All language subtitles for Unearthed The Hidden City of the Incas 720p

¶¶

Narrator: MACHU PICCHU,

AN ANCIENT ABANDONED CITY
IN THE CLOUDS,

THE JEWEL OF A LONG-LOST
CIVILIZATION --

THE INCAS.

THE TRUE PURPOSE OF THIS SITE

HAS BEEN A MYSTERY
FOR CENTURIES,

BUT TODAY, INVESTIGATORS

ARE MAKING NEW DISCOVERIES

THAT CHANGE OUR UNDERSTANDING
OF MACHU PICCHU.

Bastante: EVERY DAY IS DIFFERENT
IN MACHU PICCHU.

EVERY MINUTE IS DIFFERENT
IN MACHU PICCHU.

Narrator: THEIR BREAKTHROUGHS
ARE REWRITING THE HISTORY

OF THESE ENIGMATIC RUINS.

I THINK WE'RE STILL REALLY
AT THE VERY BEGINNING

OF LEARNING ABOUT IT.

Narrator:
NOW, ARCHAEOLOGISTS BELIEVE
THEY'RE ON THE VERGE

OF CRACKING HIDDEN MESSAGES
THE INCAS LEFT BEHIND.

Hyland: IF WE COULD UNDERSTAND
THIS CODE,

IMAGINE WHAT WE COULD
LEARN ABOUT THE INCAS.

Narrator: TO SOLVE THE MYSTERIES
OF MACHU PICCHU,

WE'LL PULL APART
THIS CITY STONE-BY-STONE.

WE'LL DIVE DEEP
THROUGH ITS WALLS

AND TEMPLES TO UNEARTH
THE ASTONISHING SECRETS

THAT LIE AT THE HEART
OF THIS FORGOTTEN WONDER.

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

CAPTIONS PAID FOR BY
DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS

MACHU PICCHU IN PERU --

LOST FOR CENTURIES,

BEAUTIFUL AND AWE-INSPIRING.

MODERN ARCHAEOLOGISTS DISCOVERED
THESE ENIGMATIC RUINS

MORE THAN 100 YEARS AGO.

¶¶

TODAY, NEW IDEAS
ARE COMING TO LIGHT

WHICH COULD CHANGE
OUR UNDERSTANDING

OF WHY MACHU PICCHU IS HERE.

Bastante: IF YOU THINK
ABOUT THE EFFORT AND THE SKILLS

THAT THE INCAS
MUST HAVE HAD IN ORDER

TO BUILD SOMETHING LIKE THIS
IN THIS EXACT SPOT

MAKES IT ALMOST UNBELIEVABLE.

¶¶

Narrator: THE RUINS ARE PERCHED
ALONG A PERILOUS RIDGE

BETWEEN TWO PROMINENT
MOUNTAIN PEAKS.

STEPSTONE TERRACES CLING
TO THE STEEP MOUNTAINSIDE.

MACHU PICCHU'S NEAR-PRISTINE
STONE BUILDINGS ARE PACKED

FULL OF ANCIENT
INCA TECHNOLOGY.

¶¶

A MYSTERIOUS CURVED
BUILDING STANDS OUT

IN THE GEOMETRIC CITYSCAPE.

WHY IS IT SO DIFFERENT
FROM THE BUILDINGS AROUND IT?

¶¶

WHAT WAS THE PURPOSE
OF THIS CITY IN THE CLOUDS?

¶¶

THERE ARE MANY THEORIES --

FROM A ROYAL PALACE
TO A TRADING HUB.

¶¶

JOSé BASTANTE IS MACHU PICCHU'S
CHIEF ARCHAEOLOGIST.

HE BELIEVES THE ANSWER LIES
IN THE BUILDINGS THEMSELVES

AND IS UNCOVERING EVIDENCE
THAT TELLS A DIFFERENT STORY.

MOST OF THE THINGS GOING ON
IN MACHU PICCHU ARE RELATED

TO THE CEREMONIAL PART.

¶¶

Narrator:
TEAMS OF ARCHAEOLOGISTS ARE
INVESTIGATING EVERY STRUCTURE

AT MACHU PICCHU,

AND THEY'RE DISCOVERING
THAT MANY OF THE BUILDINGS

SEEM TO ALIGN WITH
THE MOVEMENTS OF THE SUN.

COULD THEY BE LINKED
TO THE INCA RELIGION?

THE SUN IS THE MOST
IMPORTANT DEITY OF THE INCAS.

Narrator: JOSé THINKS MANY
OF THE STRUCTURES HERE

ARE DEDICATED TO THE SUN.

ONE OF THE MOST INTRIGUING
IS THE CURIOUS BUILDING

WITH THE UNIQUE
CURVED SIDES.

¶¶

STRIPPING AWAY THESE WALLS
REVEALS A VAST GRANITE BLOCK.

¶¶

BENEATH THIS FINELY
POLISHED ROCKY OUTCROP,

A SMALL ROOM WITH MYSTERIOUS
NICHES IN THE WALLS.

SOME OF THE FINEST INCA MASONRY
AT MACHU PICCHU FORMS

THE TEMPLE'S CURVED SIDES.

AND A MYSTERIOUS GROOVE
IN THE POLISHED ROCK ALIGNS

WITH THE RISING SUN
ON THE WINTER SOLSTICE,

THE SHORTEST DAY
OF THE YEAR.

ARCHAEOLOGISTS
THINK THAT THIS STRANGE

BUILDING COULD BE
A TEMPLE TO MARK

THE SACRED CYCLES OF THE SUN.

¶¶

JOSé BELIEVES THIS TEMPLE
ISN'T THE ONLY STRUCTURE

TO LOOK TO THE SKIES.

¶¶

THIS STRANGE STONE
STICKING OUT OF THE BEDROCK

IS KNOWN AS THE INTIWATANA.

DID THIS PECULIAR STONE ALSO
PERFORM A RELIGIOUS FUNCTION?

¶¶

TODAY IS ONE OF THE MOST
IMPORTANT SOLAR EVENTS

IN THE INCA CALENDAR --

THE EQUINOX,

WHICH MARKS A CHANGE
IN THE SEASONS.

ON MOST DAYS OF THE YEAR,
THE INTIWATANA STONE

AND EVERYTHING AROUND IT,

INCLUDING PEOPLE, CAST A SHADOW,

BUT ON THE EQUINOX,

AS THE SUN REACHES NOON,

SOMETHING STRANGE HAPPENS.

THE INTIWATANA STONE'S
SHADOW DISAPPEARS.

WAS IT DESIGNED TO MARK
THIS SPECIAL DAY?

BECAUSE OF THE PARTICULAR SHAPE
AND ANGLES

OF THIS LITHIC SCULPTURE

THAT WE CALL INTIWATANA,

THAT IS ACTUALLY AN ALTAR,

THERE IS NO SHADOW CAST
DURING THE EQUINOXES.

¶¶

Narrator: SO HOW DID THEY DO IT?

¶¶

ALL ALONG THE EQUATOR,
ON THE EQUINOX,

THE SUN PASSES
DIRECTLY OVERHEAD

CAUSING SHADOWS ON THE GROUND
TO PRACTICALLY VANISH,

BUT MACHU PICCHU IS 13 DEGREES
SOUTH OF THE EQUATOR

WHERE THE SUN
IS NOT OVERHEAD.

¶¶

TO MARK THIS SPECIAL DAY,
THE INCAS MUST HAVE SCULPTED

THE ROCK TO LEAN
AT PRECISELY 13 DEGREES

SO THAT IT POINTS
DIRECTLY AT THE SUN.

THESE STRUCTURES SEEM TO SUGGEST
THAT MACHU PICCHU

IS A VATICAN CITY
IN THE CLOUDS,

A PLACE WHERE THE INCA
COULD INTERACT WITH THEIR

MOST IMPORTANT GOD --

THE SUN.

DID THE INCAS CHOOSE
THIS SITE HIGH IN THE MOUNTAINS

TO GET A BETTER VIEW
OF THE SKY?

IT'S A TEMPTING THEORY,
BUT THERE'S A PROBLEM.

MACHU PICCHU IS REGULARLY
SHROUDED IN CLOUD.

SO WHY BUILD A TEMPLE COMPLEX
TO THE SUN HERE?

JOSé BELIEVES A BRAND-NEW
DISCOVERY HELPS TO EXPLAIN

WHY THE INCAS BUILT
THEIR SOLAR OBSERVATORY

IN SUCH A CHALLENGING
ENVIRONMENT.

THIS HUGE ROCKY OUTCROP
THAT RESEMBLES A MOUNTAIN

IS A SHRINE.

Narrator: THIS INCA SHRINE

HAS CONCEALED ITS SECRETS
FOR DECADES.

WHAT THEY DIDN'T REALIZE
IS THAT THERE WAS

SOMETHING ELSE OVER HERE

THAT THEY DIDN'T NOTICE,
AND WE HAVE JUST FOUND.

¶¶

Narrator: HIDING IN PLAIN SIGHT,
JOSé HAS UNCOVERED ARTWORK.

WHAT WE'RE SEEING IS
TRADITIONALLY CALLED ROCK ART,

BUT IN THE ANDES,
THIS IS A QUILCA.

Narrator: JOSé DOESN'T THINK
THIS ROCK ART, OR QUILCA,

WAS MADE BY THE INCAS

AND COULD BE CENTURIES OLDER.

Bastante: THESE GRAPHIC MOTIFS
HAVE NO RELATIONSHIP

WHATSOEVER WITH
THE INCA CIVILIZATION

DURING 15th AND 16th CENTURY.

Narrator: MACHU PICCHU MOUNTAIN
MAY HAVE BEEN SACRED

FOR THOUSANDS OF YEARS,

LONG BEFORE THE INCAS.

Bastante: THIS IS AN EVIDENCE
OF PRESENCE

OF PRE-INCA PEOPLE IN THE AREA.

WE ARE TALKING ABOUT
BETWEEN 800 TO 1200 A.D.

Narrator: NOW, ARCHAEOLOGISTS
BELIEVE THIS MYSTERIOUS PAINTING

MIGHT BE A CLUE TO WHY THE INCAS
WERE DRAWN TO THIS REMOTE SITE.

¶¶

Bastante: WHAT WE'RE PROPOSING
IS THAT THIS PLACE

WAS CONSIDERED AS SACRED
EVEN BEFORE THE INCAS.

THE INCAS JUST ARRIVED
AND REALIZED

THE SACREDNESS OF THE PLACE.

¶¶

Narrator: JOSé BELIEVES
MACHU PICCHU WAS BUILT HERE

BECAUSE IT WAS ALREADY
A SACRED SITE

WITH AN ANCIENT
CONNECTION TO THE GODS.

¶¶

BUT DID THE INCAS
BUILD MACHU PICCHU

SIMPLY TO WORSHIP THEIR GODS?

¶¶

OR IS THERE ANOTHER EXPLANATION
FOR THE CITY'S CONSTRUCTION?

COULD THE ANSWER BE LOCKED AWAY
INSIDE THE SKELETONS

OF MACHU PICCHU?

¶¶

¶¶

Narrator: MACHU PICCHU
IS ONE

OF THE MOST JAW-DROPPING SITES
IN THE WORLD.

EACH YEAR, THIS ANCIENT
WONDER ATTRACTS

NEARLY A MILLION VISITORS.

¶¶

BUT THE PURPOSE OF MACHU PICCHU
HAS ALWAYS BEEN A MYSTERY.

SOME ARCHAEOLOGISTS BELIEVE
IT'S A RELIGIOUS SITE,

BUT THERE ARE ENOUGH HOUSES
FOR MORE THAN 500 PEOPLE.

WHY WERE THESE PEOPLE HERE,
AND WHAT DID THEY DO?

I THINK WE'RE STILL REALLY

AT THE VERY
BEGINNING OF LEARNING ABOUT IT.

IN TERMS OF WHAT
DAILY LIFE WAS LIKE,

WE'RE JUST SCRATCHING
THE SURFACE.

¶¶

Narrator: BEYOND THE IMPRESSIVE
TEMPLES

AND RELIGIOUS STRUCTURES,

THERE ARE MANY
PRACTICAL BUILDINGS.

MORE THAN 140 HOUSES WERE HOME
TO THE PEOPLE THAT LIVED HERE,

BUT WHO WERE THEY?

¶¶

ARCHAEOLOGISTS
SEARCHING FOR CLUES

ON THE SLOPES BELOW THE HOUSES

HAVE UNCOVERED
A GRUESOME SURPRISE.

MORE THAN 170 SKELETONS LITTER
THE LANDSCAPE IN MAKESHIFT TOMBS

COVERED WITH BOULDERS.

COULD THESE HUMAN
REMAINS HOLD CLUES

TO WHY MACHU PICCHU WAS BUILT?

¶¶

TODAY, THE SKELETONS LIE
IN THE PERUVIAN CITY OF CUZCO,

THE INCA CAPITAL.

RICHARD BURGER AND
LUCY SALAZAR ARE EXAMINING

THE BONES FOUND AT MACHU PICCHU.

¶¶

SOME OF THE SKELETONS
HAVE DEFORMITIES,

INCLUDING STRANGE
ELONGATED SKULLS.

COULD THESE PROVIDE ANOTHER CLUE
TO WHY MACHU PICCHU WAS BUILT?

RICHARD AND LUCY MEASURE
THE SHAPE OF THE SKULLS.

THIS INTRIGUING SHAPE
IS NOT A NATURAL DEFORMITY.

¶¶

SOME ANCIENT PERUVIAN
COMMUNITIES WOULD BIND CLOTH

AROUND THEIR CHILDREN'S HEADS

TO CHANGE THE SHAPE
OF THEIR SKULLS

AND MAKE THEM LOOK TALLER.

BUT NOT EVERY SKULL HAS BEEN
DEFORMED IN THE SAME WAY

OR AT ALL.

WHY?

RICHARD BELIEVES MACHU PICCHU
WAS A MELTING POT

OF DIFFERENT CULTURES,

DISPARATE PEOPLE
FROM ACROSS THE EMPIRE

LIVING SIDE BY SIDE
IN ONE REMOTE PLACE.

Burger: THE CRANIA OF THESE
SKELETONS HAD A VARIETY

OF CRANIAL DEFORMATIONS,

AND SINCE CRANIAL DEFORMATION
IN ANCIENT

PERU WAS OFTEN
A MARKER OF ETHNICITY,

IT IMPLIED THAT THE SKELETONS

CAME FROM DIFFERENT
GEOGRAPHICAL AREAS.

Narrator: RICHARD NEEDS
FURTHER EVIDENCE

TO PROVE HIS THEORY,

SO HE ANALYZES THE BONES
AT AN ATOMIC LEVEL.

THERE ARE VARIOUS KINDS
OF ATOMIC STRUCTURES

OF MOST ELEMENTS.

DIFFERENT PLANTS WILL ABSORB
DIFFERENT PROPORTIONS OF THESE,

AND THEN WHEN A HUMAN EATS THEM,

THIS WILL BE REFLECTED
IN THEIR BONE COMPOSITION.

Narrator: BY MEASURING CHEMICAL
TRACES IN THE BONES,

RICHARD CAN WORK OUT
WHAT THESE INCAS WERE EATING

WHEN THEY WERE ALIVE.

USUALLY IN A SINGLE COMMUNITY,

THERE WILL BE ONLY
A SMALL AMOUNT OF VARIATION.

WHAT WE FOUND WAS THAT THERE WAS
A HIGH DEGREE OF VARIABILITY

IN THE READINGS.

THESE PEOPLE HAD HAD
QUITE DIFFERENT DIETS

DURING THEIR LIFETIMES.

THESE PEOPLE COME
FROM DIFFERENT AREAS.

¶¶

Narrator: RICHARD BELIEVES
ONLY ONE PERSON

HAD THE POWER TO ASSEMBLE

SUCH A COSMOPOLITAN COMMUNITY --

THE INCA EMPEROR.

¶¶

RATHER THAN BEING BUILT
FOR RELIGIOUS PURPOSES,

RICHARD BELIEVES MACHU PICCHU
WAS MAINLY A ROYAL RESIDENCE.

¶¶

TODAY, HE'S SEARCHING
THE SITE FOR EVIDENCE

OF THE EMPEROR'S PRESENCE.

Burger:
WE BELIEVE THAT THE EMPEROR
WOULD HAVE LIVED HERE,

THE SAPA INCA.

IT'S VERY OFTEN REFERRED
TO AS THE HOUSES OF THE INCA.

Narrator: THIS HOUSE IS SEPARATE
FROM OTHER BUILDINGS ON THE SITE

AND HAS MANY LUXURIES
FOUND NOWHERE ELSE IN THE CITY.

Burger: IT'S THE ONLY ONE
THAT SEEMS TO HAVE A BATH

WITH ALL THE FRESHWATER
COMING DOWN FROM THE SPRING.

IT HASN'T BEEN IN ANY WAY
TAMPERED WITH BY OTHERS.

I THINK THE FACT THAT
THE EMPEROR'S HOUSE

WAS NEXT TO THE TEMPLE

OF THE SUN SUGGESTS

THAT SACRED CHARACTER
OF THE EMPEROR

IN EVERYTHING HE DID.

Narrator: BUT IF MACHU PICCHU
IS A ROYAL PALACE,

WHERE ARE THE REMAINS
OF THE GREAT EMPEROR

THAT ONCE LIVED HERE?

INCA BURIALS REVEAL A LOT

ABOUT THE SOCIAL STATUS
OF THE DECEASED.

HIGH-CLASS PEOPLE WERE
BURIED ALONGSIDE RICHES

AND METAL OBJECTS, LIKE GOLD.

¶¶

THE MOST IMPORTANT INCAS,
THE EMPERORS,

WERE EVEN MUMMIFIED

AND PARADED
ON SPECIAL OCCASIONS.

BUT AT MACHU PICCHU,

ARCHAEOLOGISTS FIND
FAR SIMPLER BURIALS IN CAVES.

¶¶

MOST OF THE SKELETONS
AT MACHU PICCHU

ARE BURIED WITH GOODS

THAT LINK THEM
TO LOWER-STATUS JOBS,

LIKE A COOK'S POT

OR THE REMAINS
OF A SHEPHERD'S LLAMA.

IF THERE'S NO EVIDENCE
OF AN EMPEROR'S BURIAL

OR MUMMY AT MACHU PICCHU,

DID HE EVER LIVE HERE?

RICHARD BELIEVES MACHU PICCHU
WAS BUILT AS A SECOND HOME

FOR THE EMPEROR,

A PLACE TO RELAX FAR AWAY
FROM THE INCA CAPITAL AT CUZCO.

I DESCRIBED IT ONCE
AS A CAMP DAVID

BECAUSE WE KNOW THE STRESSES

OF BEING IN CHARGE
OF AN EMPIRE,

AND JUST BY ANALOGY
TO OTHER COUNTRIES,

LIKE THE UNITED STATES,

THE LEADER NEEDS TO GET AWAY

AND, YOU KNOW,
RELAX EVERY NOW AND THEN.

I WOULD IMAGINE THAT, YOU KNOW,
HE COULD HAVE COME HERE

ONCE EVERY YEAR FOR A FEW WEEKS.

¶¶

Narrator: WAS MACHU PICCHU
AN INCA CAMP DAVID,

A PLACE FOR THE EMPEROR TO RELAX
AND GET AWAY FROM IT ALL?

IF IT WAS, THE INCAS FACED
AN INCREDIBLE CHALLENGE,

BUILDING A PALACE FIT
FOR A KING HERE.

MACHU PICCHU SITS ACROSS
TWO FAULT LINES,

EXPERIENCING DOZENS
OF EARTHQUAKES

AND HUNDREDS OF LANDSLIDES
EVERY YEAR.

¶¶

HOW DID THE INCAS BUILD
A SECOND HOME FOR THE EMPEROR

IN SUCH A HOSTILE PLACE?

¶¶

AND COULD
THESE MYSTERIOUS OBJECTS

CONCEAL ANCIENT MESSAGES

FROM THE INCAS THEMSELVES?

¶¶

¶¶

Narrator: MACHU PICCHU
IS AN EXTRAORDINARY FEAT

OF ANCIENT ENGINEERING.

IT SOARS ALMOST 8,000 FEET
ABOVE SEA LEVEL,

WEDGED ON A RIDGE
BETWEEN TWO MOUNTAINS.

¶¶

EARTHQUAKES, LANDSLIDES,
AND FLOODS RAVAGE THE AREA.

IT LOOKS LIKE THE MOST
IMPOSSIBLE PLACE

FOR A CITY TO EXIST,

BUT MACHU PICCHU
IS STILL STANDING.

HOW DID THE INCAS BUILD A CITY
TO SURVIVE THE CENTURIES

WITH ONLY STONE-AGE TECHNOLOGY?

THE CLUES ARE HIDING IN THE
BUILDING BLOCKS OF MACHU PICCHU.

THE HUNDREDS OF INCA BUILDINGS
THAT CROWN THE STEEP MOUNTAIN

TOP ARE MADE FROM THOUSANDS
OF SUPER TOUGH GRANITE BLOCKS.

¶¶

BLOWING THE BUILDINGS APART
REVEALS

THAT NO TWO BLOCKS ARE THE SAME.

BUT THESE DRY-STONE WALLS
APPEAR NEAT AND STRAIGHT.

¶¶

THE WEIRD ANGLES
AND ASYMMETRICAL STONES

SLOT TOGETHER PERFECTLY.

BUT WHY DID THE INCAS USE SUCH
STRANGE-SHAPED BUILDING BLOCKS?

¶¶

FERNANDO ASTETE IS
THE SITE'S DIRECTOR

AND HAS BEEN STUDYING
MACHU PICCHU FOR 30 YEARS.

HE KNOWS EVERY STONE HERE
AND THINKS THE ANSWER

TO WHY THEY'RE SUCH
STRANGE SHAPES LIES

JUST ABOVE THE CITY
CENTER IN A QUARRY.

BECAUSE GRANITE IS SO TOUGH,
FERNANDO THINKS THE INCAS

WOULD CHIP AWAY
AT NATURAL WEAK POINTS

AND WORK WITH THE NATURAL
SHAPE OF THE ROCK

RATHER THAN FORCE THE STONE
INTO REGULAR BRICKS.

BUT UNEVEN BLOCKS COME
WITH THEIR OWN CHALLENGES.

IF THESE STONES
WERE SIMPLY STACKED,

THE ODDLY SHAPED BLOCKS

WOULD HAVE FORMED
UNSTABLE WALLS.

SO THE INCAS MUST HAVE
CAREFULLY MATCHED AND POUNDED

EACH STONE ACCORDING

TO THE EXACT SHAPE
OF ITS NEIGHBORS.

DURING AN EARTHQUAKE, THE STONES
ARE FREE TO BOUNCE AROUND

BEFORE SETTLING BACK
INTO THEIR PERFECT POSITION.

IT'S A GREAT THEORY,
BUT GRANITE IS INCREDIBLY STRONG

AND DIFFICULT TO WORK.

MOST STONE TOOLS WOULD BREAK
AGAINST ITS TOUGH SURFACE.

HOW DID THE INCA SHAPE THIS ROCK
WITH SUCH PRECISION,

THAT IN MANY PLACES
YOU CAN'T FIT

A RAZOR BLADE
BETWEEN THE STONES?

FERNANDO BELIEVES THE KEY
TO MACHU PICCHU'S

METICULOUS CONSTRUCTION

CAN BE FOUND LYING
ON THE GROUND...

¶¶

A HEAVY IRON-RICH ROCK
CALLED HEMATITE,

A NATURAL IRON HAMMER.

FERNANDO'S EXPERIMENTS SHOW THAT
THE INCAS COULD USE HEMATITE

TO SHAPE THE TOUGH
GRANITE BLOCKS

WITH GREAT PRECISION,

BUT IT WAS SLOW WORK.

FERNANDO BELIEVES MACHU PICCHU
WAS ONLY POSSIBLE

BECAUSE THE MOUNTAINS THEMSELVES

ARE NATURAL QUARRIES
OF EARTHQUAKE-PROOF GRANITE.

¶¶

THE INCAS FOUND
ALL THE MATERIALS

TO BUILD A CITY OF HOUSES

AND EXQUISITE
TEMPLES RIGHT HERE.

¶¶

BUT LIVING ON
A MOUNTAINTOP IS HARD.

SHEER CLIFFS SURROUND
THE SITE ON THREE SIDES.

THERE ARE NO FIELDS TO PLOW.

HOW DID THE PEOPLE
OF MACHU PICCHU SURVIVE

IN SUCH A REMOTE LOCATION?

¶¶

¶¶

Narrator: MACHU PICCHU IS A CITY
ON THE EDGE.

BASED ON THE NUMBER OF HOUSES
ON THE SITE,

ARCHAEOLOGISTS BELIEVE

THERE COULD HAVE BEEN 500

OR MORE PEOPLE LIVING HERE.

¶¶

BUT SURROUNDED ON THREE SIDES
BY SHEER CLIFFS,

HEAVY RAINS AND LANDSLIDES
WASH AWAY ANY SOIL DOWN

THE STEEP MOUNTAIN SLOPES.

WITHOUT FLAT FIELDS
FOR GROWING CROPS OR LIVESTOCK,

HOW DID THE INCAS
FEED THEMSELVES

IN SUCH A REMOTE
AND INHOSPITABLE ENVIRONMENT?

THE LIMITED QUANTITY OF WATER,
THE DIFFICULT ACCESS, OF COURSE,

IS A VERY
DIFFICULT AREA TO WORK.

¶¶

Narrator: THE INCAS SURROUNDED
MACHU PICCHU WITH TERRACES

TO STABILIZE THE HILLSIDE

AND CREATE FOUNDATIONS
FOR BUILDINGS.

INSIDE THESE STEP STRUCTURES,
THERE'S A SURPRISING LEVEL

OF COMPLEX INCA TECHNOLOGY.

THE INCAS CAREFULLY LAID
DISTINCT LAYERS OF GRAVEL

AND STONES OF DIFFERENT
SIZES THROUGHOUT EVERY TERRACE,

BUT WHAT WERE THESE LAYERS FOR?

A CLUE RESTS ON TOP --

A FLAT LAYER OF FINE SOIL
THAT CAN'T BE WASHED AWAY.

COULD THESE THIN STRIPS ALSO BE
THE FIELDS THAT FED A CITY?

¶¶

A CLUE LIES IN THE LAYOUT
OF MACHU PICCHU.

ONE HALF IS FILLED
WITH TEMPLES AND HOUSES.

THE OTHER HAS VIRTUALLY
NO BUILDINGS AT ALL.

¶¶

THESE EMPTY TERRACES LOOK
LIKE FOUNDATIONS FOR BUILDINGS,

BUT CHIEF ARCHAEOLOGIST
JOSé BASTANTE

BELIEVES THIS SLOPE
IS THE INCA SOLUTION TO FARMING.

IN THIS PART,
IN THE AGRICULTURAL SECTOR

OF MACHU PICCHU,
THERE'S NO ISSUE

WITH WATER INFILTRATION

OR WATER COMING OUT.

Narrator: JOSé BELIEVES
THE MULTIPLE LAYERS

OF ROCK INSIDE
THESE TERRACES ALLOWED WATER

TO DRAIN THROUGH WITHOUT
DISRUPTING THE TOPSOIL,

PROVIDING A STABLE
PLATFORM FOR CROPS.

BUT TO LIVE ON
THIS ROCKY MOUNTAINTOP,

THE INCA ALSO NEEDED A CONSTANT
CLEAN SUPPLY OF DRINKING WATER

AND SACRED WATER FOR RITUALS.

IF WE DIDN'T HAVE A SPRING,
THERE'S NO LIFE.

Narrator: THE INCAS FOUND
A NATURAL SPRING HERE,

WHICH THEY CONSIDERED SACRED,

A GIFT FROM THE MOUNTAIN.

BUT HOW COULD THIS SMALL
SPRING SERVE A WHOLE CITY?

¶¶

THIS SURPRISING FRESHWATER
SOURCE COMES FROM RAINWATER.

IT FILTERS THROUGH THE FRACTURES
IN THE ROCK AND ERUPTS

IN SPRINGS
ALONG THE MOUNTAINSIDE.

THE INCAS BUILT STONE CHANNELS
INTO THE TERRACES,

WHICH DELIVERED RUNNING WATER
FROM THE MOUNTAIN SPRING

TO 16 FOUNTAINS ACROSS THE CITY.

¶¶

Bastante: THE WATER
THAT WE SEE HERE,

IT'S COMING FROM A SPRING
MORE THAN 700 METERS AWAY.

IT WAS CHANNELED BY THE INCAS,

CROSSES ALL THE AGRICULTURAL
AREA OF MACHU PICCHU

AND ENTERS THE URBAN AREA.

¶¶

THIS WATER IS USED FOR DRINKING,

FOR COOKING, AND ALSO
FOR CEREMONIAL PURPOSES.

Narrator: THE INCA ENGINEERED
A CLEVER SOLUTION

TO BRING THIS SACRED WATER

TO THE URBAN SECTOR
OF MACHU PICCHU.

¶¶

BUT THIS INCA MASONRY
IS VULNERABLE.

IN A LANDSCAPE RAVAGED
BY EARTHQUAKES,

ANY DAMAGE TO THESE WATER
CHANNELS COULD FLOOD THE SACRED

BUILDINGS AROUND THEM.

Bastante: WE HAVE THE PART OF
THE CHANNEL ON THE URBAN SECTOR,

THAT THE INCAS CANNOT
AFFORD WATER INFILTRATION

BECAUSE THAT WILL AFFECT
THE STRUCTURES IN ONE

OF THE MOST IMPORTANT SECTORS

THAT IS THE TEMPLE
OF THE SUN AREA.

Narrator:
HOW DID THE INCAS ENSURE
THIS CHANNEL NEVER LEAKED?

JOSé THINKS THESE STRANGELY
CARVED BLOCKS SCATTERED

AROUND THE SITE
COULD HOLD A CLUE.

Bastante: THESE STONES HAVE
BEEN ALWAYS HERE,

AND IT HAS ALWAYS BEEN
A MYSTERY WHAT THEY WERE FOR.

THERE HAVE BEEN MANY THEORIES,
BUT FINALLY,

WE HAVE FIGURED IT OUT.

Narrator: THIS SMOOTH CHANNEL
APPEARS TO BE DESIGNED

TO CARRY WATER.

WHAT WE'RE DOING HERE IS WE
ARE REMEASURING THEM TO SEE

WHERE WILL THEY EVENTUALLY GO.

Narrator: JOSé BELIEVES THESE
CARVED CHANNELS WERE DESIGNED

TO CARRY WATER,

BUT NOT HERE.

¶¶

Bastante: WE MEASURE THE LENGTH
OF ALL OF THEM,

AND WE MEASURE THE LENGTH

OF THE PART
OF THE CHANNEL

THAT IS ALREADY INSIDE
THE URBAN SECTOR,

AND IT BASICALLY MATCHES
THE LENGTH REQUIRED.

NOW, WE KNOW THAT
THESE GRANITE STONES

WERE GOING TO REPLACE
THE PART OF THE CHANNEL

THAT IS INSIDE THE URBAN SECTOR
OF MACHU PICCHU.

¶¶

Narrator: IF AN EARTHQUAKE
DAMAGED

THE CRUCIAL URBAN WATER CHANNEL,

REPLACEMENT STONES

COULD EASILY SNAP INTO PLACE
AROUND THE TEMPLES.

THE INCAS HAD A NEW SET
OF STONES READY TO GO.

¶¶

THIS BRAND-NEW
DISCOVERY IS EVIDENCE

THAT THE INCAS WERE MAINTAINING

AND IMPROVING MACHU PICCHU
ALL THE TIME.

THROUGH EFFECTIVE WATER
MANAGEMENT,

THE INCAS COULD KEEP
THEIR POPULATION ALIVE

AND PROTECT THEIR
SACRED BUILDINGS.

BUT THERE'S ANOTHER
UNSOLVED MYSTERY.

RECENTLY, SOME ARCHAEOLOGISTS
HAVE CALCULATED THAT THE 500

OR MORE INHABITANTS
OF THIS MOUNTAIN CITY

COULDN'T SURVIVE ON THE FOOD
AND WATER HERE ALONE.

MACHU PICCHU MUST HAVE
HAD RELIED ON IMPORTS.

BUT HOW DID
THE SUPPLIES GET HERE?

AFTER ALL, THE CITY
IS FAMOUS FOR ITS ISOLATION,

CUT OFF BY SHEER CLIFFS,

STEEP MOUNTAINS
AND THICK FOREST.

¶¶

IS NEW EVIDENCE ABOUT TO TURN
EVERYTHING WE THOUGHT WE KNEW

ABOUT MACHU PICCHU
ON ITS HEAD?

¶¶

¶¶

Narrator: MACHU PICCHU APPEARS
TO BE CUT OFF

FROM THE OUTSIDE WORLD.

THE INCAS ENGINEERED
COMPLEX STRUCTURES

TO FEED THE PEOPLE
THAT LIVED HERE.

¶¶

BUT ARCHAEOLOGISTS DON'T
THINK MACHU PICCHU

WOULD HAVE PRODUCED ENOUGH FOOD

TO KEEP THE WHOLE
POPULATION ALIVE.

¶¶

THE INCAS MUST HAVE ALSO
BROUGHT FOOD TO THIS

ISOLATED MOUNTAINTOP,

BUT FROM WHERE?

JOSé THINKS THERE ARE CLUES
ALL ACROSS THE SITE.

Bastante: THE ARCHAEOLOGICAL
EVIDENCE THAT WE'RE GETTING

ARE GIVING US
A MUCH MORE COMPLEX IDEA

OF WHAT MACHU PICCHU FUNCTIONS

WERE DURING ITS SHORT LIFETIME.

¶¶

Narrator: HIDDEN BEHIND
MACHU PICCHU'S MAIN

GATE STANDS
A MYSTERIOUS BUILDING.

MOST INCA HOUSES
WERE SINGLE-STORY,

BUT ARCHAEOLOGICAL EVIDENCE

SUGGESTS THIS TALL STRUCTURE
CARRIED A SECOND FLOOR.

¶¶

THESE WALLS ONCE SUPPORTED ROWS
OF GIANT WOODEN BEAMS,

STEEPLY ANGLED TO CREATE
A HIGH ROOF COVERED WITH THATCH.

¶¶

INVESTIGATORS BELIEVE THIS WAS
A MASSIVE INDUSTRIAL STOREHOUSE

FOR IMPORTED FOOD,

BUT IF IT WAS,

WHERE DID THE SUPPLIES COME FROM

AND HOW DID THEY GET HERE?

JOSé BASTANTE IS CONVINCED
THAT MACHU PICCHU WAS KEPT ALIVE

THANKS TO A VAST NETWORK
OF ROADS CONNECTING IT

TO THE FARMS
OF THE WIDER EMPIRE,

AND HE THINKS EVIDENCE
OF THESE ROADS

COULD STILL EXIST TODAY.

WE'RE STILL DISCOVERING
NEW INCA ROADS

WITHIN THE SANCTUARY BORDERS.

Narrator: TO FIND THESE ROADS,
JOSé LOOKS FOR UNUSUAL ENTRANCES

AROUND THE EDGES
OF MACHU PICCHU

THAT DON'T APPEAR
TO LEAD ANYWHERE,

LIKE THIS STAIRCASE.

Bastante: THIS STAIRCASE
WAS ALWAYS A MYSTERY.

WE DIDN'T KNOW REALLY
WHERE IT WAS COMING FROM,

BUT RECENTLY,
WE JUST FIGURED IT OUT.

WE FOUND THE ROAD.

THE ONLY ISSUE IS THAT THE ROAD
HAS COLLAPSED AT CERTAIN POINTS,

SO WE CANNOT
FOLLOW IT COMPLETELY.

¶¶

Narrator: TODAY, JOSé'S TEAM

IS INVESTIGATING
A NEWLY DISCOVERED TRAIL.

¶¶

HE BELIEVES THIS IS
THE FIRST TIME THIS ROAD

HAS BEEN EXPLORED FOR CENTURIES.

Bastante: NEXT TO
MACHU PICCHU CITY,

WE HAVE PROBABLY FOUND
ALL THE ROADS,

BUT IN THE AREA,

THERE ARE STILL MANY ROADS

TO BE FOUND LOST
IN THE VEGETATION.

Narrator: SO FAR,
ARCHAEOLOGISTS HAVE UNCOVERED

A WEB OF EIGHT ROADS

LEADING INTO MACHU PICCHU.

¶¶

THESE PROBABLY BROUGHT SUPPLIES
TO THE PEOPLE WHO LIVED HERE.

BUT JOSé BELIEVES THEY MAY
ALSO EXPLAIN ANOTHER KEY REASON

WHY MACHU PICCHU WAS BUILT HERE
IN THE FIRST PLACE.

Bastante: MACHU PICCHU IS
STRATEGICALLY LOCATED BETWEEN

THE ANDES AND THE AMAZON,

ADMINISTERING A HUGE TERRITORY.

THE PRODUCTS ARE PASSING
BY THROUGH HERE,

THE ADMINISTRATION

AND THE POLITICAL DECISIONS

ARE COMING FROM HERE
REGARDING THIS TRADE.

¶¶

Narrator: JOSé BELIEVES
MACHU PICCHU WAS AN IMPORTANT

ADMINISTRATIVE CENTER,

A HUB TO CONTROL
THE MOVEMENT OF GOODS

AND PEOPLE

AND AN EASTERN
OUTPOST KEEPING TABS

ON THE EXPANDING EMPIRE.

THE INCA ROADS ARE THE VERTEBRAL
SPINE OF THE EMPIRE.

Narrator: THESE ANCIENT HIGHWAYS
WERE HIGHLY ENGINEERED

WITH STEPS CUT DIRECTLY
INTO THE MOUNTAINS

AND ROPE BRIDGES

THAT STRETCHED ACROSS
PERILOUS RAVINES.

THE INCAS STAGGERED REST STOPS
A DAY'S HIKE APART.

THESE ACTED AS CHECKPOINTS,

KEEPING ACCESS TO THE ROADS
UNDER STRICT CONTROL.

AND OFFICIAL RUNNERS,
CALLED CHASQUI,

COULD MOVE BETWEEN
INCA SITES IN RELAYS,

COVERING OVER 1,000 MILES
ON FOOT IN LESS THAN A WEEK.

IN JUST 100 YEARS,
THE INCA EMPIRE GREW MASSIVELY,

BUILDING 25,000 MILES OF ROAD,

LONG ENOUGH TO WRAP
AROUND THE WHOLE EARTH.

ARCHAEOLOGISTS BELIEVE IT WAS
THE INCA EMPEROR PACHACUTI

WHO EXTENDED THE REACH
OF INCA INFLUENCE

ACROSS MUCH OF THE CONTINENT.

PACHACUTI IS THE TRANSFORMER
OF THE WORLD,

IS THE ONE THAT STARTED
THE EXPANSION OUTSIDE OF CUZCO

AND EVENTUALLY MANAGED
TO CONQUER

A HUGE AMOUNT OF TERRITORY,

PART OF ECUADOR,
COLOMBIA,

PERU, BOLIVIA,
ARGENTINA AND CHILE.

Narrator: THE INCA TRAILS WERE
KEY TO PACHACUTI'S SUCCESS.

BUT WITHOUT A WRITTEN LANGUAGE,

HOW DID THE EMPEROR
SEND MESSAGES

AND INSTRUCTIONS TO THE FARTHEST
REACHES OF THE EMPIRE?

¶¶

SOME INVESTIGATORS NOW BELIEVE
THAT THESE STRANGE

KNOTTED BRAIDS ARE EVIDENCE

OF A SECRET INCA CODE.

COULD THESE FRAIL ARTIFACTS
FINALLY UNLOCK THE SECRETS

OF MACHU PICCHU?

¶¶

¶¶

Narrator: MACHU PICCHU IS FAMOUS
AS A LOST CITY.

GENERATIONS OF ARCHAEOLOGISTS
HAVE ASKED,

"WHAT WAS IT FOR?

WHY WAS IT BUILT HERE?"

FOR DECADES, INVESTIGATORS
THOUGHT THE INCAS

HAD LEFT NO WRITTEN RECORDS,

BUT COULD THERE HAVE BEEN
A SECRET INCA CODE

STARING THEM IN THE FACE
THE WHOLE TIME?

Hyland: THE INCAS STILL REMAIN
ONE OF THE MOST

MYSTERIOUS CIVILIZATIONS
IN THE WORLD.

THEY HAD AN EMPIRE THE SIZE
OF THE WESTERN ROMAN EMPIRE,

AND YET VERY BASIC
THINGS ABOUT THEM

ARE A COMPLETE MYSTERY TO US.

¶¶

Narrator:
ANTHROPOLOGIST SABINE HYLAND

IS SEARCHING FOR A NEW WAY

TO UNCOVER MACHU PICCHU'S
LONG-LOST PAST.

Hyland: FOR A LONG TIME,
PEOPLE THOUGHT THAT THE INCAS

HAD NO WRITING SYSTEM,

BUT NOW THERE'S A GROUP
OF US SCHOLARS THAT ARE MAKING,

I THINK, A LOT OF PROGRESS
IN UNDERSTANDING

THAT THEY DID HAVE
A WRITING SYSTEM.

AND LITTLE BY LITTLE,
WE'RE STARTING TO DECODE IT.

¶¶

Narrator: SABINE HAS COME TO
OXFORD UNIVERSITY IN ENGLAND

AS PART OF HER INVESTIGATION

TO UNCOVER LOST INCA RECORDS.

¶¶

WOW. THIS IS AMAZING.

Narrator: THIS CAREFULLY
PRESERVED BUNDLE OF STRING

WAS BROUGHT HERE FROM PERU
IN THE EARLY 20th CENTURY.

THE INCAS LEFT HUNDREDS OF
THESE MYSTERIOUS OBJECTS BEHIND.

IT'S CALLED A QUIPU,
AND SABINE BELIEVES

THE POSITION OF ITS MANY STRINGS

AND KNOTS SPELL OUT
AN ANCIENT INCA CODE.

IS THIS INCA WRITING?

YOU KNOW, PEOPLE WOULD LOOK
AT QUIPU SOMETIMES AND SAY,

"WHAT IS THIS?"

SOMEBODY EVEN CALLED THEM
AN OLD MOPHEAD,

BUT QUIPUS ARE ACTUALLY
A VERY SOPHISTICATED SYSTEM

FOR RECORDING INFORMATION.

SABINE HAS SPENT YEARS STUDYING
THESE ENIGMATIC OBJECTS,

AND EACH NEW QUIPU
SHE FINDS BRINGS HER

CLOSER TO UNDERSTANDING THEM.

¶¶

WITHIN MINUTES, SABINE SPOTS

THAT THIS IS
AN ACCOUNTING QUIPU.

Hyland: SO THE INCAS HAD
A DECIMAL SYSTEM.

IN THE HUNDREDS,
YOU HAVE A SINGLE KNOT.

THAT MEANS 100.

IN THE TENS PLACE,
YOU HAVE A LONG KNOT

THAT HAS NINE LITTLE NUBS.

THAT MEANS 90.

AND THIS LONG KNOT WITH SEVEN
NUBS REPRESENTS 7, SO 197.

¶¶

Narrator: THIS QUIPU CONTAINS
NUMERICAL INFORMATION,

BUT SABINE HAS FOUND
OTHER QUIPUS

WITH SOPHISTICATED FORMS

OF LANGUAGE CODED INTO THEM.

Hyland: RECENTLY, I DISCOVERED
TWO 18th-CENTURY QUIPUS

IN A VERY, VERY SMALL VILLAGE
IN THE ANDES,

AND THESE QUIPUS ARE PHONETIC.

EACH CORD REPRESENTS A SYLLABLE.

¶¶

Narrator:
LIKE THE ROSETTA STONE,

WHICH ALLOWED ARCHAEOLOGISTS

TO UNDERSTAND EGYPTIAN
HIEROGLYPHICS,

EACH QUIPU BRINGS US CLOSER
TO UNDERSTANDING THE INCAS.

ONE OF THE THINGS
THAT'S ADDICTIVE ABOUT WORKING

ON QUIPUS IS IT'S LIKE
A DETECTIVE STORY.

IT'S LIKE PIECING
A PUZZLE TOGETHER,

BUT INSTEAD OF ONE
BIG ROSETTA STONE,

WE'RE FINDING LOTS OF LITTLE,

MINI ROSETTA STONES

THAT LITTLE BY LITTLE ARE
ALLOWING US TO UNDERSTAND

WHAT THIS CODE
IS AND HOW IT WORKED.

¶¶

Narrator: SABINE BELIEVES THAT
QUIPUS MIGHT SHED NEW LIGHT

ON THE MYSTERY OF
WHY MACHU PICCHU WAS BUILT.

Hyland: IF WE COULD UNDERSTAND
THE QUIPUS,

IT WOULD OPEN UP TO US

THE MEANING OF SITES
LIKE MACHU PICCHU.

MACHU PICCHU, SPECIFICALLY,
WE WOULD GET A RECORD

OF WHAT ACTUAL DAILY ACTIVITIES
WERE CARRIED OUT THERE,

AND WE COULD USE THAT
TO UNDERSTAND

HOW THIS SITE
FUNCTIONED DAY-TO-DAY.

¶¶

Narrator: MACHU PICCHU IS STILL
ONE OF THE MOST ICONIC

AND MYSTERIOUS SITES
IN THE WORLD.

MACHU PICCHU REPRESENTS
ALL THE GLORIOUS PERUVIAN PAST

BEFORE THE SPANISH INVASION.

Narrator: EVEN TODAY,
THESE TEMPLES

CONTINUE TO REVEAL
NEW SURPRISES.

Burger: THERE'S STILL
AN ENORMOUS AMOUNT

THAT COULD BE DONE
THROUGH EXCAVATION

AND LABORATORY ANALYSIS.

¶¶

Narrator: PERFECTLY POSITIONED
IN AN ANCIENT SACRED REGION

WITH LUXURIES
BEFITTING AN EMPEROR,

COMMANDING BOTH THE AMAZON
AND THE ANDES,

MACHU PICCHU IS THE CENTER
OF A COMPLEX LANDSCAPE

THAT'S STILL BEING DISCOVERED.

¶¶

¶¶