All language subtitles for Lost Cities of the Amazon Series 1 Part 1 Secrets in the Jungle 1080p

Narrator:
THE AMAZON RAIN FOREST,

A BREATHTAKING NATURAL WONDER.

IT HAS ALWAYS BEEN SEEN
AS A PRISTINE WILDERNESS,

HOME TO NO MORE THAN
A SCATTERING OF SMALL TRIBES.

BUT TODAY, THE AMAZON IS AT THE
CENTER OF A MONUMENTAL MYSTERY.

ACCORDING TO ONE
CENTURIES-OLD ACCOUNT,

GIANT CITIES
ONCE THRIVED IN THE JUNGLE,

AND NOW
ASTONISHING DISCOVERIES...

THIS IS INCREDIBLE.

THERE'S SO MUCH
HERE.

Narrator:
...ARE RAISING THE QUESTION,

"COULD THAT BE TRUE?"

THERE WERE MANY PEOPLE
LIVING IN THE AMAZON.

Narrator:
WITH NEW TECHNOLOGY,

SCIENTISTS ARE SEARCHING
FOR CLUES...

...TO SOLVE THE MYSTERY
OF A MISSING CIVILIZATION...

THESE WERE MUCH
MORE COMPLEX SOCIETIES

THAN WE THOUGHT EXISTED.

Narrator:
...WHERE THEY CAME FROM...

THERE'S A SIGN OF ANCESTRY
IN YOU

THAT IS VERY UNIQUE
AND VERY SPECIAL.

Narrator:
...AND WHAT HAPPENED TO THEM.

FOR THE PEOPLE LIVING HERE,
IT WAS A CATASTROPHIC EVENT,

AND PEOPLE JUST RUN AWAY.

Narrator:
IT'S A DANGEROUS PLACE.

BUT EMERGING
FROM THE RAINFOREST TODAY

IS THE GREATEST HUMAN STORY
THAT'S NEVER BEEN TOLD.

[ SHOUTING IN FOREIGN ]

-- Captions by VITAC --
www.vitac.com

CAPTIONS PAID FOR BY
DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS

¶

THE MIGHTY MOUNTAIN CITADELS
OF THE INCA...

...AND THE COLOSSAL PYRAMIDS
OF THE MAYA.

RELICS OF
THE FAMOUS CIVILIZATIONS

OF CENTRAL AND SOUTH AMERICA.

BUT WHAT ABOUT HERE,

THE AMAZON,

A PHENOMENAL EXPANSE OF TROPICAL
RAINFOREST AND FLOOD PLAINS?

IT'S THE SIZE OF
THE UNITED STATES

AND STRETCHES ACROSS EIGHT
COUNTRIES IN SOUTH AMERICA.

ONE OF THE FIRST EUROPEANS
EVER TO EXPLORE THE AMAZON

WAS A SPANISH MISSIONARY
NAMED GASPAR DE CARVAJAL.

IN HIS DIARY OF THE VOYAGE,
WRITTEN IN 1542,

HE DESCRIBES SEEING VERY LARGE
CITIES THAT GLISTENED IN WHITE,

AND SO MANY HOUSES
LINING THE RIVER

THAT THEY TOOK TWO DAYS
AND NIGHTS TO PASS.

MANY YEARS LATER,

VISITORS WOULD LOOK AT
THE DESERTED BANKS IN DISBELIEF.

THIS COULDN'T BE THE SAME PLACE
CARVAJAL WROTE ABOUT.

BUT NEW EVIDENCE SUGGESTS

HE MIGHT HAVE BEEN
TELLING THE TRUTH AFTER ALL.

¶

ONE OF THE FIRST CLUES
HAS BEEN DISCOVERED IN BRAZIL,

IN A REGION CALLED ACRE.

THE REGION SUFFERED
FROM DECADES OF DEFORESTATION,

BUT THE DEVASTATIONS HAD ONE
VERY UNEXPECTED SIDE EFFECT.

ARCHEOLOGIST JOSé IDIARTE
IS INVESTIGATING.

HERE WE GO.

ALL OVER THE RANCH LAND,

DEFORESTATION HAS REVEALED

ONE OF THE AMAZON'S
DEEPEST SECRETS...

HUNDREDS OF HUGE GEOMETRIC
PATTERNS NEVER SEEN BEFORE,

CARVED INTO THE LANDSCAPE.

THEY'RE CALLED GEOGLYPHS.

¶

BUT WHO MADE THEM AND WHY?

THE ANSWER MAY LIE
BENEATH JOSé'S FEET.

EXCAVATIONS AT THE GEOGLYPH
HAVE REVEALED

HARDLY ANY HUMAN ARTIFACTS,
EXCEPT IN ONE SPOT,

A PRECIOUS COLLECTION
OF FINE POTTERY.

THIS IS A CRUCIAL CLUE FOR JOSé
THAT PEOPLE HAD LIVED HERE.

HE WOULD EXPECT
TO FIND POTTERY EVERYWHERE.

BUT THE DISCOVERY
OF SPECIAL PIECES

CAREFULLY DEPOSITED
AT THE ENTRANCE

POINTS TO A DIFFERENT USE.

ARRIBA.

JOSé IS ASTONISHED BY THE
SHEER SCALE OF THESE STRUCTURES.

MEASURING ABOUT THE SIZE
OF A FOOTBALL FIELD

AND GOING 10 FEET DEEP,

PEOPLE MUST HAVE REMOVED
3,000 TONS OF DIRT

TO BUILD THIS DITCH.

THAT'S A MASSIVE FEAT
OF ENGINEERING.

WHOEVER BUILT THIS, THEY WERE
NO HUMBLE NOMADIC TRIBES,

BUT PART OF
A HIGHLY ORGANIZED SOCIETY.

THIS IS A GAME-CHANGER
FOR PEOPLE LIKE JOSé,

WHO STUDY THE HISTORY
OF THE AMAZON.

AND IF A MASSIVE, COMPLEX
SOCIETY DID ONCE LIVE HERE,

THEY MUST HAVE LEFT MORE TRACES
OF THEIR CIVILIZATION.

JOSé BELIEVES THERE
IS MORE TO DISCOVER

HIDDEN IN
THE GREAT AMAZON JUNGLE.

¶

AND NOW HE CAN SEARCH FOR IT
WITHOUT DESTROYING THE FOREST.

USING CUTTING-EDGE
LASER TECHNOLOGY CALLED LIDAR,

HE CAN SEE WHAT'S HIDDEN
BENEATH THE TREES.

AT FIRST, THE LASERS REVEAL
ONLY DENSE TREE COVER.

BENEATH THE FOREST, SOMETHING
APPEARS OUT OF NOWHERE.

THE SCAN SEEMS TO SHOW
AN AMAZING CIRCULAR STRUCTURE

MADE FROM ELONGATED MOUNDS,

WITH A LONG, STRAIGHT DITCH
LEADING TO THE EAST.

JOSé BELIEVES IT COULD BE
AN ANCIENT SETTLEMENT

AT THE END OF A SUNKEN ROAD,

BUT HE CAN'T BE SURE BECAUSE
IT'S NEVER BEEN EXPLORED.

¶

Narrator: ARCHEOLOGIST
JOSé IDIARTE IS IN BRAZIL

SEARCHING FOR FORGOTTEN
AMAZONIAN VILLAGE,

WHICH HE BELIEVES HAS BEEN
HIDDEN FOR HUNDREDS OF YEARS.

HE'S GOING TO NEED A GUIDE...

...TO HELP HIM
GET SAFELY THROUGH THE DENSE

AND DANGEROUS RAINFOREST.

¶

¶

FORGING A SAFE PATH
THROUGH THIS THICK UNDERGROWTH

IS PAINFULLY SLOW WORK.

AND IT'S TAKING MUCH LONGER
THAN JOSé PLANNED.

¶

¶

THEN, SUDDENLY...

JOSé HAS MADE
A BRAND NEW DISCOVERY.

HE BEGINS TAKING DETAILED
MEASUREMENTS OF THE SITE,

AND BY COMBINING THEM
WITH YOUR ORIGINAL LASER SCANS,

THE ANCIENT SETTLEMENT
BEGINS TO COME TO LIFE.

UP TO 200 PEOPLE LIVED AROUND
A MAIN CENTRAL PLAZA,

WHERE THEY CONGREGATED
FOR UNITY ACTIVITIES.

AROUND THE PLAZA,
20 OR MORE HOUSES,

EACH BUILT ON RAISED PLATFORMS.

WINDING THROUGH THE FOREST

IS A WIDE SUNKEN ROAD THAT LEADS
TO THE VILLAGE ENTRANCE,

EXACTLY WHERE JOSé
IS CURRENTLY STANDING.

BUT LIDAR REVEALED

THIS ISN'T THE ONLY VILLAGE
HIDING IN THE FOREST.

JOSé IS CONSTRUCTING
AN ANCIENT AMAZON

THAT'S FAR MORE COMPLEX
THAN WE COULD HAVE IMAGINED.

HUNDREDS OF SIMILAR SITES
ACROSS THE REGION

SUGGEST THAT A MASSIVE
POPULATION MUST HAVE LIVED HERE

FOR 2,500 YEARS.

¶

¶

BUT BACK IN THE 16th CENTURY,
THE SPANISH MISSIONARY WROTE

OF EVEN GREATER WONDERS,

GLISTENING CITIES AND
CHIEFS ADORNED IN GOLD.

AND NOW, IN ANOTHER CORNER
OF THE AMAZON,

AN INCREDIBLE CLUE
HAS BEEN UNEARTHED.

Narrator:
DEEP IN THE AMAZON JUNGLE,

SCIENTISTS ARE SEARCHING
FOR EVIDENCE

OF FORGOTTEN CIVILIZATIONS
THAT LIVED HERE CENTURIES AGO.

IN BOLIVIA,
NEAR THE CITY OF TRINIDAD,

MARK ROBINSON AND A TEAM

OF THREE EUROPEAN
ARCHEOLOGY INSTITUTES

ARE LAUNCHING
A COMPREHENSIVE LIDAR STUDY.

¶

¶

MARK IS ON HIS WAY TO SCAN
AN AREA OF OPEN SAVANNA

ON THE AMAZON FLOODPLAINS.

THIS IS JUST ONE PART
OF A WIDE RANGE OF INVESTIGATION

INTO SITES
THAT ARCHEOLOGISTS BELIEVE

MAY ONCE HAVE BEEN HOME
TO ANCIENT SOCIETIES.

MARK'S INVESTIGATING
A MYSTERIOUS MOUND

THAT'S BEEN DISCOVERED
JUTTING OUT OF THE LANDSCAPE

IN AN AREA CALLED LA PUNTA.

BUT ONE MOUND DOESN'T INDICATE
A CIVILIZATION.

MARK HOPES THAT SCANNING
THE WIDER AREA

WILL REVEAL FURTHER SIGNS
OF HUMAN HABITATION.

YET LIDAR SCANS REVEAL
DOZENS OF OTHER MOUNDS

IN THE SURROUNDING AREA.

THE MOUNDS VARY IN SIZE.

SOME APPEAR BIGGER THAN OTHERS.

COULD THIS BE EVIDENCE
OF A SOCIETY

WITH AN ADVANCED
CLASS STRUCTURE?

¶

NOW, ARCHEOLOGIST
CARLA BETTENCOURT IS ON HER WAY

TO THE LA PUNTA MOUND
TO EXCAVATE THE SITE

AND FIND OUT MORE
ABOUT ITS PURPOSE.

BUT THESE PLAINS
ARE WELL DEFENDED

BY A SHARP-TOOTHED ARMY.

¶

LEAVING THE CROCS BEHIND...

...CARLA FINALLY ARRIVES
AT THE LA PUNTA MOUND.

¶

Bettencourt:
SO, WELCOME TO LA PUNTA.

Narrator:
HER EXCAVATIONS REVEAL

THAT THE MOUND
WAS BUILT BY HUMANS,

A VERY LONG TIME AGO.

CARLA ALSO EXCAVATING
A LARGER MOUND NEARBY.

WITHIN IT IS A MAN
WEARING ELABORATE JEWELRY,

SUGGESTING THE BURIAL OF SOMEONE
WITH HIGH STATUS.

IF THE BIGGEST,
MOST IMPRESSIVE MOUNDS

WERE OCCUPIED
BY IMPORTANT INDIVIDUALS,

THEN THIS WAS
AN ORGANIZED SOCIETY

WITH SOME KIND OF
CLASS-BASED STRUCTURE.

IT ALSO SUGGESTS

THAT THE PEOPLE
LIVING IN THE OTHER MOUNDS

MAY HAVE BEEN RIVALS
AS WELL AS NEIGHBORS.

THE SPANISH MISSIONARY'S
DESCRIPTION

OF THE ANCIENT CITIES
WITH TRIBAL RULES

MAY HAVE
BEEN ACCURATE ALL ALONG.

IT'S CREATING A REALITY
MUCH CLOSER

TO THE ADVANCED SOCIETIES
HE DESCRIBED.

BUT WAS THIS
A TRUE CIVILIZATION?

NOW, MODERN INDIGENOUS TRIBES
ARE REVEALING CLUES

ABOUT THEIR
ANCESTORS' ACHIEVEMENTS

AND WHY THEY DISAPPEARED.

[ WHOOPING ]

¶

Narrator:
WHEN THE FIRST EUROPEANS SAILED
ALONG THE AMAZON RIVER,

THEY DISCOVERED
A COMPLETELY NEW WORLD.

SPANISH MISSIONARY
GASPAR DE CARVAJAL

WROTE ABOUT HIS JOURNEY
IN HIS DIARY,

DESCRIBING A REGION
WITH SPRAWLING CITIES

THAT STRETCHED FOR MILES
ALONG THE RIVERBANKS.

CENTURIES LATER,
HIS DIARY WAS DISMISSED.

BUT MANY OF TODAY'S INDIGENOUS
TRIBES TELL STORIES

THAT ARE SURPRISINGLY SIMILAR
TO CARVAJAL'S JOURNAL ENTRIES,

AND THEY COULD HOLD
MORE PRECIOUS CLUES

TO REVEAL THE AMAZON'S
SECRET ANCIENT HISTORY.

THE KUIKURO PEOPLE LIVE

IN THE UPPER XINGU REGION
OF BRAZIL.

THERE ARE JUST 600 OF THEM NOW,

BUT THEY BELIEVE
THEY'RE THE DESCENDANTS

OF A MUCH BIGGER CIVILIZATION.

CHIEF AFUKAKA KUIKURO
IS PROUD OF THEIR LONG HERITAGE.

ANTHROPOLOGIST
MICHAEL HACKENBERGER

WORKS CLOSELY
WITH THE KUIKURO.

HE HAS SPENT OVER 20 YEARS
INVESTIGATING THEIR HISTORY.

TODAY, MICHAEL HAS BEEN
GIVEN PERMISSION TO VISIT

A REMOTE PART OF THE JUNGLE

WHERE THE KUIKURO HAVE LONG
BELIEVED CLUES

TO THEIR ANCIENT PAST
CAN BE FOUND.

THE SITE IS SURROUNDED
BY A MASSIVE DITCH

HIDDEN UNDER TREES.

WHEN WE MAPPED THE EXTENT
OF THIS DITCH

AROUND THE ARCHEOLOGICAL SITE,

IT GOES FOR OVER TWO KILOMETERS.

THAT DITCH ENCLOSED AN AREA
OF 50 HECTARES,

WHICH IS 20 TIMES AS LARGE
AS THE CONTEMPORARY VILLAGE.

SO, THIS WAS A MASSIVE
EARTHEN STRUCTURE

THAT WAS BUILT BY A POPULATION

THAT COULD MOBILIZE LABOR
ON A MUCH LARGER SCALE

AND OBVIOUSLY SUPPORTED
A MUCH LARGER POPULATION.

Narrator:
MICHAEL BELIEVES IT WAS A DITCH
USED TO DEFEND

THE MASSIVE
800-YEAR-OLD SETTLEMENT.

ONE DWARFS THE VILLAGE
THEY LIVE IN TODAY.

THERE'S SOMETHING
EVEN MORE SURPRISING.

MICHAEL IS ABLE TO USE
THE LAYOUT OF THE MODERN VILLAGE

TO GUIDE HIM AROUND THE MUCH
LARGER ANCIENT SETTLEMENT.

A TYPICAL XINGU VILLAGE,

LIKE THE KUIKURO VILLAGE
THAT WE'RE IN NOW,

IS ALWAYS ORGANIZED AROUND
A LARGE, CIRCULAR PLAZA.

Narrator:
MANY HOUSES SURROUND EACH PLAZA.

BEHIND EACH HOUSE,
FAMILIES BUILD A TRASH MOUND,

JUST AS THEY WOULD HAVE DONE
IN THE ANCIENT VILLAGE.

WHAT WE SET ABOUT LOOKING
FOR FIRST WAS THE TRASH MOUNDS.

WE ASSUMED THAT BETWEEN THE
PLAZA AND THESE TRASH MOUNDS,

WE WOULD FIND THE REMAINS
OF ANCIENT HOUSES.

SO, WE OPENED UP THIS AREA

LOOKING FOR THE REMAINS
OF THAT ACTUAL HOUSE.

WE CAME ACROSS SUDDENLY
A POT SUPPORT.

IT'S A VERY DISTINCTIVE
CERAMIC ARTIFACT.

IT'S WHAT THEY USE TO HOLD UP
THEIR COOKING POTS.

Narrator:
THIS IS A HUGE DISCOVERY

BECAUSE TODAY'S
KUIKURO COMMUNITY

USES SIMILAR SUPPORTS
TO HELP THEM COOK.

AS SOON AS THE KUIKURO
SAW THAT POT SUPPORT,

THEY IMMEDIATELY KNEW
WHAT WE WERE LOOKING AT.

THEY SAID,
"THIS IS THE KITCHEN.

THE FRONT DOOR IS GOING
TO BE RIGHT THERE.

THE SLEEPING AREAS
ARE GOING GONNA BE RIGHT THERE."

AND SURE ENOUGH,
AS WE EXPANDED OUR EXCAVATIONS,

WE FOUND REMNANTS
OF THE FRONT DOOR.

WE FOUND REMNANTS
OF THE SLEEPING AREA.

THIS ANCIENT COMMUNITY WAS BUILT
ON THE SAME PRINCIPLES

AS THE CONTEMPORARY COMMUNITY.

[ GRUNTS ]

Narrator: BUT THESE REVELATIONS
ARE ONLY THE BEGINNING.

[ BOTH GRUNTING ]

Narrator:
BECAUSE THIS SETTLEMENT IS
JUST PART OF SOMETHING

MUCH, MUCH BIGGER.

[ WHOOPING ]

Narrator:
MICHAEL'S INVESTIGATION
IN THE NEARBY AREA

REVEAL AN ENTIRE URBAN NETWORK.

Hackenberger:
WHAT REALLY TOOK ME BY SURPRISE
IS HOW INTEGRATED THEY WERE.

THEY WERE ALL
CONNECTED BY ROADS,

AND NOT JUST SMALL PATHS
THROUGH THE TROPICAL FOREST.

THESE WERE WIDE AND WELL
CONSTRUCTED ROADS WITH CURBS.

¶

Narrator:
MICHAEL ESTIMATES THAT THIS
ANCIENT INTERCONNECTED CITY

WAS HOME TO AROUND 50,000 PEOPLE
IN THIS AREA ALONE.

¶

THIS DISCOVERY CONFIRMS

WHAT TODAY'S KUIKURO PEOPLE
HAVE ALWAYS BELIEVED.

[ WHOOPING ]

WHY NOT
CIVILIZATIONS IN THE AMAZON?

THE PRE-COLUMBIAN SOCIETIES
OF THE AMAZON

AND THEIR DESCENDANTS TODAY
ARE LEGITIMATE CIVILIZATIONS.

THEY DID THINGS AS REMARKABLE --

THE SCALE OF THEIR MANAGEMENT
OF THE LANDSCAPE,

THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE THAT
THEY ORGANIZED ACROSS REGIONS.

IT WAS NOT THAT DIFFERENT

AS SOME OF
THE CLASSIC CIVILIZATIONS

WE LOOK TO IN ANTIQUITY.

Narrator:
SO MAYBE CARVAJAL'S JOURNAL
ENTRIES WERE RIGHT ALL ALONG.

ANCIENT AMAZONIAN SOCIETIES DID
EXIST ON A SCALE AND COMPLEXITY.

THAT'S STAGGERING.
BY COMPARISON WITH TODAY'S.

IT'S NOW ESTIMATED THAT
AS MANY AS 10 MILLION PEOPLE

MAY HAVE LIVED IN THE AMAZON.

¶

¶

BUT IN THE CENTURIES FOLLOWING,

THE POPULATION HAS DROPPED
TO JUST 1% OF THAT.

AND TODAY, MANY TRIBES
ARE FIGHTING FOR THEIR IDENTITY,

THEIR HISTORY,
AND THEIR SURVIVAL.

IN BRAZIL, ONE INDIGENOUS
COMMUNITY IS FACING EVICTION

FROM THEIR ANCESTRAL LANDS.

TO SECURE THEIR SURVIVAL,

THEY HOPE THE DISCOVERY
OF ANCIENT ARTIFACTS

MAY BE THE KEY
TO PROVING THEIR HERITAGE.

¶

Narrator: ARCHEOLOGISTS HAVE
MADE NEW DISCOVERIES

THAT PROVE ANCIENT CIVILIZATIONS
ONCE THRIVED IN THE AMAZON,

LIVING IN SOCIETIES
THAT WERE COMPLEX AND ORGANIZED

ON A MASSIVE SCALE,

AND THIS FORGOTTEN HISTORY
REALLY DOES MATTER.

IN BRAZIL'S UPPER AMAZON,

ALONG THE BUSY
RIVER TOWN OF TEFE,

PALEOANTHROPOLOGIST
ELLA AL-SHAMAHI..

FEELS LIKE A MORNING COMMUTE,
BUT JUST DIFFERENT.

...IS ON HER WAY TO MEET
ONE INDIGENOUS TRIBE

FOR WHOM A BRAND-NEW
DISCOVERY...

THAT BOAT OVER THERE.
YEAH.

...COULD MAKE ALL THE DIFFERENCE
TO THEIR SURVIVAL.

[ CHANTING, WHOOPING ]

Narrator: EVER SINCE
THE SPANISH CONQUESTS,

THE INDIGENOUS PEOPLE
OF THE AMAZON

HAVE BEEN IN CONFLICT
WITH EUROPEAN SETTLERS.

SINCE THEIR HOME IS FULL OF
RESOURCES, TIMBER, GOLD,

AND LAND FOR FARMING,

THEY'VE BATTLED AGAINST MINERS,

LOGGERS, AND WIDESPREAD BURNING
OF THE FOREST FOR DECADES.

IN THIS REGION,
INDIGENOUS PEOPLE

HAVE SOME PROTECTION TO THE LAND
UNDER BRAZILIAN LAW,

BUT ONLY IF THEY CAN PROVE THERE
ARE ESTABLISHED TRIBAL RIGHTS.

ELLA IS TRAVELING
TO MEET THE KOKAMA PEOPLE.

THEY ARE FACING EVICTION
FROM THEIR LAND

UNLESS THEY CAN PROVE
THEY HAVE ALWAYS LIVED THERE.

FORTUNATELY, THEY BELIEVE
THEY HAVE DISCOVERED

ANCIENT ARTIFACTS THAT
COULD HELP SECURE THEIR CLAIM.

THE KOKAMA PEOPLE BELIEVE
THAT THESE ARTIFACTS

ARE FROM AN ANCIENT
AMAZONIAN SOCIETY.

THE PROBLEM IS WE DON'T ACTUALLY
KNOW THAT THEY'RE THAT OLD.

WE HAVEN'T EVEN VERIFIED
THAT THEY'RE AUTHENTIC,

AND THE REASON FOR THAT
IS THAT NO ARCHEOLOGIST

HAVE ACTUALLY EXAMINED THEM,

AND THAT'S BECAUSE THE KOKAMA

ARE ACTUALLY
QUITE PROTECTIVE OVER THEM

AND THEY'RE REFUSING TO
RELEASE THEM TO ARCHEOLOGISTS.

¶

SO, THERE'S A CHIEF
IN A HEAD DRESS.

HI. NICE TO MEET YOU.
THANK YOU FOR HAVING US.

Narrator: TODAY, THE KOKAMA HAVE
ADOPTED A MODERN LIFESTYLE,

BUT THEY'RE STILL PROTECTIVE
OF THEIR TRADITIONS AND HISTORY.

ELLA IS ONE OF
THE FIRST OUTSIDERS

THEY'VE EVER ALLOWED IN
TO VIEW THEIR POTTERY.

I AM REALLY, REALLY
HONORED TO SEE THEM.

CHIEF ANILDO TAKES ELLA
TO ONE OF THE VILLAGE HOUSES.

OOH!

Narrator: AND THERE, ON A SHELF
FULL OF PLASTIC DOLLS,

A POTENTIALLY PRICELESS
ANCIENT ARTIFACT.

AH. OKAY.

[ SPEAKS FOREIGN ]
OKAY.

OH.

I CAN SEE IT HAS QUITE A BIT
OF DESIGN GOING ON HERE.

BELAIS AND HER FRIEND TERESA
DISCOVERED THE PIECES

WHEN THEY WERE OUT GATHERING
BRAZIL NUTS.

BELAIS AND THERESA'S
SMALL BROKEN POT

TURNS OUT TO BE
JUST THE BEGINNING.

WE'VE GOT THE NEXT BRAZILIAN
TEAM MEMBERS HERE.

[ YELLING INDISTINCTLY ]

Narrator:
THE NEXT HOUSE...

[ SPEAKING FOREIGN ]

Narrator: ...APPEARS TO BE
AN ARCHEOLOGICAL TREASURE TROVE.

WOW.

Al-Shamahi:
LOOK AT THAT.

OH, MY GOSH.
THAT'S A FACE, ISN'T IT?

THIS IS EASILY SO FAR,
OF EVERYTHING I'VE SEEN,

THE MOST KIND OF INTACT
AND MOST SPECTACULAR, REALLY.

IT'S AN ARCHEOLOGICAL ARTIFACT.
IT COULD BE ANCIENT.

AND IT'S JUST KIND OF --

IT'S LOITERING HERE
IN A BACK BEDROOM.

THE CONCERN IS THAT
SOMETHING LIKE THIS --

YOU WANT TO
PROTECT IT,

AND YOU WANT TO PROTECT IT
FOR THE KOKAMA, ACTUALLY,

NOT JUST FOR THE ARCHEOLOGISTS
AND FOR ACADEMIA.

EVEN IF THEY TURNED OUT
NOT TO BE ANCIENT,

THESE PIECES OF POTTERY ARE PART
OF THE HERITAGE OF THIS LAND,

AND ELLA IS EAGER TO SEE THAT
THEY ARE PROPERLY PRESERVED.

BUT WHY HAVE THE KOKAMA
PEOPLE RESISTED

SHOWING THEM TO ARCHEOLOGISTS
BEFORE NOW?

THEIR CONCERN IS THAT
IF GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS

TAKE AWAY THEIR POTTERY,
THEIR EVIDENCE WILL BE LOST.

ELLA HOPES TO HELP THE KOKAMA
PEOPLE RESOLVE THIS MYSTERY.

FISH IS GOOD.
FISH IS GOOD.

SO, SHE'S CONTACTED AN EXPERT
IN ANCIENT AMAZONIAN POTTERY

TO EXAMINE
WHAT THEY'VE DISCOVERED.

THANK YOU SO MUCH.
THANK YOU. THANK YOU.

Man: Obrigada.
Obrigada.

THE KOKAMAS' FUTURE NOW RESTS
ON THIS MONUMENTAL DECISION.

¶

SO, I GUESS TODAY IS GOING TO BE
REALLY DRAMATIC

AND I'M REALLY HOPING
NOT TRAUMATIC FOR THE KOKAMA,

BECAUSE WE'VE ORGANIZED FOR A
SPECIALIST IN AMAZONIAN POTTERY

TO COME DOWN
AND TO ESSENTIALLY ASSESS

AND EXAMINE THE POTTERY

SO THAT THEY CAN TELL US

IF THE POTTERY
IS ACTUALLY ANCIENT OR NOT.

Narrator: LOCAL ARCHEOLOGIST
EDUARDO TOMANA

HAS NEARLY 20 YEARS
OF EXPERIENCE

IN VERIFYING ANCIENT
AMAZONIAN ARTIFACTS,

LIKE PRE-COLUMBIAN POTTERY

MADE BEFORE THE SPANISH ARRIVED
OVER 500 YEARS AGO.

TODAY, THE KOKAMA'S FUTURE
RESTS ON A EDUARDO'S JUDGMENT.

[ SPEAKING FOREIGN ]

THE KOKAMA ARE EAGER TO GATHER
THEIR POTTERY

FOR EDUARDO TO EXAMINE.

BUT HOW PREPARED ARE THEY
IF IT TURNS OUT TO BE BAD NEWS?

FORGIVE ME
FOR ASKING THIS,

BUT WHAT IF...

WHAT IF THEY'RE NOT
AS OLD AS YOU HOPE THEY ARE?

¶

¶

NOW THAT ALL THE POTS
HAVE BEEN GATHERED,

IT'S THE MOMENT OF TRUTH.

I'M STUDYING YOUR FACE,
EDUARDO.

[ BOTH LAUGH ]

TRYING TO SEE
IF I CAN SEE ANY CLUES.

WHAT SIGNS
ARE YOU LOOKING FOR?

IS THERE ANYTHING INTERESTING
THAT YOU COULD TELL ME

MAYBE ABOUT THIS ONE?

OH, GOSH.
YEAH, YEAH, YEAH, YEAH.

YOU CAN
ACTUALLY SEE THAT.

Narrator:
SO FAR, IT'S LOOKING GOOD.

BUT WHAT WILL EDUARDO
MAKE OF THE PIECE

ELLA FOUND MOST INTERESTING?

ALRIGHT.
THIS ONE.

MM...

YEAH.

UH-HUH.

SO, I GUESS
THIS IS THE BIG MOMENT.

WHAT'S YOUR
PROFESSIONAL OPINION?

SHUT UP!

IT'S AMAZING. REALLY?
OH, MY GOSH.

I'M SO GLAD.

THE NEWS COULDN'T BE BETTER
FOR THE KOKAMA PEOPLE.

SOME OF THE DESIGNS EVEN MATCH
OTHER ANCIENT KOKAMA PIECES

EDUARDO HAS PREVIOUSLY STUDIED.

IT'S POWERFUL EVIDENCE
THAT THE KOKAMA

HAVE BEEN LIVING ON THIS LAND
FOR MORE THAN A THOUSAND YEARS.

EDUARDO,

YOU'RE BRAZILIAN.

DO YOU WANT TO TELL THEM
THE GOOD NEWS?

YEAH!
[ LAUGHS ]

THERE IT IS.

COME HERE
AND GIVE US A HIGH FIVE.

THIS MEANS THE KOKAMAS'
ANCESTORS MIGHT HAVE BEEN PART

OF THAT GREAT CIVILIZATION

THE SPANISH MISSIONARY CARVAJAL
WITNESSED CENTURIES AGO.

IT'S AN OVERWHELMING AFFIRMATION
FOR CHIEF ANILDO.

¶

STORIES LIKE THE KOKAMAS'
HELP REWRITE THE HISTORY

OF THIS AMAZING PLACE.

FOR CENTURIES, THE AMAZON HAS
BEEN PERCEIVED AS A WILDERNESS

WITH A FEW INDIGENOUS TRIBES.

BUT WE'RE NOW FINDING OUT THAT
JUST A FEW HUNDRED YEARS AGO,

VAST SOCIETIES EXISTED
IN THE AMAZON.

THEY WERE WELL-ORGANIZED,

BUILT ROADS, AND LIVED
AMONG A SOCIAL HIERARCHY.

BUT HOW DID THEY GET HERE?

HOW DID THEY THRIVE
IN SUCH A HOSTILE ENVIRONMENT?

AND IF THERE WERE AS MANY
AS 10 MILLION PEOPLE

LIVING IN THE ANCIENT AMAZON,

WHAT ON EARTH HAPPENED TO THEM?

NEXT TIME --

THE SEARCH FOR EVIDENCE OF
THE FIRST AMAZONIANS,

ENTERING DANGEROUS
REBEL TERRITORIES IN COLOMBIA

TO DISCOVER ANCIENT ART...

THIS IS INCREDIBLE.

THERE'S SO MUCH HERE.

Narrator:
...TO BOLIVIA,

AND SOME OF THE OLDEST
HUMAN REMAINS

EVER FOUND IN THE AMAZON,

DATING BACK THOUSANDS OF YEARS

BEFORE EVEN STONEHENGE
WAS BUILT...

WE KNOW THEY ARE
6,000 YEARS OLD

AND THEY ARE AMONG THE OLDEST
SKELETONS FROM AMAZONIA.

...AND FINALLY, TO ONE
AMAZING TRIBE IN BRAZIL

WHOSE DNA SHOWS THEY COULD BE
THE DESCENDANTS

OF THE VERY FIRST AMAZONIANS,

WHO JOURNEYED HERE FROM
SOMEWHERE ENTIRELY UNEXPECTED.

THERE'S A SIGN OF ANCESTRY
IN YOU THAT IS VERY UNIQUE

AND VERY SPECIAL.

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