All language subtitles for Explorer Discovering Peru Part 1 720p

[MUSIC PLAYING]

>> Traces of civilizations
that were born, grew,

and then disappeared over the
centuries can be found in most

countries around the world.

Sometimes they perished
from unknown causes.

Sometimes they were destroyed
by the violent onslaughts

of new conquerors.

The ruins we admire today
emerge from the mists of time.

Many of them are perfectly
aligned astronomically,

with huge stones molded
into elaborate forms that

are truly astonishing
feats of engineering.

Structures so massive and
sophisticated that they

would be a challenge even
to modern technology.

Some of the most fascinating
archaeological sites

in the world are in Peru.

These have been carefully
studied for many years,

leading to the discovery
of traces which

range from faint to surprising,
impossible to interpret

with the tools and knowledge
we currently possess.

Traces can be found in the
ancient remains in archaic

myths, in the oral traditions
handed down from the lost

people, even in the chronicles
of the conquistadores,

gods who mingled with men and
built fantastic cities bound

by massive walls, mysterious
tunnels that are believed

to have once linked
these ancient sites,

bearers of knowledge
and civilization,

divinities who travelled the
four corners of the Earth

and knew how to fly.

There is a strange similarity
between the ruins and myths

found in many
parts of the world,

almost an echo of a long-lost
forgotten civilization,

a highly developed breed of
superior beings who disappeared

thousands of years ago, a mother
culture we have no memory of.

Attracted by the mystery and
magnetic pull of these places,

we set off to explore them and
capture their essence on film.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

Lima greeted us in a
welter of color and noise.

Founded by Francisco
Pizarro in 1535,

Lima is the modern capital
of Peru, its largest city,

with a population
of almost 8 million.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

We were welcomed to the
Lima Geographical Society

by the president, Admiral
Raul [? Paramasar ?]..

Helped by him and the honorary
president, Dr. Santiago Antunez

de Mayolo, we consulted various
maps to decide on the best

itineraries and to see what data
the Geographical Society had

on the themes we
were researching.

We explored their library,
looking for further evidence

to back up our own findings.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

The Society has some very
important historical documents

in its archives.

Founded in 1888, it
is in constant touch

with the other
Peruvian institutes

and universities it
collaborates with.

Much has already being explored,
but there is still so much

to discover.

>> There are still
unexplored areas in Peru.

For example, I found a
reference in a book to a temple.

I think it was called
[INAUDIBLE,] above Caraz,

which has two
underground tunnels,

but nobody knows
exactly where they are,

and nobody has
explored them yet.

And many other tunnels
have been discovered

in other parts of Peru.

The same goes for Chavin,
we don't know all about that

either.

Chavin hasn't been explored.

>> Next we went to see professor
Federico Kauffman Doig,

one of Peru's leading
archaeologists.

He gave his views on
the underground tunnels.

>> There's a book on tunnels,
it was published around 1880,

all about the traditions.

Anyway, what's
interesting is that today,

but even when I was a
child, wherever you go,

you hear about these tunnels.

I think it ought to be looked
into, not just at Cusco

because we didn't get
very satisfactory results,

but around the country in all
those places where people say,

there's a tunnel here, there's
the entrance to a tunnel.

We ought put all the
information together.

It's very interesting,
it's something

that really should be done to
make the past come alive again.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

>> Given all the
information we had,

we decided to start
our adventure in Cusco.

The 600-mile trip in the jeeps
from Lima to Cusco isn't easy.

The road runs through
a desert, almost

like the surface of the moon.

We feel a bit
alienated, even more so

because the plateaus are really
high, and the lack of oxygen

makes everything more tiring.

Tiny clumps of houses break the
monotony every now and again.

And occasionally, we see
the friendly face of a lama,

or something very like it.

Occasionally,
unexpected hitchhikers

thumb a lift, ephemeral visions
which appear out of nowhere.

On account of various problems,
and even some landslides

which had blocked the
way, we end up in Cusco

after 27 hours on the
road, absolutely exhausted

by the effort and the altitude.

Cusco is 11,200
feet above sea level

and has a population of 300,000.

The ancient Inca empire
was called Tawantinsuyu.

Cusco was its capital.

Cusco means navel of the world.

Here, you can still see
the remains of ancient Inca

buildings and temples that
the Spanish incorporated

into their own buildings.

Some of them are
particularly interesting

from a construction
point-of-view,

so surprisingly
sophisticated that they

would represent a challenge
even to modern builders.

This dry stone wall
is really astonishing.

Huge blocks of stone
weighing hundreds

of pounds in solid
granite, delicately

chiseled and fitted
one on top of

the other without any mortar,
apparently haphazardly,

shaped as if they'd been
made of soft plastic clay.

How were these massive stones
transported and set in place?

How could the people of
this ancient civilization

fit them together so
perfectly without the help

of modern technology?

The Incas hadn't
discovered the wheel,

but their building
techniques bear witness

to an amazing knowledge of
engineering and architecture.

This stone has 12 corners
and fits perfectly

into the ones around it.

You couldn't get a knife
blade between them,

but no mortar has been used.

It weighs hundreds
of pounds, but it

isn't one of the largest.

On the other side
of the building,

the stones form a
pattern representing

the outline of a puma.

Amazingly clever craftsmanship.

There's a stone with
14 corners on the wall

of a nearby building.

It's smaller than the
other, but the craftsmanship

and its polygonal shaping
is still wonderful.

And there are still
plenty of surprises

to see in the Inca capital.

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A promontory rising on
the outskirts of the city

dominates Cusco.

This is the site of the
ruins of Sacsayhuaman,

said to be a fortress or
possibly a temple, or perhaps

both.

We don't really know.

The only sure things are
the incredible huge blocks

of stone used to build
its massive walls.

Once again, we
find shaped stones

which fit perfectly together.

But this time, we're
talking about blocks

that are 26 feet high
and weigh over 300 tons.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

An impossible giant puzzle,
designed by a superman.

Back in the 17th century, the
writer Garcilaso de la Vega,

after visiting the
walls of Sacsayhuaman,

said in his "Royal
Commentaries of the Incas,"

it seems as if they were
built by some form of magic,

a work carried out by demons
rather than mortal men.

How did the Indios manage
to quarry the stones

and transport them, work
them, and then build walls

with such precision?

They had no iron nor steel
to perforate the rock with

and to cut and
smooth the blocks.

They had no carts and no
oxen to transport them.

And in truth, there are no carts
or oxen anywhere in the world

strong enough to carry
out a similar task, given

the huge size of the stones
and the difficult mountain

paths they traveled over.

This monolith is amazing.

And this one, it's huge, and
fits in perfectly with the ones

around it.

Really breathtaking.

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Sacsayhuaman's massive walls
are built on three levels.

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Each level is a
perfectly level terrace.

The wonderful pattern of
enormous stone blocks fitting

together perfectly is
repeated on each level.

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The extremely precise joints are
repeated over and over again.

Who designed and
built this gate?

They must have been giants.

To make a comparison,
we move to a site

a few miles out of Cusco.

We went to see a building
that has been historically

identified as a fortress.

It's called Puka Pukara.

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Puka Pukara means
the red fortress,

so called because of the color
of the rock used to build it.

Strategically placed to dominate
the surrounding countryside,

the Incas were able
to control and defend

one of the approaches
to Cusco from here.

The building technique is
undoubtedly less sophisticated

here than at
Sacsayhuaman at Cusco.

The stones are much smaller.

You can see that
an attempt has been

made to copy the polygonal
pattern we admired before.

But even if the blocks
are much smaller,

the workmanship is
rougher, and the stones

don't fit together as well.

Our doubts increase.

Did the Incas really
build the walls

we saw in Cusco and the huge
structures at Sacsayhuaman?

The discrepancy between the
sites makes it seem doubtful.

We walk over the whole
complex, but the workmanship

on the walls is the
same everywhere.

And we begin to
really wonder, who

built the huge constructions
at Cusco and Sacsayhuaman?

[MUSIC PLAYING]

Here get a helping hand
from Inca tradition.

Legend says that these
incredible constructions were

already old when they arrived.

In other words,
the Incas settled

on preexisting sites, which
they restored and enlarged.

Inca tradition also tells us
about the original builder.

In ancient days after a
terrible cataclysm, which

had reduced men to
the levels of beasts,

a being came from the south
with superhuman powers.

He founded a new civilization,
teaching the sciences,

agriculture, and the arts.

He taught men to live
in harmony, animated

by a spirit of altruism, a being
accompanied by followers called

the faithful and the
shining, a being who

had incredible skills.

He could move in the
sky and float on water.

One of his symbols is
lightning, and his name

means god of storms.

He had white skin and a beard.

His name was Viracocha.

A divinity who could move in
the sky thousands of years ago,

who could fly?

A divinity, or the
survivor of an ancient,

highly developed
civilization with

sophisticated scientific
and technological knowledge.

This is what the legend implies.

And Sacsayhuaman has
other surprises for us.

There's a strange construction
on the summit of the promontory

with its massive walls.

It is perfectly round with three
concentric circles intersected

by walls radiating
out in spokes.

The circles are enclosed
by another square building

connected to the
foundations other square

or rectangular buildings.

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When we check the orientation
of the square building enclosing

the circular
construction, we found

that the corners were
perfectly aligned

with the cardinal
points of the compass,

and that the walls
intersecting the circles

run northeast, southeast,
northwest, and southwest--

ideal orientation for
determining the summer

and winter solstices.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

Are these the ruins of an
astronomical observatory?

Who knows, but the concept
of the whole building

is extremely advanced.

There are very few
similar examples

in the whole of South America.

It is certainly very ancient,
older than the Incas.

Everything we'd
seen at Sacsayhuaman

seem to belong to a
remote age, a time we

have no human memory of, an
age lost in the mists of time.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

Is this a completely lost story?

Perhaps not.

Descendants of the
Incas still live

in the mountains and
remote pockets isolated

from white men,
groups which escaped

the fury of the conquistadores.

Their leaders are wise
old men, custodians

of ancient knowledge.

Some people have talked to them.

We were given a place,
Samana Wasi, and a name,

Anton Ponce de Leon.

Anton has written various
books on his experiences

in this ancient knowledge.

Inspired by the teaching he
has founded and provided funds

for a community where,
with the help of his wife,

Regia, abandoned children and
old people are looked after--

the rest home, which
translated into Samana Wasi.

>> An old man explained this
knowledge to me in 10 to 15

minutes, using
very simple words.

But I was a very rational
man and I didn't believe him.

I couldn't accept that
the truth was so simple.

This knowledge is
still valid today.

It's still relevant,
despite the passing of time.

And I'm talking about
thousands of years.

This is an oral tradition, which
has been handed down, intact.

These enormous buildings with
their huge stone blocks--

yes, some people
say they were built

by beings from outer space,
but I don't think so.

All the buildings
in this world were

built by human
beings who certainly

had very wise teachers.

According to what I
learned, these teachers

came from a continent
which disappeared,

submerged by the Pacific.

It was the biggest
continent of all,

called Mu, sometimes
erroneously called Lemuria.

It is a continent
called Mu, a word that

comes from a very
ancient language

and means mother country.

The Murians, who for
us are the third race,

were very highly developed
physically, psychically,

and spiritually, a
level of development

we haven't achieved yet.

Moving large, heavy
objects represented

no particular problem for them.

These teachers
instructed the people

of the Andes, our
ancestors who built

these wonderful constructions.

We believe that the
Murian civilization

which had reached the Andes went
out west, too, towards Asia.

That's why we find the same
knowledge all over the world.

>> Is this the answer?

Was Mu a lost civilization we
have no memory of, the mother

of all known civilizations?

According to the wise
people of the Andes,

this is the key to many
mysteries of the past,

but we have other
clues to follow up.

Qenko is a few miles to
the east of Sacsayhuaman.

Its name could hardly be more
appropriate, given what we saw.

It means intersecting channels.

The huge rock, deeply
eroded around its base,

is carved into a very
strange shape at its summit.

It's chiseled,
carved, and molded

to create an absurd maze
of seemingly random shapes

with no apparent meaning.

It's incredible, it
almost makes you dizzy.

What's the meaning of
those short staircases,

those little platforms, those
channels, those balconies?

It's a real puzzle, impossible
to guess the answer.

Did the Incas make it?

Was it something to do with
their religious functions?

That's what we're told,
but we don't really

know what to think.

This disturbing
rock puzzle could

have been carved 500 years
ago, or 5,000, or 50,000.

Who knows?

We've never seen
anything like it.

It seemed to have no logic.

There's a large opening at
the base of the massive rock.

We go in.

Inside is a fairly large
cave with a carved rock.

It looks like an altar.

Later we're told that
the Incas used it

for their religious ceremonies.

This explanation is certainly
in keeping with its appearance,

and that of the other
carved rocks in the cave.

But the incredible
maze outside looks

much older, designed and created
by other hands and other minds.

Perhaps the Incas had
found these strange ruins

and turned them into a
temple, believing them sacred.

That's one explanation.

The style and condition of
the stones seem to back it up.

The walls and monolith outside
look closer to the Inca style--

but not quite.

We know there's another
site a few miles away

with similar carved rock.

We have also found
out about a passage

which accesses a
network of seemingly

endless underground tunnels.

Many people have ventured in to
explore, never to emerge again.

It's called the X-Zone.

Here we get a real surprise.

The rock looks like an exact
copy of the one at Qenko,

the same patterns carved
in absurd positions.

Stairs that lead to nowhere,
completely off center.

Why put steps in that position?

Were they for
working on, or what?

On one side, we
discover something

that looks like a throne, but
it's facing a wall of rock.

It's crazy.

The rocks at Qenko at the
X-Zone look out of place,

almost as if they were once
part of the same project which

no longer exists.

We search for the entrance
to the underground tunnels

and get a nasty surprise.

The local authorities
have blocked it

up to stop other people
wandering in and getting lost.

We feel like getting down to
work with picks and shovels

and opening it up again, but
we were repressed the urge

and decide to be patient.

The tunnels exist, all we have
to do now is find a way in.

These enigmatic sites
are very puzzling,

the discrepancies
are unsettling.

We meet someone who has
spoken to other wise man.

According to him, direct
descendants of the survivors

of the destruction of Mu.

They live in very remote areas
in the heart of the Amazon

basin, isolated
from white people.

His name is Ruben Iwaki Ordonez.

He has Indio blood in
his veins and he tells us

an amazing story about the
origins of the rocks at Qenko

and the X-Zone.

>> Right here where the
city of Cusco is now,

in ancient times
there was a lake.

And under this
lake, under its bed,

there was an underground temple,
about 250 feet underground.

The wise ones lived down
there, the ancient ones who

governed the continent wisely.

And the entrance
to this place was

on a hill, the same hill that's
called Sacsayhuaman today.

That's where the entrance was.

After 10,000 years, there was
a cataclysm on the planet.

It destroyed the temple, and
the lake above it flooded.

This cataclysm wasn't an
earthquake, it was much more.

There were volcanic eruptions--

here, too.

Here, where the
temple was, there

was a volcanic eruption,
a terrible explosion.

In Sacsayhuaman, there's an area
where the lava has solidified.

But that explosion produced
fragments of exploding rock,

too, burning pieces of rock.

The force of the explosion
shattered the rooms

of the temple, and fragments
were thrown into the air

and fell here, there,
and everywhere.

There's one that
nowadays is called Qenko.

The Incas found it like that.

They found these
wonderful constructions

and they used them for
their religious ceremonies.

Because they realized
how important they were,

they knew where they came from.

There are other fragments as
big as this room in an area

near the solidified lava.

There, you can see
upside-down staircases.

Well, these fragments
came up from underground

when the disaster
happened, and they fell.

They fell haphazardly,
upside-down.

And this shows that they were
part of what was underground.

>> Once again, ancient
traditions insist

on the existence of once great
civilizations which have now

disappeared, and Cusco still has
some mysteries in store for us.

The most sacred and
important temple

in the whole of the Inca
empire was at Cusco.

It was dedicated
to their culture,

and it was called Coricancha,
or the Golden Enclosure.

The Spanish built Santo
Domingo Cathedral on its ruins.

But the ancient
walls can still be

seen, both from inside and
outside the latter day colonial

church.

The walls are still imposing
and very cleverly crafted.

But the stones themselves
are much smaller

than any other structures we
have visited, more a building

that Inca architects
might have designed.

There are tunnels
under the church.

A story tells of how some
boys got lost in them in 1920.

After a whole week,
only one of them

re-emerged, injured
and confused.

He died soon afterwards,
clutching a solid gold

cob of corn.

There are no written records
to confirm the story,

but the people of Cusco
assure us it's true.

We managed to get permission
to visit the digs made

by other researchers
who had been trying

to unravel the puzzle of
the mysterious tunnels

and climb down under the church.

We follow the tunnel for a
while, but it brought up short.

The tunnel is blocked.

Later, we're told that the
excavations were stopped

because of the risk of
undermining the foundations

of the church above.

We wonder whether the
Coricancha tunnels

led to a more impressive network
of underground tunnels, perhaps

those that connected Cusco,
Sacsayhuaman, and other places

even further away.

But we'll have to wait for
answers to these questions.

The fact is, the tunnels
exist and their existence

is backed up by
ancient traditions.

>> Traditionally, the tunnels
are supposed to have gone from

Cusco towards Quito in Ecuador.

And from the south,
they went towards what

is today Bolivia, towards
Chile, towards the forest,

towards Brazil.

They went everywhere.

Unfortunately, some of them were
blocked up for safety reasons

when they were discovered.

So nowadays, it's very
difficult to find the entrances.

I know, I'm sure,
that they exist.

I saw some of them with my
father when I was a child.

And I know that
there are tunnels

under the Catholic churches.

>> We discover that another
church in Cusco has tunnels,

the Church of the Jesuits.

It was built in 1576 on the
foundations of the Amarucancha

Church, the royal palace of
the Inca ruler, Huayna Capac.

When the Spanish arrived,
Huayna Capac's two sons,

Huascar and Atahualpa,
were waging a civil war

for control of the empire.

This helped the Spanish
conquer the Inca kingdom.

The church houses some
important works of art.

One of the most
important pieces is

the altar carved in cedar
wood and covered in gold.

It was by the Italian
sculptor, Bernardo Bitti.

After long talks, we
managed to get permission

to explore underground
this church, too.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

There's a small,
beautifully decorated chapel

under the altar.

This is where the trapdoor
that accesses the tunnels is.

The heavy cover hasn't been
lifted for a long time.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

We're very excited
as we get ready.

This is the first
time cameras have been

allowed to film the tunnels.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

The entrance is small and
difficult to get into.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

Once we manage to climb down,
we get a disappointment.

The tunnels are blocked
after only a few meters.

The ecclesiastical
authorities ordered

them to be blocked
for security reasons.

The tunnels run under
the city, and in the past

have been used by thieves
as a way into the church.

But once more, they confirm
that the Incas' sacred places

were connected by a
network of tunnels.

Did the Incas build them?

Ancient tradition
believes not, and we

find echoes in the chronicles of
the conquistadores themselves.

In 1571, Juan Polo de Ondegardo
wrote, "The city of Cusco

was the home and
residence of the gods.

Every fountain, well, and
wall concealed a mystery."

We leave Cusco on the trail
of more Peruvian mysteries.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

The fortress of
Ollantaytambo dominates

the Valley of Urubamba.

Clinging to a hill
about 300 feet high,

it was the Incas'
main fortification

to defend the Sacred Valley.

It was here that
Pizarro experienced

one of his few defeats
during his campaign

to conquer the huge
empire of the sun.

Characterized by its
terraces used for farming,

the settlement developed up
to the summit of the hill.

It was an important
military, religious,

and agricultural
center, about 60 miles

to the northwest of Cusco.

About 2/3 of the way
up the steep steps

that lead to the top of the
hill, the familiar walls

appear with their usual
astonishing craftsmanship.

Extremely large,
heavy, skillfully

worked polygonal stones
fitting perfectly together

with no mortar or any
other type of cement.

Again, we wonder,
is this Inca work?

The archaeologists say it is.

But on one wall we find a
stretch that has been repaired.

It must have been
done by the Incas.

But strangely, the
repair work has

been carried out using
much smaller stones,

and the level of
craftsmanship is much rougher.

Why?

Perhaps the Inca architects
had forgotten their one

sophisticated techniques.

Or, were the original
builders not Incas?

That seems to be the
most likely answer.

There are a row of
10 trapezoidal niches

on the wall of the terrace where
the main entrance once was.

The joints are incredible,
with absurd angles.

They look almost ironical.

Did they have a
practical purpose?

Or were they're just showing
off the craftsmanship

of the builders?

As we climb higher,
the walls still

show the same level of
incredible workmanship

as the ones we've just seen.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

On top of the hill,
we find the ruins

of the houses which once
belonged to the Inca priests

and nobles, while the populace
lived in houses further down.

There are other remains on the
slopes of the hill in front.

Archaeologists say
that they were once

grain storage warehouses.

But although they're
very interesting,

our attention is attracted
by something else.

On the top of the hill, a series
of huge red porphyry monoliths

form a mad puzzle,
lying scattered around

on the ground in no apparent
order, some of them weighing

dozens of tons.

Some are accurately
carved, others

are obviously unfinished.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

An amazing structure rises
out of this chaotic scene.

Six enormous monoliths
perfectly aligned

along a southeasterly vector,
and perhaps uniquely separated

by spaces in the same
stone, a unique example

of craftsmanship.

Red porphyry is a very hard
stone, as heavy as granite.

The monoliths are about 13 feet
high, six and 1/2 feet wide,

and three to six feet thick.

They weigh from 25 to 50 tons.

They were quarried
from a nearby mountain,

so obviously they were
cut from the rock face,

taken down into the valley,
and then dragged 328 feet up

to their destination.

How?

Archaeologists mentioned
thousands of workers, ropes,

tree trunks, and potatoes
used as lubricant

to help the massive
monoliths slide.

That's right, potatoes.

The structure is
obviously incomplete,

as the blocks scatter
haphazardly around the summit

confirm.

But nobody knows what
its intended use was

or why it was never finished.

Another enigma puzzles us in
the midst of so many mysteries,

a symbol carved on
one of the monoliths.

A pyramid rising in
steps, the same symbol

also found in Egypt.

Is it just a coincidence?

The Incas certainly had no
knowledge of the Egyptians,

but could both
civilizations have been

inspired by the same matrix?

In his book,
"Operation Fawcett,"

the legendary explorer
Colonel Percy Fawcett wrote,

"The Incas inherited
their fortresses in cities

from an earlier civilization."

And Garcilaso de la
Vega, in his chronicles,

tells us how they had been
erected in the first age,

before the Incas.

The first age--
what does it mean?

Was it the age when
the gods could fly?

The age when the survivors of
an ancient, highly developed

civilization settled in Peru?

>> We have evidence of
this because here in Peru

we've studied the
pre-Inca nations.

10,000 years ago, there
was the Chimu civilization,

which means those from Mu.

Further south, there was the
Moche civilization, sometimes

called Mochica, but
the correct name

is Moche, descendants
of Mu, coming from Mu.

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>> We leave from the little
station at Ollantaytambo.

The train winds its slow
way next to the river

through the Urubamba Valley,
the Sacred Valley of the Incas.

The countryside is
interesting, harsh, and wild.

It gets greener
the further we go.

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Finally, we arrive in
Machu Picchu, sacred myth

of the past and present.

We get over the station
in Aguas Calientes.

This little town is at
the foot of the mountain

where the lost city of
the Incas is sighted.

It has grown rapidly
in a chaotic fashion,

thanks to the influx of tourists
from all over the world.

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We shoulder the equipment
we need to film,

and set off towards the
archaeological site.

The road we take
is the steepest.

It leads to one of the highest
points which dominate the city.

The climb is tiring,
we still haven't

gotten acclimatized
to the altitude here.

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But the magic of the place
has already enthralled us.

We're impatient, we can't wait
to see the legendary monuments

of one of the most fascinating
cities of the ancient world.

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Machu Picchu, the
lost of the Incas,

emerged from the
mists of time in 1911.

The American explorer,
Hiram Bingham,

professor at Yale University,
is the author of the discovery.

As a matter of fact, the
Peruvian archaeologist Agustin

Lizarraga had discovered the
ruins before him in 1902.

And two families
of campesinas were

found living there, farming
the ancient terraces left

by the Incas.

Bingham had the
merit of studying

the site scientifically
and telling

the world about this
amazing urban structure.

>> Without taking any
merit away from Bingham,

he was the one who made
Machu Picchu world famous.

But it was the Peruvians who
guided him to Machu Picchu.

That's important to remember.

There were people here
before, and people

came to Machu Picchu from Cusco
many years before Mr. Bingham.

>> When was it built?

What was it for?

Was it a fortified settlement?

A refuge for the noble
Inca class, or a city

dedicated to the
cult of the gods?

There are many theories,
but no short answers.

Yet the stones speak.

Machu Picchu is a silent
voice with many tales to tell,

if you listen carefully.

Machu Picchu, a saga in stone
at 7,800 feet above sea level,

is perfectly integrated
with its surroundings.

So much so that it looks
almost like a natural feature,

rather than a man-made
construction, the logic

behind so many great works.

The sacred rock reproduces the
profile of the nearby mountain.

In a fantastic play
of light and shadows,

the profile of an Indios emerges
from the shape of the mountains

against the skyline.

An incredible coincidence?

In the Condor Temple,
sculpted in natural elements

blend to bring the sacred animal
to life, its wings of stone

capture a moment of
flight for all eternity.

The Water Temple, water another
sacred element for the Incas.

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The mysterious Mortar Room.

It's in what is known
as the Industrial Area.

The Incas were believed
to have died material

in the two rocks shaped like
mortars, material they then

dried in the cylinders
protruding from the walls.

But is this the
right explanation?

Magical Machu Picchu,
scattered fragments

from a lost, arcane world.

The houses of the
ordinary people

were near the
agricultural sector.

With its barns and
characteristic terraces,

the houses are stone
built, small, and simple.

Once through the main
gates of the city,

the path winds through
some narrow streets,

and then leads to a
strangely shaped building.

Bingham called it the
Torreon, or Tower.

Today, it's known as
the Temple of the Sun.

It's built to a
semicircular plan,

with two trapezoidal windows
set in the curved wall.

One faces north, and
the other faces east.

They can be used to determine
the summer and winter

solstices.

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There is a niche with
structures carved into the lower

part of the building.

Its purpose was to determine
important astronomic events.

The Torreon is
more than a temple,

it's an astronomic
calendar in stone,

and it's not the only
one in Machu Picchu.

The Temple with
the Three Windows

is in the mid-level of the
city, and the alignment

of the openings
enables the equinoxes

to be calculated, the same
as the monolithic stones

of Stonehenge in England.

Stone is the great protagonist
of the ancient world.

But on a higher level, behind
a three-walled building reached

by a flight of
roughly hewn steps,

we find an even
more sophisticated

astronomic structure.

The Intihuatana is a
polygonal structure

cut into the living rock.

The precision is extraordinary.

A spur of rock like a
conch on the upper surface

is perfectly aligned to
the northeast, southeast,

an accurate sundial for
calculating the solstices

and the equinoxes.

Machu Picchu is incredible.

It's more like a
huge stone computer

for astronomical calculus,
rather than a city.

>> It's true that here at Machu
Picchu there are important

structures, both on the
lower and higher levels.

The actual position
of the city, it

was placed in the best position
to receive solar energy.

That's very clear
in Machu Picchu.

You can see both the
sunrise and the sunset.

It's positioned to receive
as much solar energy

as possible all year round.

>> Could the Inca empire have
developed such sophisticated

knowledge?

These are precise
technical instruments, not

simple ritual symbols.

They're backed up by precise,
geometrical calculations,

mathematics, and astronomy.

Only a civilization
that developed

over a long period of time
could have produced anything

like them.

Machu Picchu means
the old mountain.

But how old actually is it?

According to the
archaeologists, the city

was built in the 15th century.

But in 1930,
Professor Rolf Muller

from the University
of Potsdam in Germany

studied the astronomic
alignments of the Torreon,

the Temple with the Three
Windows, and the Intihuatana,

and established that they
had been built sometime

between 4,000 and 2000 BC.

These incredible dates were
confirmed by further studies,

carried out by the
astronomers Dearborn and White

from Arizona University.

Does this mean that
here, as in other sites,

the Incas settled on
preexisting structures?

The dates calculated
by the astronomers

confirm this theory.

Local oral traditions
that have been handed down

to the present day also
tell of ancient gods who

initiated civilization and
built wonderful cities, gods

who could fly, perhaps the
survivors of the highly

developed civilization of Mu.

On the sacred square
of Machu Picchu,

the Temple of the Three
Windows, the Main Temple,

and the other
structures, are all

built from perfectly fitted
together polygonal blocks.

The by now familiar
joints, already

seen in Cusco and Sacsayhuaman.

We find similar differences
in other parts of the city.

The difference in
style and technique

used to build Machu Picchu
are glaringly obvious.

Carefully crafted monoliths make
up the older part and rougher

workmanship on the later parts.

Once more, we find
different styles and levels

of technical ability.

Were they built by
different people?

How else can we
explain the difference?

But we have other
mysteries to unravel.

We want to know if there
were any underground tunnels

at Machu Picchu.

An we're told that when
maintenance work was being done

on the sacred square,
where the Main Temple is,

the workmen heard echoes as if
the ground below was hollow.

Some digging was done, but
only to a depth of a few feet,

without finding anything.

Perhaps the cavities
are further down.

A guide who heard
about our research

said that there was some
tunnels in another area.

He offers to take us there.

After a difficult scramble, we
come to the narrow entrance.

The young guide
climbs down first.

It's a tight squeeze.

Even passing the equipment,
we need to explore,

and film is difficult. We
can't really take all we need,

but we decide to make do.

Once we're in,
walking isn't easy.

The tunnel is very irregular.

It seems as if it had only
been started and not completed.

It's very damp, and the ground
underfoot is very slippery,

so we have to be careful.

After a certain distance,
the tunnel is blocked

and we can't go any further.

Getting back is
even more difficult,

but we have the
proof that someone

had created underground
tunnels at Machu Picchu, too.

The sun is setting as we
emerge from the narrow tunnel.

The ancient city is
hauntingly beautiful

and had shared some of
its secrets with us.

Our minds are echoing with
the words of Colonel Fawcett,

"The Indios tribes
inherited the traditions

of a great civilization.

Perhaps they were the
ancestors of the Incas,

perhaps a mysterious race
who left behind the gigantic

remains that the invading
Incas later incorporated

into their own buildings."

Historical civilizations all
have a common matrix, albeit a

forgotten one.

Even Colonel Fawcett was
convinced of the truth of this.

The huge ruins scattered
around Peru and other countries

around the world
are an obvious clue,

confirmed by their identical
construction technique.

The myths and traditions
of many ancient people

have handed down the memory
of this civilization.

There are mysterious tunnels
at these ancient sites.

Perhaps these
clues are still not

enough to prove the existence
of a lost civilization which

gave rise to all
successive civilizations.

There is still a
lot to discover,

and the research goes on.

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