All language subtitles for Mysteries.of.the.Abandoned.S04E08.Pompeiis.Gate.to.Hell.1080p.DISC.WEB-DL.AAC2.0.H.264-DoGSO_track3_[eng]

*

Narrator: an elaborate complex
That continues to mystify.

Meigs:
As you go down this tunnel,

There's hardly room
For a human to fit through.

You start to feel
The heat rising.

*

Narrator: an american colossus
Carved into the bay.

Bell:
There's a real spooky feeling,

Especially when the mist
Is just hanging over it.

It's almost like
A ghost workforce

Has vanished from sight.

Has vanished from sight.

Narrator:
An apparent paradise masking
A history of violence.

Auerbach:
And some of these drawings
Are made in blood,

Hinting at
The island's dark past.

*

Narrator: engineering marvels
Now abandoned.

Ruins shrouded in mystery.

Within these decaying structures
Are the echoes of history.

They speak of death
And destruction,

But also human ingenuity
And endeavor.

But also human ingenuity
And endeavor.

Each haunted shell ready
To be unmasked

And tell its own unique story.

-- captions by vitac --
Www.Vitac.Com

Captions paid for by
Discovery communications

[ rumbling, crumbling ]

*

*

Narrator:
In the lichtenburg district
Of berlin,

Capital city of germany,

Capital city of germany,

An imposing gray wall lines
An otherwise typical street.

We don't really think about
What horrors

Might have happened behind
The walls right beside us.

It looks ominous,
And you know intuitively

That you wouldn't want to be
On the other side of that wall.

You can't go by
Without asking yourself,

"What did people have to do
To get locked up

In a horrible place like that?"

Narrator: inside,
Long corridors are lined

Narrator: inside,
Long corridors are lined

With bars and thick gray doors.

A few miles away, intrinsically
Linked to this complex

Is an innocuous looking
Tower block.

These hallways and offices,

They seem almost deliberately
Bland, faceless, anonymous.

Nusbacher:
It could be the offices

Of a third-rate office
Supplies company.

Of a third-rate office
Supplies company.

It's banal, it's cold,
It's dull.

Narrator: on closer inspection,
The interiors of these offices

Could have come straight
From a set of a spy movie.

You do see a lot of equipment --
Old-fashioned equipment

And various electronic devices.

Nusbacher:
This isn't just an office where
People do something productive.

This is an office where people
Pry and spy

And look into things that
Perhaps ought to be left alone.

And look into things that
Perhaps ought to be left alone.

Narrator: how are these
Contrasting complexes connected?

Who was based here?

And what was
Their ultimate purpose?

*

This high-walled complex
Still sends shudders

Down the spine of many germans.

Among them is former inmate
Peter keup.

At the age of just 22, peter was
Bundled into one of these vans

At the age of just 22, peter was
Bundled into one of these vans

And locked in a cell
The size of a cupboard,

No idea where he was going
And what fate awaited him.

Narrator: after four hours
Locked in this van,

Peter was brought
To a stark facility.

So, what was peter's crime?

And whose betrayal
Was behind his capture?

And whose betrayal
Was behind his capture?

Nusbacher: we hear a lot about
The berlin wall,

And, of course,
That was significant,

But the entire border between
East germany

And its neighbors
Was heavily fortified.

*

Narrator: peter was trying
To escape east germany

By crossing the border
Into neighboring czechoslovakia.

Nusbacher: it was hard to get
From any part of

East germany into west germany
Or czechoslovakia

East germany into west germany
Or czechoslovakia

Or anywhere that might make it
Easier to get to the west.

Narrator: east germany was
Turned into one giant prison.

The reason it developed this way
Goes back to its birth.

After world war ii,

It was agreed nazi germany would
Be divided into occupied zones.

The east would come under
Soviet control.

Nusbacher: the communist regime
Of east germany

Nusbacher: the communist regime
Of east germany

Discovered very early on that
Moscow, their soviet overlords,

Would not tolerate anything

Other than unthinking obedience
To moscow's rule.

But they're going to exceed
The soviet union

In their devotion to communism.

They're going to exceed stalin
In their work

To create the new socialist man.

And to do so,

You have to control
Every aspect of people's life.

You have to control
Every aspect of people's life.

That is the job of the stasi.

*

Narrator:
This complex is the stasi's
Central remand prison.

Peter was one of many picked up
By the stasi,

Who were attempting to control
A population of 18 million

And prevent them
Escaping to the west.

The state security services

Comprised a force of over
A quarter of a million people,

Comprised a force of over
A quarter of a million people,

And this was essentially
The political police

To enforce conformity

To the communist regime
In east germany.

This is a state
That is utterly repressive.

Narrator:
Once incarcerated, inmates
Were kept in total isolation.

Narrator:
With no contact with anyone,
Including family,

Narrator:
With no contact with anyone,
Including family,

This was part of the stasi's
Interrogation technique.

Nusbacher:
The stasi would isolate people
With no other human contact,

Rob them of an understanding
Of day and night,

When their meals
Were going to come,

And most important,
Rob them of sleep.

Narrator:
The man behind peter's arrest

And pulling the strings
Was erich mielke.

He was the head of the stasi.

He was a very bland,

He was a very bland,

Very unremarkable
Government bureaucrat

Who ruled over
One of the most frightening

And intrusive secret polices
Ever known in the world.

*

Narrator: just minutes away
From the prison

Was mielke's seat of power --

The nerve center
Of the stasi state.

Meigs: the stasi headquarters
Was, in a way,

The most important
Building in east germany.

It was entirely focused on
Controlling the population,

Gathering as much information

About the most intimate details
Of people's lives.

Narrator: with construction
Complete in 1961,

This complex functioned
As the nerve center

For a surveillance state
On an unprecedented scale.

They needed to know what was
Happening in your apartment,

They needed to know what was
Happening in your apartment,

In your house, in your factory,
In your school,

And they had spies
In all those places.

Narrator: that meant collating
A truly massive archive.

Two to three percent of the
Population is actually paid

To inform on their neighbors,
Their classmates,

Their work colleagues
To inform the state security

As to what people are thinking.

And they kept vast files.

Everything that you want to know
About 18 million people

Everything that you want to know
About 18 million people

Is kept in
The stasi headquarters.

Narrator:
However, by the late 1980s,

Momentum was shifting,
Dissidence snowballing.

Among those members of the stasi
On the ground

Trying desperately
To maintain order

Was none other than the current

Russian president
Vladimir putin.

Corum: very often the k.G.B.
Would would use the stasi

In some cases
To influence the west,

To carry out
Espionage operations.

To carry out
Espionage operations.

But they're also supervising

And keeping close contact
Of the stasi's activities

Against any dissidence
In east germany.

In dresden, the head
Of the k.G.B. Branch office

Is vladimir putin,
Who is a career k.G.B. Officer.

Narrator:
But for how long could putin

And the stasi maintain control,

And what would happen to
Their vast classified archive?

*

Narrator:
After months of civil unrest,

The berlin wall came crashing
Down on november 9, 1989.

As well as a wave of euphoria,

People began to turn their anger
And frustration

Against the state,
And in particular, the stasi.

In january of 1990,
Something incredible happened.

The public had this idea
That the records contained

The public had this idea
That the records contained

In the stasi headquarters
Were gonna be destroyed,

And they wanted
These records preserved.

They went and they occupied
The building and they insisted

That the government preserve
What had happened here.

They wanted to give
Some kind of a testimony

To what they lived through,

And they felt that
If the records were gone,

There would be no way
To document

These generations of injustice.

*

Narrator: meanwhile, the prison
Closed its gates

As the stasi was dissolved.

As the stasi was dissolved.

Mielke was publicly disgraced
Live on television,

And he himself faced
The inside of a prison cell.

Then, from 1992,
The records were declassified,

And people like peter could
Finally access their files.

Narrator: but the most
Extraordinary discovery

Narrator: but the most
Extraordinary discovery

Peter made was more recent --

After his brother died in 2012.

Narrator: peter's brother
Was a stasi spy,

Informing on both him
And his family.

*

While the wall has long gone,

The victims and perpetrators
Of this terror state

The victims and perpetrators
Of this terror state

Still walk and live
Amongst each other,

The memories still fresh.

*

Narrator: today, 600 million
Shreds of paper

From stasi files
Are being pieced together

Using new computer
Technology --

Using new computer
Technology --

Testament to just how much
This still means to those

Who lived
In this police state.

Germans
Desperate to find closure,

To finally know
Who betrayed them and why.

*

On the west coast
Of the united states,

Just north of the city
Of san francisco,

Lies a colossal structure
Carved into the ground.

*

*

Bell: it's a long,
Stadium-like structure

Sitting right next
To the water,

And it is enormous --
This vast, empty pit.

*

The entire structure slopes away
From you in steps,

Like an inverted mayan pyramid.

Whatever this was built for,
This was a serious operation.

*

Narrator: down at the base
Of this vast site

Are possible clues
To its demise.

Are possible clues
To its demise.

It's clearly designed to be
A strong structure,

But sort of towards the bottom,

It appears to be made
Of something quite different.

Scott: the last few steps,
They are crumbling away,

And it's just confusing

That they've changed
The materials in this way.

Why -- why would you do that?

Narrator: so, was this abandoned
Before it had time

To prove its worth?

And did it eventually collapse
Under its own weight?

And did it eventually collapse
Under its own weight?

*

The roots of this structure
Reach back to the 19th century.

While the east coast
Was developed and well defended,

The younger west coast cities
Were catching up,

But this shore
Was left vulnerable.

As gold is discovered
In california,

It becomes more and more
Important to project power

To the west coast

In order to make sure that
Nobody comes along and takes it.

In order to make sure that
Nobody comes along and takes it.

It must be defended.

Narrator:
With wars being fought against
Native americans to the north

And others
In central america to the south,

Mare island was the obvious site

For the first naval station
On the west coast.

But it was the completion of
This particular facility in 1891

That would propel the u.S.
Into the next century,

As retired engineer
Bruce christensen explains.

As retired engineer
Bruce christensen explains.

*

This was definitely
The dawn of a new era

For the united states navy

In the defense
Of the united states of america.

*

Narrator: standing at over
400 feet in length

And taking almost 20 years
To construct,

This is mare island's
Drydock number 1.

The construction of this huge
Drydock resulted in a new era

The construction of this huge
Drydock resulted in a new era

To allow ships larger than had
Ever been allowed before

To dock and be repaired
And overhauled.

*

Narrator: it immediately proved
Invaluable,

Advancing the defensive
Capability of the west coast.

But an unexpected event

Soon threatened the core
Of this structure.

The main parts of the structure,
These big steps,

Are made of massive blocks
Of granite,

And all of that granite
Had to be brought in by ship.

And all of that granite
Had to be brought in by ship.

So you can imagine this is
A major undertaking.

Scott: granite is heavy.

Whoever built this, they weren't
Thinking about saving money.

They were thinking about
Building a structure

That would last.

Narrator: but the bottom few
Steps tell a different story.

Nusbacher: when you look at this
Crumbling of the lowest levels,

You wonder, was it
This disintegration

That caused this place
To be abandoned?

*

Narrator: so, is this evidence
Of an early catastrophe,

Narrator: so, is this evidence
Of an early catastrophe,

Or did the granite
Prove its worth?

In 1898,
It was put to the test.

Testament to how good and strong
The structure is

That there was a big earthquake
That struck that island.

All the buildings in
The facility sort of around it,

They -- they collapsed.

But the structure itself
Remained pretty much intact

With very little damage
Whatsoever.

*

Narrator: the fractured
Lower steps, in fact,

Narrator: the fractured
Lower steps, in fact,

Reveal a later attempt
To adapt the site.

So as soon as the surrounding
Facilities were rebuilt,

This and other shipyards
Combined to advance

The defense of the west coast
To another level.

But mare island was a cut
Above the rest,

Setting the bar high
During the first world war

With a construction
of u.S.S. Ward.

This place set a record
In ship building.

Just 17 days to construct
A battleship.

Just 17 days to construct
A battleship.

That's just phenomenal.

*

Narrator: sliding off
A neighboring shipbuilding way,

u.S.S. Ward soon entered
the drydock

For some essential
Finishing touches

Before joining active service.

*

However, the real turning point
for both u.S.S. Ward

And this drydock would be
In the next world war.

*

*

*

Narrator: as the second
World war began in europe,

mare island's u.S.S. Ward

Was soon recommissioned
And upgraded ready for battle.

Both the drydock and that ship
Would soon make history.

The pacific starts to be
A place of danger

For the u.S.,
And in order to ensure

That the united states
Can defend its pacific coast,

That the united states
Can defend its pacific coast,

It needs facilities to support
A navy on the pacific coast.

*

Narrator: in 1941,
As japanese forces

Prepared to attack
Pearl harbor,

u.S.S. Ward tracked down
a lone enemy vessel nearby.

*

u.S.S. Ward fired
the first shots

For the americans
In world war ii.

She saw a japanese submarine
In her sights

And seized the opportunity.

Nusbacher: and it's significant
That the first ship

Nusbacher: and it's significant
That the first ship

To cause japanese casualties

Is a ship that's built
On the california coast

In mare island's
Own facility.

*

In terms of u.S. History,
The attack on pearl harbor

Was one of the country's
Gravest moments,

But that first retaliation
by u.S.S. Ward

Would set the tone.

The americans were gonna come
Right back at the enemy.

The americans were gonna come
Right back at the enemy.

Narrator:
The second world war saw drydock
Number 1 come into its own.

Here, the ingenious design
Made light work

Of getting damaged ships
In and ready for repair.

Well, first we
Take this drydock,

We fill it with water through
The pumps at the far end.

Next, we bring it to the level
Of the strait out here.

Narrator: with the water
Now level either side,

And the pressure balanced,

This end gate called
A caisson can be moved out,

This end gate called
A caisson can be moved out,

Allowing the damaged ship in.

Next, the drydock is sealed
Back up and drained,

Leaving the ship
Ready to be worked on.

In order for the united states

To keep its navy
Fighting in the pacific theater,

It had to be able
To rebuild warships.

And american ships that had
Been chewed up

By the japanese navy needed
To be brought back to america

And refitted and sent back out
To fight the japanese again.

And refitted and sent back out
To fight the japanese again.

Narrator: this was all about
Efficiency in war.

Christensen: it was vital.

This dock probably was key
In being able

To keep the fleet
As operational as it was

For as long as it was
During the war.

*

Narrator:
Having now been invaluable
In two world wars,

This giant would next enlist
For the cold war,

And it's here that those cracked
Bottom steps came into play.

And it's here that those cracked
Bottom steps came into play.

Mare island adapted
From being a place

Where you would build
Or repair surface ships

Into a place where you
Would repair submarines

That would be shadowing
The soviet navy in the pacific.

*

Narrator: not part of
The original structure,

These steps and the long
Concrete section at the end

Were added in the late 1960s
To allow larger ships to dock.

Were added in the late 1960s
To allow larger ships to dock.

Scott:
So, those layers that you see
And those bottom few steps,

Those ones
That are now crumbling,

They were the tagged-on
Extension, so to speak.

*

Narrator: playing a vital role
In the cold war effort,

This site was finally deemed

Surplus to requirements
In 1993,

And from that moment,
While the granite stood strong,

And from that moment,
While the granite stood strong,

The lower levels
Began to suffer.

It's funny when you look
At the structure.

The most modern parts --
Those --

Those concrete step extensions,

They're the ones that are
In the worst state of repair.

*

Ultimately, this drydock
Had been a vital part

Of the defense of the west coast
For over a century.

Without this place,
The history books

Might tell
A very different story.

*

*

Narrator: in the so-called
Fire fields of italy

On the bay of naples

Is a site imbued
With the supernatural.

*

In the shadow of mount vesuvius,
Destroyer of pompeii,

A labyrinth of underground
Tunnels continues to mystify.

This tunnel entrance looks
Like something

Straight out of
"Lord of the rings".

Straight out of
"Lord of the rings".

It takes you deep
Under a mountain,

And it looks like
You're entering mordor.

Meigs: a location like this
Was surrounded

By a lot of myth and mystery.

Symbolically, it certainly seems
Like an entrance

To the underworld.

Narrator: evidence suggests
This tunnel complex

Was purposely filled in,

Its secrets left buried
For thousands of years.

Yet, investigations
Are unearthing clues

That this was some
Kind of ritual center.

That this was some
Kind of ritual center.

*

Barratt: there was a kind of
Feeling of showmanship.

This is not just an access
A to b tunnel.

This complex network of caverns
And tunnels was so extensive

That clearly some incredible
Engineering happened here.

*

Narrator:
This subterranean network
Is somehow connected

To a grand complex
Of ruins above.

To a grand complex
Of ruins above.

Meigs: it was meticulously built
With a massive amount

Of difficult engineering
Of tunnels and waterways,

Columns, frescos, mosaics.

Somara: above ground it looks
So palatial

That you couldn't help but
Wonder what this was for

Or who it was for.

Narrator:
This site is connected to some
Of the most famous names

In human history.

But why did they come here?

And what secrets are held
Beneath this mountain?

And what secrets are held
Beneath this mountain?

*

Descending under the sister
Volcano of mount vesuvius

Is a mesmerizing tunnel.

Purposely filled in,

The secrets contained
At the base of this mountain

Remained dormant
For thousands of years

Until a dramatic discovery
Was made in the 1960s,

As caver graziano ferrari
Explains.

As caver graziano ferrari
Explains.

[ beeps ]

*

In the 1960s, you've got
A big local n.A.T.O. Base,

And all sorts of people
Are working there,

Including a chap
Whose hobby was archaeology,

And he found this site.

And he found this site.

Narrator:
This amateur archaeologist
Was robert paget,

And he realized he'd stumbled
Onto something

Hugely significant.

Barratt:
He read up about it,

And then the next 10 years
Spent digging out these tunnels.

And in that 10 years

He came up with
The most incredible theories.

Narrator:
Paget was convinced this passage

Was part of an elaborate
Ceremonial site.

*

Today, explorers are once again
Delving into the mystery.

Could this be the site
Of the famed oracle of the dead?

*

Narrator: caver graziano ferrari
Is exploring

The age-old mystery
Of the oracle of the dead,

Descending
Into an elaborate tunnel

Equipped with analyzers

To monitor
Potentially lethal gases.

It looks ancient
And otherworldly,

And at times it's extremely
Narrow -- barely shoulder width.

And you have to descend
Down these ladders

With gas analyzers.

It's actually really
Frightening.

It's actually really
Frightening.

[ beeps ]
Barratt: someone's put

A lot of work into this.

There are niches for candles
As you go down.

Not just enough
To light the way,

But enough
To make a massive impact.

This is some serious
Illumination going on here.

Narrator: amateur archaeologist
Robert paget believed

The tunnels' design backed up
His theory

That it was more
Than simply functional,

But part of something
Ritualistic.

Barratt:
It's also not straightforward.

As you go down into this tunnel,
Very narrow,

As you go down into this tunnel,
Very narrow,

You have to turn your shoulders.

It doesn't actually lead you
Straight to where you're going.

It's curved.
It snakes around a little bit.

Narrator: as the tunnel takes on
A steeper gradient and curves,

There is a sense of
The theatrical in this journey.

The point of the journey
Is partly in this kind of curve,

In this showmanship.

And then it's getting
Hotter in there.

You can kind of feel
The volcanic activity.

You can feel that
This is getting into

The depths of the earth.

And the smell is kind of
Sulfurous, but exciting.

And the smell is kind of
Sulfurous, but exciting.

Narrator: but what was
The purpose of this journey?

And where does this tunnel lead?

The tunnel comes across this
Small underground stream.

It's really a hot spring.

But in the mythology,

Perhaps it was a representation
Of the famous river styx --

That the dead would have to be
Transported across

On their way to the underworld.

Narrator: this pool of hot water
Was once a flowing river,

Narrator: this pool of hot water
Was once a flowing river,

Believed by some to be
The river styx,

In greek mythology, the border
Between the world of the living

And the underworld
Known as hades.

Paget believed there might be
A landing stage

Where boats could pull up

To take people across
To the other side.

*

Narrator:
Above the pool, however,

Is a filled-in chamber,
Or hidden sanctuary.

This led paget to conclude
The whole design

Of this cavernous system

Was meant to mimic a visit
To the underworld.

*

He was convinced
He'd stumbled upon

The so-called
Oracle of the dead.

The so-called
Oracle of the dead.

In both the greek
And the roman eras,

People believed that in certain
Locations like this

There was a special type
Of a priestess,

An oracle who could
Tell your future.

Narrator: people would descend
To the sweltering depths

To hear prophecy

And have their future read
By this priestess.

Investigators believe they may
Have unlocked

Some of the mystery
Surrounding these oracles.

Today, there's a theory
That many of these oracles

Were actually in locations

Where, in fact, there were fumes
Coming out of the earth

Where, in fact, there were fumes
Coming out of the earth

That would lead any person
To begin to hallucinate

Or to have
Out-of-body experiences.

Barratt:
And the priestesses at the area
Kind of played on that,

And if they were using
The sulfurous fumes

And the sheer theater
Of the experience,

Then perhaps
I'd fall for it today

Just as people did
2,000 years ago.

Narrator: some of the tunnels
And cavernous rooms

Remain a mystery to this day.

Others, however, provide a clue
To the connection

Others, however, provide a clue
To the connection

With the ruin site above.

Narrator: for current
Investigator graziano,

The subterranean tunnels served
A purely functional purpose.

This was, in modern terms,

A steam room
And part of a wider complex

A steam room
And part of a wider complex

Designed to exploit
The geology of the region.

The whole complex was engineered
To let visitors take advantage

Of all this volcanic heat
And hot water.

There were steam rooms,
There were hot tubs,

There were also cold pools.

All of them connected,

All of them clearly part of some
Kind of health giving ritual.

*

Narrator: this is baia
Archaeological park,

Once a roman spa town.

Once a roman spa town.

*

But why did it gain
Such a notorious reputation?

And what triggered its demise?

*

Narrator:
In the bay of naples

Is a former roman spa town

That developed
Quite the reputation.

The whole complex was
A luxurious resort

For the roman elite.

You had beautiful mosaics
Along the walkways,

Frescos painted on the walls.

An enormous amount of work
And artistry

Went into building
This complex.

Went into building
This complex.

*

Narrator: chambers and tanks
Interconnected with tunnels

And underground steam channels
Complete with waterproof lining

Created a complex
Hydraulics system.

Domes, such as the temple
Of diana,

Which is older
Than the pantheon in rome,

Functioned as cold baths.

Other features include
Sunning rooms

And swimming pools
On the terraces

With dramatic views
Across the bay.

Somara: baia became notorious
For that hedonistic lifestyle.

Somara: baia became notorious
For that hedonistic lifestyle.

It really became an area
Of scandalous immorality.

We know from the records
That caesar and cicero

Frequently visited there.

I mean, it was a playground
For the rich and famous.

*

Narrator: so, how and why
Did this extraordinary

And famous resort
Meet its end?

Ultimately,
This site's abandonment

Brings us back to the land.

Barratt:
The reason this site is here

Barratt:
The reason this site is here

Is because of the thermal
Seismic activity.

That was a big part
Of its downfall.

Barratt:
One day it all went too far,

And parts of the resort
Started to slip underwater.

When that happened,
The writing was on the wall.

*

Narrator:
Today, this remarkable site
Is open to the public,

Narrator:
Today, this remarkable site
Is open to the public,

Yet remains largely
Unknown to tourists.

Meanwhile, investigators
Such as graziano

Continue to delve
Into the mysteries held

In this remarkable complex.

This is over 2,000 years old,
And yet you can imagine people

Coming here
For that luxury experience.

The joy of the archaeology here
Is immense,

And the stories behind it,

Well, they could have happened
Yesterday.

*

*

Narrator: in the gulf of nicoya,
Off costa rica's pacific coast,

Is what appears to be
An isolated paradise...

*

...An island encircled by
Palm trees and sandy beaches.

Bell: this island is full
Of natural life

And surrounded
By tropical waters.

At first glance, it looks like
Some kind of paradise,

But it hides a dark
And cruel history.

But it hides a dark
And cruel history.

*

Today, costa rica is a popular
Holiday destination

For americans.

This place, however, couldn't
Be further from that image.

It has a haunted
And desolate feel to it.

*

Narrator:
Approaching the island,

A rickety old pier
Leads into a maze of structures.

Roots and vines wrap themselves
Around ruined remains.

Plants and trees emerge
Out of roofless buildings.

Plants and trees emerge
Out of roofless buildings.

The walls of these structures
Are covered

In writing and graffiti,

But it's not your typical
Drawings and graffiti.

Bell:
These painting depict life

And tell stories of severe
Pain and anger.

On closer inspection, it appears
That some of these drawings

Have been written in blood.

*

Narrator: why is there blood
On the walls?

What darkness took hold
Of this apparent paradise?

What darkness took hold
Of this apparent paradise?

*

This island has been exploited
For centuries,

Going back to a time
When costa rica

Was part of the spanish empire.

Isla san lucas
Is an infamous island.

It's been used as a prison
For centuries,

Going right back to
The spanish conquistadors

Who used it
As a detention center

For local tribes
In the 16th century.

Narrator:
But remnants of metal bars
And thick security doors

Narrator:
But remnants of metal bars
And thick security doors

Suggest this site
Has more recently been utilized.

*

In 1871,
President tomás guardia

Created a constitution

For the newly independent nation
Of costa rica.

While he abolished
The death penalty,

He also chose this location
For a new penitentiary,

And being sent here
Was seen as virtually

A death sentence in itself.

*

*

This is isla san lucas prison.

This became a prison
For some of costa rica's

Most notorious criminals.

Thieves, murderers, hit men --
You name it, they were here.

*

Narrator: how did this prison
Gain such notoriety?

And did that lead
To its demise?

*

Narrator:
This costa rican site

Was not a place
For the faint-hearted.

Prisoners fought amongst
Themselves, not just with fists,

But with self-styled machetes,

As former inmate
Eloy solorzano recalls.

[ speaking spanish ]

Translator:
I was in a machete fight

With some prison inmates.

Thank god I'm alive
To tell this story.

Thank god I'm alive
To tell this story.

These things I experienced,

I hoped to god
Never to live again.

Atrocities
Were common place here,

And overcrowding was rife.

You had as many as 70 prisoners
Kept in a single cell.

Adolescents as young as
14 years old were incarcerated

And placed in this environment
Of disease and murder.

And to be sentenced here
Was considered

By many to be
A death sentence.

*

Narrator:
Inside the crumbling cells,

Narrator:
Inside the crumbling cells,

Graffiti covers every wall.

The art and graffiti
On the cell walls

Give a fascinating insight

To what the prisoners
Were going through.

They clearly depict
The life of suffering, pain,

Hatred, and loneliness, as well
As highly sexual content.

Narrator:
A horrific rumor had surfaced

Relating to the suspicious
Fading red color

Of certain parts
Of the graffiti.

Some were allegedly painted
With the blood of a nurse

Some were allegedly painted
With the blood of a nurse

Who was murdered
Inside the prison.

*

Narrator:
The notoriety of the prison

Wasn't just from
Those incarcerated.

The prison guards were infamous
In their own right.

They used torture to control
The inmates,

And one punishment
Was particularly barbaric.

[ speaking spanish ]

Translator: here in san lucas,
Before human rights came in,

Translator: here in san lucas,
Before human rights came in,

You, for any reason,
could be put in la plancha.

[ concludes in spanish ]

Bell: one common punishment
Was placing prisoners

In a dungeon full of raw sewage

And leaving them there
For days on end.

[ speaking spanish ]

Translator:
It was a penitence to be there.

There were bugs.

It was something subhuman.

I wouldn't wish this
For anybody.

I wouldn't wish this
For anybody.

*

Narrator: this cruel
And humiliating torture

Was meted out
By an infamous police squad

Based at the prison.

There was a police squad
Here called los cocobolos.

Now, if you were a prisoner,

These were guys you wanted
To keep on the right side of.

[ speaking spanish ]

Translator:
They were good at hitting us
With sticks.

That was the really bad part.

You tried to get along with them
To have a better coexistence.

You tried to get along with them
To have a better coexistence.

*

Narrator:
Little wonder that escape

Was never far from
The minds of inmates.

Translator:
Some inmates would throw
Themselves into the water

Trying to escape.

*

Narrator:
But was the island escapable,

And would the prison's brutality
Lead to its own destruction?

*

To escape from here
Was no easy feat.

To escape from here
Was no easy feat.

Even if you could get out of
The complex and to the water,

You were gonna find sharks
And a long, dangerous swim.

Isolated on this
Tropical island,

They'd never have
Stood a chance.

*

Narrator: many didn't even
Make it to the water.

[ speaking spanish ]

Translator: and from
Where they were caught

Within the perimeter
Of the island,

They were brought
To the dungeons,

Hitting them without stopping.

*

*

Narrator:
But was this brutal retribution

About to go too far?

Translator: here on this island
There are bodies buried,

And no one knows
Who killed that person.

[ continues in spanish ]

However, there are prisoners
Buried here,

And their bodies never
Appeared drowned or anything.

*

Narrator:
Cruel and intentional torture,

Narrator:
Cruel and intentional torture,

Bodies disappearing
Without a trace.

Were these brutal actions
About to come back

And haunt the authorities?

Translator: a lot of people
Were saying

That san lucas was shut
Because of inhumane treatment.

This is not necessarily true.

*

Narrator:
Some claim the island was set

To be turned into
A tourist resort,

Complete with hotels, casinos,
And an airstrip.

This plan has never
Materialized,

This plan has never
Materialized,

But the prison
Has been abandoned,

And the future
For isla san lucas

Looks altogether brighter.

*

Today, the island is part of
The national wildlife preserve,

With tourists
Visiting the island daily,

Enjoying both
The ruins and nature.

*

And now it feels much more
Like the costa rica

That holiday makers have come
To know and love.

That holiday makers have come
To know and love.

*