long.
767
00:43:28,038 --> 00:43:31,341
I felt, "oh, god,
what do we do?"
768
00:43:31,408 --> 00:43:34,210
We human beings come
into this virgin area,
769
00:43:34,244 --> 00:43:36,179
this totally perfect area,
770
00:43:36,246 --> 00:43:40,216
and the first thing we do
is kill that snake.
771
00:43:40,284 --> 00:43:41,851
It was self-defense,
772
00:43:41,919 --> 00:43:45,555
but it feels like
such a violation.
773
00:43:45,623 --> 00:43:52,128
♪
774
00:43:52,196 --> 00:43:56,866
♪
775
00:43:56,934 --> 00:44:02,238
Em? Hey, listen, don't dispatch
anybody to this location
776
00:44:02,306 --> 00:44:03,740
until I call you back
to let me know
777
00:44:03,807 --> 00:44:05,775
that the mist has cleared.
778
00:44:05,843 --> 00:44:11,147
Everybody, and I mean everybody,
must bring their snake gaiters.
779
00:44:22,059 --> 00:44:23,393
Elkins: I have nerve damage
in my left leg,
780
00:44:23,427 --> 00:44:24,861
and it's difficult for
me to get around,
781
00:44:24,928 --> 00:44:27,397
so I'm kind of disappointed
that I couldn't join
782
00:44:27,464 --> 00:44:32,568
this first walk, 'cause
I'd slow everybody up.
783
00:44:32,636 --> 00:44:39,242
♪
784
00:44:39,309 --> 00:44:41,244
Cruz: We'll find something
right here.
785
00:44:41,311 --> 00:44:47,850
♪
786
00:44:47,918 --> 00:44:54,457
♪
787
00:44:54,525 --> 00:45:01,030
♪
788
00:45:01,098 --> 00:45:07,603
♪
789
00:45:07,671 --> 00:45:10,873
Preston: Chris had a very
sophisticated GPS unit
790
00:45:10,941 --> 00:45:13,376
which had downloaded
the lidar maps,
791
00:45:13,444 --> 00:45:16,212
and it showed where he
was on those lidar maps.
792
00:45:16,280 --> 00:45:17,580
Fisher: Trimble geo 7x.
793
00:45:17,648 --> 00:45:20,049
They're top-of-the-line
handheld survey instruments.
794
00:45:20,117 --> 00:45:21,317
So it shows you in real time
795
00:45:21,351 --> 00:45:22,785
where you are
and what's on there.
796
00:45:22,853 --> 00:45:25,722
You can also trace and digitize
your features on here.
797
00:45:25,789 --> 00:45:28,758
You can collect points.
You can plot artifacts.
798
00:45:28,826 --> 00:45:30,593
So let's go up on top
of this one
799
00:45:30,661 --> 00:45:32,462
and work our way
back down that way.
800
00:45:34,732 --> 00:45:36,632
So it shows you in
real time where you are.
801
00:45:36,700 --> 00:45:39,068
It has the GPS receiver antenna.
802
00:45:39,136 --> 00:45:41,537
It has a built-in, very
sophisticated barometer,
803
00:45:41,605 --> 00:45:45,074
corrective satellites,
and a really nice math engine.
804
00:45:45,142 --> 00:45:47,243
All of that stuff together
means that once we're out here
805
00:45:47,311 --> 00:45:48,544
and we get a signal,
806
00:45:48,612 --> 00:45:51,647
you can walk for,
I think, over a kilometer.
807
00:45:51,715 --> 00:45:53,116
[ Device blips ]
Right now, I'm getting accuracy
808
00:45:53,183 --> 00:45:54,650
of 70 centimeters or so.
809
00:45:54,718 --> 00:45:57,854
Alright, let me look
over this edge here.
810
00:45:57,921 --> 00:46:05,921
♪
811
00:46:06,163 --> 00:46:07,263
[ Device blipping ]
812
00:46:07,331 --> 00:46:12,835
♪
813
00:46:12,903 --> 00:46:15,104
This whole thing was paved.
814
00:46:15,172 --> 00:46:17,673
It's all covered in sediment.
815
00:46:17,741 --> 00:46:21,911
That whole surface you're
walking on was paved, Doug.
816
00:46:21,945 --> 00:46:24,814
Preston: Oh, I see, yeah.
I see it. I see them.
817
00:46:28,786 --> 00:46:31,087
Preston: Standing at
the base of the pyramid
818
00:46:31,155 --> 00:46:34,490
and being utterly unable to tell
that there was a pyramid there,
819
00:46:34,558 --> 00:46:35,691
or that you were anywhere but
820
00:46:35,759 --> 00:46:37,894
in the densest jungle --
It was weird.
821
00:46:37,961 --> 00:46:41,631
I was thinking, "god, is this
all we're gonna be able to see?"
822
00:46:41,698 --> 00:46:49,698
♪
823
00:46:50,174 --> 00:46:51,641
I mean, there was
clearly stuff there,
824
00:46:51,708 --> 00:46:53,309
but you really had
to seek it out
825
00:46:53,377 --> 00:46:56,679
and then you could only
see a tiny piece of it.
826
00:46:56,747 --> 00:46:58,915
Fisher: There's no other
rock up here, right?
827
00:46:58,982 --> 00:47:00,850
It's been shaped
into a square pattern,
828
00:47:00,918 --> 00:47:02,952
so it's basically like
a block or a brick.
829
00:47:03,020 --> 00:47:06,155
And it was hauled up
here and then placed
830
00:47:06,223 --> 00:47:08,958
on top of this,
on top of this earth.
831
00:47:09,026 --> 00:47:12,595
They're delimiting the edges
of plazas and structures,
832
00:47:12,663 --> 00:47:14,130
and they're basically
like foundations
833
00:47:14,198 --> 00:47:15,231
or construction stone.
834
00:47:15,265 --> 00:47:16,632
I think it's pretty awesome.
835
00:47:16,700 --> 00:47:22,038
We have to check all of them for
petroglyphs or anything else.
836
00:47:22,105 --> 00:47:23,539
It's really nice
to find these here.
837
00:47:23,607 --> 00:47:25,541
It's amazing
confirmation of what
838
00:47:25,609 --> 00:47:27,910
we've been thinking
and talking about.
839
00:47:27,978 --> 00:47:33,549
♪
840
00:47:33,617 --> 00:47:39,188
♪
841
00:47:39,256 --> 00:47:40,623
Preston:
Where the canyon cut through,
842
00:47:40,691 --> 00:47:43,059
you could see where it would
have been paved the stone.
843
00:47:43,126 --> 00:47:44,594
It's really hard to --
844
00:47:44,661 --> 00:47:46,095
These are covered up.
We've got to cut it away.
845
00:47:46,163 --> 00:47:47,263
They're completely covered.
846
00:47:47,331 --> 00:47:50,132
Here's another stone, but
they have to be uncovered,
847
00:47:50,200 --> 00:47:55,004
and then Chris is gonna GPS
each one of them to Mark them
848
00:47:55,072 --> 00:47:57,874
and then map them
onto the lidar map,
849
00:47:57,941 --> 00:47:59,442
and then we'll see
where they are.
850
00:47:59,509 --> 00:48:02,345
These are the stones.
They're big. They're shaped.
851
00:48:02,412 --> 00:48:05,982
You can see packing --
Can you zoom in?
852
00:48:06,049 --> 00:48:08,317
Did you go to the top?
853
00:48:08,385 --> 00:48:09,452
'Cause in the lidar, it showed
854
00:48:09,519 --> 00:48:11,187
what looked like
a rectangle on the top.
855
00:48:17,027 --> 00:48:18,728
Well, maybe if we clear
the brush, we could see it.
856
00:48:20,297 --> 00:48:22,064
What about the Plaza itself?
857
00:48:22,132 --> 00:48:24,567
We only got to one Plaza,
Steve, we didn't even --
858
00:48:24,635 --> 00:48:26,702
Did you go to the one
next to the pyramid?
859
00:48:26,770 --> 00:48:27,803
The big one?
Mm-hmm.
860
00:48:27,871 --> 00:48:29,705
But we didn't find
any ceramics at all,
861
00:48:29,773 --> 00:48:31,307
so who the hell knows?
862
00:48:31,375 --> 00:48:34,210
And we're not gonna see
any in that cover.
863
00:48:34,278 --> 00:48:37,780
So on a scale of
your expectations,
864
00:48:37,814 --> 00:48:40,182
how would you rate it?
865
00:48:40,250 --> 00:48:42,585
It feels bigger in person.
866
00:48:42,653 --> 00:48:46,122
I think we've only seen
one tenth of it so far,
867
00:48:46,156 --> 00:48:47,890
so I have to reserve
my expectations
868
00:48:47,958 --> 00:48:49,025
until we see the rest of it.
869
00:48:49,092 --> 00:48:50,793
My confidence level's
at 80 percent.
870
00:48:56,466 --> 00:48:57,833
I guess we'll see.
871
00:49:07,744 --> 00:49:15,744
♪
872
00:49:17,587 --> 00:49:18,721
[ Groaning ]
873
00:49:18,789 --> 00:49:23,326
♪
874
00:49:23,393 --> 00:49:25,127
That'll warm you up.
875
00:49:25,162 --> 00:49:26,595
[ Chuckles ]
I'm awake now.
876
00:49:26,663 --> 00:49:29,065
Fisher: That's the pyramid,
right there in front of you.
877
00:49:29,099 --> 00:49:30,166
Where is the pyramid?
878
00:49:30,233 --> 00:49:31,867
Right there.
You're looking at it.
879
00:49:33,670 --> 00:49:35,338
A big lump.
880
00:49:35,405 --> 00:49:39,008
Can't say I see a
whole lot from here.
881
00:49:39,076 --> 00:49:41,177
That's what it is.
That's a pyramid.
882
00:49:41,244 --> 00:49:42,244
It's made out of earth.
883
00:49:42,312 --> 00:49:44,613
Well, that's probably the base.
884
00:49:44,681 --> 00:49:47,583
I mean, how many years
has this been in decay,
885
00:49:47,651 --> 00:49:50,586
and all this debris
is piled up on top?
886
00:49:50,654 --> 00:49:53,389
Preston: You want to have that
big moment where you suddenly
887
00:49:53,457 --> 00:49:55,124
see the city through the trees,
888
00:49:55,192 --> 00:49:58,861
but visually, it's
very anticlimactic.
889
00:49:58,929 --> 00:50:02,031
Without the lidar data,
we would have had no idea
890
00:50:02,065 --> 00:50:04,567
that we were standing
on a temple site,
891
00:50:04,634 --> 00:50:07,703
but the lidar could see
the contours of the city
892
00:50:07,771 --> 00:50:10,072
extending deep into the jungle,
893
00:50:10,140 --> 00:50:14,944
so it becomes easier to imagine
what might have once been here.
894
00:50:15,045 --> 00:50:18,681
That these mounds of earth
are covering crumbled walls
895
00:50:18,748 --> 00:50:22,718
where houses and
majestic temples once stood.
896
00:50:22,786 --> 00:50:28,124
It's all hidden by
centuries of overgrowth.
897
00:50:28,191 --> 00:50:32,128
Excavating this area is
at least a 20-year project.
898
00:50:32,195 --> 00:50:40,102
♪
899
00:50:40,170 --> 00:50:41,604
Fisher: We're standing
right here.
900
00:50:41,671 --> 00:50:42,905
We're on that
mountain. Okay, so...
901
00:50:42,973 --> 00:50:43,906
We're looking down this way,
902
00:50:43,974 --> 00:50:45,508
so you have a sunken
Plaza, sunken Plaza.
903
00:50:45,575 --> 00:50:47,176
I don't know what that is,
that connection.
904
00:50:47,243 --> 00:50:49,278
Preston: Steve, what do you want
to do? Where do you want to go?
905
00:50:49,346 --> 00:50:51,047
What I would like to do,
before you go wandering off,
906
00:50:51,114 --> 00:50:52,748
I'd like to go back
up there and go down
907
00:50:52,816 --> 00:50:55,217
to what looks like that
little promenade or something.
908
00:50:55,285 --> 00:50:57,520
Yeah. I'd like to just
follow that for a little bit.
909
00:50:57,587 --> 00:50:59,622
Fisher: Okay. Remember, we have
the ball court area over here
910
00:50:59,689 --> 00:51:01,390
which has not been explored.
911
00:51:01,458 --> 00:51:03,559
We could look in there
for a marker as well.
912
00:51:03,627 --> 00:51:05,161
Okay, we haven't done that yet.
913
00:51:05,228 --> 00:51:06,362
How far is that?
914
00:51:06,430 --> 00:51:08,130
It's over there. Right
there. You can see it.
915
00:51:08,198 --> 00:51:10,666
"Over there" is how far?
10 meters.
916
00:51:10,734 --> 00:51:12,368
Let's go do that first, then.
917
00:51:12,436 --> 00:51:13,769
Okay.
918
00:51:13,837 --> 00:51:18,908
♪
919
00:51:18,975 --> 00:51:23,412
Elkins: So after a while, you
go, "okay, this all there is?"
920
00:51:23,480 --> 00:51:25,047
I'm starting to fear that after
921
00:51:25,115 --> 00:51:27,783
all this time
and money and effort,
922
00:51:27,818 --> 00:51:29,852
we'd have nothing
to show for it.
923
00:51:29,920 --> 00:51:33,289
And we're mapping everything
we saw on the lidar.
924
00:51:33,356 --> 00:51:36,592
Problem is, they're pretty
much invisible to your eye,
925
00:51:36,660 --> 00:51:38,661
unless you're
a trained archeologist.
926
00:51:38,728 --> 00:51:42,765
♪
927
00:51:42,799 --> 00:51:46,102
This is definitely hard stone,
and this has been cut.
928
00:51:46,169 --> 00:51:49,305
Look how smooth this is, here.
929
00:51:49,372 --> 00:51:50,973
Maybe the other side
has the monkey god.
930
00:51:51,041 --> 00:51:53,242
[ Chuckling ]
931
00:51:53,343 --> 00:51:55,811
Everything is covered in dirt
and trees and vegetation.
932
00:51:55,879 --> 00:51:57,480
I didn't think we were gonna
have anything we could
933
00:51:57,547 --> 00:52:00,349
actually show
that would be exciting.
934
00:52:02,652 --> 00:52:03,953
Can't exactly take back
935
00:52:04,020 --> 00:52:06,222
a foundation of
a pyramid with you.
936
00:52:06,289 --> 00:52:10,593
♪
937
00:52:10,660 --> 00:52:11,994
Elkins: Chris Fisher!
938
00:52:12,062 --> 00:52:13,095
Fisher: Look at these rocks!
939
00:52:15,198 --> 00:52:16,165
I mean, it's unbelievable.
940
00:52:16,233 --> 00:52:18,033
Those big, quartz rocks
supporting it.
941
00:52:18,101 --> 00:52:19,401
This is like a table.
942
00:52:19,469 --> 00:52:22,004
It's got this really cool vein
of quartz or something.
943
00:52:22,038 --> 00:52:23,572
Cruz: Can we scan a
little bit more here?
944
00:52:27,277 --> 00:52:28,344
What did I tell you?
945
00:52:30,780 --> 00:52:32,148
Elkins: No, it didn't
fall in this position.
946
00:52:32,215 --> 00:52:33,849
If you look underneath,
there's quartz stones
947
00:52:33,917 --> 00:52:35,251
that are supporting this.
948
00:52:35,318 --> 00:52:37,887
Fisher: I don't know if the
speculation about the quartz
949
00:52:37,954 --> 00:52:39,088
and the orientation and stuff,
950
00:52:39,156 --> 00:52:40,589
is something I'm that
comfortable with.
951
00:52:40,657 --> 00:52:43,025
We don't know.
We have no idea about it.
952
00:52:43,093 --> 00:52:44,727
Elkins: Well, that's the whole
point. We're all guessing.
953
00:52:44,794 --> 00:52:46,762
We're going, "alright.
This is an idea."
954
00:52:46,830 --> 00:52:48,097
No one knows for sure.
955
00:52:48,165 --> 00:52:49,765
There's been other examples
956
00:52:49,833 --> 00:52:52,001
of these kind of
astronomical orientations.
957
00:52:52,068 --> 00:52:53,802
Possibly it is and
possibly it isn't.
958
00:52:53,870 --> 00:52:56,238
But why wouldn't you
want to discuss it?
959
00:52:56,306 --> 00:52:57,806
Why you want to
say flat out, "no."
960
00:52:57,874 --> 00:52:59,675
Because it's not in place.
961
00:52:59,743 --> 00:53:02,344
It's just guessing.
962
00:53:02,412 --> 00:53:04,780
And by having a lot
of multiple eyes look at it
963
00:53:04,848 --> 00:53:07,483
with reasonable expectations,
you might find the answer.
964
00:53:07,551 --> 00:53:08,751
Okay.
965
00:53:08,818 --> 00:53:10,419
We're not gonna be able
to get a lot of answers
966
00:53:10,487 --> 00:53:12,188
in the short time we're here,
967
00:53:12,255 --> 00:53:13,489
who knows?
968
00:53:13,557 --> 00:53:21,557
♪
969
00:53:23,733 --> 00:53:24,667
Cohen: Okay.
970
00:53:24,734 --> 00:53:32,734
♪
971
00:53:33,043 --> 00:53:34,376
Elkins: Well, we're walking
back and forth
972
00:53:34,444 --> 00:53:37,346
in the same area several times,
and we're heading back to camp
973
00:53:37,414 --> 00:53:39,215
towards the end
of the afternoon,
974
00:53:39,282 --> 00:53:40,649
then all of a sudden...
975
00:53:40,717 --> 00:53:41,483
Fisher: See this?
976
00:53:41,551 --> 00:53:42,351
Gonzalez: There's a heap.
977
00:53:42,419 --> 00:53:43,519
There are inscriptions
right here.
978
00:53:43,553 --> 00:53:45,387
There are?
Yes.
979
00:53:45,455 --> 00:53:48,424
On the edge here,
at least decorations, anyway.
980
00:53:59,569 --> 00:54:00,869
Elkins: Well, we're walking
back and forth
981
00:54:00,971 --> 00:54:03,806
in the same area several times,
and we're heading back to camp
982
00:54:03,873 --> 00:54:05,674
towards the end
of the afternoon,
983
00:54:05,742 --> 00:54:07,109
then all of a sudden...
984
00:54:07,177 --> 00:54:07,943
Fisher: See this?
985
00:54:08,011 --> 00:54:08,811
Gonzalez: There's a heap.
986
00:54:08,878 --> 00:54:09,979
There are inscriptions
right here.
987
00:54:10,046 --> 00:54:11,847
There are?
Yes.
988
00:54:11,915 --> 00:54:14,550
On the edge here,
at least decorations, anyway.
989
00:54:14,618 --> 00:54:15,651
Yep, that's it.
990
00:54:15,685 --> 00:54:17,052
Cruz: Wow, wow, wow!
Look at that!
991
00:54:17,120 --> 00:54:20,656
[ Indistinct exclamations ]
992
00:54:20,724 --> 00:54:22,091
Pay dirt. Look at this!
993
00:54:22,158 --> 00:54:25,728
Whoa, whoa! Everybody
stop! Back off.
994
00:54:25,795 --> 00:54:29,398
Don't touch anything.
Don't clear anything, please.
995
00:54:29,432 --> 00:54:32,368
Yeah. See that.
Here's a monkey.
996
00:54:32,435 --> 00:54:33,936
Elkins:
We got a monkey?
997
00:54:34,004 --> 00:54:36,505
Yeah, that's...
998
00:54:36,573 --> 00:54:38,807
Excuse me.
Gonzalez: Oh, my goodness.
999
00:54:38,875 --> 00:54:40,743
Fisher: Okay, guys.
I need --
1000
00:54:40,810 --> 00:54:43,345
No, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa!
Nobody walk on this!
1001
00:54:43,413 --> 00:54:45,748
Nobody walk on this stuff.
Everybody back up.
1002
00:54:45,815 --> 00:54:46,815
Yep. I know.
1003
00:54:46,883 --> 00:54:49,318
I'm standing right
here for a reason.
1004
00:54:49,386 --> 00:54:50,486
Whoa -- Steve!
1005
00:54:50,553 --> 00:54:53,522
I'm putting my stick
there. Cool it, man.
1006
00:54:55,125 --> 00:54:57,393
This is great.
This is the real thing.
1007
00:54:57,460 --> 00:54:59,862
Wow. That's our monkey god.
1008
00:54:59,929 --> 00:55:01,030
Gonzalez: There's
our monkey.
1009
00:55:01,097 --> 00:55:03,065
Cuidad blanca, the lost city of
the monkey god.
1010
00:55:03,099 --> 00:55:07,970
You can't touch it, carve it,
scrape anything off,
1011
00:55:08,038 --> 00:55:12,875
because he needs to register
where this is, as a site.
1012
00:55:12,942 --> 00:55:15,577
Elkins: One of the first things
that I saw was the head
1013
00:55:15,645 --> 00:55:17,246
of what I thought
was a monkey effigy
1014
00:55:17,313 --> 00:55:18,814
sticking out of the ground.
1015
00:55:18,882 --> 00:55:20,949
Somebody said, "yeah,
it looks like a monkey,
1016
00:55:20,984 --> 00:55:23,419
except the ears
are on top of its head."
1017
00:55:23,486 --> 00:55:26,355
As much as I didn't want to
admit it, this was not a monkey.
1018
00:55:26,423 --> 00:55:28,857
It was a more
feline-looking character.
1019
00:55:33,229 --> 00:55:35,130
Preston: I have never --
I've been to many
1020
00:55:35,198 --> 00:55:37,566
archeological sites
in my life --
1021
00:55:37,634 --> 00:55:38,967
I've never seen anything
1022
00:55:39,035 --> 00:55:43,405
so pristine, so untouched
as this.
1023
00:55:43,473 --> 00:55:45,808
This is what I dreamed
about, you know?
1024
00:55:45,909 --> 00:55:48,610
We really found something.
This is just the beginning.
1025
00:55:52,015 --> 00:55:55,784
When that cache was found,
that changed everything.
1026
00:55:55,852 --> 00:55:59,688
52 sculptures poking
up out of the ground,
1027
00:55:59,756 --> 00:56:03,058
and they're all in one spot,
in a very small area
1028
00:56:03,126 --> 00:56:07,396
of maybe 200-300 square feet.
1029
00:56:07,464 --> 00:56:08,964
Elkins: This is
the big thing here, guys.
1030
00:56:11,835 --> 00:56:13,902
Chris, we can step where there's
no obvious thing. Come on.
1031
00:56:13,970 --> 00:56:15,537
Fisher: There's stuff
under all of this.
1032
00:56:15,605 --> 00:56:17,539
Well, the whole place
is full of stuff!
1033
00:56:17,607 --> 00:56:19,208
We're not crushing
anything. Come on.
1034
00:56:19,275 --> 00:56:21,543
We're just taking pictures.
1035
00:56:21,611 --> 00:56:23,011
Preston: What are we gonna
do with this stuff?
1036
00:56:23,079 --> 00:56:24,513
We'd love to just dig it up.
1037
00:56:24,581 --> 00:56:26,582
I don't know if we have
to do rescue archeology
1038
00:56:26,649 --> 00:56:29,184
to get some of this stuff out
or they can take their time.
1039
00:56:29,252 --> 00:56:32,321
I don't know. I mean,
this is a political call now.
1040
00:56:32,389 --> 00:56:34,289
You know, in a way,
we've opened up pandora's box
1041
00:56:34,357 --> 00:56:37,559
yeah, because a lot of people
now know exactly where this is.
1042
00:56:37,627 --> 00:56:39,161
Right.
1043
00:56:39,229 --> 00:56:44,199
♪
1044
00:56:44,267 --> 00:56:46,702
I mean, this to me --
This is the vindication.
1045
00:56:46,770 --> 00:56:47,903
I've never seen
anything like that.
1046
00:56:47,971 --> 00:56:49,505
This is museum stuff.
1047
00:56:53,109 --> 00:56:55,177
I'm glad I've lived
to see this day.
1048
00:56:55,245 --> 00:57:03,245
♪
1049
00:57:04,587 --> 00:57:12,587
♪
1050
00:57:19,436 --> 00:57:22,938
There's some concern if we
leave stuff totally undisturbed,
1051
00:57:23,006 --> 00:57:25,073
will it be here
when someone comes back?
1052
00:57:25,141 --> 00:57:27,576
There's a narco lord
with an airstrip close by,
1053
00:57:27,644 --> 00:57:29,745
with unlimited amounts of money,
1054
00:57:29,813 --> 00:57:33,849
and the cat's out of the bag,
in terms of what's here.
1055
00:57:33,917 --> 00:57:36,318
It's sort of
very difficult to control,
1056
00:57:36,352 --> 00:57:38,320
so dilemma is, what do we do?
1057
00:57:38,388 --> 00:57:41,390
You know, do we try and save
a couple of these items
1058
00:57:41,458 --> 00:57:45,327
that will exemplify
what it is we've found,
1059
00:57:45,395 --> 00:57:47,763
and maybe create more interest
around the world
1060
00:57:47,831 --> 00:57:49,965
to hurry up and
generate more money
1061
00:57:50,033 --> 00:57:51,934
so people can get
in here quicker?
1062
00:57:52,001 --> 00:57:54,102
Or do we leave it in Situ,
1063
00:57:54,170 --> 00:57:57,473
and with the hopes that
in some time in the future
1064
00:57:57,540 --> 00:58:00,042
there will be the money,
and people will come out here
1065
00:58:00,044 --> 00:58:02,344
and that stuff won't
be stolen by then.
1066
00:58:02,412 --> 00:58:03,912
It stays.
1067
00:58:03,980 --> 00:58:05,447
Can't remove any of the pieces.
1068
00:58:05,515 --> 00:58:08,617
If it's gone, it's gone.
That's on the Hondurans.
1069
00:58:08,651 --> 00:58:13,188
It's a giant, three-dimensional
jigsaw puzzle,
1070
00:58:13,256 --> 00:58:15,858
and you can't take out
one piece like that.
1071
00:58:15,925 --> 00:58:18,393
It just doesn't -- that
kind of situation
1072
00:58:18,461 --> 00:58:19,962
just doesn't work like that.
1073
00:58:20,029 --> 00:58:22,798
Benenson: But what about
if we leave here,
1074
00:58:22,865 --> 00:58:24,766
the next time
someone comes back in --
1075
00:58:24,834 --> 00:58:27,836
You come back in a year or two
from now, there's nothing left.
1076
00:58:27,904 --> 00:58:29,638
That's fine?
1077
00:58:29,739 --> 00:58:31,106
That absolutely sucks,
1078
00:58:31,174 --> 00:58:34,943
but we can't just take one
or two pieces out like that,
1079
00:58:35,011 --> 00:58:37,012
because we'll lose --
Besides just saying "you can't,"
1080
00:58:37,080 --> 00:58:38,847
explain to me
the logic behind that.
1081
00:58:38,915 --> 00:58:42,084
By pulling out pieces
Willy nilly,
1082
00:58:42,151 --> 00:58:45,053
we lose a lot of information.
1083
00:58:45,121 --> 00:58:48,657
We lose the complete
context for the piece.
1084
00:58:48,725 --> 00:58:50,859
But if we record its position,
1085
00:58:50,927 --> 00:58:52,628
we photograph with
your lidar scan,
1086
00:58:52,695 --> 00:58:54,496
everything in its position.
1087
00:58:54,564 --> 00:58:57,199
The lidar scanner
will not record it
1088
00:58:57,267 --> 00:58:59,434
in the kind of detail
that you're thinking.
1089
00:58:59,502 --> 00:59:02,905
But what information are we
losing, other than its position
1090
00:59:02,972 --> 00:59:04,940
relative to other objects?
1091
00:59:05,008 --> 00:59:06,608
And the objects below it.
1092
00:59:06,643 --> 00:59:08,610
That's the most
important information.
1093
00:59:08,678 --> 00:59:10,879
The context of the bowl
is what's important,
1094
00:59:10,947 --> 00:59:13,048
and the undisturbed context
1095
00:59:13,116 --> 00:59:16,351
of the entire cache
is what's unique.
1096
00:59:16,419 --> 00:59:18,120
Cohen: I'm afraid I would
have to agree with Chris.
1097
00:59:18,187 --> 00:59:20,355
I feel incredibly
uncomfortable excavating
1098
00:59:20,423 --> 00:59:22,257
something out of context.
1099
00:59:22,325 --> 00:59:26,028
Learning about the architecture
around that cache --
1100
00:59:26,095 --> 00:59:27,029
What does that mean?
1101
00:59:27,130 --> 00:59:29,164
If you just take out
a bowl or a seat,
1102
00:59:29,232 --> 00:59:31,500
or whatever those artifacts are,
1103
00:59:31,568 --> 00:59:32,935
we don't know what
their function was.
1104
00:59:33,002 --> 00:59:34,736
We don't know what
they were used for.
1105
00:59:34,804 --> 00:59:36,071
It makes me uncomfortable
just to think
1106
00:59:36,139 --> 00:59:38,840
about excavating it right now.
1107
00:59:38,908 --> 00:59:41,810
I won't do it.
1108
00:59:41,878 --> 00:59:43,011
Okay.
1109
00:59:43,079 --> 00:59:45,147
It really puts me in a
precarious position,
1110
00:59:45,214 --> 00:59:46,815
professionally.
1111
00:59:46,883 --> 00:59:50,152
If you're talking about
sending a team up here
1112
00:59:50,219 --> 00:59:53,889
to spend a month
excavating the cache,
1113
00:59:53,957 --> 00:59:55,490
that's a different thing,
1114
00:59:55,558 --> 00:59:59,127
if the president wants to give
a permit for that to happen,
1115
00:59:59,162 --> 01:00:00,395
that's great.
1116
01:00:00,463 --> 01:00:03,966
An academic expedition
in here might take years,
1117
01:00:04,033 --> 01:00:06,134
and then what happens if --
1118
01:00:06,202 --> 01:00:10,806
Let's say my view is correct,
that it's been looted?
1119
01:00:10,873 --> 01:00:14,142
Has that protected the site?
1120
01:00:17,480 --> 01:00:19,815
The value of pulling a single
stone bowl out of there is,
1121
01:00:19,882 --> 01:00:21,350
there is no value to it.
1122
01:00:21,417 --> 01:00:23,485
Well, I know what makes
people excited,
1123
01:00:23,519 --> 01:00:25,487
and makes them want
to give up their money
1124
01:00:25,555 --> 01:00:28,890
and invest in -- to put money
up to do these things.
1125
01:00:28,958 --> 01:00:32,628
So if they see something,
and they can touch it,
1126
01:00:32,695 --> 01:00:34,329
then they get excited about it,
1127
01:00:34,397 --> 01:00:36,298
and then they go,
"yes, we'll contribute.
1128
01:00:36,332 --> 01:00:38,166
Yeah, let's get a team
there right away."
1129
01:00:38,234 --> 01:00:40,869
So are we talking about taking
a bowl out to demonstrate
1130
01:00:40,937 --> 01:00:42,838
that there's something there?
1131
01:00:42,905 --> 01:00:44,640
Or are we talking
about taking a bowl out
1132
01:00:44,707 --> 01:00:46,475
because we're afraid
it's going to get looted?
1133
01:00:46,542 --> 01:00:48,110
So we're talking about
1134
01:00:48,177 --> 01:00:50,712
taking a bowl out of there
for a marketing idea.
1135
01:00:50,780 --> 01:00:53,115
It's both. It's
two sides of the coin.
1136
01:00:53,149 --> 01:00:54,683
Taking a single bowl out --
1137
01:00:54,751 --> 01:00:58,720
Then they're just gonna
come up and get the other 50.
1138
01:00:58,788 --> 01:01:00,455
No academic archeologist
1139
01:01:00,490 --> 01:01:02,924
will touch this project
after that happens.
1140
01:01:05,261 --> 01:01:10,065
And I absolutely --
I cannot condone it.
1141
01:01:10,099 --> 01:01:12,434
You will lose all
academic credibility,
1142
01:01:12,502 --> 01:01:14,536
probably, within the
archeological community,
1143
01:01:14,604 --> 01:01:16,538
if you pull something
out like that.
1144
01:01:16,606 --> 01:01:19,808
You will be seen
as treasure hunters.
1145
01:01:26,382 --> 01:01:34,322
♪
1146
01:01:34,390 --> 01:01:41,096
♪
1147
01:01:41,163 --> 01:01:43,465
Elkins: We made the difficult
decision to leave the site as-is
1148
01:01:43,499 --> 01:01:45,867
and simply record
the location of the objects
1149
01:01:45,968 --> 01:01:47,836
with terrestrial lidar.
1150
01:01:47,904 --> 01:01:49,771
Our fears of looting
were put to rest
1151
01:01:49,839 --> 01:01:51,406
when the president
ordered the soldiers
1152
01:01:51,474 --> 01:01:53,141
to stay on and guard the site.
1153
01:01:53,209 --> 01:01:58,046
♪
1154
01:01:58,114 --> 01:02:01,183
[ Note playing ]
1155
01:02:01,250 --> 01:02:07,856
♪
1156
01:02:25,508 --> 01:02:28,210
Fisher: Lidar is the ultimate
conservation tool.
1157
01:02:28,277 --> 01:02:29,711
Archeological sites
are disappearing
1158
01:02:29,779 --> 01:02:32,380
at a really rapid rate, and
that's one of the great things
1159
01:02:32,448 --> 01:02:34,683
about these lidar records,
1160
01:02:34,750 --> 01:02:37,319
is all of a sudden
we have this big data
1161
01:02:37,386 --> 01:02:38,854
that we've never had before --
1162
01:02:38,921 --> 01:02:42,424
But then we open up
a pandora's box.
1163
01:02:42,492 --> 01:02:46,862
Once we find this stuff
and it sort of gets publicized,
1164
01:02:46,929 --> 01:02:48,563
we have to work to protect it.
1165
01:02:48,631 --> 01:02:56,631
♪
1166
01:02:58,274 --> 01:03:06,274
♪
1167
01:03:07,950 --> 01:03:10,252
Elkins: As I'm getting
on the helicopter,
1168
01:03:10,319 --> 01:03:12,654
I obviously had a great
feeling of satisfaction
1169
01:03:12,722 --> 01:03:14,623
that we accomplished so much,
1170
01:03:14,690 --> 01:03:19,094
and was almost a fulfillment
of this multi-decade dream.
1171
01:03:19,162 --> 01:03:24,599
♪
1172
01:03:24,667 --> 01:03:26,334
As soon as we got
out of the jungle,
1173
01:03:26,402 --> 01:03:29,471
the president of Honduras
expressed an interest
1174
01:03:29,539 --> 01:03:31,339
that this discovery be reported
1175
01:03:31,407 --> 01:03:32,574
as quickly as possible,
1176
01:03:32,642 --> 01:03:34,810
so I wrote a little
800-word piece,
1177
01:03:34,877 --> 01:03:36,845
and the publication
of that little news piece
1178
01:03:36,913 --> 01:03:39,181
caused quite a stir, actually --
1179
01:03:39,248 --> 01:03:42,083
I guess the word "furor"
is not inaccurate --
1180
01:03:42,151 --> 01:03:46,788
Among scholars, who put
together a letter of protest
1181
01:03:46,856 --> 01:03:49,858
about what we were doing,
which became public
1182
01:03:49,926 --> 01:03:53,695
and was signed by a number
of archeologists and students
1183
01:03:53,763 --> 01:03:55,497
who were working in Honduras.
1184
01:03:55,565 --> 01:03:58,500
Maggie: They have sufficiently
tweaked you,
1185
01:03:58,568 --> 01:04:02,237
but there's no way to win in
a [bleep] match with [bleep]
1186
01:04:02,305 --> 01:04:05,006
Benenson: Maggie, you've
made your point very well.
1187
01:04:05,074 --> 01:04:06,708
Chris, where are you?
1188
01:04:06,776 --> 01:04:09,144
What are you thinking
you want to do?
1189
01:04:14,283 --> 01:04:16,251
Elkins: All of a sudden,
there's a group of academics --
1190
01:04:16,319 --> 01:04:17,385
Many of the same ones that had
1191
01:04:17,453 --> 01:04:19,754
chastised us
several years before --
1192
01:04:19,822 --> 01:04:23,225
Claiming what we did
was really a bunch of b.S.,
1193
01:04:23,292 --> 01:04:25,694
and we didn't have
the right people.
1194
01:04:25,761 --> 01:04:26,928
One of my concerns,
1195
01:04:26,996 --> 01:04:28,797
and the concerns of my
colleagues is that,
1196
01:04:28,865 --> 01:04:30,732
because it was initiated
by people
1197
01:04:30,800 --> 01:04:33,168
who weren't
archeologists themselves,
1198
01:04:33,236 --> 01:04:34,536
there's been a disregard
1199
01:04:34,604 --> 01:04:37,305
for what archeology
actually knows.
1200
01:04:37,373 --> 01:04:39,007
Preston: In reading the letter,
1201
01:04:39,075 --> 01:04:43,411
one criticism is failure
to acknowledge local knowledge.
1202
01:04:43,479 --> 01:04:45,747
Archeology has long
had a problem
1203
01:04:45,814 --> 01:04:49,084
with talking about
discoveries of things
1204
01:04:49,151 --> 01:04:53,555
that were well-known
to indigenous people.
1205
01:04:53,623 --> 01:04:59,160
Fact of the matter is, there is
no local presence in that area.
1206
01:04:59,228 --> 01:05:03,531
It is a wilderness, in the true
sense of of that word --
1207
01:05:03,566 --> 01:05:05,934
A place without roads,
electricity,
1208
01:05:06,002 --> 01:05:08,370
permanent human settlement.
1209
01:05:10,339 --> 01:05:14,476
Indigenous knowledge is a very
important part of this story,
1210
01:05:14,543 --> 01:05:17,078
and it's complicated,
because when
1211
01:05:17,146 --> 01:05:20,215
the Rio platano biosphere
reserve was created,
1212
01:05:20,283 --> 01:05:23,885
indigenous settlements
were actually relocated,
1213
01:05:23,953 --> 01:05:28,456
and the access of people
to this area was restricted.
1214
01:05:28,524 --> 01:05:30,225
The reason why it's important
1215
01:05:30,293 --> 01:05:33,395
is because generations
of American schoolchildren
1216
01:05:33,462 --> 01:05:36,131
have been taught that
Columbus discovered america.
1217
01:05:36,198 --> 01:05:38,033
The idea that indigenous people,
1218
01:05:38,100 --> 01:05:40,602
their territories,
their sacred sites,
1219
01:05:40,670 --> 01:05:43,238
their artifacts, their culture,
are discovered
1220
01:05:43,306 --> 01:05:47,142
by white Europeans is very
offensive to indigenous people.
1221
01:05:47,209 --> 01:05:48,910
They've known about
these things all along.
1222
01:05:48,978 --> 01:05:52,147
They may be new to the
Europeans who've just arrived,
1223
01:05:52,214 --> 01:05:54,115
but they're very resentful
of being "discovered."
1224
01:05:54,183 --> 01:05:56,651
Almost every significant
archeological discovery
1225
01:05:56,719 --> 01:06:00,655
made at mosquitia was
because indigenous people
1226
01:06:00,723 --> 01:06:02,757
brought the archeologists
to that site
1227
01:06:02,825 --> 01:06:04,459
and showed them the site.
1228
01:06:04,527 --> 01:06:07,929
However, this site
is almost unique
1229
01:06:07,964 --> 01:06:09,965
in not having been
discovered that way.
1230
01:06:10,032 --> 01:06:13,868
We knew this place was virgin,
and there's no refuting it.
1231
01:06:13,936 --> 01:06:16,771
The narrative of discovery has
been an essential part of this
1232
01:06:16,839 --> 01:06:19,040
from the very beginning.
1233
01:06:19,108 --> 01:06:21,943
Preston: The next point was,
the expedition had engaged
1234
01:06:22,011 --> 01:06:23,878
in exaggerated
claims of discovery --
1235
01:06:23,946 --> 01:06:28,116
That it was no bigger than
any other ruin in mosquitia,
1236
01:06:28,183 --> 01:06:29,551
and that we were
1237
01:06:29,618 --> 01:06:34,356
sensationalizing
archeological research.
1238
01:06:34,423 --> 01:06:37,392
My feeling as a journalist
was, it is sensational.
1239
01:06:37,460 --> 01:06:40,095
Amazing to think that
in the 21st century,
1240
01:06:40,129 --> 01:06:42,464
a lost city could
actually be discovered.
1241
01:06:42,531 --> 01:06:45,767
Archeology actually is
a very difficult thing to do.
1242
01:06:45,835 --> 01:06:49,004
It often takes years of work
with local communities
1243
01:06:49,071 --> 01:06:51,506
to have permission to go
into a particular area,
1244
01:06:51,574 --> 01:06:53,008
and I think it's probably
fair to say
1245
01:06:53,075 --> 01:06:56,678
that indigenous communities
are still mostly dissatisfied
1246
01:06:56,746 --> 01:06:58,546
with how that information
is being used
1247
01:06:58,614 --> 01:07:02,650
and still feel that they're not
having much come back to them,
1248
01:07:02,718 --> 01:07:07,022
in terms of what
they would like to have.
1249
01:07:07,089 --> 01:07:14,963
♪
1250
01:07:15,031 --> 01:07:22,837
♪
1251
01:07:22,905 --> 01:07:30,845
♪
1252
01:07:30,913 --> 01:07:32,580
Elkins: By this point,
we had gained the support
1253
01:07:32,648 --> 01:07:35,116
of a second presidential
administration.
1254
01:07:35,184 --> 01:07:37,152
[ Indistinct chatter ]
1255
01:07:37,219 --> 01:07:38,887
[ Speaking on mic in Spanish ]
1256
01:07:38,954 --> 01:07:41,256
[ Applause ]
1257
01:07:43,592 --> 01:07:45,527
[ Speaking in Spanish ]
1258
01:08:24,667 --> 01:08:25,700
[ Helicopter blades whirring ]
1259
01:08:50,626 --> 01:08:58,600
♪
1260
01:08:58,667 --> 01:09:00,301
Man: So, El presidente.
1261
01:09:06,709 --> 01:09:10,512
We are here with the president
and many government officials
1262
01:09:10,579 --> 01:09:15,116
to facilitate the planning
of the excavation.
1263
01:09:27,696 --> 01:09:30,131
Fisher: They certainly had
contact with the Maya.
1264
01:09:30,166 --> 01:09:31,699
They would have traded,
1265
01:09:31,767 --> 01:09:34,068
maybe exchanged people
and information,
1266
01:09:34,136 --> 01:09:36,504
but they were a completely
separate people,
1267
01:09:36,572 --> 01:09:37,906
and they were a people
that were centered
1268
01:09:37,973 --> 01:09:39,874
here in la mosquitia.
1269
01:09:39,942 --> 01:09:43,011
There are all of these
descriptions of these objects.
1270
01:09:45,347 --> 01:09:49,651
Nobody has ever systematically
excavated a cache like this.
1271
01:09:51,353 --> 01:09:53,888
It's -- I've never seen anything
like it, and I've worked in --
1272
01:09:58,661 --> 01:10:00,061
Maybe. [ Chuckles ]
1273
01:10:01,030 --> 01:10:04,532
Who is afraid of the curse
of the lost city?
1274
01:10:04,600 --> 01:10:06,501
Certainly not the explorers
1275
01:10:06,569 --> 01:10:10,471
who've been reliving their
adventures and misadventures.
1276
01:10:11,540 --> 01:10:14,075
Elkins: Maybe some press reports
may have blown it up
1277
01:10:14,143 --> 01:10:15,443
more than what it was,
1278
01:10:15,511 --> 01:10:17,679
but we never officially
said anything,
1279
01:10:17,746 --> 01:10:20,782
I think, that anybody could
really [bleep] about.
1280
01:10:20,849 --> 01:10:22,617
My feeling is that
the issue of urbanism
1281
01:10:22,685 --> 01:10:24,319
remains undemonstrated.
1282
01:10:24,386 --> 01:10:27,622
They will sell many, many
more articles and stories
1283
01:10:27,756 --> 01:10:31,859
and documentaries if it's
"the search for the lost city."
1284
01:10:31,927 --> 01:10:32,994
If the title had been
1285
01:10:33,062 --> 01:10:35,430
"the search for
the abandoned village,"
1286
01:10:35,497 --> 01:10:37,065
probably not so much.
1287
01:10:37,099 --> 01:10:42,470
♪
1288
01:10:42,538 --> 01:10:44,472
Elkins: About a month
after the expedition,
1289
01:10:44,540 --> 01:10:46,474
and we had thought that
everybody came through
1290
01:10:46,542 --> 01:10:49,244
everything without any injuries,
or so on and so forth --
1291
01:10:49,311 --> 01:10:52,747
In fact, we're congratulating
ourselves about that.
1292
01:10:52,815 --> 01:10:55,149
Some people's bug bites
didn't go away.
1293
01:10:55,217 --> 01:10:58,086
It starts off
as a little, hard cyst,
1294
01:10:58,120 --> 01:11:00,021
and then it developed
into kind of what
1295
01:11:00,089 --> 01:11:02,523
looked like sort of
a really bad bug bite --
1296
01:11:02,591 --> 01:11:04,525
But one of the characteristics
of it is that
1297
01:11:04,593 --> 01:11:07,161
it doesn't itch
and it doesn't hurt.
1298
01:11:07,229 --> 01:11:09,464
It's like, it doesn't
bother you at all.
1299
01:11:09,531 --> 01:11:10,865
You don't even feel it.
1300
01:11:10,933 --> 01:11:14,335
And that, I guess, is because
the tissue is necrotizing.
1301
01:11:14,403 --> 01:11:16,738
You know, you're not
feeling anything
1302
01:11:16,805 --> 01:11:18,806
because everything's dying.
1303
01:11:18,874 --> 01:11:20,141
The parasite's
killing everything.
1304
01:11:20,209 --> 01:11:25,280
So at a certain point,
it developed into a scab,
1305
01:11:25,347 --> 01:11:27,448
and then at one point,
1306
01:11:27,483 --> 01:11:29,517
the scab just crumbled
and fell off,
1307
01:11:29,585 --> 01:11:32,086
and that's when it turned
into an open sore.
1308
01:11:32,154 --> 01:11:33,054
Preston: There it is.
1309
01:11:33,122 --> 01:11:34,989
That's a pretty
bad looking lesion.
1310
01:11:45,901 --> 01:11:47,302
Elkins: Oh [bleep].
Holy [bleep].
1311
01:11:47,369 --> 01:11:50,772
That is classic leishmaniasis
crater.
1312
01:11:50,839 --> 01:11:53,574
That's a pretty, pretty
bad looking lesion.
1313
01:11:53,642 --> 01:11:57,045
Elkins: Between the Honduran
soldiers, the members of our team,
1314
01:11:57,112 --> 01:12:00,248
50 percent of those
that went on the expedition
1315
01:12:00,282 --> 01:12:02,450
got leishmaniasis infections.
1316
01:12:02,518 --> 01:12:05,119
There's so many bug bites
that it took a month for us
1317
01:12:05,154 --> 01:12:07,288
to see that that the one bite
1318
01:12:07,356 --> 01:12:09,657
that wasn't going away
was the leish bite.
1319
01:12:09,725 --> 01:12:12,627
And then I looked it up,
and that was pretty shocking.
1320
01:12:12,694 --> 01:12:15,897
Elkins: When you see images of
people who have leishmaniasis,
1321
01:12:15,964 --> 01:12:19,400
it's not the disease
that's doing the damage.
1322
01:12:19,468 --> 01:12:23,471
It's the body attacking itself
from reaction to the parasite.
1323
01:12:23,539 --> 01:12:26,140
Preston: The treatment is
very toxic, and there's a question
1324
01:12:26,208 --> 01:12:28,743
as to whether my body will
be able to tolerate it.
1325
01:12:28,811 --> 01:12:35,049
The n.I.H. Is the unquestionably
largest supporter
1326
01:12:35,117 --> 01:12:37,552
of neglected tropical
disease research
1327
01:12:37,586 --> 01:12:41,055
of any organization
or entity in the world.
1328
01:12:41,123 --> 01:12:45,927
Nash: Leishmaniasis is a one-celled
animal, which we call protozoa,
1329
01:12:45,994 --> 01:12:48,196
and it's a particular
type of protozoa.
1330
01:12:48,263 --> 01:12:52,400
It has a lifecycle, involves
a fly and a reservoir host,
1331
01:12:52,468 --> 01:12:56,337
and it's found in
many areas of the world.
1332
01:12:56,405 --> 01:12:59,307
But they're -- depending
on the species
1333
01:12:59,375 --> 01:13:01,876
and the fly and the population,
1334
01:13:01,944 --> 01:13:04,946
the manifestations
are somewhat different.
1335
01:13:05,013 --> 01:13:07,715
Our interest in that
stems from the fact
1336
01:13:07,783 --> 01:13:10,885
that there's
growing appreciation
1337
01:13:10,953 --> 01:13:13,721
of the importance
of these diseases,
1338
01:13:13,756 --> 01:13:16,057
particularly, as you
think in terms of,
1339
01:13:16,125 --> 01:13:19,694
we live in a global community,
and economically and otherwise,
1340
01:13:19,762 --> 01:13:22,130
the interactions
with different countries,
1341
01:13:22,197 --> 01:13:26,200
that it has gone
from kind of neglected --
1342
01:13:26,268 --> 01:13:28,936
In the sense of not only
neglected with resources,
1343
01:13:29,004 --> 01:13:31,406
but neglected
on the radar screen --
1344
01:13:31,473 --> 01:13:33,541
To now, people paying
much more attention.
1345
01:13:33,609 --> 01:13:35,910
You know, we weren't there
very long -- 8, 9 days --
1346
01:13:35,978 --> 01:13:37,945
And then, boom,
everyone gets it.
1347
01:13:38,013 --> 01:13:39,647
Even the Hondurans got it.
1348
01:13:39,715 --> 01:13:41,682
Nash: You know, we don't
usually see epidemics.
1349
01:13:41,750 --> 01:13:46,988
You know, this would be
defined as an epidemic.
1350
01:13:47,055 --> 01:13:48,756
I probably wouldn't
have been surprised
1351
01:13:48,824 --> 01:13:54,962
if all 22 had come down with it,
given the frequency of bites.
1352
01:13:54,997 --> 01:13:57,131
You were clearly in a habitat
1353
01:13:57,199 --> 01:14:02,003
where there were reservoir
animals, other animals,
1354
01:14:02,070 --> 01:14:08,509
I presume, mammals that were
the source of infection
1355
01:14:08,577 --> 01:14:13,214
for these flies that were
then biting these strangers.
1356
01:14:13,282 --> 01:14:17,118
Fauci: If you look at the
diseases that afflict man,
1357
01:14:17,186 --> 01:14:22,390
a substantial proportion of them
relate to animal reservoirs.
1358
01:14:22,458 --> 01:14:25,660
In fact, if you look at many
of the important diseases,
1359
01:14:25,727 --> 01:14:27,962
they are called
zoonotic diseases,
1360
01:14:28,029 --> 01:14:31,265
or diseases that have
a reservoir in animals.
1361
01:14:31,333 --> 01:14:33,668
One of the difficulties
with diseases
1362
01:14:33,735 --> 01:14:36,270
that have reservoirs in animals,
1363
01:14:36,338 --> 01:14:38,206
it makes it that
much more difficult
1364
01:14:38,273 --> 01:14:41,742
to completely eradicate
the disease.
1365
01:14:41,810 --> 01:14:44,312
If a disease weakens
the population
1366
01:14:44,379 --> 01:14:46,714
and weakens their productivity,
1367
01:14:46,782 --> 01:14:51,586
the effect on economy can
be much, much more profound
1368
01:14:51,653 --> 01:14:55,189
than a disease that might
acutely kill someone,
1369
01:14:55,257 --> 01:14:58,226
get them out of the cycle
of productivity,
1370
01:14:58,293 --> 01:15:01,529
and someone else who's healthy
will take their place.
1371
01:15:01,597 --> 01:15:03,631
Whereas, when you're
dealing with the fact that
1372
01:15:03,665 --> 01:15:05,867
you have a substantial
proportion of people
1373
01:15:05,934 --> 01:15:09,704
are impeded in
their productivity --
1374
01:15:09,771 --> 01:15:12,240
Then the economic consequences
are almost unmeasurable.
1375
01:15:12,307 --> 01:15:14,041
I mean, they're extraordinary.
1376
01:15:14,910 --> 01:15:17,512
There's very few places
on the planet
1377
01:15:17,579 --> 01:15:21,215
where you really have these
pristine ecological niches
1378
01:15:21,283 --> 01:15:24,118
that really have been
just doing what they do
1379
01:15:24,186 --> 01:15:27,688
in some sort of
equilibrium for centuries.
1380
01:15:29,725 --> 01:15:33,294
So, you've brought back a window
into what's happening
1381
01:15:33,362 --> 01:15:35,429
in an area where,
really, there's no people.
1382
01:15:35,497 --> 01:15:42,303
♪
1383
01:15:42,371 --> 01:15:49,210
♪
1384
01:15:49,278 --> 01:15:56,150
♪
1385
01:15:56,218 --> 01:15:59,086
♪
1386
01:15:59,154 --> 01:16:00,688
Fisher: That's good.
Right there.
1387
01:16:00,756 --> 01:16:04,792
♪
1388
01:16:04,860 --> 01:16:07,028
[ Indistinct chatter ]
1389
01:16:07,095 --> 01:16:11,599
Gonzalez: To have a grouping
of several hundred pieces
1390
01:16:11,667 --> 01:16:16,437
is a phenomenon we
don't yet understand,
1391
01:16:16,505 --> 01:16:19,574
but we do know
that there is a center,
1392
01:16:19,641 --> 01:16:22,677
and the placement
is thought out.
1393
01:16:22,744 --> 01:16:26,380
I think t1, basically,
we're at the superfice.
1394
01:16:26,448 --> 01:16:28,182
We're at the very top levels.
1395
01:16:28,250 --> 01:16:31,118
We'll probably go down
eight more levels
1396
01:16:31,153 --> 01:16:34,589
and find some
extraordinary things.
1397
01:16:34,623 --> 01:16:39,627
The sophistication of the pieces
that we found there
1398
01:16:39,694 --> 01:16:44,832
on the surface really tells us
that we had an artisan class
1399
01:16:44,900 --> 01:16:47,602
that was very well-developed.
1400
01:16:47,669 --> 01:16:52,640
Everything depicted in the cache
is also what surrounds us.
1401
01:16:52,708 --> 01:16:56,611
The macaws, the vultures,
the felines
1402
01:16:56,678 --> 01:17:03,150
were visibly designed into these
very sophisticated sculptures
1403
01:17:03,185 --> 01:17:05,853
that were used for ceremony.
1404
01:17:05,921 --> 01:17:10,324
Fisher: The cache of ground
stone objects had lain undisturbed,
1405
01:17:10,392 --> 01:17:11,959
as far as we can tell,
1406
01:17:11,994 --> 01:17:14,662
since, probably,
the city was abandoned.
1407
01:17:14,730 --> 01:17:17,098
What happened to these people
and when is something that
1408
01:17:17,132 --> 01:17:20,334
we still don't
understand very well.
1409
01:17:20,402 --> 01:17:23,704
There appear to have been
many sites that were abandoned
1410
01:17:23,772 --> 01:17:26,374
between about 1300 and 1500,
1411
01:17:26,441 --> 01:17:28,009
which is when
the Spanish arrived.
1412
01:17:28,076 --> 01:17:30,244
Fisher: The working hypothesis
is that it was abandoned
1413
01:17:30,312 --> 01:17:33,047
as the result
of European conquest.
1414
01:17:33,115 --> 01:17:35,916
That is, the introduction
of old world diseases
1415
01:17:35,984 --> 01:17:40,454
and other perturbations ravaged
native American populations
1416
01:17:40,489 --> 01:17:44,258
in the Americas, decimated
those populations.
1417
01:17:44,326 --> 01:17:46,560
Gonzalez:
If people had to leave,
1418
01:17:46,628 --> 01:17:48,829
why would they have left
what they have left?
1419
01:17:48,897 --> 01:17:51,532
Because there was not
enough food anymore?
1420
01:17:51,566 --> 01:17:53,734
Because they had invaders
that were coming?
1421
01:17:53,802 --> 01:17:57,338
Would they, as in other
cultures, would they
1422
01:17:57,406 --> 01:18:02,309
purposely destroy some of their
most precious elements?
1423
01:18:02,377 --> 01:18:04,345
Yes, that's a possibility.
1424
01:18:04,413 --> 01:18:07,448
We just barely
scratched the surface.
1425
01:18:07,516 --> 01:18:11,085
It's fabulous to use lidar,
1426
01:18:11,153 --> 01:18:15,856
but the frustration is that
we still have to take time
1427
01:18:15,924 --> 01:18:18,959
to study each thing
very carefully
1428
01:18:19,027 --> 01:18:22,096
before we come
to any conclusions.
1429
01:18:22,130 --> 01:18:23,731
♪
1430
01:18:27,703 --> 01:18:35,703
♪
1431
01:18:37,479 --> 01:18:45,479
♪
1432
01:18:47,255 --> 01:18:49,757
♪
1433
01:18:49,791 --> 01:18:52,059
Elkins: I understand what
they do here at the club
1434
01:18:52,127 --> 01:18:53,394
is they ask different people
1435
01:18:53,461 --> 01:18:55,596
who have done
explorations or projects
1436
01:18:55,664 --> 01:18:58,165
to come up with a drink
that they can serve at the bar.
1437
01:18:58,200 --> 01:18:59,500
So I think I have
to come up with
1438
01:18:59,568 --> 01:19:01,802
a monkey god
or a lost city drink.
1439
01:19:01,870 --> 01:19:03,871
I'm not exactly sure
what it's gonna be yet.
1440
01:19:03,939 --> 01:19:08,242
Now, if I had gone into
the mosquitia 75, 80 years ago,
1441
01:19:08,310 --> 01:19:10,711
this is the hat
I would have worn.
1442
01:19:10,779 --> 01:19:12,146
Thank god I didn't have to.
1443
01:19:14,649 --> 01:19:17,318
Matthew a. Henson.
1444
01:19:17,385 --> 01:19:19,620
Same hairdo as me. [ Chuckles ]
1445
01:19:22,357 --> 01:19:24,658
Man: It is my great pleasure
and honor tonight
1446
01:19:24,726 --> 01:19:27,361
to introduce you
to Mr. Steve Elkins.
1447
01:19:27,429 --> 01:19:29,029
[ Applause ]
1448
01:19:29,097 --> 01:19:33,067
♪
1449
01:19:33,135 --> 01:19:34,935
It's a real honor
for me to be here
1450
01:19:35,036 --> 01:19:37,438
in New York at
the explorers club.
1451
01:19:37,506 --> 01:19:40,407
As a child, I had heard
about the explorers club.
1452
01:19:40,475 --> 01:19:42,109
I really didn't know
what it was about,
1453
01:19:42,177 --> 01:19:44,612
and I thought, "one day would
really be cool to go there."
1454
01:19:44,679 --> 01:19:46,747
Well, now I'm a fellow
in the explorers club
1455
01:19:46,815 --> 01:19:48,149
and I'm talking here.
1456
01:19:48,216 --> 01:19:49,850
It's really -- to me,
it's amazing.
1457
01:19:49,918 --> 01:19:52,386
It's almost as amazing
as finding the lost city.
1458
01:19:52,454 --> 01:19:54,555
Not only did we prove
that airborne lidar
1459
01:19:54,623 --> 01:19:55,623
was a viable option
1460
01:19:55,690 --> 01:19:58,225
for archeological survey
in the jungle,
1461
01:19:58,293 --> 01:20:00,861
we've also created
and left a legacy
1462
01:20:00,929 --> 01:20:03,030
which I hope will last
for many years.
1463
01:20:03,064 --> 01:20:05,833
For example, there
is now a sustainable
1464
01:20:05,901 --> 01:20:08,169
conservation movement
in the country.
1465
01:20:08,236 --> 01:20:09,670
The current president
is a young guy --
1466
01:20:09,738 --> 01:20:12,273
And I don't think he wants to
be leader of a failed state --
1467
01:20:12,340 --> 01:20:15,976
Is taking a lot of actions
to try and save the rainforest.
1468
01:20:16,044 --> 01:20:18,512
We decided to work with
conservation international,
1469
01:20:18,580 --> 01:20:22,049
which is a big ngo
in conservation,
1470
01:20:22,117 --> 01:20:25,719
and put together a team of 12
biologists from Central America
1471
01:20:25,787 --> 01:20:28,489
to try and find out,
is this place really special?
1472
01:20:28,557 --> 01:20:31,559
Well, they went and
they found out it was.
1473
01:20:31,626 --> 01:20:33,627
I'm gonna show you
two quick clips.
1474
01:20:33,695 --> 01:20:35,763
We had 22 wildlife
cameras out there,
1475
01:20:35,830 --> 01:20:38,332
and we just were able
to retrieve them last fall
1476
01:20:38,366 --> 01:20:40,434
at great peril to the biologist.
1477
01:20:40,502 --> 01:20:42,002
[ Crowd exclaims ]
1478
01:20:44,339 --> 01:20:45,539
[ Gasps ]
1479
01:20:45,607 --> 01:20:48,742
And that is why the first city
we found in t1,
1480
01:20:48,810 --> 01:20:50,511
we're not calling it
Ciudad blanca
1481
01:20:50,579 --> 01:20:51,912
or lost city of the monkey god,
1482
01:20:51,980 --> 01:20:54,548
we're calling it
Ciudad del Jaguar,
1483
01:20:54,616 --> 01:20:55,916
because it's full of jaguars,
1484
01:20:55,984 --> 01:20:57,885
and that's the head we saw,
the sculpture.
1485
01:20:57,953 --> 01:21:00,654
People often say the days
of exploration are over --
1486
01:21:00,722 --> 01:21:01,822
We've climbed the mountains.
1487
01:21:01,890 --> 01:21:03,090
We're going to
the bottom of the sea,
1488
01:21:03,158 --> 01:21:04,992
even though we've barely
seen any of it,
1489
01:21:05,059 --> 01:21:06,360
and we've crossed the Sahara,
1490
01:21:06,428 --> 01:21:08,796
the gobi desert, Mongolia,
whatever.
1491
01:21:08,863 --> 01:21:11,265
We are entering a new
period of exploration,
1492
01:21:11,333 --> 01:21:13,033
and what I believe
is the greatest
1493
01:21:13,101 --> 01:21:15,269
period of exploration
in human history,
1494
01:21:15,337 --> 01:21:18,873
and why? Because of
remote-sensing technology.
1495
01:21:18,940 --> 01:21:21,775
It's improving so rapidly
that we are gonna be able to
1496
01:21:21,843 --> 01:21:24,745
discover things on this planet
and all over the universe
1497
01:21:24,813 --> 01:21:27,615
that we couldn't even imagine
10 or 20 years ago.
1498
01:21:27,682 --> 01:21:29,783
We're gonna be able to
see things from our past
1499
01:21:29,851 --> 01:21:31,085
that we had no idea
1500
01:21:31,152 --> 01:21:33,921
that we'd be able to
decipher millennia later.
1501
01:21:33,989 --> 01:21:36,891
So for the young people,
this is a brave new world,
1502
01:21:36,958 --> 01:21:38,058
in a good way.
1503
01:21:38,126 --> 01:21:40,361
[ Applause ]
1504
01:21:40,428 --> 01:21:41,562
Thank you for listening.
1505
01:21:41,630 --> 01:21:48,335
♪
1506
01:21:48,403 --> 01:21:55,175
♪
1507
01:21:55,243 --> 01:22:01,982
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1508
01:22:02,050 --> 01:22:08,789
♪
1509
01:22:08,857 --> 01:22:15,596
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1510
01:22:15,664 --> 01:22:22,469
♪
1511
01:22:22,537 --> 01:22:29,276
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1512
01:22:35,350 --> 01:22:43,350
♪
1513
01:22:44,326 --> 01:22:52,326
♪
1514
01:22:53,268 --> 01:23:01,268
♪
1515
01:23:02,243 --> 01:23:10,243
♪
1516
01:23:11,252 --> 01:23:19,252
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1517
01:23:20,295 --> 01:23:28,295
♪
1518
01:23:29,237 --> 01:23:37,237
♪
1519
01:23:38,213 --> 01:23:46,213
♪
1520
01:23:47,188 --> 01:23:55,188
♪
1521
01:23:56,164 --> 01:24:04,164
♪