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On a scale of one to ten,
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if those anomalies are voids
or passageways,
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it's an absolute ten.
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A revolution in technology
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is opening up a golden age
of archaeological discovery.
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This is it. This hole here
drops off a good 60 feet deep.
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Totally fatal to fall down.
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Let's do it.
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And National
Geographic has exclusive access
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to document this ground-breaking journey.
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Any time you do
a dive with a bunch of new technology
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and you come back with all the technology,
that's a win, right?
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This team of explorers,
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led by one of the world's
foremost experts on the Maya,
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are embarking on
an unprecedented expedition.
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I'm definitely seeing stuff.
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I'm pretty wildly excited right now.
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On a quest
to stare deep underneath
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the hallowed grounds of Chichen Itza
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using lasers, drones,
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and digital 3D modeling.
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That's a big anomaly
that I didn't expect to be there.
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All in an effort to unearth
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one of the world's most epic mysteries
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beneath one of the greatest civilizations.
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The Buried Truth of the Maya.
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Sixty-five million years ago...
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an asteroid careened toward Earth
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and smashed...
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into Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula.
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Its apocalyptic impact...
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wiped out the dinosaurs
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and killed 75 percent
of all life on Earth.
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Over time, thousands of sinkholes
and underground caverns formed
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through the cracks in the limestone.
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Filled with water,
these cenotes set the stage
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for life to take hold once more.
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Many millions of years later,
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a highly advanced civilization formed
around these water sources.
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This life-sustaining resource
fueled the rise
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of the Maya,
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the largest civilization in the
Western Hemisphere at the time.
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One of the most central and sacred sites
in the entire Maya kingdom was called:
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Chichen Itza.
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Maya is a fascinating civilization.
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They're in the middle of the jungle,
they were so wise,
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they did astronomical science,
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and they do sacrifices
or they do offerings into caves.
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Perhaps the ancient Maya
understood this region's
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cataclysmic past.
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Because they also thought
that to bring about water...
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and life itself,
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Chaac, the Maya god of rain,
required offerings
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such as jewels, bloodletting,
and sometimes...
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human sacrifice.
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Scholars have said that this is
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the place to deposit
the hearts of victims.
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Today, we're in a rare moment
of archaeological discovery
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in the world of the ancient Maya.
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Recent scientific surveys suggest that
the Maya could have built
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secret underground tunnels and chambers
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beneath Chichen Itza.
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According to Maya folklore,
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the most sacred cave, possibly
full of generations worth of jewels,
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gold, bones, and other lost treasures
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sacrificed to the gods,
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could lie beneath
one of their holiest temples,
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El Castillo.
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But to this day,
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this underground cave remains
one of the greatest unsolved mysteries
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at the heart of Chichen Itza.
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Finding an entrance into this
potential crypt under El Castillo...
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would be one of the biggest
discoveries of the 21st century
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and could yield untold discoveries
and archaeological treasures.
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- This is a massive cavern.
- Yeah, no that's huge.
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- Memo!
- Hey, what's up!
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Hey, man! How's it going?
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- Good, buddy.
- Good to see you.
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Uncovering it is
bringing two teams of archaeologists
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and technologists together.
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Hey, we got something
to show you.
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- Yeah, yeah.
- Check this out.
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All right.
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Guillermo de Anda, aka "Memo"...
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is an INAH archaeologist,
a National Geographic Explorer,
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and one of the world's foremost
experts on Maya archaeology
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and their underground secrets.
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I have been told for years in this area
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that there is a huge cavern
beneath El Castillo.
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We know that caves have
this big preservation factor.
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It's going to be big news for the world,
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it's going to be big news for Mayanists
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if we find a way to get into the cave
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beneath El Castillo.
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This is from
the droning, the LiDAR,
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and the camera work around El Castillo.
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This is an amazing model,
huh? The detail...
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00:05:06,917 --> 00:05:08,726
Yeah, it's
really coming together, hey?
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00:05:08,750 --> 00:05:11,834
Joining Memo is the
pioneering technology company
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Virtual Wonders.
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Together, they're creating a high-tech
3D model of Chichen Itza
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in the hopes of pinpointing an entrance
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into the hidden well
beneath the central pyramid.
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My name is Corey Jaskolski.
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At Virtual Wonders,
I'm the Chief Technology Officer,
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so responsible for getting all
these crazy technologies to work
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and come together
and play well in the field.
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Virtual Wonders goes around the world
to cultural and natural places
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and tries to 3D scan them
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so that we can preserve
and share these places
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with the entire world.
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Working in these ancient sites
that are thousands of years old
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with a ground-penetrating radar
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or laser scanner that scans
a million points per second,
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you can only imagine
what the people of those times
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would have thought of these technologies.
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They would have thought we
brought down gifts from the gods
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to help understand the world better
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and, in a way, that's true.
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Things that I get probably
most excited about,
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even far more than this data,
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is El Castillo not being aligned
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between Cenote Sagrado and Xtoloc.
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And we know the Maya
didn't leave anything to chance.
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What we believe is they are
trying to put El Castillo on...
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On top of something important.
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The city planners erected
the pyramids at the proximate intersection
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between four giant underground
water wells called "cenotes"...
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to the north, south, east, and west.
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00:06:29,333 --> 00:06:35,208
Curiously, the Maya built this pyramid
52 and a half feet off center
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leaving it mysteriously unaligned,
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which is unimaginable given the
Maya's legendary mathematical
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and architectural precision.
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Some scientists believe that the Maya
built this pyramid off-center
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to tower above a pre-existing sacred cave,
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forming a link to the spirits
of the underworld.
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Could this cave be filled
with undiscovered treasures
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and sacrificial offerings
left for the gods?
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I would have put
this, uh, El Castillo
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right between Xtoloc and Sagrado,
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not, you know, not offset between the two.
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The fact that El Castillo
is not well aligned
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with Cenote Sagrado and Xtoloc,
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which as an engineer I look at
that and I say to myself,
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you know, if you asked me
to build our biggest,
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most important building for our culture,
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I would have aligned it well
between the cenotes.
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It's off by about 16 meters,
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which is a pretty big margin
of error for the Maya.
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We have to
look very, very hard on this
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and work very hard on this because, Corey,
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I want us there.
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The Ancient Maya's
prowess in engineering,
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mathematics, and astronomy
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is legendary.
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They invented the mathematical
concept of zero,
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and they designed their buildings
with the heavens in mind.
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This can be seen twice a year
during the equinox,
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when on the northern staircase
of El Castillo,
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the movement of shadows gives
the impression of a serpent
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slithering down into the underworld.
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Not everyone
would climb this, right?
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It was only the priests
and the rulers, right?
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Only them.
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Towering to impressive heights,
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each of the pyramid's sides
has 91 perilous steps.
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Including all four sides,
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the number of steps totals 364.
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The final step
into the sacred temple on top
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totals 365,
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the same number of days in the year.
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Wow!
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This is something.
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You really get a sense of its power,
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which is why it existed,
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to get closer to the gods and
show the power of the civilization.
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We're closer to heaven.
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We're on top of the big sacred
mountain of the Maya.
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Holtun right in front of us,
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Sacred Cenote to the north,
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Xtoloc to the south,
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Xkanjuyum to the east.
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To go up there
with Memo and, uh,
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you know, survey the land
and look at what we're doing
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is incredibly important.
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So, I think there's definitely
something under El Castillo.
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We don't know what, and I think a lot
more studies need to be done
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in order to tell us for sure.
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To dig deeper into this mystery,
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Memo and the Virtual Wonders team are
looking to a recent study for clues
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to find any entrance
into the potential cave
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under El Castillo.
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With their new technology,
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can they crack the code
and find an entry point?
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00:09:37,583 --> 00:09:38,643
Memo, you'll remember this data,
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00:09:38,667 --> 00:09:40,250
this is, uh, from Ren� Ch�vez.
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I remember this well.
This is what started it all.
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They put probes all over
the ground around El Castillo,
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and they measured the,
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basically how well electricity flowed
through the ground.
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00:09:49,166 --> 00:09:52,208
Modern electrical systems
generally employ metal wire
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00:09:52,291 --> 00:09:53,583
to conduct electricity,
203
00:09:53,667 --> 00:09:55,375
but depending on the circumstances,
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electricity can also conduct through soil.
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What he found
was these, these anomalies.
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00:10:02,333 --> 00:10:05,458
What he shows is an area
of higher conductivity
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they think may be a cenote
under the El Castillo.
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00:10:08,709 --> 00:10:10,518
This is sorta what started it all.
This was the...
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00:10:10,542 --> 00:10:12,768
There were a lot of sci... There were
a lot of media that were saying,
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"They found a cenote
for sure under El Castillo."
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Yes, I know, I know.
This was a big thing.
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00:10:16,792 --> 00:10:19,500
Various materials
conduct electricity differently,
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00:10:19,583 --> 00:10:22,792
so what could be causing
these areas of higher conductivity?
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00:10:22,875 --> 00:10:25,792
And could this be connected
to an actual sub-surface world
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00:10:25,875 --> 00:10:27,709
beneath El Castillo?
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00:10:27,792 --> 00:10:29,959
It's not confirmed data,
but it makes sense
217
00:10:30,041 --> 00:10:33,291
under the perspective
of the oral tradition,
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00:10:33,417 --> 00:10:35,917
the legends, the myths around here
that have always said
219
00:10:36,000 --> 00:10:37,875
"There's something under Castillo."
220
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Right.
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00:10:39,834 --> 00:10:42,474
If we can find the cenote,
if there is a cenote or cave down there,
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00:10:42,500 --> 00:10:44,125
which I personally believe it is,
223
00:10:44,208 --> 00:10:47,917
uh, we are going to find
an amazing offering.
224
00:10:48,041 --> 00:10:50,583
Because of Chichen
Itza's historic standing,
225
00:10:50,667 --> 00:10:53,417
the team can't physically
excavate the grounds.
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00:10:53,500 --> 00:10:55,917
However, by analyzing these data,
227
00:10:56,000 --> 00:11:00,125
the teams develop a strategy to search
for a long-lost entrance.
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00:11:00,208 --> 00:11:02,166
The best chance is to go
229
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- right to the center of El Castillo...
- I agree.
230
00:11:04,834 --> 00:11:06,458
...and see if we can get better results
231
00:11:06,542 --> 00:11:10,792
and find a way to understand
this, uh, thing better.
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00:11:10,875 --> 00:11:13,395
It needs a lot more exploration
to figure out what it really is.
233
00:11:19,542 --> 00:11:22,834
Today's the GPR,
Ground Penetrating Radar.
234
00:11:22,917 --> 00:11:26,625
You're moving this lawn mower
back and forth
235
00:11:26,709 --> 00:11:29,750
and so while we're moving, then at the end
we get this nice clear picture
236
00:11:29,834 --> 00:11:33,250
of any voids or if there are
any reflective spaces
237
00:11:33,333 --> 00:11:36,333
that we don't know
exactly what's below there.
238
00:11:36,417 --> 00:11:39,166
So, we're actually,
we're looking about 25 feet deep
239
00:11:39,250 --> 00:11:40,351
through the ground here right now.
240
00:11:40,375 --> 00:11:41,291
Yeah.
241
00:11:41,375 --> 00:11:43,625
With the hopes
of tracking down an entrance,
242
00:11:43,709 --> 00:11:47,083
this device gives them
basically x-ray vision below the earth
243
00:11:47,166 --> 00:11:49,250
without physically altering it.
244
00:11:49,333 --> 00:11:50,976
- Slow?
- Yeah, a little slower, yep.
245
00:11:51,000 --> 00:11:52,267
There you go, there's the pace, yeah.
246
00:11:52,291 --> 00:11:56,083
Akasha is our chief
communications and outreach officer.
247
00:11:56,166 --> 00:11:58,393
She's the reason that a lot
of our field stuff runs smooth.
248
00:11:58,417 --> 00:12:00,375
I know how to use
the LiDAR systems,
249
00:12:00,458 --> 00:12:03,166
I am a strobe goddess.
250
00:12:03,250 --> 00:12:05,583
So this takes thousands of images
251
00:12:05,667 --> 00:12:09,166
to create a perfect 3D model
of the structure.
252
00:12:09,250 --> 00:12:12,208
It's all about hitting the ground just
feeling comfortable with yourself
253
00:12:12,291 --> 00:12:16,250
and once you have that established,
then everything else is kind of cake.
254
00:12:16,333 --> 00:12:18,309
I mean,
her spirit is just unstoppable.
255
00:12:18,333 --> 00:12:20,458
She is always happy, always smiling.
256
00:12:20,542 --> 00:12:22,393
It doesn't matter what's
happening. It doesn't matter
257
00:12:22,417 --> 00:12:25,125
if, you know, we're injured
and going to the ER.
258
00:12:25,208 --> 00:12:26,518
She's got a big smile on her face
259
00:12:26,542 --> 00:12:30,125
and is trying to lift
everybody up around her.
260
00:12:30,250 --> 00:12:31,976
- How's it looking?
- Looking good
261
00:12:32,000 --> 00:12:33,208
Yeah?
262
00:12:33,333 --> 00:12:34,601
There's actually
a little anomaly
263
00:12:34,625 --> 00:12:35,935
at the beginning of those stairs.
264
00:12:35,959 --> 00:12:37,879
All right,
I'm marking it right now.
265
00:12:37,917 --> 00:12:39,393
Cool. Got the mark.
266
00:12:39,417 --> 00:12:40,291
Got it?
267
00:12:40,375 --> 00:12:42,625
The GPR
immediately finds something.
268
00:12:42,750 --> 00:12:46,125
Hints of a mysterious
subterranean world rise up.
269
00:12:46,208 --> 00:12:48,333
We don't know
exactly what's below there,
270
00:12:48,417 --> 00:12:51,083
but we get this nice clear
picture of voids
271
00:12:51,166 --> 00:12:52,333
or reflective spaces.
272
00:12:52,417 --> 00:12:53,625
All right!
273
00:12:53,709 --> 00:12:56,834
And now we can go inside and catch
the, uh, catch the inside bit.
274
00:12:56,917 --> 00:12:58,083
Let's go in!
275
00:12:58,166 --> 00:12:59,667
Cool!
276
00:13:01,000 --> 00:13:02,917
Try to bang that
right up against the wall.
277
00:13:03,000 --> 00:13:04,875
Just nice and slow. Nice and slow!
278
00:13:04,959 --> 00:13:06,625
Cool.
279
00:13:06,750 --> 00:13:09,125
Whoa, I'm seeing stuff. Keep going.
280
00:13:09,208 --> 00:13:10,875
This mysterious void,
281
00:13:10,959 --> 00:13:13,625
found only a few feet away
from El Castillo,
282
00:13:13,709 --> 00:13:16,458
might connect to the hidden chamber below.
283
00:13:16,542 --> 00:13:19,333
And if it does,
could this void lead the team
284
00:13:19,417 --> 00:13:21,125
to an undiscovered entrance
285
00:13:21,208 --> 00:13:24,041
and possibly generations worth
of ancient treasures
286
00:13:24,125 --> 00:13:26,583
sacrificed to the Maya gods?
287
00:13:34,458 --> 00:13:36,000
Chichen Itza...
288
00:13:38,583 --> 00:13:43,417
was a dominant capital of the Maya world.
289
00:13:43,500 --> 00:13:46,083
Recent scientific evidence
suggests the existence
290
00:13:46,166 --> 00:13:49,875
of a mysterious chamber
beneath the massive ruin of El Castillo.
291
00:13:49,959 --> 00:13:51,119
I'm seeing stuff. Keep going.
292
00:13:52,125 --> 00:13:53,434
And using high-tech tools,
293
00:13:53,458 --> 00:13:56,875
the Virtual Wonders team,
alongside Maya experts,
294
00:13:56,959 --> 00:13:59,083
are trying to find an entrance into it.
295
00:14:04,834 --> 00:14:06,601
The biggest anomaly was definitely
296
00:14:06,625 --> 00:14:07,935
- on the entry over there.
- Okay.
297
00:14:07,959 --> 00:14:10,125
We are indeed the first, uh,
298
00:14:10,208 --> 00:14:12,000
to do the GPR directly under El Castillo.
299
00:14:12,083 --> 00:14:13,625
That's a huge deal.
300
00:14:13,709 --> 00:14:16,333
Nice and slow and steady if you can.
301
00:14:20,750 --> 00:14:25,083
Yeah, we're seeing real good
about 15 feet deep or so.
302
00:14:25,166 --> 00:14:27,625
Past that, it gets a little noisy,
but there's a lot we can do
303
00:14:27,709 --> 00:14:29,184
to clean this up in the software too.
304
00:14:29,208 --> 00:14:30,750
Awesome.
305
00:14:30,834 --> 00:14:32,518
Yeah, it seems like
maybe three feet down or so
306
00:14:32,542 --> 00:14:35,500
there's probably a layer of rock
that might either be natural
307
00:14:35,583 --> 00:14:38,250
or might be like the base
that they built on.
308
00:14:38,333 --> 00:14:40,601
- Like, the substructure?
- Right.
309
00:14:40,625 --> 00:14:45,125
To be able to actually image what's
beneath that, that floor is amazing,
310
00:14:45,208 --> 00:14:46,875
Um, you know, on a scale of one to ten
311
00:14:46,959 --> 00:14:50,083
if those anomalies are voids
or passageways,
312
00:14:50,166 --> 00:14:51,166
it's an absolute ten.
313
00:14:55,333 --> 00:14:57,518
So we'll have to analyze the data
and see what it looks like.
314
00:14:57,542 --> 00:14:58,582
Check it out.
315
00:15:01,875 --> 00:15:03,709
While Corey processes
the data...
316
00:15:06,166 --> 00:15:08,583
Memo brings another member
of Virtual Wonders
317
00:15:08,709 --> 00:15:11,208
into the restricted areas
of El Castillo...
318
00:15:11,291 --> 00:15:13,267
When was the last
time you were in here?
319
00:15:13,291 --> 00:15:15,583
Well, it was
about a month ago, I believe.
320
00:15:15,667 --> 00:15:18,375
...looking for any clues
about the chamber below.
321
00:15:20,834 --> 00:15:22,834
It's magical just to be here
322
00:15:22,917 --> 00:15:26,458
and thinking about
how many thousands of stone
323
00:15:26,542 --> 00:15:29,166
are on top of our heads, man.
324
00:15:29,250 --> 00:15:31,291
So let's not think a lot about that.
325
00:15:32,417 --> 00:15:35,208
My name is Kenny Broad.
I'm the mission specialist.
326
00:15:35,291 --> 00:15:37,875
Kenny Broad is
a National Geographic Explorer
327
00:15:37,959 --> 00:15:41,000
and chief exploration officer
of the Virtual Wonders team.
328
00:15:41,083 --> 00:15:44,291
I would describe Kenny Broad
as a, a mad scientist.
329
00:15:44,375 --> 00:15:45,625
As an expert caver,
330
00:15:45,709 --> 00:15:48,000
he and Memo may be able
to add crucial insight
331
00:15:48,083 --> 00:15:50,750
on how to access
the chamber below the pyramid.
332
00:15:50,834 --> 00:15:53,142
There's very few people that have
the privilege to go in here.
333
00:15:53,166 --> 00:15:55,959
- I don't wanna wait.
- All right, let's go!
334
00:15:56,041 --> 00:15:57,792
Being involved in a new discovery,
335
00:15:57,875 --> 00:16:01,291
it gives you this feeling that
you're doing something larger
336
00:16:01,375 --> 00:16:03,417
than just yourself.
337
00:16:03,500 --> 00:16:06,667
While there are no portals
to the underworld on the ground floor,
338
00:16:06,750 --> 00:16:08,750
they hike up to a sacred chamber
339
00:16:08,834 --> 00:16:11,166
which holds some intriguing clues.
340
00:16:11,291 --> 00:16:12,542
And this is the...
341
00:16:14,667 --> 00:16:15,667
...amazing room.
342
00:16:18,834 --> 00:16:20,500
- Oh!
- So, here we are.
343
00:16:20,625 --> 00:16:21,625
Wow!
344
00:16:21,709 --> 00:16:23,125
Oh my gosh, that's incredible
345
00:16:23,208 --> 00:16:28,750
Yeah, this is where
the king used to sit.
346
00:16:28,834 --> 00:16:31,959
This is the jaguar throne.
347
00:16:32,000 --> 00:16:33,917
So the king used to sit here?
348
00:16:34,000 --> 00:16:35,750
I mean, it really sticks out,
349
00:16:35,834 --> 00:16:37,208
because it still has
350
00:16:37,333 --> 00:16:39,959
- I assume the original paint?
- Yes.
351
00:16:40,041 --> 00:16:41,667
From this royal throne,
352
00:16:41,750 --> 00:16:44,542
kings watched countless humans sacrificed
353
00:16:44,667 --> 00:16:46,375
to the rain god Chaac
354
00:16:46,458 --> 00:16:48,125
at this nearby altar.
355
00:16:51,750 --> 00:16:56,333
Could their remains lie
in the veiled crypt below?
356
00:16:56,417 --> 00:16:59,709
Those are the original
insets of, is that jade?
357
00:16:59,792 --> 00:17:01,875
This is jade.
358
00:17:01,959 --> 00:17:04,917
To the Maya,
jade was a royal resource,
359
00:17:05,000 --> 00:17:07,458
used to communicate with the gods.
360
00:17:07,583 --> 00:17:09,101
But there's no local jade so...
361
00:17:09,125 --> 00:17:12,625
Exactly, yeah. They,
they bring it all the way from Guatemala.
362
00:17:12,750 --> 00:17:15,375
It was one very important item.
363
00:17:15,458 --> 00:17:18,417
Only royalty had access to it.
364
00:17:18,500 --> 00:17:21,458
This context is not only a royal context
365
00:17:21,542 --> 00:17:24,542
where, where the king used
to rest and sit,
366
00:17:24,625 --> 00:17:26,959
it's also a funerary one.
367
00:17:27,041 --> 00:17:31,083
There's a relationship
with death here, and life.
368
00:17:31,166 --> 00:17:33,333
Resurrection.
369
00:17:33,417 --> 00:17:35,184
- The cycle.
- The jaguar is a cycle.
370
00:17:35,208 --> 00:17:38,000
The ornate Jaguar Throne
sits in front of something
371
00:17:38,083 --> 00:17:40,125
even more grim and ominous.
372
00:17:43,166 --> 00:17:45,417
This is an amazing wall
for a number of reasons,
373
00:17:45,500 --> 00:17:49,834
and, uh, what we see here
is embedded, uh, bones.
374
00:17:49,917 --> 00:17:53,083
They are long, long human bones
375
00:17:53,166 --> 00:17:56,417
that are embedded on the wall.
376
00:17:56,500 --> 00:17:58,417
There's one there.
377
00:17:58,500 --> 00:18:00,250
Another one here.
378
00:18:00,333 --> 00:18:03,333
There.
379
00:18:03,417 --> 00:18:08,041
My assumption as an bio-archaeologist,
I believe these are leg bones.
380
00:18:08,125 --> 00:18:11,709
- Looks like it would be a femur...
- Exactly. Or tibias.
381
00:18:11,792 --> 00:18:15,166
If you ask me, I would say
yeah, that might represent
382
00:18:15,250 --> 00:18:16,583
bones of ancestors.
383
00:18:16,667 --> 00:18:17,792
Right.
384
00:18:17,875 --> 00:18:19,625
Or people very powerful.
385
00:18:19,709 --> 00:18:21,851
What's your sense of what
could be behind this wall?
386
00:18:21,875 --> 00:18:25,375
Well, I do really believe that there is,
387
00:18:25,458 --> 00:18:29,250
uh, something
intentionally deposited there.
388
00:18:29,333 --> 00:18:32,166
Given the sacredness of the site,
389
00:18:32,250 --> 00:18:35,166
the importance of the place
within Chichen Itza,
390
00:18:35,250 --> 00:18:38,000
I believe it could be a burial back there.
391
00:18:38,083 --> 00:18:39,834
I mean, it makes logical sense.
392
00:18:39,917 --> 00:18:41,583
It makes sense, yes.
393
00:18:41,667 --> 00:18:44,041
Yeah, if somebody is buried here,
394
00:18:44,125 --> 00:18:48,875
it was for sure a very important person,
a king.
395
00:18:48,959 --> 00:18:51,417
Could the chamber
behind this wall of bones
396
00:18:51,500 --> 00:18:54,333
have once provided a gateway
to the cave below?
397
00:18:56,458 --> 00:18:58,338
I can feel the wind
coming through here.
398
00:18:58,417 --> 00:19:00,142
- It's like you've found a lead.
- Oh yeah, yeah. You feel that?
399
00:19:00,166 --> 00:19:02,000
- You feel that?
- Yeah.
400
00:19:02,083 --> 00:19:04,750
That could be indicating
a system down there.
401
00:19:04,834 --> 00:19:06,834
No, and right,
when we explore caves,
402
00:19:06,917 --> 00:19:08,667
we look for that kind of breeze.
403
00:19:08,750 --> 00:19:10,166
That's a, that's a sign.
404
00:19:10,250 --> 00:19:12,333
When we feel that breeze,
it's, "Let's go."
405
00:19:12,417 --> 00:19:14,125
- Yeah.
- Yeah, so...
406
00:19:14,208 --> 00:19:16,267
Some more evidence
that there's something beneath.
407
00:19:16,291 --> 00:19:18,625
And I think this means that
408
00:19:18,709 --> 00:19:22,417
the cenote that we're looking for
might be down there.
409
00:19:22,500 --> 00:19:24,291
Or maybe an entrance.
410
00:19:24,375 --> 00:19:27,875
- And you can see some, some voids.
- Right. Right.
411
00:19:27,959 --> 00:19:31,834
Because they can't physically
alter anything inside El Castillo,
412
00:19:31,917 --> 00:19:33,792
Kenny and Memo carry on
413
00:19:33,875 --> 00:19:36,625
looking for other ways in, to no avail.
414
00:19:38,208 --> 00:19:41,041
But back at the Virtual Wonder's
headquarters,
415
00:19:41,125 --> 00:19:44,375
Corey and Akasha have processed
their GPR findings
416
00:19:44,458 --> 00:19:47,125
and discover something promising.
417
00:19:47,208 --> 00:19:50,625
So we did this north face first
and, uh, went along this way,
418
00:19:50,709 --> 00:19:54,125
right along the fence line, about, uh,
about a half a meter from the fence line
419
00:19:54,208 --> 00:19:56,083
and then this way and this way.
420
00:19:56,166 --> 00:19:57,750
But what we're seeing here,
421
00:19:57,834 --> 00:20:00,208
um, these areas of black,
white, black like this
422
00:20:00,291 --> 00:20:02,041
are very strong radar returns.
423
00:20:02,125 --> 00:20:03,917
I don't think they indicate a void to me,
424
00:20:04,000 --> 00:20:06,083
but I think they indicate rock.
425
00:20:06,166 --> 00:20:09,375
There's nothing that interesting
on the north side to me.
426
00:20:09,458 --> 00:20:11,333
We then started over here
427
00:20:11,417 --> 00:20:15,000
and dragged the south side of the GPR
right on the corner here.
428
00:20:15,083 --> 00:20:17,125
Again, there seems like
there's a rock base,
429
00:20:17,208 --> 00:20:19,709
but what's really interesting
to me is this return.
430
00:20:19,792 --> 00:20:23,750
So this is in the, uh, south east corner
of El Castillo,
431
00:20:23,834 --> 00:20:26,291
This is between three
and four meters deep over here.
432
00:20:26,375 --> 00:20:28,017
- Oh, wow, that's deep enough.
- And there is, uh,
433
00:20:28,041 --> 00:20:31,125
there is what looks like
a really strong return.
434
00:20:31,208 --> 00:20:34,417
And it looks like
a very irregular cavity, right?
435
00:20:34,500 --> 00:20:37,792
It looks, uh, I mean,
from a single GPR radar-gram like that,
436
00:20:37,875 --> 00:20:39,643
yeah, I would say that looks
like a cavity, yeah.
437
00:20:39,667 --> 00:20:41,500
So like a natural cavity, I mean?
438
00:20:41,583 --> 00:20:44,267
It's hard to say. It's hard to
say if it's natural or man-made.
439
00:20:44,291 --> 00:20:46,371
All you can really say is
it's a really strong return
440
00:20:46,417 --> 00:20:47,750
that looks like a void.
441
00:20:47,834 --> 00:20:51,208
How far actually it's
from, from the corner?
442
00:20:51,291 --> 00:20:52,917
It's almost exactly on the corner.
443
00:20:54,458 --> 00:20:57,041
Okay, that's very, very interesting.
444
00:20:57,125 --> 00:20:58,208
- Yeah.
- Wow.
445
00:20:58,291 --> 00:21:00,875
What I now want to show you,
Cash and I took the GPR
446
00:21:00,959 --> 00:21:03,917
in this, uh, excavated archaeology part
447
00:21:04,000 --> 00:21:07,000
underneath here, this doorway
and we dragged it back,
448
00:21:07,083 --> 00:21:10,166
and then the hallway turns
and goes into El Castillo
449
00:21:10,250 --> 00:21:11,417
towards that rock fall.
450
00:21:11,542 --> 00:21:12,893
Towards the center of El Castillo?
451
00:21:12,917 --> 00:21:14,583
Right. This right here,
452
00:21:14,709 --> 00:21:17,667
um, is the brightest
radar reflection I've seen
453
00:21:17,792 --> 00:21:19,125
anywhere in Chichen Itza.
454
00:21:19,208 --> 00:21:21,685
- I've been dragging this radar around.
- It looks amazing.
455
00:21:21,709 --> 00:21:23,959
This is to me
a pretty clear void,
456
00:21:24,083 --> 00:21:27,375
um, at, look at that,
three to four meters deep.
457
00:21:27,458 --> 00:21:28,959
Corey, I think this is amazing,
458
00:21:29,041 --> 00:21:31,667
but what I think what amazes me more is
459
00:21:31,750 --> 00:21:34,834
that both anomalies are the same depth.
460
00:21:34,917 --> 00:21:37,250
- Yup.
- So it might be a tunnel,
461
00:21:37,333 --> 00:21:40,542
and that's very promising.
462
00:21:40,625 --> 00:21:43,083
Could this potential
tunnel be the gateway
463
00:21:43,166 --> 00:21:45,125
to the proposed cenote below?
464
00:21:45,208 --> 00:21:47,917
If so, where is its entrance?
465
00:21:48,041 --> 00:21:50,792
The thing with GPR
that I always think about is,
466
00:21:50,875 --> 00:21:53,959
if you see something and you don't see
anything like that anywhere else,
467
00:21:54,041 --> 00:21:56,375
then you're like, okay, one weird anomaly,
468
00:21:56,458 --> 00:21:59,917
but the whole thing is with GPR
when you start building up a story,
469
00:22:00,000 --> 00:22:01,976
when you start saying, whoa,
we're seeing weird stuff
470
00:22:02,000 --> 00:22:03,393
at three and a half to four meters here...
471
00:22:03,417 --> 00:22:05,250
Might have comparison.
472
00:22:05,291 --> 00:22:07,935
You may be, you know, I think
it builds more meaning to me.
473
00:22:07,959 --> 00:22:10,750
That's a, that's a big anomaly
that I didn't expect to be there.
474
00:22:10,834 --> 00:22:12,518
None of the rest
of the area looks like that.
475
00:22:12,542 --> 00:22:14,542
The other side that goes up
the substructure
476
00:22:14,625 --> 00:22:16,309
doesn't have any returns
that look like this.
477
00:22:16,333 --> 00:22:18,583
This is a, this is a big neon sign
478
00:22:18,667 --> 00:22:20,518
- saying there's something interesting.
- Yes!
479
00:22:20,542 --> 00:22:22,041
That might be it.
480
00:22:22,125 --> 00:22:24,625
This possible tunnel
may lead in the direction
481
00:22:24,709 --> 00:22:26,625
of another Chichen Itza landmark:
482
00:22:27,542 --> 00:22:29,875
El Osario.
483
00:22:29,959 --> 00:22:34,000
El Osario is also known
as the "Tomb of the High Priest."
484
00:22:34,083 --> 00:22:36,709
Another temple on the grounds
of Chichen Itza.
485
00:22:36,792 --> 00:22:39,667
Archaeologists have traditionally thought
that El Osario was built
486
00:22:39,750 --> 00:22:41,250
in 980 AD
487
00:22:41,333 --> 00:22:44,208
and modeled after
its bigger sister: El Castillo.
488
00:22:44,291 --> 00:22:46,709
But there's an even more
stunning parallel.
489
00:22:46,792 --> 00:22:50,375
El Osario kind of replicates
what we see in El Castillo.
490
00:22:50,458 --> 00:22:52,101
Yeah, it
looks very much similar, yeah.
491
00:22:52,125 --> 00:22:55,875
It's a radial pyramid,
four, uh, axis stairways,
492
00:22:55,959 --> 00:22:58,083
snake, snake heads at the end,
493
00:22:58,166 --> 00:23:00,250
so the similarities are amazing
494
00:23:00,333 --> 00:23:04,166
why not thinking there is
a cavern also in El Castillo.
495
00:23:04,250 --> 00:23:06,542
Guess what, El Osario was built
496
00:23:06,625 --> 00:23:08,917
right on top of a natural cavern.
497
00:23:09,000 --> 00:23:14,542
We think that this cavern might
have tunnels or passageways
498
00:23:14,625 --> 00:23:16,041
to get into this other tunnel.
499
00:23:16,125 --> 00:23:17,834
That makes sense
500
00:23:17,917 --> 00:23:19,583
because they are very close,
501
00:23:19,667 --> 00:23:22,625
so it sounds like the logical
place to find a passageway
502
00:23:22,709 --> 00:23:24,208
to El Castillo.
503
00:23:29,125 --> 00:23:32,041
Do these underground passageways
504
00:23:32,125 --> 00:23:34,500
connect to the chamber
beneath El Castillo?
505
00:23:38,375 --> 00:23:42,875
They clearly built the Osario
to be over that important cave.
506
00:23:42,959 --> 00:23:45,500
Because of the danger,
climbing El Osario
507
00:23:45,583 --> 00:23:47,023
is restricted to the general public.
508
00:23:50,834 --> 00:23:53,309
Just a set of Mayan
stairs, and they're super-steep.
509
00:23:53,333 --> 00:23:55,125
They're probably, like, a 45-degree angle,
510
00:23:55,208 --> 00:23:57,458
like the stairs outside of El Castillo.
511
00:23:59,750 --> 00:24:02,041
All right!
So, we'll connect this up?
512
00:24:16,417 --> 00:24:17,976
- We're looking for tunnels here.
- Yes.
513
00:24:18,000 --> 00:24:22,208
I want you guys to look
for possible areas or gaps
514
00:24:22,291 --> 00:24:24,500
and see if there's a passageway behind.
515
00:24:24,583 --> 00:24:25,583
Totally. Yep.
516
00:24:25,625 --> 00:24:26,917
To find any tunnels,
517
00:24:27,000 --> 00:24:29,083
the team must use their high-tech tools
518
00:24:29,166 --> 00:24:31,250
in a difficult to reach spot.
519
00:24:31,333 --> 00:24:32,959
Very few people have been here,
520
00:24:33,041 --> 00:24:35,083
and, uh, nobody has been here
with this technology.
521
00:24:35,166 --> 00:24:37,375
- Has used technology, right?
- Yeah.
522
00:24:37,458 --> 00:24:39,083
I guess they had, uh,
523
00:24:39,166 --> 00:24:41,792
1800s technology last time they...
524
00:24:41,875 --> 00:24:43,542
It still counts, it still counts.
525
00:24:43,625 --> 00:24:44,917
My name is Chris Millbern,
526
00:24:45,000 --> 00:24:46,640
and I'm the director of field operations.
527
00:24:46,709 --> 00:24:50,625
Anything that has to do with tech
or gear is under my purview
528
00:24:50,709 --> 00:24:53,542
or at the very least is me
messing around and running around
529
00:24:53,667 --> 00:24:54,583
to make sure that it works.
530
00:24:54,667 --> 00:24:56,000
- Robot, cable, tablet.
- Yeah.
531
00:24:56,083 --> 00:24:58,101
- Only three giant things, it will be fine.
- Yeah.
532
00:24:58,125 --> 00:25:00,291
I'm definitely the one sweating the most
533
00:25:00,375 --> 00:25:01,625
if nobody's noticed.
534
00:25:01,709 --> 00:25:02,875
Let's go! Let's do it!
535
00:25:02,959 --> 00:25:05,250
- Right!
- Okay.
536
00:25:05,333 --> 00:25:07,375
To get underneath El Osario,
537
00:25:07,458 --> 00:25:10,375
they must risk life and limb.
538
00:25:14,500 --> 00:25:16,142
Memo's about to come down.
Are you ready?
539
00:25:16,166 --> 00:25:18,917
That hole is about
a 60 foot drop straight down.
540
00:25:19,000 --> 00:25:21,083
Going down into this little tiny cave.
541
00:25:41,041 --> 00:25:42,125
Geez!
542
00:25:42,208 --> 00:25:43,608
Corey's on the way down!
543
00:25:52,417 --> 00:25:53,657
Right, coming down.
544
00:25:54,583 --> 00:25:56,291
Not a lotta room, eh?
545
00:25:56,375 --> 00:25:58,291
Not a lot of room, man.
546
00:25:58,375 --> 00:26:00,101
- What's the drop?
- Sixty feet.
547
00:26:00,125 --> 00:26:01,709
Sixty feet. But this is it.
548
00:26:01,792 --> 00:26:03,792
We're... we're crammed in here.
549
00:26:05,250 --> 00:26:06,650
How dangerous this place is?
550
00:26:06,709 --> 00:26:08,875
- Yeah, man.
- Uh, any rock...
551
00:26:08,959 --> 00:26:10,799
- Yeah, you're dead.
- You're dead.
552
00:26:11,750 --> 00:26:13,125
Woo!
553
00:26:13,208 --> 00:26:14,559
It's this tiny,
tiny little room.
554
00:26:14,583 --> 00:26:15,935
I mean, you feel like you're in the womb.
555
00:26:15,959 --> 00:26:18,208
You're just crushed
in there with Guillermo.
556
00:26:18,291 --> 00:26:20,667
This must have been
such an important place for the Maya
557
00:26:20,750 --> 00:26:22,834
to build this massive monument
on top of it.
558
00:26:25,083 --> 00:26:27,625
To find
any undiscovered passageways
559
00:26:27,709 --> 00:26:29,333
and where they might lead,
560
00:26:29,417 --> 00:26:33,291
the team breaks out
one of its most versatile devices.
561
00:26:33,375 --> 00:26:35,959
All right, Corey,
borescope on its way!
562
00:26:36,041 --> 00:26:38,041
The borescope has a small camera
563
00:26:38,125 --> 00:26:40,583
that can snake around nooks and crannies.
564
00:26:40,667 --> 00:26:41,542
Okay.
565
00:26:41,625 --> 00:26:44,667
So I'm going to feed out
the borescope cable.
566
00:26:44,750 --> 00:26:46,430
- Okay.
- And Guillermo,
567
00:26:46,500 --> 00:26:49,142
so we'll have to straighten this out
so the borescope can articulate
568
00:26:49,166 --> 00:26:50,458
so be careful.
569
00:26:50,542 --> 00:26:53,125
Uh... all right, Memo, start going.
570
00:26:54,083 --> 00:26:55,625
Okay.
571
00:26:55,709 --> 00:26:56,768
Go a little bit more in.
572
00:26:56,792 --> 00:26:59,542
Yeah, we got something interesting.
Here, look at this. What is this?
573
00:26:59,625 --> 00:27:02,625
I think this is the
original entrance to this cave.
574
00:27:02,709 --> 00:27:04,792
- Oh, right there. Right.
- Yes.
575
00:27:04,875 --> 00:27:07,709
- Yeah. Oh my God!
- And, uh...
576
00:27:07,792 --> 00:27:09,872
But there's something
even more intriguing
577
00:27:09,917 --> 00:27:11,625
about this underground entrance.
578
00:27:11,709 --> 00:27:14,166
The passageway has been
mysteriously blocked
579
00:27:14,250 --> 00:27:16,875
by something man-made.
580
00:27:16,959 --> 00:27:18,351
Do you think they're
cave-in, or do you think
581
00:27:18,375 --> 00:27:20,041
they were, uh, blocked by the Maya?
582
00:27:20,125 --> 00:27:22,250
- No, no, I think it was the Maya.
- Right.
583
00:27:23,458 --> 00:27:25,418
- The ancient Maya sealed it.
- Yeah, yeah.
584
00:27:25,500 --> 00:27:28,417
- Okay.
- It was, like, completely blocked.
585
00:27:28,500 --> 00:27:30,542
Memo believes
the ancient Maya did this
586
00:27:30,625 --> 00:27:33,250
because of where the passage points.
587
00:27:33,333 --> 00:27:36,500
I feel like the blocked passage
588
00:27:36,583 --> 00:27:37,976
is in the direction of El Castillo.
589
00:27:38,000 --> 00:27:40,917
- Wow.
- Yeah.
590
00:27:41,000 --> 00:27:42,960
But why would
the Maya have blocked off
591
00:27:43,000 --> 00:27:45,834
an underground passageway
between El Osario
592
00:27:45,917 --> 00:27:48,166
and the chamber below El Castillo?
593
00:27:48,250 --> 00:27:50,291
The team carries on its investigation
594
00:27:50,375 --> 00:27:52,333
and stumbles upon a relevant clue.
595
00:27:55,917 --> 00:27:57,643
I'm seeing something
on the walls.
596
00:27:57,667 --> 00:27:59,041
See the white?
597
00:27:59,125 --> 00:28:01,041
Stop there for a second.
598
00:28:01,125 --> 00:28:02,125
What's that?
599
00:28:03,875 --> 00:28:05,601
Right there we see
a piece of pottery.
600
00:28:05,625 --> 00:28:07,267
- Oh, that's pottery?
- Yeah, oh yeah.
601
00:28:07,291 --> 00:28:09,291
Wow, wow,
hold on there for a second
602
00:28:09,375 --> 00:28:12,542
- You see all the ceramic there?
- Where?
603
00:28:12,625 --> 00:28:14,208
Is that... Oh yeah!
604
00:28:14,291 --> 00:28:16,667
The Maya
ritually broke ceramic pottery
605
00:28:16,750 --> 00:28:18,125
as sacrificial offerings
606
00:28:18,208 --> 00:28:19,959
alongside the people they buried
607
00:28:20,083 --> 00:28:21,959
in order to free their spirit.
608
00:28:22,041 --> 00:28:25,333
But the place the team has
found these ceramic shards
609
00:28:25,417 --> 00:28:27,208
is even more mystifying.
610
00:28:27,291 --> 00:28:29,351
The ceramic is on
a little shelf up there, right?
611
00:28:29,375 --> 00:28:30,726
- Is that what you're looking at?
- No, it's not a shelf.
612
00:28:30,750 --> 00:28:31,959
It's on the ceiling...
613
00:28:32,041 --> 00:28:34,208
- The ceramic's on the ceiling?
- [Yeah.
614
00:28:34,291 --> 00:28:37,250
You find pottery all over
the floor of the caves all the time,
615
00:28:37,333 --> 00:28:40,000
but shards of pottery, you know,
hanging down like...
616
00:28:40,083 --> 00:28:43,166
...you know, like they could fall on you
like knives from the ceiling,
617
00:28:43,250 --> 00:28:44,476
and, you know, that's, that's weird.
618
00:28:44,500 --> 00:28:46,935
And that's the ceiling we're pointed
towards, right, you said?
619
00:28:46,959 --> 00:28:48,851
- Yes, exactly.
- That's crazy.
620
00:28:48,875 --> 00:28:51,959
What would have prompted the
Maya to affix broken pottery
621
00:28:52,041 --> 00:28:54,542
to the ceiling of this
sacred underground chamber?
622
00:28:54,625 --> 00:28:57,041
Is it ritually
sacrificed pottery?
623
00:28:57,125 --> 00:28:58,709
Yeah, it is ritually sacrificed.
624
00:28:58,792 --> 00:29:03,542
They, uh, used fire
as part of the, of the ritual.
625
00:29:03,625 --> 00:29:07,458
- It's charcoal, mud, and ceramics.
- Wow!
626
00:29:07,542 --> 00:29:10,000
And then they mix it all together.
627
00:29:10,083 --> 00:29:11,184
You think they filled this in?
628
00:29:11,208 --> 00:29:13,291
- Yeah.
- So that's the floor, really?
629
00:29:13,375 --> 00:29:15,709
We're looking at maybe the floor
of what they filled in?
630
00:29:15,792 --> 00:29:17,166
But it's our ceiling.
631
00:29:17,250 --> 00:29:18,667
Wow!
632
00:29:18,750 --> 00:29:20,500
They mixed pottery, charcoal, and dirt
633
00:29:20,625 --> 00:29:24,125
and filled that in from the outside
to close off a passageway
634
00:29:24,208 --> 00:29:28,000
so that the Osario shaft was the only
passage into this sacred cave.
635
00:29:28,083 --> 00:29:29,333
You know, that's, that's weird.
636
00:29:29,417 --> 00:29:31,750
But why did the Maya
intentionally block
637
00:29:31,834 --> 00:29:33,834
this underground tunnel?
638
00:29:33,917 --> 00:29:36,125
Before they can investigate any further...
639
00:29:39,208 --> 00:29:41,008
Ooh boy,
that's gonna be a big one.
640
00:29:41,750 --> 00:29:44,375
Oh!
641
00:29:44,458 --> 00:29:46,917
Lightning is probably my least favorite.
642
00:29:49,250 --> 00:29:52,375
An unexpected storm
threatens not just the investigation,
643
00:29:52,458 --> 00:29:54,375
but the lives of the men below.
644
00:29:54,458 --> 00:29:58,500
A storm of that size
is not something I like to be around,
645
00:29:58,583 --> 00:30:02,000
next to a metal structure, with
my friends in a wet hole right down below.
646
00:30:03,917 --> 00:30:05,518
We can't tell
it's raining at all,
647
00:30:05,542 --> 00:30:06,935
but we hear Chris
from the top yelling down,
648
00:30:06,959 --> 00:30:09,125
"Guys, you better hurry up!
649
00:30:09,208 --> 00:30:11,248
The lightning's coming in."
And we're like, "Oh no!"
650
00:30:12,041 --> 00:30:13,083
Let's go!
651
00:30:27,166 --> 00:30:29,834
At Chichen Itza's
pyramid, El Osario...
652
00:30:32,000 --> 00:30:33,667
archaeologist Guillermo de Anda
653
00:30:33,750 --> 00:30:36,125
and cutting-edge technologists
Virtual Wonders
654
00:30:36,208 --> 00:30:38,166
are trying to unearth an access point
655
00:30:38,250 --> 00:30:41,375
to the tunnel that could connect
to the chamber below El Castillo.
656
00:30:44,375 --> 00:30:46,417
Ooh boy!
657
00:30:46,500 --> 00:30:48,083
Let's go!
658
00:30:48,166 --> 00:30:51,458
But their search comes to
a grinding halt when lightning strikes.
659
00:30:54,000 --> 00:30:56,101
So lightning's coming
in and so is the rain,
660
00:30:56,125 --> 00:30:57,643
so we're trying to get
these guys out of the hole
661
00:30:57,667 --> 00:30:59,083
as soon as possible.
662
00:30:59,166 --> 00:31:01,375
This is a little scary.
663
00:31:01,458 --> 00:31:03,875
Trapped in this tomb
60 feet below,
664
00:31:03,959 --> 00:31:06,458
they must evacuate before it's too late.
665
00:31:09,041 --> 00:31:10,267
All right. Gracias.
666
00:31:10,291 --> 00:31:12,434
- There you go! Nice.
- Gracias.
667
00:31:12,458 --> 00:31:14,250
People have died being hit by lightning.
668
00:31:14,333 --> 00:31:17,667
We've got this big metal frame around it
that's being used to lower people.
669
00:31:17,750 --> 00:31:19,583
Whoo!
670
00:31:19,667 --> 00:31:22,041
That was... that was crazy.
671
00:31:22,125 --> 00:31:24,375
The lightning's just
ripping down all around.
672
00:31:24,458 --> 00:31:26,184
Let's get outta here
before we're hit by lightning!
673
00:31:26,208 --> 00:31:27,542
Yes.
674
00:31:27,625 --> 00:31:30,500
Yeah, yeah.
Chaac is, uh, Chaac is with us.
675
00:31:32,375 --> 00:31:33,834
Safely out of harm's way,
676
00:31:33,917 --> 00:31:36,750
the whole team reviews what
they found beneath El Osario
677
00:31:36,834 --> 00:31:39,333
to try and work out
why the Maya blocked off
678
00:31:39,417 --> 00:31:41,583
this underground passageway.
679
00:31:41,667 --> 00:31:45,291
Basically, we put the
borescope in everywhere it would fit.
680
00:31:45,375 --> 00:31:46,893
To help resolve this mystery,
681
00:31:46,917 --> 00:31:50,375
Maya archaeologist Dr. Jim Brady
joins the team.
682
00:31:50,458 --> 00:31:52,625
That's really terrific!
683
00:31:52,709 --> 00:31:54,768
- The pottery's right here.
- Oh, is it that structure?
684
00:31:54,792 --> 00:31:56,542
There's all the shards there.
685
00:31:56,625 --> 00:31:59,291
Dr. Brady is one
of the few archaeologists
686
00:31:59,375 --> 00:32:02,583
to have really explored
the mysteries of El Osario.
687
00:32:02,667 --> 00:32:05,166
His expertise could yield crucial insight
688
00:32:05,250 --> 00:32:07,583
into this enigmatic blocked passageway.
689
00:32:08,542 --> 00:32:10,166
Which is crazy, right?
690
00:32:10,250 --> 00:32:12,643
I mean, having the pottery shards
on the ceiling was a surprise to me.
691
00:32:12,667 --> 00:32:14,792
I didn't know that was down there.
692
00:32:14,875 --> 00:32:17,059
- There.
- And here's, here's charcoal,
693
00:32:17,083 --> 00:32:19,458
and is that, that's charcoal,
and that is charcoal, too?
694
00:32:19,542 --> 00:32:21,625
Yes. Those are bits of charcoal.
695
00:32:21,709 --> 00:32:22,709
Okay.
696
00:32:22,750 --> 00:32:24,142
We sampled that charcoal
697
00:32:24,166 --> 00:32:26,500
and have gotten a radiocarbon dates back
698
00:32:26,583 --> 00:32:30,959
that come out about, oh, 725, 728 AD.
699
00:32:31,083 --> 00:32:32,333
725? Wow.
700
00:32:34,000 --> 00:32:35,768
Traditionally,
most scholars believe
701
00:32:35,792 --> 00:32:38,542
El Osario was built in 980 AD.
702
00:32:38,625 --> 00:32:41,542
But recent research is turning
this notion on its head.
703
00:32:41,625 --> 00:32:45,792
The Osario was built
much earlier than people think.
704
00:32:45,875 --> 00:32:48,709
This is about two and a half
centuries earlier than...
705
00:32:48,792 --> 00:32:49,935
- Really? Wow.
- Yeah.
706
00:32:49,959 --> 00:32:50,976
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
707
00:32:51,000 --> 00:32:52,768
How much earlier
does that place it
708
00:32:52,792 --> 00:32:54,112
in comparison to other buildings?
709
00:32:54,166 --> 00:32:56,417
Like, what's El
Castillo do you think?
710
00:32:56,500 --> 00:32:58,208
The Castillo would be later
711
00:32:58,291 --> 00:32:59,893
and so this is gonna change everything...
712
00:32:59,917 --> 00:33:00,834
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
713
00:33:00,917 --> 00:33:03,393
This is gonna change
everything because rather than
714
00:33:03,417 --> 00:33:06,333
the Osario being a model of the Castillo
715
00:33:06,417 --> 00:33:07,959
it might be the other way around.
716
00:33:08,041 --> 00:33:10,458
Yeah. Totally. Wow.
717
00:33:10,542 --> 00:33:13,417
The carbon dating
of the charcoal is changing history
718
00:33:13,500 --> 00:33:16,917
and proves El Osario
was likely built before...
719
00:33:17,959 --> 00:33:19,583
El Castillo.
720
00:33:19,667 --> 00:33:23,458
And for the team, the ritual use of
charcoal beneath El Osario
721
00:33:23,583 --> 00:33:26,208
also provides a significant
piece of the puzzle.
722
00:33:26,291 --> 00:33:28,917
The pot shards and the charcoal,
723
00:33:29,000 --> 00:33:31,625
you know, that might be indicating
724
00:33:31,709 --> 00:33:33,041
some kind of a ritual.
725
00:33:33,125 --> 00:33:36,250
Is this sort of the same
idea that how they
726
00:33:36,333 --> 00:33:38,709
packed everything off,
closed something off?
727
00:33:38,792 --> 00:33:41,017
- Like termination ritual, you mean?
- Exactly.
728
00:33:41,041 --> 00:33:42,500
What do you think, Dr. Brady?
729
00:33:42,583 --> 00:33:44,875
It looks like it was terminated.
730
00:33:44,959 --> 00:33:49,333
A termination ritual is the act
of killing a building's spiritual force.
731
00:33:49,417 --> 00:33:53,959
This exorcism typically happened
when the Maya abandoned their temples.
732
00:33:54,083 --> 00:33:57,333
The termination ritual not only
closed off a building to the living,
733
00:33:57,417 --> 00:34:01,208
it also stopped the temple
from being visited by the dead.
734
00:34:01,291 --> 00:34:03,250
- That's crazy!
- Right?
735
00:34:03,333 --> 00:34:05,750
El Osario may have
once had an entranceway
736
00:34:05,834 --> 00:34:07,667
to this now blocked underground tunnel,
737
00:34:07,750 --> 00:34:10,834
leading to the subterranean chamber
beneath El Castillo,
738
00:34:10,917 --> 00:34:14,291
and even been part
of a sprawling subterranean world.
739
00:34:14,375 --> 00:34:16,959
But because this possible
passage is now blocked,
740
00:34:17,041 --> 00:34:18,792
the team must regroup.
741
00:34:18,875 --> 00:34:20,355
That, that's very interesting,
742
00:34:20,417 --> 00:34:23,000
you know, we've been
desperately trying to get,
743
00:34:23,083 --> 00:34:27,208
to find an entrance
to this cavern or cenote
744
00:34:27,291 --> 00:34:29,792
if there is one right under El Castillo.
745
00:34:32,875 --> 00:34:35,017
Memo, who knows
the Chichen Itza underground
746
00:34:35,041 --> 00:34:36,542
better than anyone on Earth,
747
00:34:36,625 --> 00:34:39,709
knows of one possible opening
to the Maya underworld
748
00:34:39,792 --> 00:34:43,667
that could provide an
underground gateway to El Castillo.
749
00:34:43,750 --> 00:34:47,333
The only way to access it
is by using advanced technology
750
00:34:47,417 --> 00:34:49,667
and facing extreme dangers.
751
00:34:49,750 --> 00:34:51,375
Watch out for snakes, please.
752
00:34:51,458 --> 00:34:53,291
Yeah, the cenote is right there.
753
00:34:55,500 --> 00:34:58,750
The cenotes,
ceremonial sacred sites of the Maya,
754
00:34:58,834 --> 00:35:00,583
could provide concealed entranceways
755
00:35:00,667 --> 00:35:04,834
to a sprawling underground network
of long-lost passages.
756
00:35:04,917 --> 00:35:06,250
But flooded with water,
757
00:35:06,333 --> 00:35:10,625
they're notoriously difficult to explore,
even deadly.
758
00:35:10,709 --> 00:35:13,267
It's going to become a little bit
more slippery so careful with that.
759
00:35:13,291 --> 00:35:16,750
We're gonna use a rope just to
help ourselves going down there.
760
00:35:16,834 --> 00:35:20,250
Despite this, Memo and
the Virtual Wonders team are trekking
761
00:35:20,375 --> 00:35:24,333
to one of the four cenotes that surround
the central pyramid of El Castillo.
762
00:35:24,417 --> 00:35:27,583
The treacherous and seldom-explored
underground cavern called...
763
00:35:29,625 --> 00:35:30,625
Holtun.
764
00:35:30,750 --> 00:35:32,434
This is the
amazing thing about technology
765
00:35:32,458 --> 00:35:34,750
that we can see things that the eye can't.
766
00:35:34,834 --> 00:35:37,208
I'm so glad that today
we have this little robot
767
00:35:37,291 --> 00:35:39,709
because, uh, there is a huge tunnel
768
00:35:39,792 --> 00:35:42,917
that turns a little bit to the north
which El Castillo is,
769
00:35:43,000 --> 00:35:45,458
so that might be a very good chance
770
00:35:45,542 --> 00:35:47,792
to maybe connect to the cenote under it.
771
00:35:48,917 --> 00:35:51,417
Every time I go down there,
I find something new.
772
00:35:52,333 --> 00:35:53,542
Let's go diving.
773
00:35:54,917 --> 00:35:57,875
For the team, searching these
under-explored chambers
774
00:35:57,959 --> 00:36:01,417
might be their best chance at
making a groundbreaking discovery
775
00:36:01,500 --> 00:36:04,917
that could unlock one of
the ancient Maya's greatest secrets.
776
00:36:05,000 --> 00:36:08,000
And if so, what riches could they find?
777
00:36:13,375 --> 00:36:17,083
In their quest to reveal
a secret underground passageway
778
00:36:17,166 --> 00:36:20,166
and resolve the mystery
at the heart of Chichen Itza,
779
00:36:20,250 --> 00:36:23,667
Virtual Wonders and Maya
archaeologist Guillermo de Anda
780
00:36:23,750 --> 00:36:26,375
are making their way to one of
the four major cenotes
781
00:36:26,458 --> 00:36:29,166
that surround Chichen Itza's main pyramid.
782
00:36:29,250 --> 00:36:32,291
Deploying the most advanced
exploration tools available,
783
00:36:32,375 --> 00:36:35,458
they plan to investigate
the westernmost cenote...
784
00:36:35,542 --> 00:36:37,041
called Holtun.
785
00:36:38,250 --> 00:36:39,750
This is the entrance.
786
00:36:39,834 --> 00:36:42,208
We can go to the south side wall.
787
00:36:42,291 --> 00:36:44,291
Searching for
an underground passageway
788
00:36:44,375 --> 00:36:48,333
that could lead to undiscovered treasures
beneath El Castillo.
789
00:36:48,417 --> 00:36:50,041
Cenotes have this mystery.
790
00:36:50,125 --> 00:36:53,542
There is passageways that goes
who knows where.
791
00:36:57,917 --> 00:36:59,125
Okay.
792
00:36:59,208 --> 00:37:00,291
On rope!
793
00:37:04,625 --> 00:37:07,750
It's a potentially
fatal 72-foot drop,
794
00:37:07,834 --> 00:37:11,583
perilous not just for the divers,
but also for the pricey gear.
795
00:37:11,667 --> 00:37:12,935
- You good, Chris?
- Yeah.
796
00:37:12,959 --> 00:37:14,476
- All right.
- Okay.
797
00:37:14,500 --> 00:37:17,917
Corey and Memo will scuba dive
to look for any concealed passageways.
798
00:37:20,291 --> 00:37:21,792
Okay, we're in business.
799
00:37:21,875 --> 00:37:24,792
While field specialist
Chris Millbern pilots the ROV
800
00:37:24,875 --> 00:37:26,792
from a raft inside the cenote.
801
00:37:29,041 --> 00:37:32,208
This small robot submarine
fits places that humans
802
00:37:32,291 --> 00:37:34,959
with their bulky scuba gear
are just too big to go.
803
00:37:37,041 --> 00:37:38,434
You're going down with a bag?
804
00:37:38,458 --> 00:37:39,458
Si.
805
00:37:42,583 --> 00:37:45,333
It is exactly as insane
as you would expect.
806
00:37:53,125 --> 00:37:56,583
This is not a carved-out cave
that's really comfortable.
807
00:37:56,709 --> 00:37:58,917
It's not a place that
a lot of people have been.
808
00:37:59,000 --> 00:38:00,792
Okay!
809
00:38:00,917 --> 00:38:04,417
It's some place that you have to really
know your stuff to get down into
810
00:38:04,500 --> 00:38:08,208
and you have to take some risks
to make sure that your able to see it.
811
00:38:08,291 --> 00:38:09,726
- Is that you?
- Yep, that's me.
812
00:38:09,750 --> 00:38:11,417
All right, go.
813
00:38:11,500 --> 00:38:13,750
Cool. Props are turning.
814
00:38:13,834 --> 00:38:15,542
There you go.
815
00:38:15,625 --> 00:38:17,375
- You have video?
- Yep.
816
00:38:17,458 --> 00:38:18,667
All right!
817
00:38:18,750 --> 00:38:20,375
Are you on the slowest mode possible?
818
00:38:20,458 --> 00:38:21,893
I'm on
the slowest mode possible.
819
00:38:21,917 --> 00:38:23,875
Stabilization's off,
'cause I want it to be off.
820
00:38:23,959 --> 00:38:24,959
Okay.
821
00:38:27,750 --> 00:38:29,267
- Have a good dive now.
- Yeah. Thanks, buddy!
822
00:38:29,291 --> 00:38:30,291
We'll see you soon.
823
00:38:31,250 --> 00:38:32,410
Go find something.
824
00:38:38,208 --> 00:38:42,709
Generally, I'm against using
technology like ROVs in cenotes,
825
00:38:42,792 --> 00:38:45,583
and the reason is 'cause
they have little propellers that spin
826
00:38:45,667 --> 00:38:48,458
and that kicks up sediment
and silt in a lot of places,
827
00:38:48,542 --> 00:38:50,959
and that sediment or silt
could contain little bones
828
00:38:51,041 --> 00:38:54,375
or bits of Mayan incense,
charcoal, offerings like that.
829
00:39:02,542 --> 00:39:03,935
I apologize for being silent.
830
00:39:03,959 --> 00:39:06,041
I'm just, I'm so intently focused.
831
00:39:08,083 --> 00:39:10,625
But being able
to have a talented ROV pilot
832
00:39:10,750 --> 00:39:13,291
maneuver it through to see
where that passage goes,
833
00:39:13,375 --> 00:39:17,834
that's critical because this place
has become incredibly sacred to me.
834
00:39:17,917 --> 00:39:20,959
In this underground lair
of the Maya gods,
835
00:39:21,041 --> 00:39:23,750
the team finds
extensive evidence that Holtun
836
00:39:23,834 --> 00:39:26,959
was a primary repository
for human sacrifice.
837
00:39:43,667 --> 00:39:44,667
Oh, oh, oh.
838
00:39:47,083 --> 00:39:48,959
Come on. Come on, baby!
839
00:39:49,041 --> 00:39:50,291
Keep moving.
840
00:39:50,417 --> 00:39:52,250
My mom said video games weren't a career.
841
00:39:58,458 --> 00:40:00,166
I'm definitely seeing stuff.
842
00:40:01,625 --> 00:40:04,333
Wow! This is beautiful.
843
00:40:07,125 --> 00:40:09,125
We found a new cave. I am...
844
00:40:09,208 --> 00:40:11,083
I am pretty wildly excited right now.
845
00:40:15,625 --> 00:40:17,166
I think this keeps continuing.
846
00:40:24,125 --> 00:40:25,959
At the iconic Chichen Itza,
847
00:40:26,041 --> 00:40:28,000
Virtual Wonders and Memo de Anda
848
00:40:28,083 --> 00:40:31,125
have found an undiscovered,
underwater passageway...
849
00:40:31,208 --> 00:40:32,476
I'm definitely seeing stuff.
850
00:40:32,500 --> 00:40:36,333
...that could lead
to a hidden chamber below El Castillo.
851
00:40:36,417 --> 00:40:38,500
Wow! This is beautiful.
852
00:40:45,750 --> 00:40:47,834
We found a new cave. I am...
853
00:40:47,917 --> 00:40:49,667
I am pretty wildly excited right now.
854
00:40:49,792 --> 00:40:53,333
This is definitely its own cave
passage worthy of exploration.
855
00:40:53,417 --> 00:40:54,667
There's the entrance.
856
00:40:56,500 --> 00:40:58,375
I'm very afraid of getting stuck,
857
00:40:58,458 --> 00:41:01,041
but, you know,
that's how cave exploration goes.
858
00:41:01,125 --> 00:41:03,750
Back in Mayan times,
that passage would have been dry,
859
00:41:03,834 --> 00:41:05,935
so it would have been pretty
easy to go through on your belly
860
00:41:05,959 --> 00:41:08,458
and crawl through the, the cave
and to go make offerings.
861
00:41:12,375 --> 00:41:14,417
Okay, let's turn.
862
00:41:27,917 --> 00:41:32,333
We're definitely in a,
in a large passage that, uh...
863
00:41:33,375 --> 00:41:35,750
could have artifacts.
864
00:41:35,834 --> 00:41:37,542
I'm checking all the shelves
that I can see
865
00:41:37,625 --> 00:41:40,709
to see if there's anything
that looks man-made.
866
00:41:40,792 --> 00:41:42,125
This is spectacular!
867
00:41:51,542 --> 00:41:54,375
What I'm trying to do is
fight buoyancy essentially
868
00:41:54,500 --> 00:41:55,667
and go a little bit farther.
869
00:41:57,959 --> 00:41:59,458
I'm trying to be very careful
870
00:41:59,542 --> 00:42:02,583
so that if there is anything in here
that I don't disturb it.
871
00:42:02,667 --> 00:42:04,917
The difference between rock and artifact
872
00:42:05,000 --> 00:42:08,834
is, is gonna be something that
we might have to look at later.
873
00:42:08,917 --> 00:42:10,959
So I'm checking all of the
shelves that I can see
874
00:42:11,041 --> 00:42:12,750
to see if there's anything man-made.
875
00:42:12,834 --> 00:42:16,834
I actually see fish way deep
there in the cave which is amazing.
876
00:42:16,917 --> 00:42:20,375
Uh, I'm really hoping
not to disturb anything,
877
00:42:20,458 --> 00:42:23,667
so I have to be really careful,
but this is spectacular.
878
00:42:23,750 --> 00:42:24,935
I, I honestly can't believe it.
879
00:42:24,959 --> 00:42:27,125
I had no idea that
this was gonna be on the other side.
880
00:42:30,208 --> 00:42:32,583
The question
is: where does it lead?
881
00:42:32,667 --> 00:42:37,041
Could it lead all the way to a crypt
beneath El Castillo?
882
00:42:37,166 --> 00:42:38,792
It definitely goes.
883
00:42:38,875 --> 00:42:41,959
In cave terminology,
we know that that passage "goes,"
884
00:42:42,041 --> 00:42:44,333
meaning that it continues on
past what we can see.
885
00:42:44,417 --> 00:42:46,184
How big would you,
did you think the passage was?
886
00:42:46,208 --> 00:42:48,128
Uh, it could be 10
to even 30 feet up.
887
00:42:48,166 --> 00:42:49,667
I mean, it was, it was tall.
888
00:42:49,750 --> 00:42:52,208
It's really hard, it's hard
to get scale on this video
889
00:42:52,291 --> 00:42:54,417
so before I, you know,
make a grand claim...
890
00:42:54,500 --> 00:42:58,083
Uh, but it, it was big enough
to fit a person definitely,
891
00:42:58,166 --> 00:42:59,846
and it looked like it went up pretty tall.
892
00:42:59,875 --> 00:43:00,792
Wow!
893
00:43:00,875 --> 00:43:02,351
We'll, we'll have to
review the video though
894
00:43:02,375 --> 00:43:04,709
'cause, again, I can't get scale
out of this video.
895
00:43:04,792 --> 00:43:06,291
That's awesome!
896
00:43:06,417 --> 00:43:08,500
These passageways never go straight.
897
00:43:08,583 --> 00:43:10,500
- Right.
- I mean, very...
898
00:43:10,583 --> 00:43:12,059
This one definitely doesn't.
899
00:43:12,083 --> 00:43:14,810
This one didn't go straight.
This one went up, left, right and down...
900
00:43:14,834 --> 00:43:16,917
It could have gone in any direction.
901
00:43:17,000 --> 00:43:18,080
- Absolutely.
- Okay.
902
00:43:18,125 --> 00:43:19,845
There was a lot more to it
than what we saw.
903
00:43:24,917 --> 00:43:26,125
We found a passageway.
904
00:43:26,250 --> 00:43:27,667
Really successful dive.
905
00:43:27,750 --> 00:43:30,125
Gracias. All right.
906
00:43:30,208 --> 00:43:32,333
Any time you do a dive
with a bunch of new technology
907
00:43:32,458 --> 00:43:34,059
and you come back with all the technology
908
00:43:34,083 --> 00:43:35,523
and everything looks like it worked,
909
00:43:35,625 --> 00:43:37,465
- it's a win right?
- Oh, yeah.
910
00:43:37,542 --> 00:43:39,500
We gotta check it out on video, man.
I'm excited.
911
00:43:39,583 --> 00:43:41,500
Yeah. I feel amazed
912
00:43:41,583 --> 00:43:43,208
and with a lot of hope that
913
00:43:43,291 --> 00:43:46,709
this can take us towards Chichen,
but Chris said it's...
914
00:43:46,792 --> 00:43:48,601
- It bends.
- Multiple directions.
915
00:43:48,625 --> 00:43:51,125
I think we had options so who knows.
916
00:43:51,250 --> 00:43:54,542
It certainly is really lucky
that we had this tool with us
917
00:43:54,625 --> 00:43:56,785
because there was no other way
we were seeing it today.
918
00:44:04,959 --> 00:44:06,434
Back at tech headquarters,
919
00:44:06,458 --> 00:44:09,041
the team scrubs through
the ROV's footage together,
920
00:44:09,125 --> 00:44:12,542
hoping to gain more insight
into this newly discovered passageway
921
00:44:12,625 --> 00:44:14,458
deep inside Holtun.
922
00:44:14,542 --> 00:44:16,351
All right, so wait
until this just goes over.
923
00:44:16,375 --> 00:44:18,375
I want to show you something really cool.
924
00:44:18,458 --> 00:44:22,125
So this was the constriction
that was hardest for me to get through.
925
00:44:22,208 --> 00:44:23,768
Yeah, that, that was a hard one.
926
00:44:23,792 --> 00:44:25,267
No one's ever been back there,
right, Memo?
927
00:44:25,291 --> 00:44:26,458
This is unexplored caves?
928
00:44:26,542 --> 00:44:28,302
No, no,
this is completely unexplored.
929
00:44:30,125 --> 00:44:32,017
So, obviously,
it extends up this way,
930
00:44:32,041 --> 00:44:34,309
and there's actually a little bit
of passages that come back
931
00:44:34,333 --> 00:44:35,583
around on the back.
932
00:44:35,667 --> 00:44:39,542
And then, when it drops down here...
933
00:44:39,625 --> 00:44:42,166
you'll see openings all across the bottom.
934
00:44:42,291 --> 00:44:44,417
I mean, it's, it's huge
compared to the crevice
935
00:44:44,500 --> 00:44:46,643
- that it actually started at, you know.
- Yes. Yes.
936
00:44:46,667 --> 00:44:47,726
Right, right, yeah.
937
00:44:47,750 --> 00:44:48,959
Look down here.
938
00:44:49,041 --> 00:44:52,125
You've got a passage that comes here,
and it also goes in this direction.
939
00:44:52,208 --> 00:44:53,083
Wow!
940
00:44:53,166 --> 00:44:56,000
Though they can't tell
if the passageway ultimately extends
941
00:44:56,083 --> 00:44:58,625
to the potential cenote below El Castillo,
942
00:44:58,709 --> 00:45:00,709
they do collect important evidence.
943
00:45:00,792 --> 00:45:02,393
So zoom it back
just a little bit.
944
00:45:02,417 --> 00:45:03,333
Zooming it back.
945
00:45:03,417 --> 00:45:06,625
Now, here's
where I want you to check out.
946
00:45:06,709 --> 00:45:08,959
Oh, that looks like bones.
947
00:45:09,041 --> 00:45:11,542
These bones could be
the remains of offerings
948
00:45:11,625 --> 00:45:12,709
to the gods.
949
00:45:12,792 --> 00:45:15,041
But that's not all the team discovers.
950
00:45:15,125 --> 00:45:17,834
Oh! Hey! Hey, hey, hey, Memo!
951
00:45:17,917 --> 00:45:20,250
What is that? What is that green
bit right there?
952
00:45:21,625 --> 00:45:23,305
- Oh yeah?
- Oh my god.
953
00:45:23,333 --> 00:45:25,500
Looks like a jade bead.
954
00:45:25,583 --> 00:45:26,917
That was jade.
955
00:45:27,000 --> 00:45:28,625
Jade.
956
00:45:28,709 --> 00:45:29,959
Wow!
957
00:45:30,041 --> 00:45:31,768
Yeah, totally.
958
00:45:31,792 --> 00:45:33,625
In the ancient world
of the Maya,
959
00:45:33,709 --> 00:45:36,709
jade was a royal resource
and a precious commodity,
960
00:45:36,792 --> 00:45:39,333
used to communicate with the gods.
961
00:45:39,417 --> 00:45:41,000
That's an offering, yeah.
962
00:45:41,083 --> 00:45:42,291
Good eye, Corey!
963
00:45:42,375 --> 00:45:43,750
Yes!
964
00:45:43,875 --> 00:45:47,166
Only the elite could
make a sacrificial offering of jade.
965
00:45:47,250 --> 00:45:50,834
Inside this cenote that had
mysteriously run catastrophically low
966
00:45:50,917 --> 00:45:52,250
through a prolonged drought,
967
00:45:52,333 --> 00:45:55,834
the rulers may have believed
that the end of the world was near.
968
00:45:55,917 --> 00:45:57,834
I would suspect
when there's the worst droughts,
969
00:45:57,917 --> 00:45:59,959
there are probably the most sacrifices.
970
00:46:00,041 --> 00:46:03,125
Finding jade here
in this newly discovered passage
971
00:46:03,208 --> 00:46:05,166
could be a momentous breakthrough.
972
00:46:05,959 --> 00:46:07,709
In a desperate plea to the gods,
973
00:46:07,834 --> 00:46:10,208
the Maya elite could have used this place
974
00:46:10,291 --> 00:46:12,500
to offer their greatest treasures,
975
00:46:12,583 --> 00:46:14,458
all for the sake of rain.
976
00:46:14,542 --> 00:46:16,333
- There's another one.
- Yeah.
977
00:46:16,417 --> 00:46:18,917
This one. Look, this, this.
978
00:46:19,000 --> 00:46:20,041
Wow!
979
00:46:20,125 --> 00:46:24,500
These offerings may have been
a last-ditch appeal to the gods
980
00:46:24,583 --> 00:46:26,750
to save the city of Chichen Itza
981
00:46:26,834 --> 00:46:28,291
from apocalyptic doom.
982
00:46:28,375 --> 00:46:30,875
Gradually, by the 11th century AD,
983
00:46:30,959 --> 00:46:33,208
this Maya capital collapsed,
984
00:46:33,291 --> 00:46:37,166
largely due to an epic drought
that lasted over 15 years
985
00:46:37,250 --> 00:46:40,000
causing the nearby cenotes
that sustained the city
986
00:46:40,083 --> 00:46:41,125
to run dry.
987
00:46:41,208 --> 00:46:44,000
The effects of this drought
gradually undermined the city
988
00:46:44,083 --> 00:46:45,208
of Chichen Itza,
989
00:46:45,333 --> 00:46:48,792
and it was eventually abandoned.
990
00:46:48,875 --> 00:46:51,250
But this newly discovered passageway,
991
00:46:51,333 --> 00:46:54,125
riddled with evidence of sacrifice
could someday lead
992
00:46:54,208 --> 00:46:57,041
to even more offerings and treasures
993
00:46:57,125 --> 00:47:00,208
and into the mysterious cave
below El Castillo.
994
00:47:03,208 --> 00:47:07,208
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