All language subtitles for Buried.Truth.of.the.Maya.2019.1080p.WEBRip.x265-RARBG4_English
Afrikaans
Albanian
Amharic
Arabic
Armenian
Azerbaijani
Basque
Belarusian
Bengali
Bosnian
Bulgarian
Catalan
Cebuano
Chichewa
Chinese (Simplified)
Corsican
Croatian
Czech
Danish
Dutch
English
Esperanto
Estonian
Filipino
Finnish
French
Frisian
Galician
Georgian
German
Greek
Gujarati
Haitian Creole
Hausa
Hawaiian
Hebrew
Hindi
Hmong
Hungarian
Icelandic
Igbo
Indonesian
Irish
Italian
Japanese
Javanese
Kannada
Kazakh
Khmer
Korean
Kurdish (Kurmanji)
Kyrgyz
Lao
Latin
Latvian
Lithuanian
Luxembourgish
Macedonian
Malagasy
Malay
Malayalam
Maltese
Maori
Marathi
Mongolian
Myanmar (Burmese)
Nepali
Norwegian
Pashto
Persian
Polish
Punjabi
Romanian
Russian
Samoan
Scots Gaelic
Serbian
Sesotho
Shona
Sindhi
Sinhala
Slovak
Slovenian
Somali
Spanish
Sundanese
Swahili
Swedish
Tajik
Tamil
Telugu
Thai
Turkish
Ukrainian
Urdu
Uzbek
Vietnamese
Welsh
Xhosa
Yiddish
Yoruba
Zulu
Odia (Oriya)
Kinyarwanda
Turkmen
Tatar
Uyghur
Would you like to inspect the original subtitles? These are the user uploaded subtitles that are being translated:
1
00:00:01,000 --> 00:00:02,250
On a scale of one to ten,
2
00:00:02,333 --> 00:00:05,500
if those anomalies are voids
or passageways,
3
00:00:05,583 --> 00:00:07,375
it's an absolute ten.
4
00:00:07,458 --> 00:00:09,000
[narrator]
A revolution in technology
5
00:00:09,083 --> 00:00:11,709
is opening up a golden age
of archaeological discovery.
6
00:00:13,834 --> 00:00:17,000
[Jaskolski] This is it. This hole here
drops off a good 60 feet deep.
7
00:00:17,083 --> 00:00:19,041
Totally fatal to fall down.
8
00:00:19,125 --> 00:00:20,834
[Guillermo "Memo" De Anda] Let's do it.
9
00:00:20,917 --> 00:00:23,250
[narrator]
And National
Geographic has exclusive access
10
00:00:23,333 --> 00:00:25,750
to document this ground-breaking journey.
11
00:00:25,834 --> 00:00:27,667
[Jaskolski] Any time you do
a dive with a bunch of new technology
12
00:00:27,750 --> 00:00:30,875
and you come back with all the technology,
that's a win, right?
13
00:00:30,959 --> 00:00:32,834
[narrator]
This team of explorers,
14
00:00:32,917 --> 00:00:35,834
led by one of the world's
foremost experts on the Maya,
15
00:00:35,959 --> 00:00:39,291
are embarking on
an unprecedented expedition.
16
00:00:39,375 --> 00:00:40,667
[Chris Millbern]
I'm definitely seeing stuff.
17
00:00:40,750 --> 00:00:42,125
I'm pretty wildly excited right now.
18
00:00:42,208 --> 00:00:44,792
[narrator]
On a quest
to stare deep underneath
19
00:00:44,875 --> 00:00:47,333
the hallowed grounds of Chichen Itza
20
00:00:47,458 --> 00:00:49,583
using lasers, drones,
21
00:00:49,667 --> 00:00:52,291
and digital 3D modeling.
22
00:00:52,375 --> 00:00:56,208
[Jaskolski] That's a big anomaly
that I didn't expect to be there.
23
00:00:56,291 --> 00:00:58,500
[narrator]
All in an effort to unearth
24
00:00:58,583 --> 00:01:00,542
one of the world's most epic mysteries
25
00:01:00,625 --> 00:01:02,792
beneath one of the greatest civilizations.
26
00:01:04,542 --> 00:01:06,834
The Buried Truth of the Maya.
27
00:01:09,667 --> 00:01:11,625
Sixty-five million years ago...
28
00:01:13,375 --> 00:01:15,959
an asteroid careened toward Earth
29
00:01:16,041 --> 00:01:18,542
and smashed...
30
00:01:18,625 --> 00:01:20,834
into Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula.
31
00:01:20,917 --> 00:01:22,709
Its apocalyptic impact...
32
00:01:24,458 --> 00:01:27,375
wiped out the dinosaurs
33
00:01:27,458 --> 00:01:31,959
and killed 75 percent
of all life on Earth.
34
00:01:32,041 --> 00:01:35,417
Over time, thousands of sinkholes
and underground caverns formed
35
00:01:35,500 --> 00:01:37,000
through the cracks in the limestone.
36
00:01:41,917 --> 00:01:44,834
Filled with water,
these cenotes set the stage
37
00:01:44,917 --> 00:01:46,875
for life to take hold once more.
38
00:01:54,875 --> 00:01:56,959
Many millions of years later,
39
00:01:57,083 --> 00:02:01,542
a highly advanced civilization formed
around these water sources.
40
00:02:01,625 --> 00:02:04,291
This life-sustaining resource
fueled the rise
41
00:02:04,375 --> 00:02:05,667
of the Maya,
42
00:02:05,750 --> 00:02:08,625
the largest civilization in the
Western Hemisphere at the time.
43
00:02:13,500 --> 00:02:17,709
One of the most central and sacred sites
in the entire Maya kingdom was called:
44
00:02:19,834 --> 00:02:21,000
Chichen Itza.
45
00:02:23,166 --> 00:02:25,709
Maya is a fascinating civilization.
46
00:02:27,375 --> 00:02:30,375
They're in the middle of the jungle,
they were so wise,
47
00:02:30,458 --> 00:02:33,291
they did astronomical science,
48
00:02:33,375 --> 00:02:39,041
and they do sacrifices
or they do offerings into caves.
49
00:02:39,125 --> 00:02:41,375
[narrator]
Perhaps the ancient Maya
understood this region's
50
00:02:41,458 --> 00:02:43,166
cataclysmic past.
51
00:02:45,709 --> 00:02:48,250
Because they also thought
that to bring about water...
52
00:02:49,667 --> 00:02:52,583
and life itself,
53
00:02:52,667 --> 00:02:56,500
Chaac, the Maya god of rain,
required offerings
54
00:02:56,583 --> 00:02:59,333
such as jewels, bloodletting,
and sometimes...
55
00:03:00,709 --> 00:03:02,250
human sacrifice.
56
00:03:02,333 --> 00:03:04,291
[Memo] Scholars have said that this is
57
00:03:04,375 --> 00:03:06,583
the place to deposit
the hearts of victims.
58
00:03:09,458 --> 00:03:13,291
[narrator]
Today, we're in a rare moment
of archaeological discovery
59
00:03:13,417 --> 00:03:17,125
in the world of the ancient Maya.
60
00:03:17,208 --> 00:03:20,834
Recent scientific surveys suggest that
the Maya could have built
61
00:03:20,917 --> 00:03:23,375
secret underground tunnels and chambers
62
00:03:23,458 --> 00:03:24,750
beneath Chichen Itza.
63
00:03:27,750 --> 00:03:29,959
According to Maya folklore,
64
00:03:30,083 --> 00:03:34,125
the most sacred cave, possibly
full of generations worth of jewels,
65
00:03:34,250 --> 00:03:37,500
gold, bones, and other lost treasures
66
00:03:37,583 --> 00:03:39,333
sacrificed to the gods,
67
00:03:39,458 --> 00:03:42,166
could lie beneath
one of their holiest temples,
68
00:03:42,250 --> 00:03:43,417
El Castillo.
69
00:03:45,500 --> 00:03:46,709
But to this day,
70
00:03:46,792 --> 00:03:51,166
this underground cave remains
one of the greatest unsolved mysteries
71
00:03:51,250 --> 00:03:53,625
at the heart of Chichen Itza.
72
00:03:53,709 --> 00:03:58,417
Finding an entrance into this
potential crypt under El Castillo...
73
00:03:58,500 --> 00:04:02,750
would be one of the biggest
discoveries of the 21st century
74
00:04:02,834 --> 00:04:07,834
and could yield untold discoveries
and archaeological treasures.
75
00:04:07,917 --> 00:04:10,917
-This is a massive cavern.
-Yeah, no that's huge.
76
00:04:11,000 --> 00:04:13,083
-[Jaskolski] Memo!
-[Memo] Hey, what's up!
77
00:04:13,166 --> 00:04:15,041
[Jaskolski] Hey, man! How's it going?
78
00:04:15,125 --> 00:04:16,792
-[Millbern] Good, buddy.
-[Jaskolski] Good to see you.
79
00:04:16,875 --> 00:04:18,458
[overlapping chatter]
80
00:04:18,542 --> 00:04:20,917
[narrator]
Uncovering it is
bringing two teams of archaeologists
81
00:04:21,000 --> 00:04:22,959
and technologists together.
82
00:04:23,041 --> 00:04:24,542
[Millbern] Hey, we got something
to show you.
83
00:04:24,625 --> 00:04:25,875
-[Jaskolski] Yeah, yeah.
-Check this out.
84
00:04:25,959 --> 00:04:27,083
[Memo] All right.
85
00:04:27,417 --> 00:04:30,583
[narrator]
Guillermo de Anda,
aka "Memo"...
86
00:04:30,667 --> 00:04:34,083
is an INAH archaeologist,
a National Geographic Explorer,
87
00:04:34,166 --> 00:04:37,750
and one of the world's foremost
experts on Maya archaeology
88
00:04:37,875 --> 00:04:39,375
and their underground secrets.
89
00:04:39,458 --> 00:04:42,417
I have been told for years in this area
90
00:04:42,500 --> 00:04:45,709
that there is a huge cavern
beneath El Castillo.
91
00:04:45,792 --> 00:04:50,709
We know that caves have
this big preservation factor.
92
00:04:50,792 --> 00:04:52,542
It's going to be big news for the world,
93
00:04:52,625 --> 00:04:54,625
it's going to be big news for Mayanists
94
00:04:54,709 --> 00:04:57,458
if we find a way to get into the cave
95
00:04:57,542 --> 00:04:59,667
beneath El Castillo.
96
00:04:59,792 --> 00:05:02,125
[Jaskolski] This is from
the droning, the LiDAR,
97
00:05:02,208 --> 00:05:04,625
and the camera work around El Castillo.
98
00:05:04,709 --> 00:05:06,834
[Memo] This is an amazing model,
huh? The detail...
99
00:05:06,917 --> 00:05:08,667
[Jaskolski] Yeah, it's
really coming together, hey?
100
00:05:08,750 --> 00:05:11,834
[narrator]
Joining Memo is the
pioneering technology company
101
00:05:11,917 --> 00:05:13,709
Virtual Wonders.
102
00:05:13,792 --> 00:05:18,041
Together, they're creating a high-tech
3D model of Chichen Itza
103
00:05:18,125 --> 00:05:20,417
in the hopes of pinpointing an entrance
104
00:05:20,500 --> 00:05:22,834
into the hidden well
beneath the central pyramid.
105
00:05:22,917 --> 00:05:25,208
[Jaskolski]
My name is Corey Jaskolski.
106
00:05:25,291 --> 00:05:27,709
At Virtual Wonders,
I'm the Chief Technology Officer,
107
00:05:27,792 --> 00:05:30,709
so responsible for getting all
these crazy technologies to work
108
00:05:30,792 --> 00:05:32,500
and come together
and play well in the field.
109
00:05:32,583 --> 00:05:35,709
Virtual Wonders goes around the world
to cultural and natural places
110
00:05:35,792 --> 00:05:37,208
and tries to 3D scan them
111
00:05:37,333 --> 00:05:39,375
so that we can preserve
and share these places
112
00:05:39,458 --> 00:05:41,375
with the entire world.
113
00:05:41,500 --> 00:05:44,291
Working in these ancient sites
that are thousands of years old
114
00:05:44,375 --> 00:05:46,083
with a ground-penetrating radar
115
00:05:46,166 --> 00:05:49,125
or laser scanner that scans
a million points per second,
116
00:05:49,208 --> 00:05:51,166
you can only imagine
what the people of those times
117
00:05:51,250 --> 00:05:52,542
would have thought of these technologies.
118
00:05:52,625 --> 00:05:54,625
They would have thought we
brought down gifts from the gods
119
00:05:54,709 --> 00:05:56,625
to help understand the world better
120
00:05:56,709 --> 00:05:58,875
and, in a way, that's true.
121
00:05:58,959 --> 00:06:00,875
Things that I get probably
most excited about,
122
00:06:00,959 --> 00:06:03,041
even far more than this data,
123
00:06:03,125 --> 00:06:05,208
is El Castillo not being aligned
124
00:06:05,291 --> 00:06:07,166
between Cenote Sagrado and Xtoloc.
125
00:06:07,250 --> 00:06:09,917
[Memo] And we know the Maya
didn't leave anything to chance.
126
00:06:10,000 --> 00:06:13,500
What we believe is they are
trying to put El Castillo on--
127
00:06:13,583 --> 00:06:16,375
[Jaskolski] On top of something important.
128
00:06:16,458 --> 00:06:19,875
[narrator]
The city planners erected
the pyramids at the proximate intersection
129
00:06:19,959 --> 00:06:25,458
between four giant underground
water wells called "cenotes"...
130
00:06:25,542 --> 00:06:29,250
to the north, south, east, and west.
131
00:06:29,333 --> 00:06:35,208
Curiously, the Maya built this pyramid
52 and a half feet off center
132
00:06:35,291 --> 00:06:37,542
leaving it mysteriously unaligned,
133
00:06:37,625 --> 00:06:41,291
which is unimaginable given the
Maya's legendary mathematical
134
00:06:41,375 --> 00:06:43,417
and architectural precision.
135
00:06:43,500 --> 00:06:47,375
Some scientists believe that the Maya
built this pyramid off-center
136
00:06:47,458 --> 00:06:50,959
to tower above a pre-existing sacred cave,
137
00:06:51,041 --> 00:06:54,083
forming a link to the spirits
of the underworld.
138
00:06:54,166 --> 00:06:56,917
Could this cave be filled
with undiscovered treasures
139
00:06:57,000 --> 00:07:00,166
and sacrificial offerings
left for the gods?
140
00:07:00,250 --> 00:07:02,125
[Jaskolski] I would have put
this, uh, El Castillo
141
00:07:02,208 --> 00:07:04,667
right between Xtoloc and Sagrado,
142
00:07:04,750 --> 00:07:07,333
not, you know, not offset between the two.
143
00:07:07,417 --> 00:07:09,875
The fact that El Castillo
is not well aligned
144
00:07:09,959 --> 00:07:11,667
with Cenote Sagrado and Xtoloc,
145
00:07:11,750 --> 00:07:14,834
which as an engineer I look at
that and I say to myself,
146
00:07:14,917 --> 00:07:16,834
you know, if you asked me
to build our biggest,
147
00:07:16,917 --> 00:07:19,125
most important building for our culture,
148
00:07:19,208 --> 00:07:21,542
I would have aligned it well
between the cenotes.
149
00:07:21,625 --> 00:07:23,083
It's off by about 16 meters,
150
00:07:23,166 --> 00:07:25,542
which is a pretty big margin
of error for the Maya.
151
00:07:25,625 --> 00:07:27,667
[Memo] We have to
look very, very hard on this
152
00:07:27,792 --> 00:07:30,291
and work very hard on this because, Corey,
153
00:07:31,375 --> 00:07:32,542
I want us there.
154
00:07:39,917 --> 00:07:42,583
[narrator]
The Ancient Maya's
prowess in engineering,
155
00:07:42,667 --> 00:07:44,750
mathematics, and astronomy
156
00:07:44,834 --> 00:07:46,166
is legendary.
157
00:07:46,250 --> 00:07:48,750
They invented the mathematical
concept of zero,
158
00:07:48,834 --> 00:07:52,875
and they designed their buildings
with the heavens in mind.
159
00:07:52,959 --> 00:07:55,750
This can be seen twice a year
during the equinox,
160
00:07:57,667 --> 00:08:01,500
when on the northern staircase
of El Castillo,
161
00:08:01,583 --> 00:08:04,500
the movement of shadows gives
the impression of a serpent
162
00:08:04,583 --> 00:08:06,792
slithering down into the underworld.
163
00:08:11,959 --> 00:08:13,333
[Jaskolski] Not everyone
would climb this, right?
164
00:08:13,417 --> 00:08:16,291
It was only the priests
and the rulers, right?
165
00:08:16,375 --> 00:08:17,417
[Memo] Only them.
166
00:08:19,583 --> 00:08:21,458
[narrator]
Towering to impressive heights,
167
00:08:21,542 --> 00:08:25,917
each of the pyramid's sides
has 91 perilous steps.
168
00:08:26,000 --> 00:08:27,792
Including all four sides,
169
00:08:27,875 --> 00:08:31,291
the number of steps totals 364.
170
00:08:31,417 --> 00:08:34,000
The final step
into the sacred temple on top
171
00:08:34,083 --> 00:08:36,083
totals 365,
172
00:08:36,166 --> 00:08:38,417
the same number of days in the year.
173
00:08:38,500 --> 00:08:40,417
[Memo] Wow!
174
00:08:40,500 --> 00:08:42,917
[Jaskolski] This is something.
175
00:08:43,000 --> 00:08:44,041
You really get a sense of its power,
176
00:08:44,125 --> 00:08:46,125
which is why it existed,
177
00:08:46,208 --> 00:08:50,333
to get closer to the gods and
show the power of the civilization.
178
00:08:50,417 --> 00:08:52,792
[Memo] We're closer to heaven.
179
00:08:52,875 --> 00:08:56,208
We're on top of the big sacred
mountain of the Maya.
180
00:08:56,291 --> 00:08:57,750
Holtun right in front of us,
181
00:08:57,834 --> 00:09:00,000
Sacred Cenote to the north,
182
00:09:00,083 --> 00:09:01,875
Xtoloc to the south,
183
00:09:01,959 --> 00:09:04,208
Xkanjuyum to the east.
184
00:09:04,291 --> 00:09:06,083
[Jaskolski] To go up there
with Memo and, uh,
185
00:09:06,166 --> 00:09:07,709
you know, survey the land
and look at what we're doing
186
00:09:07,792 --> 00:09:09,125
is incredibly important.
187
00:09:09,208 --> 00:09:12,875
So, I think there's definitely
something under El Castillo.
188
00:09:12,959 --> 00:09:15,875
We don't know what, and I think a lot
more studies need to be done
189
00:09:15,959 --> 00:09:16,875
in order to tell us for sure.
190
00:09:20,750 --> 00:09:22,542
[narrator]
To dig deeper into
this mystery,
191
00:09:22,625 --> 00:09:27,000
Memo and the Virtual Wonders team are
looking to a recent study for clues
192
00:09:27,083 --> 00:09:29,667
to find any entrance
into the potential cave
193
00:09:29,792 --> 00:09:31,083
under El Castillo.
194
00:09:32,834 --> 00:09:34,333
With their new technology,
195
00:09:34,417 --> 00:09:37,500
can they crack the code
and find an entry point?
196
00:09:37,583 --> 00:09:38,583
[Jaskolski] Memo,
you'll remember this data,
197
00:09:38,667 --> 00:09:40,250
this is, uh, from René Chávez.
198
00:09:40,333 --> 00:09:42,583
[Memo] I remember this well.
This is what started it all.
199
00:09:42,667 --> 00:09:45,333
[Jaskolski] They put probes all over
the ground around El Castillo,
200
00:09:45,458 --> 00:09:46,917
and they measured the,
201
00:09:47,000 --> 00:09:49,083
basically how well electricity flowed
through the ground.
202
00:09:49,166 --> 00:09:52,208
[narrator]
Modern electrical systems
generally employ metal wire
203
00:09:52,291 --> 00:09:53,583
to conduct electricity,
204
00:09:53,667 --> 00:09:55,375
but depending on the circumstances,
205
00:09:55,458 --> 00:09:58,083
electricity can also conduct through soil.
206
00:09:58,166 --> 00:10:02,250
[Jaskolski] What he found
was these, these anomalies.
207
00:10:02,333 --> 00:10:05,458
What he shows is an area
of higher conductivity
208
00:10:05,542 --> 00:10:08,625
they think may be a cenote
under the El Castillo.
209
00:10:08,709 --> 00:10:10,458
This is sorta what started it all.
This was the...
210
00:10:10,542 --> 00:10:12,709
There were a lot of sci-- There were
a lot of media that were saying,
211
00:10:12,792 --> 00:10:14,333
"They found a cenote
for sure under El Castillo."
212
00:10:14,417 --> 00:10:16,709
[Memo] Yes, I know, I know.
This was a big thing.
213
00:10:16,792 --> 00:10:19,500
[narrator]
Various materials
conduct electricity differently,
214
00:10:19,583 --> 00:10:22,792
so what could be causing
these areas of higher conductivity?
215
00:10:22,875 --> 00:10:25,792
And could this be connected
to an actual sub-surface world
216
00:10:25,875 --> 00:10:27,709
beneath El Castillo?
217
00:10:27,792 --> 00:10:29,959
[Memo] It's not confirmed data,
but it makes sense
218
00:10:30,041 --> 00:10:33,291
under the perspective
of the oral tradition,
219
00:10:33,417 --> 00:10:35,917
the legends, the myths around here
that have always said
220
00:10:36,000 --> 00:10:37,875
"There's something under Castillo."
221
00:10:37,959 --> 00:10:39,750
[Jaskolski] Right.
222
00:10:39,834 --> 00:10:42,417
If we can find the cenote,
if there is a cenote or cave down there,
223
00:10:42,500 --> 00:10:44,125
which I personally believe it is,
224
00:10:44,208 --> 00:10:47,917
uh, we are going to find
an amazing offering.
225
00:10:48,041 --> 00:10:50,583
[narrator]
Because of Chichen
Itza's historic standing,
226
00:10:50,667 --> 00:10:53,417
the team can't physically
excavate the grounds.
227
00:10:53,500 --> 00:10:55,917
However, by analyzing these data,
228
00:10:56,000 --> 00:11:00,125
the teams develop a strategy to search
for a long-lost entrance.
229
00:11:00,208 --> 00:11:02,166
[Memo] The best chance is to go
230
00:11:02,250 --> 00:11:04,750
-right to the center of El Castillo...
-[Jaskolski] I agree.
231
00:11:04,834 --> 00:11:06,458
...and see if we can get better results
232
00:11:06,542 --> 00:11:10,792
and find a way to understand
this, uh, thing better.
233
00:11:10,875 --> 00:11:12,959
It needs a lot more exploration
to figure out what it really is.
234
00:11:19,542 --> 00:11:22,834
[Akasha Sutherland]
Today's the GPR,
Ground Penetrating Radar.
235
00:11:22,917 --> 00:11:26,625
You're moving this lawn mower
back and forth
236
00:11:26,709 --> 00:11:29,750
and so while we're moving, then at the end
we get this nice clear picture
237
00:11:29,834 --> 00:11:33,250
of any voids or if there are
any reflective spaces
238
00:11:33,333 --> 00:11:36,333
that we don't know
exactly what's below there.
239
00:11:36,417 --> 00:11:39,166
[Jaskolski] So, we're actually,
we're looking about 25 feet deep
240
00:11:39,250 --> 00:11:40,291
through the ground here right now.
241
00:11:40,375 --> 00:11:41,291
[Sutherland] Yeah.
242
00:11:41,375 --> 00:11:43,625
[narrator]
With the hopes
of tracking down an entrance,
243
00:11:43,709 --> 00:11:47,083
this device gives them
basically x-ray vision below the earth
244
00:11:47,166 --> 00:11:49,250
without physically altering it.
245
00:11:49,333 --> 00:11:50,917
-[Sutherland] Slow?
-[Jaskolski] Yeah, a little slower, yep.
246
00:11:51,000 --> 00:11:52,208
There you go, there's the pace, yeah.
247
00:11:52,291 --> 00:11:56,083
[Jaskolski] Akasha is our chief
communications and outreach officer.
248
00:11:56,166 --> 00:11:58,333
She's the reason that a lot
of our field stuff runs smooth.
249
00:11:58,417 --> 00:12:00,375
[Sutherland]
I know how to use
the LiDAR systems,
250
00:12:00,458 --> 00:12:03,166
I am a strobe goddess.
251
00:12:03,250 --> 00:12:05,583
So this takes thousands of images
252
00:12:05,667 --> 00:12:09,166
to create a perfect 3D model
of the structure.
253
00:12:09,250 --> 00:12:12,208
It's all about hitting the ground just
feeling comfortable with yourself
254
00:12:12,291 --> 00:12:16,250
and once you have that established,
then everything else is kind of cake.
255
00:12:16,333 --> 00:12:18,250
[Jaskolski]
I mean,
her spirit is just unstoppable.
256
00:12:18,333 --> 00:12:20,458
She is always happy, always smiling.
257
00:12:20,542 --> 00:12:22,333
It doesn't matter what's
happening. It doesn't matter
258
00:12:22,417 --> 00:12:25,125
if, you know, we're injured
and going to the ER.
259
00:12:25,208 --> 00:12:26,458
She's got a big smile on her face
260
00:12:26,542 --> 00:12:30,125
and is trying to lift
everybody up around her.
261
00:12:30,250 --> 00:12:31,917
-[Sutherland] How's it looking?
-[Jaskolski] Looking good
262
00:12:32,000 --> 00:12:33,208
[Sutherland] Yeah?
263
00:12:33,333 --> 00:12:34,542
[Jaskolski] There's actually
a little anomaly
264
00:12:34,625 --> 00:12:35,875
at the beginning of those stairs.
265
00:12:35,959 --> 00:12:37,834
[Sutherland] All right,
I'm marking it right now.
266
00:12:37,917 --> 00:12:39,333
-[device beeps]
-[Jaskolski] Cool. Got the mark.
267
00:12:39,417 --> 00:12:40,291
[Sutherland] Got it?
268
00:12:40,375 --> 00:12:42,625
[narrator]
The GPR
immediately finds something.
269
00:12:42,750 --> 00:12:46,125
Hints of a mysterious
subterranean world rise up.
270
00:12:46,208 --> 00:12:48,333
[Sutherland] We don't know
exactly what's below there,
271
00:12:48,417 --> 00:12:51,083
but we get this nice clear
picture of voids
272
00:12:51,166 --> 00:12:52,333
or reflective spaces.
273
00:12:52,417 --> 00:12:53,625
[Jaskolski] All right!
274
00:12:53,709 --> 00:12:56,834
And now we can go inside and catch
the, uh, catch the inside bit.
275
00:12:56,917 --> 00:12:58,083
[Sutherland] Let's go in!
276
00:12:58,166 --> 00:12:59,667
[Jaskolski] Cool!
277
00:13:01,000 --> 00:13:02,917
Try to bang that
right up against the wall.
278
00:13:03,000 --> 00:13:04,875
Just nice and slow. Nice and slow!
279
00:13:04,959 --> 00:13:06,625
-[device beeps]
-Cool.
280
00:13:06,750 --> 00:13:09,125
-Whoa, I'm seeing stuff. Keep going.
-[Sutherland gasps]
281
00:13:09,208 --> 00:13:10,875
[narrator]
This mysterious void,
282
00:13:10,959 --> 00:13:13,625
found only a few feet away
from El Castillo,
283
00:13:13,709 --> 00:13:16,458
might connect to the hidden chamber below.
284
00:13:16,542 --> 00:13:19,333
And if it does,
could this void lead the team
285
00:13:19,417 --> 00:13:21,125
to an undiscovered entrance
286
00:13:21,208 --> 00:13:24,041
and possibly generations worth
of ancient treasures
287
00:13:24,125 --> 00:13:26,583
sacrificed to the Maya gods?
288
00:13:34,458 --> 00:13:36,000
[narrator]
Chichen Itza...
289
00:13:38,583 --> 00:13:43,417
was a dominant capital of the Maya world.
290
00:13:43,500 --> 00:13:46,083
Recent scientific evidence
suggests the existence
291
00:13:46,166 --> 00:13:49,875
of a mysterious chamber
beneath the massive ruin of El Castillo.
292
00:13:49,959 --> 00:13:50,917
[Jaskolski] I'm seeing stuff. Keep going.
293
00:13:51,000 --> 00:13:52,041
[Sutherland gasps]
294
00:13:52,125 --> 00:13:53,375
[narrator]
And using high-tech tools,
295
00:13:53,458 --> 00:13:56,875
the Virtual Wonders team,
alongside Maya experts,
296
00:13:56,959 --> 00:13:59,083
are trying to find an entrance into it.
297
00:14:04,834 --> 00:14:06,542
[Jaskolski]
The biggest anomaly was definitely
298
00:14:06,625 --> 00:14:07,875
-on the entry over there.
-[Sutherland] Okay.
299
00:14:07,959 --> 00:14:10,125
[Jaskolski] We are indeed the first, uh,
300
00:14:10,208 --> 00:14:12,000
to do the GPR directly under El Castillo.
301
00:14:12,083 --> 00:14:13,625
That's a huge deal.
302
00:14:13,709 --> 00:14:16,333
Nice and slow and steady if you can.
303
00:14:20,750 --> 00:14:25,083
Yeah, we're seeing real good
about 15 feet deep or so.
304
00:14:25,166 --> 00:14:27,625
Past that, it gets a little noisy,
but there's a lot we can do
305
00:14:27,709 --> 00:14:29,125
to clean this up in the software too.
306
00:14:29,208 --> 00:14:30,750
[Sutherland] Awesome.
307
00:14:30,834 --> 00:14:32,458
[Jaskolski] Yeah, it seems like
maybe three feet down or so
308
00:14:32,542 --> 00:14:35,500
there's probably a layer of rock
that might either be natural
309
00:14:35,583 --> 00:14:38,250
or might be like the base
that they built on.
310
00:14:38,333 --> 00:14:40,542
-[Sutherland] Like, the substructure?
-[Jaskolski] Right.
311
00:14:40,625 --> 00:14:45,125
To be able to actually image what's
beneath that, that floor is amazing,
312
00:14:45,208 --> 00:14:46,875
Um, you know, on a scale of one to ten
313
00:14:46,959 --> 00:14:50,083
if those anomalies are voids
or passageways,
314
00:14:50,166 --> 00:14:51,041
it's an absolute ten.
315
00:14:55,333 --> 00:14:57,458
So we'll have to analyze the data
and see what it looks like.
316
00:14:57,542 --> 00:14:58,500
[Sutherland] Check it out.
317
00:15:01,875 --> 00:15:03,709
[narrator]
While Corey processes
the data...
318
00:15:06,166 --> 00:15:08,583
Memo brings another member
of Virtual Wonders
319
00:15:08,709 --> 00:15:11,208
into the restricted areas
of El Castillo...
320
00:15:11,291 --> 00:15:13,208
[Kenny Broad] When was the last
time you were in here?
321
00:15:13,291 --> 00:15:15,583
[Memo] Well, it was
about a month ago, I believe.
322
00:15:15,667 --> 00:15:18,375
[narrator] ...looking
for any clues
about the chamber below.
323
00:15:20,834 --> 00:15:22,834
[Memo] It's magical just to be here
324
00:15:22,917 --> 00:15:26,458
and thinking about
how many thousands of stone
325
00:15:26,542 --> 00:15:29,166
are on top of our heads, man.
326
00:15:29,250 --> 00:15:31,291
So let's not think a lot about that.
327
00:15:31,375 --> 00:15:32,333
[Kenny chuckles]
328
00:15:32,417 --> 00:15:35,208
[Broad] My name is Kenny Broad.
I'm the mission specialist.
329
00:15:35,291 --> 00:15:37,875
[narrator]
Kenny Broad is
a National Geographic Explorer
330
00:15:37,959 --> 00:15:41,000
and chief exploration officer
of the Virtual Wonders team.
331
00:15:41,083 --> 00:15:44,291
[Jaskolski] I would describe Kenny Broad
as a, a mad scientist.
332
00:15:44,375 --> 00:15:45,625
[narrator]
As an expert caver,
333
00:15:45,709 --> 00:15:48,000
he and Memo may be able
to add crucial insight
334
00:15:48,083 --> 00:15:50,750
on how to access
the chamber below the pyramid.
335
00:15:50,834 --> 00:15:53,083
[Memo] There's very few people that have
the privilege to go in here.
336
00:15:53,166 --> 00:15:55,959
-[Broad] I don't wanna wait.
-[Memo] All right, let's go!
337
00:15:56,041 --> 00:15:57,792
[Broad]
Being involved in a new discovery,
338
00:15:57,875 --> 00:16:01,291
it gives you this feeling that
you're doing something larger
339
00:16:01,375 --> 00:16:03,417
than just yourself.
340
00:16:03,500 --> 00:16:06,667
[narrator]
While there are no portals
to the underworld on the ground floor,
341
00:16:06,750 --> 00:16:08,750
they hike up to a sacred chamber
342
00:16:08,834 --> 00:16:11,166
which holds some intriguing clues.
343
00:16:11,291 --> 00:16:12,542
[Memo] And this is the...
344
00:16:12,625 --> 00:16:14,583
[breathing heavily]
345
00:16:14,667 --> 00:16:15,625
...amazing room.
346
00:16:18,834 --> 00:16:20,500
-[Broad] Oh!
-[Memo] So, here we are.
347
00:16:20,625 --> 00:16:21,583
[Broad] Wow!
348
00:16:21,709 --> 00:16:23,125
Oh my gosh, that's incredible
349
00:16:23,208 --> 00:16:28,750
[Memo] Yeah, this is where
the king used to sit.
350
00:16:28,834 --> 00:16:31,959
[narrator]
This is the jaguar throne.
351
00:16:32,000 --> 00:16:33,917
[Broad] So the king used to sit here?
352
00:16:34,000 --> 00:16:35,750
I mean, it really sticks out,
353
00:16:35,834 --> 00:16:37,208
because it still has
354
00:16:37,333 --> 00:16:39,959
-I assume the original paint?
-[Memo] Yes.
355
00:16:40,041 --> 00:16:41,667
[narrator]
From this royal throne,
356
00:16:41,750 --> 00:16:44,542
kings watched countless humans sacrificed
357
00:16:44,667 --> 00:16:46,375
to the rain god Chaac
358
00:16:46,458 --> 00:16:48,125
at this nearby altar.
359
00:16:51,750 --> 00:16:56,333
Could their remains lie
in the veiled crypt below?
360
00:16:56,417 --> 00:16:59,709
[Broad] Those are the original
insets of, is that jade?
361
00:16:59,792 --> 00:17:01,875
[Memo] This is jade.
362
00:17:01,959 --> 00:17:04,917
[narrator]
To the Maya,
jade was a royal resource,
363
00:17:05,000 --> 00:17:07,458
used to communicate with the gods.
364
00:17:07,583 --> 00:17:09,041
[Broad] But there's no local jade so
--
365
00:17:09,125 --> 00:17:12,625
[Memo] Exactly, yeah. They,
they bring it all the way from Guatemala.
366
00:17:12,750 --> 00:17:15,375
It was one very important item.
367
00:17:15,458 --> 00:17:18,417
Only royalty had access to it.
368
00:17:18,500 --> 00:17:21,458
This context is not only a royal context
369
00:17:21,542 --> 00:17:24,542
where, where the king used
to rest and sit,
370
00:17:24,625 --> 00:17:26,959
it's also a funerary one.
371
00:17:27,041 --> 00:17:31,083
There's a relationship
with death here, and life.
372
00:17:31,166 --> 00:17:33,333
[Broad, Memo] Resurrection.
373
00:17:33,417 --> 00:17:35,125
-[Broad] The cycle.
-[Memo] The jaguar is a cycle.
374
00:17:35,208 --> 00:17:38,000
[narrator]
The ornate Jaguar Throne
sits in front of something
375
00:17:38,083 --> 00:17:40,125
even more grim and ominous.
376
00:17:43,166 --> 00:17:45,417
[Memo] This is an amazing wall
for a number of reasons,
377
00:17:45,500 --> 00:17:49,834
and, uh, what we see here
is embedded, uh, bones.
378
00:17:49,917 --> 00:17:53,083
They are long, long human bones
379
00:17:53,166 --> 00:17:56,417
that are embedded on the wall.
380
00:17:56,500 --> 00:17:58,417
There's one there.
381
00:17:58,500 --> 00:18:00,250
Another one here.
382
00:18:00,333 --> 00:18:03,333
There.
383
00:18:03,417 --> 00:18:08,041
My assumption as an bio-archaeologist,
I believe these are leg bones.
384
00:18:08,125 --> 00:18:11,709
-[Broad] Looks like it would be a femur...
-[Memo] Exactly. Or tibias.
385
00:18:11,792 --> 00:18:15,166
If you ask me, I would say
yeah, that might represent
386
00:18:15,250 --> 00:18:16,583
bones of ancestors.
387
00:18:16,667 --> 00:18:17,792
[Broad] Right.
388
00:18:17,875 --> 00:18:19,625
[Memo] Or people very powerful.
389
00:18:19,709 --> 00:18:21,792
[Broad] What's your sense of what
could be behind this wall?
390
00:18:21,875 --> 00:18:25,375
Well, I do really believe that there is,
391
00:18:25,458 --> 00:18:29,250
uh, something
intentionally deposited there.
392
00:18:29,333 --> 00:18:32,166
Given the sacredness of the site,
393
00:18:32,250 --> 00:18:35,166
the importance of the place
within Chichen Itza,
394
00:18:35,250 --> 00:18:38,000
I believe it could be a burial back there.
395
00:18:38,083 --> 00:18:39,834
[Broad] I mean, it makes logical sense.
396
00:18:39,917 --> 00:18:41,583
It makes sense, yes.
397
00:18:41,667 --> 00:18:44,041
Yeah, if somebody is buried here,
398
00:18:44,125 --> 00:18:48,875
it was for sure a very important person,
a king.
399
00:18:48,959 --> 00:18:51,417
[narrator]
Could the chamber
behind this wall of bones
400
00:18:51,500 --> 00:18:54,333
have once provided a gateway
to the cave below?
401
00:18:56,458 --> 00:18:58,333
[Broad] I can feel the wind
coming through here.
402
00:18:58,417 --> 00:19:00,041
-It's like you've found a lead.
-[Memo] Oh yeah, yeah. You feel that?
403
00:19:00,166 --> 00:19:02,000
-You feel that?
-[Broad] Yeah.
404
00:19:02,083 --> 00:19:04,750
[Memo] That could be indicating
a system down there.
405
00:19:04,834 --> 00:19:06,834
[Broad] No, and right,
when we explore caves,
406
00:19:06,917 --> 00:19:08,667
we look for that kind of breeze.
407
00:19:08,750 --> 00:19:10,166
That's a, that's a sign.
408
00:19:10,250 --> 00:19:12,333
[Memo] When we feel that breeze,
it's, "Let's go."
409
00:19:12,417 --> 00:19:14,125
-[Broad] Yeah.
-[Memo] Yeah, so...
410
00:19:14,208 --> 00:19:16,208
[Broad] Some more evidence
that there's something beneath.
411
00:19:16,291 --> 00:19:18,625
[Memo] And I think this means that
412
00:19:18,709 --> 00:19:22,417
the cenote that we're looking for
might be down there.
413
00:19:22,500 --> 00:19:24,291
Or maybe an entrance.
414
00:19:24,375 --> 00:19:27,875
-[Memo] And you can see some, some voids.
-[Broad] Right. Right.
415
00:19:27,959 --> 00:19:31,834
[narrator]
Because they can't physically
alter anything inside El Castillo,
416
00:19:31,917 --> 00:19:33,792
Kenny and Memo carry on
417
00:19:33,875 --> 00:19:36,625
looking for other ways in, to no avail.
418
00:19:38,208 --> 00:19:41,041
But back at the Virtual Wonder's
headquarters,
419
00:19:41,125 --> 00:19:44,375
Corey and Akasha have processed
their GPR findings
420
00:19:44,458 --> 00:19:47,125
and discover something promising.
421
00:19:47,208 --> 00:19:50,625
So we did this north face first
and, uh, went along this way,
422
00:19:50,709 --> 00:19:54,125
right along the fence line, about, uh,
about a half a meter from the fence line
423
00:19:54,208 --> 00:19:56,083
and then this way and this way.
424
00:19:56,166 --> 00:19:57,750
But what we're seeing here,
425
00:19:57,834 --> 00:20:00,208
um, these areas of black,
white, black like this
426
00:20:00,291 --> 00:20:02,041
are very strong radar returns.
427
00:20:02,125 --> 00:20:03,917
I don't think they indicate a void to me,
428
00:20:04,000 --> 00:20:06,083
but I think they indicate rock.
429
00:20:06,166 --> 00:20:09,375
There's nothing that interesting
on the north side to me.
430
00:20:09,458 --> 00:20:11,333
We then started over here
431
00:20:11,417 --> 00:20:15,000
and dragged the south side of the GPR
right on the corner here.
432
00:20:15,083 --> 00:20:17,125
Again, there seems like
there's a rock base,
433
00:20:17,208 --> 00:20:19,709
but what's really interesting
to me is this return.
434
00:20:19,792 --> 00:20:23,750
So this is in the, uh, south east corner
of El Castillo,
435
00:20:23,834 --> 00:20:26,291
This is between three
and four meters deep over here.
436
00:20:26,375 --> 00:20:27,959
-Oh, wow, that's deep enough.
-[Jaskolski] And there is, uh,
437
00:20:28,041 --> 00:20:31,125
there is what looks like
a really strong return.
438
00:20:31,208 --> 00:20:34,417
[Memo] And it looks like
a very irregular cavity, right?
439
00:20:34,500 --> 00:20:37,792
It looks, uh, I mean,
from a single GPR radar-gram like that,
440
00:20:37,875 --> 00:20:39,583
yeah, I would say that looks
like a cavity, yeah.
441
00:20:39,667 --> 00:20:41,500
So like a natural cavity, I mean?
442
00:20:41,583 --> 00:20:44,208
[Jaskolski] It's hard to say. It's hard to
say if it's natural or man-made.
443
00:20:44,291 --> 00:20:46,333
All you can really say is
it's a really strong return
444
00:20:46,417 --> 00:20:47,750
that looks like a void.
445
00:20:47,834 --> 00:20:51,208
How far actually it's
from, from the corner?
446
00:20:51,291 --> 00:20:52,917
It's almost exactly on the corner.
447
00:20:54,458 --> 00:20:57,041
Okay, that's very, very interesting.
448
00:20:57,125 --> 00:20:58,208
-[Jaskolski] Yeah.
-Wow.
449
00:20:58,291 --> 00:21:00,875
[Jaskolski] What I now want to show you,
Cash and I took the GPR
450
00:21:00,959 --> 00:21:03,917
in this, uh, excavated archaeology part
451
00:21:04,000 --> 00:21:07,000
underneath here, this doorway
and we dragged it back,
452
00:21:07,083 --> 00:21:10,166
and then the hallway turns
and goes into El Castillo
453
00:21:10,250 --> 00:21:11,417
towards that rock fall.
454
00:21:11,542 --> 00:21:12,834
Towards the center of El Castillo?
455
00:21:12,917 --> 00:21:14,583
[Jaskolski] Right. This right here,
456
00:21:14,709 --> 00:21:17,667
um, is the brightest
radar reflection I've seen
457
00:21:17,792 --> 00:21:19,125
anywhere in Chichen Itza.
458
00:21:19,208 --> 00:21:21,625
-I've been dragging this radar around.
-[Memo] It looks amazing.
459
00:21:21,709 --> 00:21:23,959
[Jaskolski] This is to me
a pretty clear void,
460
00:21:24,083 --> 00:21:27,375
um, at, look at that,
three to four meters deep.
461
00:21:27,458 --> 00:21:28,959
Corey, I think this is amazing,
462
00:21:29,041 --> 00:21:31,667
but what I think what amazes me more is
463
00:21:31,750 --> 00:21:34,834
that both anomalies are the same depth.
464
00:21:34,917 --> 00:21:37,250
-Yup.
-So it might be a tunnel,
465
00:21:37,333 --> 00:21:40,542
and that's very promising.
466
00:21:40,625 --> 00:21:43,083
[narrator]
Could this potential
tunnel be the gateway
467
00:21:43,166 --> 00:21:45,125
to the proposed cenote below?
468
00:21:45,208 --> 00:21:47,917
If so, where is its entrance?
469
00:21:48,041 --> 00:21:50,792
[Jaskolski] The thing with GPR
that I always think about is,
470
00:21:50,875 --> 00:21:53,959
if you see something and you don't see
anything like that anywhere else,
471
00:21:54,041 --> 00:21:56,375
then you're like, okay, one weird anomaly,
472
00:21:56,458 --> 00:21:59,917
but the whole thing is with GPR
when you start building up a story,
473
00:22:00,000 --> 00:22:01,917
when you start saying, whoa,
we're seeing weird stuff
474
00:22:02,000 --> 00:22:03,333
at three and a half to four meters here...
475
00:22:03,417 --> 00:22:05,250
Might have comparison.
476
00:22:05,291 --> 00:22:07,875
[Jaskolski] You may be, you know, I think
it builds more meaning to me.
477
00:22:07,959 --> 00:22:10,750
That's a, that's a big anomaly
that I didn't expect to be there.
478
00:22:10,834 --> 00:22:12,458
None of the rest
of the area looks like that.
479
00:22:12,542 --> 00:22:14,542
The other side that goes up
the substructure
480
00:22:14,625 --> 00:22:16,250
doesn't have any returns
that look like this.
481
00:22:16,333 --> 00:22:18,583
This is a, this is a big neon sign
482
00:22:18,667 --> 00:22:20,458
-saying there's something interesting.
-[Memo] Yes!
483
00:22:20,542 --> 00:22:22,041
That might be it.
484
00:22:22,125 --> 00:22:24,625
[narrator]
This possible tunnel
may lead in the direction
485
00:22:24,709 --> 00:22:26,625
of another Chichen Itza landmark:
486
00:22:27,542 --> 00:22:29,875
El Osario.
487
00:22:29,959 --> 00:22:34,000
El Osario is also known
as the "Tomb of the High Priest."
488
00:22:34,083 --> 00:22:36,709
Another temple on the grounds
of Chichen Itza.
489
00:22:36,792 --> 00:22:39,667
Archaeologists have traditionally thought
that El Osario was built
490
00:22:39,750 --> 00:22:41,250
in 980 AD
491
00:22:41,333 --> 00:22:44,208
and modeled after
its bigger sister: El Castillo.
492
00:22:44,291 --> 00:22:46,709
But there's an even more
stunning parallel.
493
00:22:46,792 --> 00:22:50,375
El Osario kind of replicates
what we see in El Castillo.
494
00:22:50,458 --> 00:22:52,041
[Jaskolski] Yeah, it
looks very much similar, yeah.
495
00:22:52,125 --> 00:22:55,875
[Memo] It's a radial pyramid,
four, uh, axis stairways,
496
00:22:55,959 --> 00:22:58,083
snake, snake heads at the end,
497
00:22:58,166 --> 00:23:00,250
so the similarities are amazing
498
00:23:00,333 --> 00:23:04,166
why not thinking there is
a cavern also in El Castillo.
499
00:23:04,250 --> 00:23:06,542
Guess what, El Osario was built
500
00:23:06,625 --> 00:23:08,917
right on top of a natural cavern.
501
00:23:09,000 --> 00:23:14,542
We think that this cavern might
have tunnels or passageways
502
00:23:14,625 --> 00:23:16,041
to get into this other tunnel.
503
00:23:16,125 --> 00:23:17,834
That makes sense
504
00:23:17,917 --> 00:23:19,583
because they are very close,
505
00:23:19,667 --> 00:23:22,625
so it sounds like the logical
place to find a passageway
506
00:23:22,709 --> 00:23:24,208
to El Castillo.
507
00:23:29,125 --> 00:23:32,041
[narrator]
The question is:
do these underground passageways
508
00:23:32,125 --> 00:23:34,500
connect to the chamber
beneath El Castillo?
509
00:23:38,375 --> 00:23:42,875
They clearly built the Osario
to be over that important cave.
510
00:23:42,959 --> 00:23:45,500
[narrator]
Because of the danger,
climbing El Osario
511
00:23:45,583 --> 00:23:46,959
is restricted to the general public.
512
00:23:50,834 --> 00:23:53,250
[Jaskolski]
Just a set of Mayan
stairs, and they're super-steep.
513
00:23:53,333 --> 00:23:55,125
They're probably, like, a 45-degree angle,
514
00:23:55,208 --> 00:23:57,458
like the stairs outside of El Castillo.
515
00:23:59,750 --> 00:24:02,041
[Millbern] All right!
So, we'll connect this up?
516
00:24:02,125 --> 00:24:05,500
[indistinct chatter]
517
00:24:16,417 --> 00:24:17,917
-[Memo] We're looking for tunnels here.
-[Jaskolski] Yes.
518
00:24:18,000 --> 00:24:22,208
I want you guys to look
for possible areas or gaps
519
00:24:22,291 --> 00:24:24,500
and see if there's a passageway behind.
520
00:24:24,583 --> 00:24:25,542
[Jaskolski] Totally. Yep.
521
00:24:25,625 --> 00:24:26,917
[narrator]
To find any tunnels,
522
00:24:27,000 --> 00:24:29,083
the team must use their high-tech tools
523
00:24:29,166 --> 00:24:31,250
in a difficult to reach spot.
524
00:24:31,333 --> 00:24:32,959
[Memo] Very few people have been here,
525
00:24:33,041 --> 00:24:35,083
and, uh, nobody has been here
with this technology.
526
00:24:35,166 --> 00:24:37,375
-Has used technology, right?
-Yeah.
527
00:24:37,458 --> 00:24:39,083
I guess they had, uh,
528
00:24:39,166 --> 00:24:41,792
1800s technology last time they...
529
00:24:41,875 --> 00:24:43,542
It still counts, it still counts.
530
00:24:43,625 --> 00:24:44,917
My name is Chris Millbern,
531
00:24:45,000 --> 00:24:46,625
and I'm the director of field operations.
532
00:24:46,709 --> 00:24:50,625
Anything that has to do with tech
or gear is under my purview
533
00:24:50,709 --> 00:24:53,542
or at the very least is me
messing around and running around
534
00:24:53,667 --> 00:24:54,583
to make sure that it works.
535
00:24:54,667 --> 00:24:56,000
-Robot, cable, tablet.
-Yeah.
536
00:24:56,083 --> 00:24:58,041
-Only three giant things, it will be fine.
-[Jaskolski] Yeah.
537
00:24:58,125 --> 00:25:00,291
I'm definitely the one sweating the most
538
00:25:00,375 --> 00:25:01,625
if nobody's noticed.
539
00:25:01,709 --> 00:25:02,875
Let's go! Let's do it!
540
00:25:02,959 --> 00:25:05,250
-[Jaskolski] Right!
-[Memo] Okay.
541
00:25:05,333 --> 00:25:07,375
[narrator]
To get underneath El Osario,
542
00:25:07,458 --> 00:25:10,375
they must risk life and limb.
543
00:25:11,917 --> 00:25:14,375
[Memo speaking Spanish]
544
00:25:14,500 --> 00:25:16,083
[Jaskolski] Memo's about to come down.
Are you ready?
545
00:25:16,166 --> 00:25:18,917
That hole is about
a 60 foot drop straight down.
546
00:25:19,000 --> 00:25:21,083
Going down into this little tiny cave.
547
00:25:41,041 --> 00:25:42,125
[Jaskolski] Geez!
548
00:25:42,208 --> 00:25:43,583
[Millbern] Corey's on the way down!
549
00:25:52,417 --> 00:25:53,583
[Jaskolski] Right, coming down.
550
00:25:54,583 --> 00:25:56,291
Not a lotta room, eh?
551
00:25:56,375 --> 00:25:58,291
[Memo] Not a lot of room, man.
552
00:25:58,375 --> 00:26:00,041
-[Jaskolski] What's the drop?
-[Memo] Sixty feet.
553
00:26:00,125 --> 00:26:01,709
[Jaskolski] Sixty feet. But this is it.
554
00:26:01,792 --> 00:26:03,792
We're... we're crammed in here.
555
00:26:05,250 --> 00:26:06,625
[Memo] How dangerous this place is?
556
00:26:06,709 --> 00:26:08,875
-[Jaskolski] Yeah, man.
-Uh, any rock...
557
00:26:08,959 --> 00:26:10,500
-[Jaskolski] Yeah, you're dead.
-You're dead.
558
00:26:11,750 --> 00:26:13,125
Woo!
559
00:26:13,208 --> 00:26:14,500
[Jaskolski]
It's this tiny,
tiny little room.
560
00:26:14,583 --> 00:26:15,875
I mean, you feel like you're in the womb.
561
00:26:15,959 --> 00:26:18,208
You're just crushed
in there with Guillermo.
562
00:26:18,291 --> 00:26:20,667
This must have been
such an important place for the Maya
563
00:26:20,750 --> 00:26:22,834
to build this massive monument
on top of it.
564
00:26:25,083 --> 00:26:27,625
[narrator]
To find
any undiscovered passageways
565
00:26:27,709 --> 00:26:29,333
and where they might lead,
566
00:26:29,417 --> 00:26:33,291
the team breaks out
one of its most versatile devices.
567
00:26:33,375 --> 00:26:35,959
[Millbern] All right, Corey,
borescope on its way!
568
00:26:36,041 --> 00:26:38,041
[narrator]
The borescope
has a small camera
569
00:26:38,125 --> 00:26:40,583
that can snake around nooks and crannies.
570
00:26:40,667 --> 00:26:41,542
[Jaskolski] Okay.
571
00:26:41,625 --> 00:26:44,667
So I'm going to feed out
the borescope cable.
572
00:26:44,750 --> 00:26:46,417
-[Memo] Okay.
-[Jaskolski] And Guillermo,
573
00:26:46,500 --> 00:26:49,083
so we'll have to straighten this out
so the borescope can articulate
574
00:26:49,166 --> 00:26:50,458
so be careful.
575
00:26:50,542 --> 00:26:53,125
Uh... all right, Memo, start going.
576
00:26:54,083 --> 00:26:55,625
[Memo] Okay.
577
00:26:55,709 --> 00:26:56,709
[Jaskolski] Go a little bit more in.
578
00:26:56,792 --> 00:26:59,542
Yeah, we got something interesting.
Here, look at this. What is this?
579
00:26:59,625 --> 00:27:02,625
[Memo] I think this is the
original entrance to this cave.
580
00:27:02,709 --> 00:27:04,792
-[Jaskolski] Oh, right there. Right.
-Yes.
581
00:27:04,875 --> 00:27:07,709
-[Jaskolski] Yeah. Oh my God!
-And, uh...
582
00:27:07,792 --> 00:27:09,834
[narrator]
But there's something
even more intriguing
583
00:27:09,917 --> 00:27:11,625
about this underground entrance.
584
00:27:11,709 --> 00:27:14,166
The passageway has been
mysteriously blocked
585
00:27:14,250 --> 00:27:16,875
by something man-made.
586
00:27:16,959 --> 00:27:18,291
[Jaskolski] Do you think they're
cave-in,
or do you think
587
00:27:18,375 --> 00:27:20,041
they were, uh, blocked by the Maya?
588
00:27:20,125 --> 00:27:22,250
-[Memo] No, no, I think it was the Maya.
-Right.
589
00:27:23,458 --> 00:27:25,417
-[Memo] The ancient Maya sealed it.
-Yeah, yeah.
590
00:27:25,500 --> 00:27:28,417
-Okay.
-[Memo] It was, like, completely blocked.
591
00:27:28,500 --> 00:27:30,542
[narrator]
Memo believes
the ancient Maya did this
592
00:27:30,625 --> 00:27:33,250
because of where the passage points.
593
00:27:33,333 --> 00:27:36,500
[Jaskolski] I feel like the
blocked passage
594
00:27:36,583 --> 00:27:37,917
is in the direction of El Castillo.
595
00:27:38,000 --> 00:27:40,917
-Wow.
-[Memo] Yeah.
596
00:27:41,000 --> 00:27:42,917
[narrator]
But why would
the Maya have blocked off
597
00:27:43,000 --> 00:27:45,834
an underground passageway
between El Osario
598
00:27:45,917 --> 00:27:48,166
and the chamber below El Castillo?
599
00:27:48,250 --> 00:27:50,291
The team carries on its investigation
600
00:27:50,375 --> 00:27:52,333
and stumbles upon a relevant clue.
601
00:27:55,917 --> 00:27:57,583
[Jaskolski] I'm seeing something
on the walls.
602
00:27:57,667 --> 00:27:59,041
See the white?
603
00:27:59,125 --> 00:28:01,041
Stop there for a second.
604
00:28:01,125 --> 00:28:02,041
What's that?
605
00:28:03,875 --> 00:28:05,542
[Memo] Right there we see
a piece of pottery.
606
00:28:05,625 --> 00:28:07,208
-[Jaskolski] Oh, that's pottery?
-Yeah, oh yeah.
607
00:28:07,291 --> 00:28:09,291
[Jaskolski] Wow, wow,
hold on there for a second
608
00:28:09,375 --> 00:28:12,542
-[Memo] You see all the ceramic there?
-Where?
609
00:28:12,625 --> 00:28:14,208
[Jaskolski] Is that... Oh yeah!
610
00:28:14,291 --> 00:28:16,667
[narrator]
The Maya
ritually broke ceramic pottery
611
00:28:16,750 --> 00:28:18,125
as sacrificial offerings
612
00:28:18,208 --> 00:28:19,959
alongside the people they buried
613
00:28:20,083 --> 00:28:21,959
in order to free their spirit.
614
00:28:22,041 --> 00:28:25,333
But the place the team has
found these ceramic shards
615
00:28:25,417 --> 00:28:27,208
is even more mystifying.
616
00:28:27,291 --> 00:28:29,291
[Jaskolski] The ceramic is on
a little shelf up there, right?
617
00:28:29,375 --> 00:28:30,667
-Is that what you're looking at?
-[Memo] No, it's not a shelf.
618
00:28:30,750 --> 00:28:31,959
It's on the ceiling--
619
00:28:32,041 --> 00:28:34,208
-[Jaskolski] The ceramic's on the ceiling?
-[Yeah.
620
00:28:34,291 --> 00:28:37,250
[Jaskolski]
You find pottery all over
the floor of the caves all the time,
621
00:28:37,333 --> 00:28:40,000
but shards of pottery, you know,
hanging down like... [chuckles]
622
00:28:40,083 --> 00:28:43,166
...you know, like they could fall on you
like knives from the ceiling,
623
00:28:43,250 --> 00:28:44,417
and, you know, that's, that's weird.
624
00:28:44,500 --> 00:28:46,875
And that's the ceiling we're pointed
towards, right, you said?
625
00:28:46,959 --> 00:28:48,792
-[Memo] Yes, exactly.
-[Jaskolski] That's crazy.
626
00:28:48,875 --> 00:28:51,959
[narrator]
What would have prompted the
Maya to affix broken pottery
627
00:28:52,041 --> 00:28:54,542
to the ceiling of this
sacred underground chamber?
628
00:28:54,625 --> 00:28:57,041
[Jaskolski] Is it ritually
sacrificed pottery?
629
00:28:57,125 --> 00:28:58,709
[Memo] Yeah, it is ritually sacrificed.
630
00:28:58,792 --> 00:29:03,542
They, uh, used fire
as part of the, of the ritual.
631
00:29:03,625 --> 00:29:07,458
-It's charcoal, mud, and ceramics.
-[Jaskolski] Wow!
632
00:29:07,542 --> 00:29:10,000
[Memo] And then they mix it all together.
633
00:29:10,083 --> 00:29:11,125
[Jaskolski] You think they filled this in?
634
00:29:11,208 --> 00:29:13,291
-[Memo] Yeah.
-So that's the floor, really?
635
00:29:13,375 --> 00:29:15,709
We're looking at maybe the floor
of what they filled in?
636
00:29:15,792 --> 00:29:17,166
But it's our ceiling.
637
00:29:17,250 --> 00:29:18,667
Wow!
638
00:29:18,750 --> 00:29:20,500
They mixed pottery, charcoal, and dirt
639
00:29:20,625 --> 00:29:24,125
and filled that in from the outside
to close off a passageway
640
00:29:24,208 --> 00:29:28,000
so that the Osario shaft was the only
passage into this sacred cave.
641
00:29:28,083 --> 00:29:29,333
You know, that's, that's weird.
642
00:29:29,417 --> 00:29:31,750
[narrator]
But why did the Maya
intentionally block
643
00:29:31,834 --> 00:29:33,834
this underground tunnel?
644
00:29:33,917 --> 00:29:36,125
Before they can investigate any further...
645
00:29:36,208 --> 00:29:39,125
[thunder rumbling]
646
00:29:39,208 --> 00:29:40,875
[Millbern] Ooh boy,
that's gonna be a big one.
647
00:29:41,750 --> 00:29:44,375
Oh [bleep]!
648
00:29:44,458 --> 00:29:46,917
Lightning is probably my least favorite.
649
00:29:47,000 --> 00:29:49,166
[lightning cracks]
650
00:29:49,250 --> 00:29:52,375
[narrator]
An unexpected storm
threatens not just the investigation,
651
00:29:52,458 --> 00:29:54,375
but the lives of the men below.
652
00:29:54,458 --> 00:29:58,500
[Millbern]
A storm of that size
is not something I like to be around,
653
00:29:58,583 --> 00:30:02,000
next to a metal structure, with
my friends in a wet hole right down below.
654
00:30:03,917 --> 00:30:05,458
[Jaskolski]
We can't tell
it's raining at all,
655
00:30:05,542 --> 00:30:06,875
but we hear Chris
from the top yelling down,
656
00:30:06,959 --> 00:30:09,125
"Guys, you better hurry up!
657
00:30:09,208 --> 00:30:11,000
The lightning's coming in."
And we're like, "Oh no!"
658
00:30:12,041 --> 00:30:13,083
Let's go!
659
00:30:19,041 --> 00:30:20,834
[lightning cracks]
660
00:30:27,166 --> 00:30:29,834
[narrator]
At Chichen Itza's
pyramid, El Osario...
661
00:30:32,000 --> 00:30:33,667
archaeologist Guillermo de Anda
662
00:30:33,750 --> 00:30:36,125
and cutting-edge technologists
Virtual Wonders
663
00:30:36,208 --> 00:30:38,166
are trying to unearth an access point
664
00:30:38,250 --> 00:30:41,375
to the tunnel that could connect
to the chamber below El Castillo.
665
00:30:44,375 --> 00:30:46,417
-[lightning cracks]
-[Millbern] Ooh boy!
666
00:30:46,500 --> 00:30:48,083
[Jaskolski] Let's go!
667
00:30:48,166 --> 00:30:51,458
[narrator]
But their search comes to
a grinding halt when lightning strikes.
668
00:30:54,000 --> 00:30:56,041
[Millbern] So lightning's coming
in and so is the rain,
669
00:30:56,125 --> 00:30:57,583
so we're trying to get
these guys out of the hole
670
00:30:57,667 --> 00:30:59,083
as soon as possible.
671
00:30:59,166 --> 00:31:01,375
This is a little scary.
672
00:31:01,458 --> 00:31:03,875
[narrator]
Trapped in this tomb
60 feet below,
673
00:31:03,959 --> 00:31:06,458
they must evacuate before it's too late.
674
00:31:09,041 --> 00:31:10,208
[Jaskolski] All right.
Gracias.
675
00:31:10,291 --> 00:31:12,375
-[Millbern] There you go! Nice.
-[Jaskolski]
Gracias.
676
00:31:12,458 --> 00:31:14,250
People have died being hit by lightning.
677
00:31:14,333 --> 00:31:17,667
We've got this big metal frame around it
that's being used to lower people.
678
00:31:17,750 --> 00:31:19,583
Whoo!
679
00:31:19,667 --> 00:31:22,041
That was... that was crazy.
680
00:31:22,125 --> 00:31:24,375
The lightning's just
ripping down all around.
681
00:31:24,458 --> 00:31:26,125
Let's get outta here
before we're hit by lightning!
682
00:31:26,208 --> 00:31:27,542
[man] Yes.
683
00:31:27,625 --> 00:31:30,500
[Jaskolski] Yeah, yeah.
Chaac is, uh, Chaac is with us.
684
00:31:32,375 --> 00:31:33,834
[narrator]
Safely out of harm's way,
685
00:31:33,917 --> 00:31:36,750
the whole team reviews what
they found beneath El Osario
686
00:31:36,834 --> 00:31:39,333
to try and work out
why the Maya blocked off
687
00:31:39,417 --> 00:31:41,583
this underground passageway.
688
00:31:41,667 --> 00:31:45,291
[Jaskolski] Basically, we put the
borescope in everywhere it would fit.
689
00:31:45,375 --> 00:31:46,834
[narrator]
To help resolve this mystery,
690
00:31:46,917 --> 00:31:50,375
Maya archaeologist Dr. Jim Brady
joins the team.
691
00:31:50,458 --> 00:31:52,625
[Dr. James Brady] That's really terrific!
692
00:31:52,709 --> 00:31:54,709
-[Jaskolski] The pottery's right here.
-[Millbern] Oh, is it that structure?
693
00:31:54,792 --> 00:31:56,542
[Jaskolski] There's all the shards there.
694
00:31:56,625 --> 00:31:59,291
[narrator]
Dr. Brady is one
of the few archaeologists
695
00:31:59,375 --> 00:32:02,583
to have really explored
the mysteries of El Osario.
696
00:32:02,667 --> 00:32:05,166
His expertise could yield crucial insight
697
00:32:05,250 --> 00:32:07,583
into this enigmatic blocked passageway.
698
00:32:08,542 --> 00:32:10,166
[Jaskolski] Which is crazy, right?
699
00:32:10,250 --> 00:32:12,542
I mean, having the pottery shards
on the ceiling was a surprise to me.
700
00:32:12,667 --> 00:32:14,792
I didn't know that was down there.
701
00:32:14,875 --> 00:32:17,000
-[Memo] There.
-[Jaskolski] And here's, here's charcoal,
702
00:32:17,083 --> 00:32:19,458
and is that, that's charcoal,
and that is charcoal, too?
703
00:32:19,542 --> 00:32:21,625
[Dr. Brady] Yes.
Those are bits of charcoal.
704
00:32:21,709 --> 00:32:22,667
[Jaskolski] Okay.
705
00:32:22,750 --> 00:32:24,083
[Dr. Brady] We sampled that charcoal
706
00:32:24,166 --> 00:32:26,500
and have gotten a radiocarbon dates back
707
00:32:26,583 --> 00:32:30,959
that come out about, oh, 725, 728 AD.
708
00:32:31,083 --> 00:32:32,333
[Jaskolski] 725? Wow.
709
00:32:34,000 --> 00:32:35,709
[narrator]
Traditionally,
most scholars believe
710
00:32:35,792 --> 00:32:38,542
El Osario was built in 980 AD.
711
00:32:38,625 --> 00:32:41,542
But recent research is turning
this notion on its head.
712
00:32:41,625 --> 00:32:45,792
[Dr. Brady] The Osario was built
much earlier than people think.
713
00:32:45,875 --> 00:32:48,709
This is about two and a half
centuries earlier than--
714
00:32:48,792 --> 00:32:49,875
-[Jaskolski] Really? Wow.
-[Dr. Brady] Yeah.
715
00:32:49,959 --> 00:32:50,917
[Jaskolski] Yeah, yeah, yeah.
716
00:32:51,000 --> 00:32:52,709
[Millbern] How much earlier
does that place it
717
00:32:52,792 --> 00:32:54,083
in comparison to other buildings?
718
00:32:54,166 --> 00:32:56,417
[Jaskolski] Like, what's El
Castillo do you think?
719
00:32:56,500 --> 00:32:58,208
The Castillo would be later
720
00:32:58,291 --> 00:32:59,834
and so this is gonna change everything--
721
00:32:59,917 --> 00:33:00,834
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
722
00:33:00,917 --> 00:33:03,333
[Dr. Brady] This is gonna change
everything because rather than
723
00:33:03,417 --> 00:33:06,333
the Osario being a model of the Castillo
724
00:33:06,417 --> 00:33:07,959
it might be the other way around.
725
00:33:08,041 --> 00:33:10,458
[Jaskolski] Yeah. Totally. Wow.
726
00:33:10,542 --> 00:33:13,417
[narrator]
The carbon dating
of the charcoal is changing history
727
00:33:13,500 --> 00:33:16,917
and proves El Osario
was likely built before...
728
00:33:17,959 --> 00:33:19,583
El Castillo.
729
00:33:19,667 --> 00:33:23,458
And for the team, the ritual use of
charcoal beneath El Osario
730
00:33:23,583 --> 00:33:26,208
also provides a significant
piece of the puzzle.
731
00:33:26,291 --> 00:33:28,917
[Memo] The pot shards and the charcoal,
732
00:33:29,000 --> 00:33:31,625
you know, that might be indicating
733
00:33:31,709 --> 00:33:33,041
some kind of a ritual.
734
00:33:33,125 --> 00:33:36,250
[Broad] Is this sort of the same
idea that how they
735
00:33:36,333 --> 00:33:38,709
packed everything off,
closed something off?
736
00:33:38,792 --> 00:33:40,959
-[Memo] Like termination ritual, you mean?
-[Broad] Exactly.
737
00:33:41,041 --> 00:33:42,500
What do you think, Dr. Brady?
738
00:33:42,583 --> 00:33:44,875
It looks like it was terminated.
739
00:33:44,959 --> 00:33:49,333
[narrator]
A termination ritual is the act
of killing a building's spiritual force.
740
00:33:49,417 --> 00:33:53,959
This exorcism typically happened
when the Maya abandoned their temples.
741
00:33:54,083 --> 00:33:57,333
The termination ritual not only
closed off a building to the living,
742
00:33:57,417 --> 00:34:01,208
it also stopped the temple
from being visited by the dead.
743
00:34:01,291 --> 00:34:03,250
-[Sutherland] That's crazy!
- [Jaskolski] Right?
744
00:34:03,333 --> 00:34:05,750
[narrator]
El Osario may have
once had an entranceway
745
00:34:05,834 --> 00:34:07,667
to this now blocked underground tunnel,
746
00:34:07,750 --> 00:34:10,834
leading to the subterranean chamber
beneath El Castillo,
747
00:34:10,917 --> 00:34:14,291
and even been part
of a sprawling subterranean world.
748
00:34:14,375 --> 00:34:16,959
But because this possible
passage is now blocked,
749
00:34:17,041 --> 00:34:18,792
the team must regroup.
750
00:34:18,875 --> 00:34:20,333
[Memo] That, that's very interesting,
751
00:34:20,417 --> 00:34:23,000
you know, we've been
desperately trying to get,
752
00:34:23,083 --> 00:34:27,208
to find an entrance
to this cavern or cenote
753
00:34:27,291 --> 00:34:29,792
if there is one right under El Castillo.
754
00:34:32,875 --> 00:34:34,959
[narrator]
Memo, who knows
the Chichen Itza underground
755
00:34:35,041 --> 00:34:36,542
better than anyone on Earth,
756
00:34:36,625 --> 00:34:39,709
knows of one possible opening
to the Maya underworld
757
00:34:39,792 --> 00:34:43,667
that could provide an
underground gateway to El Castillo.
758
00:34:43,750 --> 00:34:47,333
The only way to access it
is by using advanced technology
759
00:34:47,417 --> 00:34:49,667
and facing extreme dangers.
760
00:34:49,750 --> 00:34:51,375
[Memo] Watch out for snakes, please.
761
00:34:51,458 --> 00:34:53,291
Yeah, the cenote is right there.
762
00:34:55,500 --> 00:34:58,750
[narrator]
The cenotes,
ceremonial sacred sites of the Maya,
763
00:34:58,834 --> 00:35:00,583
could provide concealed entranceways
764
00:35:00,667 --> 00:35:04,834
to a sprawling underground network
of long-lost passages.
765
00:35:04,917 --> 00:35:06,250
But flooded with water,
766
00:35:06,333 --> 00:35:10,625
they're notoriously difficult to explore,
even deadly.
767
00:35:10,709 --> 00:35:13,208
[Memo] It's going to become a little bit
more slippery so careful with that.
768
00:35:13,291 --> 00:35:16,750
We're gonna use a rope just to
help ourselves going down there.
769
00:35:16,834 --> 00:35:20,250
[narrator]
Despite this, Memo and
the Virtual Wonders team are trekking
770
00:35:20,375 --> 00:35:24,333
to one of the four cenotes that surround
the central pyramid of El Castillo.
771
00:35:24,417 --> 00:35:27,583
The treacherous and seldom-explored
underground cavern called...
772
00:35:29,625 --> 00:35:30,458
Holtun.
773
00:35:30,750 --> 00:35:32,375
[Memo] This is the
amazing thing about technology
774
00:35:32,458 --> 00:35:34,750
that we can see things that the eye can't.
775
00:35:34,834 --> 00:35:37,208
I'm so glad that today
we have this little robot
776
00:35:37,291 --> 00:35:39,709
because, uh, there is a huge tunnel
777
00:35:39,792 --> 00:35:42,917
that turns a little bit to the north
which El Castillo is,
778
00:35:43,000 --> 00:35:45,458
so that might be a very good chance
779
00:35:45,542 --> 00:35:47,792
to maybe connect to the cenote under it.
780
00:35:48,917 --> 00:35:51,417
Every time I go down there,
I find something new.
781
00:35:52,333 --> 00:35:53,542
Let's go diving.
782
00:35:54,917 --> 00:35:57,875
[narrator]
For the team, searching these
under-explored chambers
783
00:35:57,959 --> 00:36:01,417
might be their best chance at
making a groundbreaking discovery
784
00:36:01,500 --> 00:36:04,917
that could unlock one of
the ancient Maya's greatest secrets.
785
00:36:05,000 --> 00:36:08,000
And if so, what riches could they find?
786
00:36:13,375 --> 00:36:17,083
[narrator]
In their quest to reveal
a secret underground passageway
787
00:36:17,166 --> 00:36:20,166
and resolve the mystery
at the heart of Chichen Itza,
788
00:36:20,250 --> 00:36:23,667
Virtual Wonders and Maya
archaeologist Guillermo de Anda
789
00:36:23,750 --> 00:36:26,375
are making their way to one of
the four major cenotes
790
00:36:26,458 --> 00:36:29,166
that surround Chichen Itza's main pyramid.
791
00:36:29,250 --> 00:36:32,291
Deploying the most advanced
exploration tools available,
792
00:36:32,375 --> 00:36:35,458
they plan to investigate
the westernmost cenote...
793
00:36:35,542 --> 00:36:37,041
called Holtun.
794
00:36:38,250 --> 00:36:39,750
[Memo] This is the entrance.
795
00:36:39,834 --> 00:36:42,208
We can go to the south side wall.
796
00:36:42,291 --> 00:36:44,291
[narrator]
Searching for
an underground passageway
797
00:36:44,375 --> 00:36:48,333
that could lead to undiscovered treasures
beneath El Castillo.
798
00:36:48,417 --> 00:36:50,041
[Memo]
Cenotes have this mystery.
799
00:36:50,125 --> 00:36:53,542
There is passageways that goes
who knows where.
800
00:36:56,875 --> 00:36:57,834
[indistinct chatter]
801
00:36:57,917 --> 00:36:59,125
[Memo] Okay.
802
00:36:59,208 --> 00:37:00,291
On rope!
803
00:37:02,333 --> 00:37:04,500
[speaking Spanish]
804
00:37:04,625 --> 00:37:07,750
[narrator]
It's a potentially
fatal 72-foot drop,
805
00:37:07,834 --> 00:37:11,583
perilous not just for the divers,
but also for the pricey gear.
806
00:37:11,667 --> 00:37:12,875
-[Jaskolski] You good, Chris?
-[Millbern] Yeah.
807
00:37:12,959 --> 00:37:14,417
-[Jaskolski] All right.
-[Millbern] Okay.
808
00:37:14,500 --> 00:37:17,917
[narrator]
Corey and Memo will scuba dive
to look for any concealed passageways.
809
00:37:20,291 --> 00:37:21,792
[Millbern] Okay, we're in business.
810
00:37:21,875 --> 00:37:24,792
[narrator]
While field specialist
Chris Millbern pilots the ROV
811
00:37:24,875 --> 00:37:26,792
from a raft inside the cenote.
812
00:37:29,041 --> 00:37:32,208
This small robot submarine
fits places that humans
813
00:37:32,291 --> 00:37:34,959
with their bulky scuba gear
are just too big to go.
814
00:37:37,041 --> 00:37:38,375
[man] You're going down with a bag?
815
00:37:38,458 --> 00:37:39,375
[Millbern]
Si.
816
00:37:42,583 --> 00:37:45,333
It is exactly as insane
as you would expect.
817
00:37:53,125 --> 00:37:56,583
This is not a carved-out cave
that's really comfortable.
818
00:37:56,709 --> 00:37:58,917
It's not a place that
a lot of people have been.
819
00:37:59,000 --> 00:38:00,792
Okay!
820
00:38:00,917 --> 00:38:04,417
It's some place that you have to really
know your stuff to get down into
821
00:38:04,500 --> 00:38:08,208
and you have to take some risks
to make sure that your able to see it.
822
00:38:08,291 --> 00:38:09,667
-[Jaskolski] Is that you?
-[Millbern] Yep, that's me.
823
00:38:09,750 --> 00:38:11,417
[Jaskolski] All right, go.
824
00:38:11,500 --> 00:38:13,750
Cool. Props are turning.
825
00:38:13,834 --> 00:38:15,542
There you go.
826
00:38:15,625 --> 00:38:17,375
-You have video?
-[Millbern] Yep.
827
00:38:17,458 --> 00:38:18,667
[Jaskolski] All right!
828
00:38:18,750 --> 00:38:20,375
Are you on the slowest mode possible?
829
00:38:20,458 --> 00:38:21,834
[Millbern] I'm on
the slowest mode possible.
830
00:38:21,917 --> 00:38:23,875
Stabilization's off,
'cause I want it to be off.
831
00:38:23,959 --> 00:38:24,875
[Jaskolski] Okay.
832
00:38:27,750 --> 00:38:29,208
-[Millbern] Have a good dive now.
-[Jaskolski] Yeah. Thanks, buddy!
833
00:38:29,291 --> 00:38:30,166
We'll see you soon.
834
00:38:30,250 --> 00:38:31,166
[rebreather hissing]
835
00:38:31,250 --> 00:38:32,166
[Millbern] Go find something.
836
00:38:38,208 --> 00:38:42,709
[Jaskolski]
Generally, I'm against using
technology like ROVs in cenotes,
837
00:38:42,792 --> 00:38:45,583
and the reason is 'cause
they have little propellers that spin
838
00:38:45,667 --> 00:38:48,458
and that kicks up sediment
and silt in a lot of places,
839
00:38:48,542 --> 00:38:50,959
and that sediment or silt
could contain little bones
840
00:38:51,041 --> 00:38:54,375
or bits of Mayan incense,
charcoal, offerings like that.
841
00:39:02,542 --> 00:39:03,875
[Millbern] I apologize for being silent.
842
00:39:03,959 --> 00:39:06,041
I'm just, I'm so intently focused.
843
00:39:08,083 --> 00:39:10,625
[Jaskolski]
But being able
to have a talented ROV pilot
844
00:39:10,750 --> 00:39:13,291
maneuver it through to see
where that passage goes,
845
00:39:13,375 --> 00:39:17,834
that's critical because this place
has become incredibly sacred to me.
846
00:39:17,917 --> 00:39:20,959
[narrator]
In this underground lair
of the Maya gods,
847
00:39:21,041 --> 00:39:23,750
the team finds
extensive evidence that Holtun
848
00:39:23,834 --> 00:39:26,959
was a primary repository
for human sacrifice.
849
00:39:43,667 --> 00:39:44,667
[Millbern] Oh, oh, oh.
850
00:39:47,083 --> 00:39:48,959
Come on. Come on, baby!
851
00:39:49,041 --> 00:39:50,291
Keep moving.
852
00:39:50,417 --> 00:39:52,250
My mom said video games weren't a career.
853
00:39:58,458 --> 00:40:00,166
I'm definitely seeing stuff.
854
00:40:01,625 --> 00:40:04,333
Wow! This is beautiful.
855
00:40:07,125 --> 00:40:09,125
We found a new cave. I am...
856
00:40:09,208 --> 00:40:11,083
I am pretty wildly excited right now.
857
00:40:15,625 --> 00:40:17,166
I think this keeps continuing.
858
00:40:24,125 --> 00:40:25,959
[narrator]
At the iconic Chichen Itza,
859
00:40:26,041 --> 00:40:28,000
Virtual Wonders and Memo de Anda
860
00:40:28,083 --> 00:40:31,125
have found an undiscovered,
underwater passageway...
861
00:40:31,208 --> 00:40:32,417
[Millbern] I'm definitely seeing stuff.
862
00:40:32,500 --> 00:40:36,333
[narrator]...that
could lead
to a hidden chamber below El Castillo.
863
00:40:36,417 --> 00:40:38,500
[Millbern] Wow! This is beautiful.
864
00:40:45,750 --> 00:40:47,834
We found a new cave. I am...
865
00:40:47,917 --> 00:40:49,667
I am pretty wildly excited right now.
866
00:40:49,792 --> 00:40:53,333
This is definitely its own cave
passage worthy of exploration.
867
00:40:53,417 --> 00:40:54,667
There's the entrance.
868
00:40:56,500 --> 00:40:58,375
I'm very afraid of getting stuck,
869
00:40:58,458 --> 00:41:01,041
but, you know,
that's how cave exploration goes.
870
00:41:01,125 --> 00:41:03,750
[Jaskolski]
Back in Mayan times,
that passage would have been dry,
871
00:41:03,834 --> 00:41:05,875
so it would have been pretty
easy to go through on your belly
872
00:41:05,959 --> 00:41:08,458
and crawl through the, the cave
and to go make offerings.
873
00:41:12,375 --> 00:41:14,417
[Millbern] Okay, let's turn.
874
00:41:27,917 --> 00:41:32,333
We're definitely in a,
in a large passage that, uh...
875
00:41:33,375 --> 00:41:35,750
could have artifacts.
876
00:41:35,834 --> 00:41:37,542
I'm checking all the shelves
that I can see
877
00:41:37,625 --> 00:41:40,709
to see if there's anything
that looks man-made.
878
00:41:40,792 --> 00:41:42,125
This is spectacular!
879
00:41:51,542 --> 00:41:54,375
What I'm trying to do is
fight buoyancy essentially
880
00:41:54,500 --> 00:41:55,667
and go a little bit farther.
881
00:41:57,959 --> 00:41:59,458
I'm trying to be very careful
882
00:41:59,542 --> 00:42:02,583
so that if there is anything in here
that I don't disturb it.
883
00:42:02,667 --> 00:42:04,917
The difference between rock and artifact
884
00:42:05,000 --> 00:42:08,834
is, is gonna be something that
we might have to look at later.
885
00:42:08,917 --> 00:42:10,959
So I'm checking all of the
shelves that I can see
886
00:42:11,041 --> 00:42:12,750
to see if there's anything man-made.
887
00:42:12,834 --> 00:42:16,834
I actually see fish way deep
there in the cave which is amazing.
888
00:42:16,917 --> 00:42:20,375
Uh, I'm really hoping
not to disturb anything,
889
00:42:20,458 --> 00:42:23,667
so I have to be really careful,
but this is spectacular.
890
00:42:23,750 --> 00:42:24,875
I, I honestly can't believe it.
891
00:42:24,959 --> 00:42:27,125
I had no idea that
this was gonna be on the other side.
892
00:42:30,208 --> 00:42:32,583
[narrator]
The question is:
where does it lead?
893
00:42:32,667 --> 00:42:37,041
Could it lead all the way to a crypt
beneath El Castillo?
894
00:42:37,166 --> 00:42:38,792
[Millbern] It definitely goes.
895
00:42:38,875 --> 00:42:41,959
[Jaskolski] In cave terminology,
we know that that passage "goes,"
896
00:42:42,041 --> 00:42:44,333
meaning that it continues on
past what we can see.
897
00:42:44,417 --> 00:42:46,125
How big would you,
did you think the passage was?
898
00:42:46,208 --> 00:42:48,083
[Millbern] Uh, it could be 10
to even 30 feet up.
899
00:42:48,166 --> 00:42:49,667
I mean, it was, it was tall.
900
00:42:49,750 --> 00:42:52,208
It's really hard, it's hard
to get scale on this video
901
00:42:52,291 --> 00:42:54,417
so before I, you know,
make a grand claim...
902
00:42:54,500 --> 00:42:58,083
Uh, but it, it was big enough
to fit a person definitely,
903
00:42:58,166 --> 00:42:59,792
and it looked like it went up pretty tall.
904
00:42:59,875 --> 00:43:00,792
[Jaskolski] Wow!
905
00:43:00,875 --> 00:43:02,291
We'll, we'll have to
review the video though
906
00:43:02,375 --> 00:43:04,709
'cause, again, I can't get scale
out of this video.
907
00:43:04,792 --> 00:43:06,291
[Jaskolski] That's awesome!
908
00:43:06,417 --> 00:43:08,500
These passageways never go straight.
909
00:43:08,583 --> 00:43:10,500
-[Jaskolski] Right.
-I mean, very...
910
00:43:10,583 --> 00:43:12,000
[Jaskolski] This one definitely doesn't.
911
00:43:12,083 --> 00:43:14,750
[Millbern] This one didn't go straight.
This one went up, left, right and down...
912
00:43:14,834 --> 00:43:16,917
It could have gone in any direction.
913
00:43:17,000 --> 00:43:18,041
-Absolutely.
-[Memo] Okay.
914
00:43:18,125 --> 00:43:19,625
There was a lot more to it
than what we saw.
915
00:43:24,917 --> 00:43:26,125
[Memo] We found a passageway.
916
00:43:26,250 --> 00:43:27,667
[Jaskolski] Really successful dive.
917
00:43:27,750 --> 00:43:30,125
Gracias. All right.
918
00:43:30,208 --> 00:43:32,333
Any time you do a dive
with a bunch of new technology
919
00:43:32,458 --> 00:43:34,000
and you come back with all the technology
920
00:43:34,083 --> 00:43:35,500
and everything looks like it worked,
921
00:43:35,625 --> 00:43:37,458
-it's a win right?
-[Memo laughing] Oh, yeah.
922
00:43:37,542 --> 00:43:39,500
We gotta check it out on video, man.
I'm excited.
923
00:43:39,583 --> 00:43:41,500
[Memo laughs] Yeah. I feel amazed
924
00:43:41,583 --> 00:43:43,208
and with a lot of hope that
925
00:43:43,291 --> 00:43:46,709
this can take us towards Chichen,
but Chris said it's...
926
00:43:46,792 --> 00:43:48,542
-[Jaskolski] It bends.
-[Millbern] Multiple directions.
927
00:43:48,625 --> 00:43:51,125
I think we had options so who knows.
928
00:43:51,250 --> 00:43:54,542
It certainly is really lucky
that we had this tool with us
929
00:43:54,625 --> 00:43:56,709
because there was no other way
we were seeing it today.
930
00:44:04,959 --> 00:44:06,375
[narrator]
Back at tech headquarters,
931
00:44:06,458 --> 00:44:09,041
the team scrubs through
the ROV's footage together,
932
00:44:09,125 --> 00:44:12,542
hoping to gain more insight
into this newly discovered passageway
933
00:44:12,625 --> 00:44:14,458
deep inside Holtun.
934
00:44:14,542 --> 00:44:16,291
[Millbern] All right, so wait
until this just goes over.
935
00:44:16,375 --> 00:44:18,375
I want to show you something really cool.
936
00:44:18,458 --> 00:44:22,125
So this was the constriction
that was hardest for me to get through.
937
00:44:22,208 --> 00:44:23,709
[Memo] Yeah, that, that was a hard one.
938
00:44:23,792 --> 00:44:25,208
No one's ever been back there,
right, Memo?
939
00:44:25,291 --> 00:44:26,458
This is unexplored caves?
940
00:44:26,542 --> 00:44:28,250
[Memo] No, no,
this is completely unexplored.
941
00:44:30,125 --> 00:44:31,959
[Millbern] So, obviously,
it extends up this way,
942
00:44:32,041 --> 00:44:34,250
and there's actually a little bit
of passages that come back
943
00:44:34,333 --> 00:44:35,583
around on the back.
944
00:44:35,667 --> 00:44:39,542
And then, when it drops down here...
945
00:44:39,625 --> 00:44:42,166
you'll see openings all across the bottom.
946
00:44:42,291 --> 00:44:44,417
I mean, it's, it's huge
compared to the crevice
947
00:44:44,500 --> 00:44:46,583
-that it actually started at, you know.
-[Memo] Yes. Yes.
948
00:44:46,667 --> 00:44:47,667
[Jaskolski] Right, right, yeah.
949
00:44:47,750 --> 00:44:48,959
[Millbern] Look down here.
950
00:44:49,041 --> 00:44:52,125
You've got a passage that comes here,
and it also goes in this direction.
951
00:44:52,208 --> 00:44:53,083
[Jaskolski] Wow!
952
00:44:53,166 --> 00:44:56,000
[narrator]
Though they can't tell
if the passageway ultimately extends
953
00:44:56,083 --> 00:44:58,625
to the potential cenote below El Castillo,
954
00:44:58,709 --> 00:45:00,709
they do collect important evidence.
955
00:45:00,792 --> 00:45:02,333
[Millbern] So zoom it back
just a little bit.
956
00:45:02,417 --> 00:45:03,333
[Jaskolski] Zooming it back.
957
00:45:03,417 --> 00:45:06,625
[Millbern] Now, here's
where I want you to check out.
958
00:45:06,709 --> 00:45:08,959
[Memo] Oh, that looks like bones.
959
00:45:09,041 --> 00:45:11,542
[narrator]
These bones could be
the remains of offerings
960
00:45:11,625 --> 00:45:12,709
to the gods.
961
00:45:12,792 --> 00:45:15,041
But that's not all the team discovers.
962
00:45:15,125 --> 00:45:17,834
[Jaskolski] Oh [bleep]!
Hey! Hey, hey, hey, Memo!
963
00:45:17,917 --> 00:45:20,250
What is that? What is that green
bit right there?
964
00:45:21,625 --> 00:45:23,250
-[Memo] Oh yeah?
-[Sutherland] Oh my god.
965
00:45:23,333 --> 00:45:25,500
[Memo] Looks like a jade bead.
966
00:45:25,583 --> 00:45:26,917
[Jaskolski] That was jade.
967
00:45:27,000 --> 00:45:28,625
[narrator]
Jade.
968
00:45:28,709 --> 00:45:29,959
[Memo] Wow! [laughs]
969
00:45:30,041 --> 00:45:31,709
-[Jaskolski] Yeah, totally.
-[overlapping chatter]
970
00:45:31,792 --> 00:45:33,625
[narrator]
In the ancient world
of the Maya,
971
00:45:33,709 --> 00:45:36,709
jade was a royal resource
and a precious commodity,
972
00:45:36,792 --> 00:45:39,333
used to communicate with the gods.
973
00:45:39,417 --> 00:45:41,000
[Jaskolski] That's an offering, yeah.
974
00:45:41,083 --> 00:45:42,291
[Millbern] Good eye, Corey!
975
00:45:42,375 --> 00:45:43,750
[Memo] Yes!
976
00:45:43,875 --> 00:45:47,166
[narrator]
Only the elite could
make a sacrificial offering of jade.
977
00:45:47,250 --> 00:45:50,834
Inside this cenote that had
mysteriously run catastrophically low
978
00:45:50,917 --> 00:45:52,250
through a prolonged drought,
979
00:45:52,333 --> 00:45:55,834
the rulers may have believed
that the end of the world was near.
980
00:45:55,917 --> 00:45:57,834
I would suspect
when there's the worst droughts,
981
00:45:57,917 --> 00:45:59,959
there are probably the most sacrifices.
982
00:46:00,041 --> 00:46:03,125
[narrator]
Finding jade here
in this newly discovered passage
983
00:46:03,208 --> 00:46:05,166
could be a momentous breakthrough.
984
00:46:05,959 --> 00:46:07,709
In a desperate plea to the gods,
985
00:46:07,834 --> 00:46:10,208
the Maya elite could have used this place
986
00:46:10,291 --> 00:46:12,500
to offer their greatest treasures,
987
00:46:12,583 --> 00:46:14,458
all for the sake of rain.
988
00:46:14,542 --> 00:46:16,333
-There's another one.
-Yeah.
989
00:46:16,417 --> 00:46:18,917
This one. Look, this, this.
990
00:46:19,000 --> 00:46:20,041
Wow!
991
00:46:20,125 --> 00:46:24,500
[narrator]
These offerings may have been
a last-ditch appeal to the gods
992
00:46:24,583 --> 00:46:26,750
to save the city of Chichen Itza
993
00:46:26,834 --> 00:46:28,291
from apocalyptic doom.
994
00:46:28,375 --> 00:46:30,875
Gradually, by the 11th century AD,
995
00:46:30,959 --> 00:46:33,208
this Maya capital collapsed,
996
00:46:33,291 --> 00:46:37,166
largely due to an epic drought
that lasted over 15 years
997
00:46:37,250 --> 00:46:40,000
causing the nearby cenotes
that sustained the city
998
00:46:40,083 --> 00:46:41,125
to run dry.
999
00:46:41,208 --> 00:46:44,000
The effects of this drought
gradually undermined the city
1000
00:46:44,083 --> 00:46:45,208
of Chichen Itza,
1001
00:46:45,333 --> 00:46:48,792
and it was eventually abandoned.
1002
00:46:48,875 --> 00:46:51,250
But this newly discovered passageway,
1003
00:46:51,333 --> 00:46:54,125
riddled with evidence of sacrifice
could someday lead
1004
00:46:54,208 --> 00:46:57,041
to even more offerings and treasures
1005
00:46:57,125 --> 00:47:00,208
and into the mysterious cave
below El Castillo.
84231