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[WIND BLOWING]

NARRATOR: THERE IS A PARADOX
AT THE HEART OF CIVILIZATION.

TO BE CIVILIZED
IS TO BE CULTURED, ENLIGHTENED.

BUT ENLIGHTENMENT
COMES AT A PRICE.

THE COST OF CIVILIZATION
IS WAR.

[MEN YELLING]

JEFF: THESE PEOPLE, THEY WERE
ON A ONE-WAY PATH TO WARFARE.

MARK: WE HAVE EVIDENCE
OF RAIDING, WARFARE, VIOLENCE.

PETER: WAR IS NOT SIMPLY
AN UNFORTUNATE BYPRODUCT.

IT'S THE DRIVING FORCE
IN THE DEVELOPMENT
OF CIVILIZATION.

NARRATOR: WHY IS CONFLICT
SUCH A POWERFUL AGENT OF CHANGE?

HOW DOES GOOD COME FROM BAD?

FOR 99% OF OUR TIME ON EARTH,

HUMANS HAD NO ARMIES
OR GENERALS.

BUT THEN WE SETTLED DOWN,
GREW FOOD,

WORSHIPPED GODS,
WROTE STORIES, SOLD GOODS,

BUILT CITIES...

AND WAGED WAR.

THIS IS THE STORY
OF THAT TRANSITION,

STEPPING STONES ON THE ROAD
TO CIVILIZATION.

IT'S A STORY SET ACROSS
THE GLOBE, IN THE MIDDLE EAST,

CENTRAL AMERICA,
SOUTHERN ASIA...

ALL SEABEDS OF CIVILIZATION.

HERE OUR ANCESTORS
SHAPED THE IDEAS

BY WHICH WE STILL
LIVE OUR LIVES.

THIS IS WHERE
THE MODERN WORLD BEGAN.

NARRATOR: MESOAMERICA,

STRETCHING FROM NICARAGUA
TO MEXICO,

ONE OF THE CRADLES
OF CIVILIZATION.

BUT NOWHERE WAS CIVILIZATION
BORN WITH SO MUCH BLOOD.

[THUNDER]

THE RAINFORESTS OF GUATEMALA.

HERE IN 2010,
ARCHAEOLOGIST TOM GARRISON

MADE THE DISCOVERY OF HIS LIFE.

TOM: WHEN YOU
GET INTO ARCHAEOLOGY,

YOU DREAM ABOUT HAVING ONE OF
THOSE KING TUTANKHAMEN MOMENTS,

AND FOR ME, THIS WAS IT.

NARRATOR: WHILE EXPLORING
THE RUINS OF A TEMPLE,

GARRISON AND HIS TEAM
UNCOVERED A DAZZLING ARRAY

OF ANCIENT MESOAMERICAN ART.

THEY THEN STARTED DIGGING DEEPER
TO SEE WHAT LAY BENEATH.

TOM: IT WAS THE TAIL END

OF A VERY PRODUCTIVE SEASON
FOR US.

AND WE REALLY STARTED TO WONDER
WHAT WAS THIS TEMPLE ALL ABOUT.

SO WE DECIDED TO EXCAVATE DOWN
RIGHT ON THIS SPOT.

WE EXCAVATED DOWN
FOR ABOUT A METER AND A HALF,

AND THEN THE GROUND GAVE WAY

INTO AN OPEN VOID.

AND THE FIRST SENSE THAT WE GET
IS THIS WAFT, THIS SMELL.

IT SMELLED LIKE DEATH.

NARRATOR: THEY HAD DISCOVERED
A HIDDEN CHAMBER

THAT HAD BEEN SEALED SHUT
FOR 1,600 YEARS.

TOM: WE SHINED A LIGHT
DOWN INTO THE HOLE,

AND WE START SEEING
MARVELOUS THINGS:

TEXTILES,
CERAMIC VESSELS, JADE,

ALL OF THESE WONDERFUL OBJECTS,

AND WE KNEW THAT WE HAD FOUND
A ROYAL TOMB.

NARRATOR: IT WAS THE LAST
RESTING PLACE OF A KING.

HE HAD BEEN LAID OUT
AND BURIED IN SPLENDOR...

HIS TOMB DECORATED WITH
THE FINEST ARTIFACTS.

BUT ALONGSIDE HIS BODY
WERE CERAMIC ORNAMENTS

CONTAINING A SHOCKING SECRET.

TOM: THERE WAS A LINE
OF CERAMIC VESSELS

THAT RAN THE LENGTH
OF THE CHAMBER.

AS WE REMOVED THE LID
FROM THE FIRST ONE...

WE SEE BURNED BONE,

AND AS WE LOOK CLOSER,

IT'S LITTLE RIBS
AND LITTLE TEETH
THAT WE'RE SEEING.

AND WE REALIZED THESE ARE
THE UNMISTAKABLE REMAINS

OF A HUMAN CHILD.

IT TURNS OUT
THERE ARE 6 CHILDREN

THAT HAVE BEEN SACRIFICED
AS AN OFFERING TO THIS KING.

TWO OF THE CHILDREN
HAD CLEARLY BEEN DECAPITATED.

THIS WAS A SHOCKINGLY GRUESOME
DISCOVERY.

NARRATOR: SINCE UNEARTHING
THIS SCENE OF DEPRAVITY,

GARRISON HAS BEEN EXPLORING
THE SURROUNDING JUNGLE.

HIDDEN AMONG
THE ROOTS AND VINES,

HE'S FOUND A HUGE
DEFENSIVE STRUCTURE.

WE CAME UPON THIS MASSIVE
DITCH AND RAMPART SYSTEM
ABOUT TWO DAYS AGO.

IT'S PROBABLY THE LARGEST SUCH
FEATURE THAT WE'VE EVER SEEN.

THIS IS A 9-METER-HIGH RAMPART.

IT'S A SERIOUS PIECE
OF MILITARY ENGINEERING.

IT REMINDS ME OF THE WAY
THAT ONE MIGHT FORTIFY
A MEDIEVAL CASTLE.

IT'S AS IF THE LOWLANDS
ARE LOCKED

IN THIS ENDLESS CYCLE
OF VIOLENCE AND SACRIFICE.

CONFLICT IS ENDEMIC.

NARRATOR: WAR HAS ALWAYS BEEN
THE BEDFELLOW OF CIVILIZATION.

BUT HOW AND WHY DOES ONE LEAD
TO THE OTHER?

THE FIRST SEEDS OF CIVILIZATION
IN MESOAMERICA

WERE SOWN IN THE OAXACA VALLEY
OF SOUTHERN MEXICO.

ARCHAEOLOGIST JEFF ROSE
HAS COME TO WHERE IT ALL BEGAN:

THE CAVE OF GUILAÁ NAQUITZ.

HERE, 6,000 YEARS AGO,

PEOPLE MADE THE TRANSITION
FROM HUNTING AND GATHERING

TO FARMING.

THEY STOPPED FORAGING
FOR WILD FOOD

AND STARTED GROWING
DOMESTICATED CROPS.

JEFF: ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT
FOODS FROM THIS VALLEY IS THIS.

SO THIS IS CALLED TEOSINTE.

NOW, TEOSINTE IS A WILD GRASS.

IT'S NOT VERY BIG,

BUT IT'S GOT THESE KERNELS THAT
ARE LOADED WITH CARBOHYDRATES,

WITH FIBER, WITH PROTEINS.

IT'S INCREDIBLY NUTRITIOUS.

HOWEVER, WHAT THE ARCHAEOLOGISTS
DIGGING IN THIS CAVE FOUND

WASN'T PURE WILD TEOSINTE.

IT HAD SLIGHTLY BIGGER KERNELS
THAT HELD ONTO THE COB
A LITTLE BIT BETTER,

AND WHAT THIS TELLS US IS
THE PROCESS OF DOMESTICATION
HAD BEGUN.

NOW, WITH DOMESTICATION
YOU CHOOSE CERTAIN PLANTS,

CERTAIN ANIMALS
WITH DESIRABLE TRAITS,

SO IN THIS CASE,
THEY WANTED BIGGER KERNELS,

THEY WANTED MORE FOOD
OUT OF IT.

AND THIS PROCESS TOOK
THOUSANDS OF YEARS,

BUT EVENTUALLY YOU END UP
WITH GIANT CORN ON THE COB.

THIS IS THE SAME PROCESS
THE WORLD OVER

IN EVERY EARLY CIVILIZATION.

IN MESOPOTAMIA, IT'S CEREAL
GRAINS LIKE WHEAT AND BARLEY
AND RYE.

IN THE NILE VALLEY,
IT'S SORGHUM AND MILLET.

AND THEY ALL DO THE SAME THING.

THEY ALL PROVIDE ENOUGH
EASY FOOD

TO FUEL THE ENTIRE CIVILIZATION.

NARRATOR: BUT WITH DOMESTICATION
COMES A NEW RELATIONSHIP
TO THE LAND.

JEFF: ONCE PEOPLE HERE
STARTED GROWING CROPS,

THERE'S NO GOING BACK.

I MEAN, THIS WAS
A ONE-WAY TICKET FORWARD.

THEY COULD NO LONGER BE
THESE FREE NOMADS

WANDERING THE LANDSCAPE
LOOKING FOR FOOD.

THEY HAVE TO SOW THE CROPS,
THEY HAVE TO HARVEST THE CROPS,

STORE THEM AWAY
FOR THE SEASON.

SO THEY ARE NOW
TIED TO THE LAND,

TIED TO THIS PLACE.

THIS BECOMES THEIR LAND.
THEY OWN IT.

NARRATOR: GOOD FARMLAND
IS ALWAYS AT A PREMIUM

AND NEEDS TO BE DEFENDED
AT ANY COST.

THIS WAS TRUE
THROUGHOUT THE ANCIENT WORLD,

BUT HERE IN OAXACA,

THE EFFECTS WERE EXAGGERATED
BY GEOGRAPHY.

JEFF: WOW!

THIS IS INCREDIBLE.

LOOKING DOWN HERE,
THERE'S NO WONDER

THIS WAS THE BIRTHPLACE
OF AGRICULTURE IN MESOAMERICA.

I MEAN,
THIS GREEN, LUSH VALLEY

FILLED WITH RIVERS
RUNNING THROUGH IT.

BUT ON THE OTHER HAND,
IT'S HEMMED IN ON BOTH SIDES

BY THESE STEEP MOUNTAINS.

AS THESE POPULATIONS
ARE GROWING

AND THEY'RE DEVELOPING
SETTLEMENTS ALONG THESE RIVERS

AND ADOPTING
THIS NEW FARMING WAY OF LIFE,

SUDDENLY REAL ESTATE
IS A BIG ISSUE

BECAUSE SPACE IS LIMITED.

SO THIS POSES A MAJOR PROBLEM.

WHAT HAPPENS IF ONE YEAR
YOU HAVE CROP FAILURE?

WELL, YOUR WHOLE VILLAGE
IS GONNA STARVE.

ONE WAY OF GETTING AROUND THIS

IS BY GOING OVER
TO YOUR NEIGHBOR'S VILLAGE

AND RAIDING THEM
AND TAKING THEIR LAND.

AND THIS TREND TOWARD CONFLICT
DOESN'T JUST HAPPEN HERE
IN MESOAMERICA,

BUT THIS IS SOMETHING
THAT GOES HAND IN HAND

WITH THE SHIFT TO AGRICULTURE
ALL OVER THE WORLD.

THIS IS A UNIVERSAL PHENOMENON.

NARRATOR: FARMING CREATES
A WORLD OF HAVES AND HAVE-NOTS.

THE RESOURCES OF SOME
BECOME A TARGET FOR OTHERS.

JEFF: YOU REALLY GET A SENSE
FROM UP HERE

THAT OAXACA ISN'T JUST
A SINGLE VALLEY;

IT'S ACTUALLY 3 VALLEYS
SHAPED LIKE A "Y"

THAT MEET IN THE MIDDLE.

SO THIS MEANS POTENTIALLY
THERE'S NOT JUST RAIDING
BETWEEN VILLAGES,

BUT THERE'S THE POSSIBILITY
OF CONFLICT BETWEEN VALLEYS.

SO IT'S ALMOST LIKE
THE GEOGRAPHY OF THIS AREA

SET THESE PEOPLE ON
A ONE-WAY PATH TO WARFARE.

[YELLING]

AAH!

[SCREAMING AND YELLING]

[SIREN]

NARRATOR: PETER TURCHIN
IS AN EVOLUTIONARY SCIENTIST

WITH A DIFFERENCE.

HE APPLIES THE THEORY
OF EVOLUTION TO THE STUDY
OF HUMAN CULTURE

AND BELIEVES THE VIOLENT
BEGINNINGS OF CIVILIZATION
IN MESOAMERICA

ARE ECHOED ACROSS THE WORLD
AND THROUGHOUT TIME.

PETER: THINK ABOUT THE ROMANS,
IMPERIAL CHINA--

ALL GREAT CIVILIZATIONS

AND ALL ALL LEFT MOUNTAINS
OF DEAD BODIES BEHIND THEM.

IT'S NOT AN ACCIDENT.

WAR AND CIVILIZATION
ARE INTERTWINED.

WAR IS NOT SIMPLY
AN UNFORTUNATE BYPRODUCT;

IT'S THE DRIVING FORCE
IN THE DEVELOPMENT
OF CIVILIZATION.

I CALL THIS FORCE
DESTRUCTIVE CREATION.

THE HINDUS GOT IT RIGHT.

THE GOD SHIVA IS BOTH
A DESTROYER AND A CREATOR.

THAT'S DESTRUCTIVE CREATION.

NARRATOR: FOR TURCHIN,
CIVILIZATION IS A STRUGGLE
FOR EXISTENCE.

SOCIETIES THAT FLOURISH
ARE THOSE THAT COME OUT ON TOP

IN THE THEATER OF WAR.

WHEN YOU LOOK BACK AT HISTORY,

ALMOST ANY KIND OF SITUATION
THAT INVOLVES COMPETITION

LEAD TO CONFLICT.

IF YOU SETTLED DOWN
IN A FARMING VILLAGE,

YOU MUST BE PREPARED
TO DEFEND YOURSELVES.

WINNING OR LOSING DEPENDS ON
WHO CAN BRING THE MOST WARRIORS

TO THE BATTLEFIELD.

[MEN YELLING
IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE]

NARRATOR:
BUT THE WAGING OF WAR

REQUIRES US TO PUT ASIDE OUR
INSTINCT FOR SELF-PRESERVATION

AND THINK ABOUT WHAT'S BEST
FOR THE GROUP.

MAINSTREAM
EVOLUTIONARY THEORY

SUGGESTS THAT
WE ALL SHOULD BE SELFISH.

WE HAVE BEEN PROGRAMMED
TO LOOK OUT FOR NUMBER ONE.

AND FROM THIS SELFISH
POINT OF VIEW,

WAR DOES NOT MAKE ANY SENSE.

YOU ARE MUCH BETTER OFF
SKIPPING THE BATTLE

BECAUSE GETTING KILLED
MEANS YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE

TO PASS ON YOUR GENES
TO THE FUTURE.

PETER: SO THE CHALLENGE
FOR THE VILLAGE

IS TO PERSUADE
ITS POTENTIAL WARRIORS

TO FORSAKE
THEIR INDIVIDUAL INTERESTS

FOR THE GOOD OF THE GROUP.

ALL OF THEM MUST COOPERATE
AND JOIN THE FIGHT.

[YELLS]

PETER: FOR SURE
SOME OF THEM WILL DIE,

BUT THEIR SACRIFICE WILL MEAN
THE SURVIVAL OF THEIR VILLAGE,

THEIR WAY OF LIFE,
THEIR CULTURE.

NARRATOR: ACCORDING
TO TURCHIN'S THEORY,

NOTHING BINDS A GROUP TOGETHER
MORE STRONGLY

THAN THE CYCLE OF VIOLENCE.

[YELLING AND SCREAMING]

JEFF: THERE'S ALMOST
THIS SNOWBALL EFFECT.

AS FARMSTEADS BAND TOGETHER
TO PROTECT THEMSELVES

FROM OTHER FARMSTEADS NEXT DOOR
RAIDING EACH OTHER.

SO A FARMSTEAD TURNS INTO
A HAMLET, TURNS INTO A VILLAGE,

AND BEFORE YOU KNOW IT,
YOU'VE GOT FORTIFIED TOWNS

HAVING TO PROTECT THEMSELVES
FROM THEIR MARAUDING NEIGHBORS.

NARRATOR: THE OAXACA VALLEY
HAS 3 RIVAL BRANCHES

ARRANGED IN A "Y" SHAPE.

3,000 YEARS AGO,
ALL 3 WERE INHABITED,

BUT ONE SETTLEMENT
IN THE NORTH OF THE VALLEY

CAME TO DOMINATE.

SAN JOSEÉ MOGOTE.

FORTIFIED TOWNS ARE EASIER
TO DEFEND THAN VILLAGES

AND BETTER AT WAGING WAR.

YUKI: [SPEAKING SPANISH]

TRANSLATOR FOR YUKI:
AROUND 700 B.C.,

THERE WERE 4,000 PEOPLE
LIVING IN OAXACA VALLEY.

UP TO 1,000 OF THEM
WERE IN SAN JOSEÉ MOGOTE,

WHICH WAS THE MOST IMPORTANT
PLACE IN THE VALLEY.

THERE WERE PUBLIC BUILDINGS
IN THE CENTER OF THE SETTLEMENT

WITH ELITE FAMILY HOUSES
AND SIMPLER HOMES FURTHER AWAY.

THERE WERE
20 SATELLITE SETTLEMENTS

UNDER THE PROTECTION OF
SAN JOSE MOGOTE,

PROVIDING A WORKFORCE FOR
AGRICULTURE AND CONSTRUCTION.

NARRATOR:
ARCHAEOLOGIST YUKI HUEDA
HAS EXCAVATED THE SITE

AND THINKS THIS WAS
A COMMUNITY BENT ON DOMINATION.

TRANSLATOR FOR YUKI:
IN THIS CORRIDOR

FORMED BETWEEN
TWO PUBLIC BUILDINGS,

WE FOUND A CARVED STONE
KNOWN AS MONUMENT 3.

NARRATOR: THIS MONUMENT
FORMED A STEP

AT THE ENTRANCE
TO THE PASSAGE.

HUEDA BELIEVES
IT CONVEYED A WARNING:

THE WARRIORS OF SAN JOSEÉ MOGOTE
WOULD SHOW NO MERCY.

TRANSLATOR FOR YUKI: MONUMENT 3
SHOWS A MAN WITH HIS EYES SHUT.

IN THE CENTER OF HIS CHEST IS
A CIRCULAR SYMBOL WITH 3 LOAVES,

WHICH REPRESENTS HIS HEART,

AND THERE IS ALL THIS BLOOD,
WHICH IS GUSHING OUT.

IT IS VERY LIKELY THAT
THIS CHARACTER WAS A PRISONER,

A CHIEFTAIN
FROM ANOTHER VILLAGE,

AND THAT HE WAS SACRIFICED.

[CROWD CHEERING]

TRANSLATOR FOR YUKI:
THE MONUMENT WAS PLACED
IN THE CORRIDOR

SO ANYBODY WHO PASSED THROUGH
WOULD LITERALLY WALK OVER
THE PRISONER.

IT REPRESENTED THE POWER
OF SAN JOSEÉ MOGOTE.

BETWEEN HIS FEET
THERE ARE TWO SYMBOLS
REPRESENTING HIS NAME:

ONE EARTHQUAKE.

NARRATOR: THE SYMBOLS ARE
2 1/2 THOUSAND YEARS OLD,

SOME OF THE OLDEST WRITING
DISCOVERED ANYWHERE
IN THE AMERICAS.

HERE RECORDED HISTORY
BEGAN WITH AN ACT OF WAR.

IT'S THE SAME
THROUGHOUT THE WORLD.

TALES OF WAR AND CONQUEST

FILL THE TEXTS OF
THE FIRST CIVILIZATIONS

IN THE NEAR EAST,

ANCIENT EGYPT,

CHINA.

HISTORY IS WRITTEN
BY THE VICTORS.

TO THEM GO THE SPOILS OF WAR.

HISTORIANS OFTEN ASK,

WHEN WAS THE MOST VIOLENT TIME
IN HUMAN HISTORY?

THE 20th CENTURY
WITH ITS TWO WORLD WARS?

OR PERHAPS THE MIDDLE AGES
WITH THE CRUSADES
AND MONGOL CONQUESTS.

PETER TURCHIN WANTS TO SETTLE
THE DEBATE ONCE AND FOR ALL.

HE'S PUT TOGETHER
A NETWORK OF EXPERTS

TO COLLECT AND ANALYZE CENTURIES
OF ARCHAEOLOGICAL KNOWLEDGE.

PETER: WE ARE BUILDING
A GLOBAL DATA BANK

THAT WE CAN SEARCH
THROUGH TIME AND GEOGRAPHY.

THE GOAL IS TO TEST THEORIES

ABOUT THE DEVELOPMENT
OF CIVILIZATIONS.

WE HAVE COLLECTED DATA
ON ALL KINDS OF INDICATORS,

FROM THE RISE OF FORTIFICATIONS

TO TRAUMA ON ANCIENT BONES.

AND THE EVIDENCE SUGGESTS
THAT THE MOST VIOLENT PERIOD
IN HUMAN HISTORY

WAS ONCE PEOPLE
HAVE SETTLED DOWN TO FARM.

IT WAS A KIND OF WAR
OF ALL AGAINST ALL

AND IDEAL CONDITIONS
FOR DESTRUCTIVE CREATION.

TURCHIN'S ARGUMENT
IS THAT ALL OVER THE WORLD,

THE ONSET OF AGRICULTURE

AND THE EMERGENCE OF
VILLAGE LIFE BROUGHT VIOLENCE.

BUT THE PRIZE...

WAS CIVILIZATION ITSELF.

THAT'S THE LOGIC
OF DESTRUCTIVE CREATION.

[CHEERING]

IN OAXACA, CIVILIZATION ARRIVED
2 1/2 THOUSAND YEARS AGO

WITH THE FOUNDING
OF A NEW CITY...

ONE OF THE FIRST CITIES
IN MESOAMERICA.

MONTE ALBAÁN.

ARCHAEOLOGIST MARK LEVINE
WANTS TO UNDERSTAND HOW AND WHY

THIS CITY EMERGED
NOT ON THE FLOOR OF THE VALLEY,

BUT AT THE HIGHEST POINT
ON TOP OF THE HILLS.

MARK: MONTE ALBAÁN
IS THIS ENIGMATIC SITE.

WE STILL HAVE
SO MANY QUESTIONS ABOUT IT,

PARTICULARLY ABOUT ITS ORIGIN.

NICOLE: HIS TEAM IS USING
AN ARRAY OF SENSING TECHNIQUES

ON THE COMPLEX.

THIS IS A VIRTUAL EXCAVATION,

EXPLORING THE FOUNDATIONS
OF THE SITE

WITHOUT BREAKING GROUND.

MARK: THE GEOPHYSICAL
PERSPECTION THAT WE HAVE TODAY

ALLOWS US
TO LOOK BENEATH THE GROUND

AND REALLY TARGET FEATURES
AND AREAS

THAT WE THINK ARE INTERESTING

RATHER THAN OPENING UP
REALLY BROAD AREAS.

IT'S AKIN TO DOING
KEYHOLE SURGERY

AS OPPOSED TO TEARING OPEN
THE RIBCAGE.

NARRATOR: LEVINE'S TEAM
HAS DISCOVERED A LARGE
SUBTERRANEAN STRUCTURE

UNDER THE MAIN PLAZA
AS OLD AS THE CITY ITSELF.

MARK: WHAT WE KNOW IS THAT
THERE WASN'T ANY SETTLEMENT

UP HERE ON THE TOP
OF MONTE ALBAÁN

PRIOR TO 500 B.C.

WE KNOW THERE WAS BEDROCK
ON TOP OF THIS MOUNTAIN,

AND THAT IT WAS UNEVEN,

AND THEN IN SOME AREAS,
THEY CUT THE BEDROCK

TO MAKE THE STONES
TO MAKE THE BUILDINGS

THAT YOU SEE AROUND YOU,

AND IN OTHER PLACES, THEY WOULD
HAVE HAD TO FILL IN LOW AREAS.

THAT EARTH WOULD HAVE BEEN
BROUGHT BASKET BY BASKET
BY PEOPLE

BECAUSE THERE WERE
NO BEASTS OF BURDEN HERE.

PEOPLE BORE THE BURDEN.

WE NO LONGER THINK
THAT THERE WERE DESPOTIC RULERS

WHO WERE, YOU KNOW,
WHIPPING COMMONERS

AND MAKING THEM BUILD
THESE PYRAMIDS.

WE NOW UNDERSTAND
THAT THESE WOULD HAVE
HAD TO BE COLLABORATIONS

AND THAT COMMONERS AND ELITES
MUST HAVE WORKED TOGETHER.

NOT ONLY WOULD IT BE
MEN CARRYING EARTH
AND CUTTING STONES,

BUT WE WOULD HAVE HAD
ARCHITECTS INVOLVED AS WELL.

IT MUST HAVE BEEN
A MASSIVE EFFORT.

NARRATOR: BUT WHY DID
THE ANCIENT PEOPLE OF OAXACA

TAKE ON SUCH AN ENDEAVOR?

ABANDONING THEIR VILLAGES
TO BUILD A CITY UP HIGH,

AWAY FROM FARMLAND AND WATER?

MARK:
AT THE TOP OF MONTE ALBAÁN,

YOU CAN SEE
THE ENTIRE VALLEY BELOW.

IN FACT, YOU CAN SEE
ALL THE 3 SUB VALLEYS

360 DEGREES AROUND.

PRIOR TO MONTE ALBAÁN'S FINDING,

WE HAVE EVIDENCE OF RAIDING,
WARFARE, VIOLENCE,

SO WE THINK THAT THE PEOPLE
THAT CAME AND EVENTUALLY FOUNDED
MONTE ALBAÁN

MUST HAVE HAD DEFENSE IN MIND.

MILITARILY THEY WOULD HAVE HAD
A GREAT ADVANTAGE

OVER ANYBODY ELSE
IN THE VALLEY.

NARRATOR:
THE PEOPLE OF OAXACA

HAD TURNED THEIR NEW HOME
INTO A CITADEL.

MONTE ALBAÁN BECAME THE DOMINANT
CITY STATE IN THE VALLEY,

THE FIRST SOCIETY
IN MESOAMERICA

TO BECOME
A FULLY FLEDGED CIVILIZATION.

MARK: AFTER THE INITIAL FOUNDING
OF MONTE ALBAÁN,

THIS CAPITAL GROWS
TO BECOME SOMETHING SPECIAL.

IT'S AN URBAN CENTER WITH RULERS
AND NOBLES AND COMMONERS.

IT'S REALLY SOMETHING
THAT IS OF A DIFFERENT TYPE

THAN THE POLITICAL ORGANIZATION
THAT PRECEDED IT.

IT BECOMES ONE OF THE FIRST
STATE-LEVEL SOCIETIES
IN MESOAMERICA.

AND IT'S ONE THAT WE REFER TO
AS ZAPOTEC CIVILIZATION.

AND THERE IS A DIRECT CONNECTION
WITH PEOPLE TODAY

IN THE VALLEY OF OAXACA

WITH THIS IMPORTANT
ANCESTRAL CAPITAL.

NARRATOR: INDIGENOUS PEOPLES
OF THE REGION

ARE STILL KNOWN AS ZAPOTECS,

DESCENDANTS OF THE ANCIENT
INHABITANTS OF MONTE ALBAÁN.

BUT THE ZAPOTEC CITADEL WAS MORE
THAN A DEFENSIVE FORTRESS.

ITS WARRIORS WEREN'T CONTENT
TO STAY BEHIND CITY WALLS.

A MONUMENT IN THE CENTRAL PLAZA
SUGGESTS THIS NEW CIVILIZATION

WAS EXPERT
IN THE ART OF CONQUEST.

PATRICIA: [SPEAKING SPANISH]

TRANSLATOR FOR PATRICIA:
THIS MONUMENT CORRESPONDS

TO THE EXPANSION
OF MONTE ALBAÁN.

SEE THESE SLABS?
THEY ARE COVERING THE WALLS.

THEY CONTAIN 3 ELEMENTS:

THE ZAPOTEC SYMBOL,
MEANING PLACE;

ABOVE IT, ANOTHER SYMBOL
FOR THE NAME OF THE PLACE;

AND BELOW IT,
AN UPSIDE DOWN HEAD

WITH ITS EYES SHUT.

THIS IS PROBABLY
THE CHIEF OF THE PLACE

THAT WAS CONQUERED.

NARRATOR: EACH OF THE SLABS
BEARING THESE SYMBOLS

SEEMS TO RELATE TO A PLACE
CONQUERED BY MONTE ALBAÁN.

A CELEBRATION
OF ZAPOTEC DOMINANCE.

BUT THE SPREAD
OF ANY CIVILIZATION

IS ABOUT MORE
THAN MILITARY MIGHT.

CONQUEST BRINGS WITH IT
NEW WAYS, NEW IDEAS,

A NEW CULTURE.

ALEX BADILLO IS SCOURING
THE OAXACA VALLEY,

TRACKING THE SPREAD
OF ZAPOTEC CIVILIZATION.

ALEX: HERE IN THE SOUTHERN
MOUNTAINS OF OAXACA,

ARCHAEOLOGICALLY WE JUST
DON'T HAVE A LOT OF DATA,

AND THE QUESTION IS, YOU KNOW,

HOW CAN WE TELL THE STORY
ABOUT MONTE ALBAÁN

AND THE RISE AND GROWTH
OF CIVILIZATIONS

WITHOUT KNOWING MORE ABOUT

THE PEOPLE THAT MAY HAVE
COME IN CONTACT WITH THEM?

NARRATOR:
WORKING IN WILD TERRAIN
50 MILES FROM MONTE ALBAÁN,

BADILLO BEGINS EACH EXPEDITION
WITH A RECONNAISSANCE FLIGHT.

ALEX:
EVERY TIME I COME OUT HERE,

I SEE SO MANY UNEXPLORED
ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITES.

IT'S JUST AMAZING HOW MUCH
MATERIAL IS OUT HERE TO STUDY.

LIKE, FOR INSTANCE, RIGHT HERE,
YOU CAN SEE A TERRACE,

THE TERRACE JUST KIND
OF LOOKS LIKE A STAIRSTEP
RIGHT IN THE SIDE OF A MOUNTAIN.

TERRACES ARE STRUCTURES
THAT ARE MADE BY PEOPLE
IN THE PAST.

DEFINITELY SOMETHING WE WANT
TO TAKE A CLOSER LOOK AT.

NARRATOR: SO FAR, BADILLO HAS
FOUND 91 NEW SITES TO EXPLORE.

MOST HAVE TURNED UP EVIDENCE
OF ZAPOTEC CULTURE.

ALEX: ALL OVER THESE MOUNTAINS,

WE FIND CERAMICS,
SERVING VESSELS SOMETIMES,

RITUAL VESSELS.

THESE FEATURES RIGHT IN HERE,
THESE BEAUTIFUL DESIGNS,

CAN ALLOW US TO LINK THIS PLACE
TO MONTE ALBAÁN

BASED ON CERAMIC SIMILARITIES.

WE REALLY WOULDN'T EXPECT
TO FIND IT HERE

WHERE WE ARE IN THE MOUNTAINS.

WE'RE UP IN KIND OF
THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE,

BUT THE PEOPLE HERE
WERE PRODUCING THESE CERAMICS

OR AT LEAST BRINGING
THE CERAMICS IN,

WHICH JUST SHOWS THAT
THEY WERE INTERACTING

WITH PEOPLE IN MONTE ALBAÁN,

THAT THERE WAS
A CONNECTION THERE.

NARRATOR: BADILLO'S RESEARCH
SHOWS HOW CIVILIZATION

IS REINFORCED BY SOFT POWER.

AROUND THE ANCIENT WORLD,
IT WAS ALWAYS THIS WAY.

CULTURE, TRADE, IDEAS.

THESE CAN BE AS EFFECTIVE
AS ANY ARMY.

ALONGSIDE THE POTTERY
IN THE HILLS OF OAXACA,

BADILLO HAS FOUND MORE EVIDENCE
FOR THE SPREAD OF
ZAPOTEC CULTURE.

ALEX: ONE TIME WHEN I WAS
OUT LOOKING AND EXPLORING
ONE OF THE SITES,

THE LOCALS IN TOWN HAD TOLD US
ABOUT THESE ROCK CARVINGS
TO CHECK OUT.

AND SO OF COURSE WE CHECK OUT
THE ROCK CARVINGS,

AND WE SEE A SHAPE
THAT KIND OF LOOKS LIKE THIS.

THIS LOOKS JUST LIKE
A CAPITAL "I" FROM ABOVE, RIGHT?

AND IT'S
A VERY DISTINCTIVE FEATURE

THAT SCREAMED TO ME,
"THIS IS ZAPOTEC CIVILIZATION."

BECAUSE TO ME,

THIS LOOKS JUST LIKE
THE BALL COURT AT MONTE ALBAÁN.

NARRATOR: BADILLO BELIEVES
THE BALL COURT

WAS USED
AS A BRAND BY THE ZAPOTECS--

LIKE THE ROMAN AMPHITHEATER,

AN ICONIC SYMBOL
OF THEIR CIVILIZATION

AND POWER.

THE COURTS WERE BUILT FOR A GAME
CENTRAL TO ZAPOTEC CULTURE.

PATRICIA: [SPEAKING SPANISH]

TRANSLATOR FOR PATRICIA:
WE DON'T KNOW EXACTLY
WHAT THE RULES WERE,

BUT WE KNOW THERE WERE
TWO OPPOSING TEAMS.

THEY PLAYED WITH
THEIR ELBOWS, HIPS, OR FEET

TO GET THE BALL
FROM ONE END OF THE COURT

TO THE OTHER.

NARRATOR: A VERSION
OF THE BALL GAME

IS STILL PLAYED IN OAXACA
AS A COMPETITIVE SPORT.

BUT FOR THE ANCIENT ZAPOTECS,
IT HAD A RITUAL SIGNIFICANCE.

THE GAME WAS AN OUTLET FOR
THE COMPETITIVE INSTINCTS...

WHILE STRENGTHENING THE BONDS
BETWEEN THEM.

PATRICIA: [SPEAKING SPANISH]

TRANSLATOR FOR PATRICIA:
THE GAME WOULD HAVE BEEN PLAYED

MOSTLY BY CHIEFS.

IT WOULD HAVE BROUGHT TOGETHER

COMMUNITIES
FROM DIFFERENT PLACES

TO RESOLVE POLITICAL ARGUMENTS
AND CONFLICTS.

NARRATOR: GEORGE ORWELL
ONCE DESCRIBED SPORT

AS WAR MINUS THE SHOOTING.

JUST AS IN WAR, VICTORY DEPENDS
ON STRIKING THE RIGHT BALANCE

BETWEEN COMPLETION
AND COOPERATION.

[WHISTLE BLOWS]

PETER: THE FUNDAMENTAL POINT
ABOUT THE GAME OF SOCCER

IS THAT ONE TEAM WINS
AND ANOTHER LOSES.

THIS IS THE ESSENCE
OF COMPETITION.

IN EACH TEAM, THERE IS
A KIND OF INTENSE LOYALTY,

THE TEAM SPIRIT THAT DRIVES THEM
TO COMPETE.

BUT THESE COMPETITIVE INSTINCTS
MUST BE CHANNELED TOWARDS
COOPERATION.

CONSIDER A PLAYER
IN A SITUATION

WHERE HE MUST EITHER
SHOOT FOR THE GOAL

OR PASS THE BALL TO A TEAMMATE
WHO HAS A BETTER CHANCE
OF SCORING.

SHOOTING BRINGS THE PROSPECT
OF INDIVIDUAL GLORY.

BUT PASSING IS BETTER
FOR THE COLLECTIVE GOOD.

[WHISTLE BLOWS]

IF YOU LOOK
AT SOCCER STATISTICS,

YOU WILL FIND THAT TEAMS
THAT PASS THE BALL MORE OFTEN

WIN MORE GAMES.

THEY'RE BETTER COOPERATORS,

WHICH MAKES THEM
BETTER COMPETITORS.

[WHISTLE BLOWS]

BUT IN SPORT OR WAR
OR CIVILIZATION,

NOTHING LASTS FOREVER.

WHEN THE GROUP BECOMES
TOO DOMINANT,

IT GROWS COMPLACENT.

THE ROT SETS IN AND UNDERMINES
ITS INTERNAL COHESION.

THEY MAY NOT REALIZE IT
UNTIL IT'S TOO LATE,

BUT THEY'RE READY TO BE OVERRUN
BY A MORE EFFECTIVE,

BETTER ORGANIZED OUTFIT.

AND THEN A NEW CYCLE
OF DESTRUCTIVE CREATION
CAN BEGIN.

NARRATOR: 2,000 YEARS AGO,
MONTE ALBAÁN HAD IT ALL:

LOCATION, POWER, COHESION.

BUT ZAPOTEC CIVILIZATION
WAS ABOUT TO FALL.

[YELLING]

ARCHAEOLOGIST MARCUS WINTER
IS TRYING TO PIECE TOGETHER

THE EVENTS THAT LED TO THE END
OF MONTE ALBAÁN'S DOMINANCE.

MARCUS: THE STRUCTURE
WHERE WE ARE NOW

LOOKS RIGHT OUT ONTO THE PLAZA,

WHICH WAS THE MAIN RITUAL
AND MARKET AREA FOR MONTE ALBAÁN.

WE THINK THAT THIS
WAS A GATEHOUSE

THAT WAS OCCUPIED
BY ZAPOTEC GUARDS AND SOLDIERS

WHO GUARDED THE ACCESS
TO THE MAIN PLAZA.

[CHEERING]

WE DID A LOT OF EXCAVATION
IN THIS AREA,

AND WE FOUND ABOUT 70
PROJECTILE POINTS.

THIS ONE IS ALMOST COMPLETE.

IT'S BROKEN A LITTLE BIT
ON THE SIDES.

THESE ARE SNAPPED OFF.
THE TIPS ARE MISSING.

SO THEY WOULD HAVE BEEN THROWN
AT THE ENEMY

AND EITHER ENTERED
THE ENEMY'S BODY

OR, IF THEY MISSED, HIT A WALL,
AND THEY BROKE OFF.

THE INTERESTING THING
ABOUT THE POINTS

IS THAT THEY'RE MADE
OF OBSIDIAN.

NO OBSIDIAN OCCURS NATURALLY
IN OAXACA.

SO THAT MEANS THAT THIS MATERIAL
COMES FROM SOME OTHER PLACE
IN MEXICO.

AND THE FACT THAT
WE FOUND SO MANY POINTS HERE

SUGGESTS THAT IT WASN'T JUST
A SNEAKY RAID BY A FEW PEOPLE,

BUT A MILITARY ATTACK
AGAINST THE ZAPOTECS

BY A LARGE GROUP OF PEOPLE
THAT WANTED TO TAKE OVER
MONTE ALBAÁN.

[YELLING]

NARRATOR:
OBSIDIAN IS VOLCANIC GLASS
FORMED AS LAVA COOLS.

IT IS ONLY FOUND NEAR VOLCANOES.

[THUNDER]

AND THE MOST ACTIVE VOLCANO
IN MEXICO IS POPOCATEÉPETL,

180 MILES FROM OAXACA.

ALEJANDRO PASTRANA IS
A SPECIALIST IN OBSIDIAN

AND ITS USE
IN ANCIENT MESOAMERICA.

ALEJANDRO: [SPEAKING SPANISH]

TRANSLATOR FOR ALEJANDRO:
WE'RE 30-40 METERS DEEP

ON DANGEROUS GROUND.

THESE MINES ARE PRONE
TO COLLAPSE.

TRADITIONAL MINERS
MADE IT ALL THE WAY DOWN HERE

IN SEARCH OF
HIGH-GRADE OBSIDIAN,

GREEN OBSIDIAN.

CHEMICALLY THIS ROCK
IS UNIQUE.

ITS COLOR IS UNIQUE.

IT'S ONLY FOUND HERE IN
THIS PART OF THE VOLCANIC BELT.

THIS OBSIDIAN IS UNMISTAKABLE.

IT'S THE OBSIDIAN OF POWER.

NARRATOR: OBSIDIAN
IS ONE OF THE HARDEST

AND MOST BRITTLE MATERIALS
IN THE NATURAL WORLD.

SHARPER THAN
A SURGEON'S SCALPEL.

TRANSLATOR FOR ALEJANDRO:
IT'S A UNIQUE ROCK.

VERY BEAUTIFUL.

IT PRODUCES A PERFECT FRACTURE.

IT HAS A VERY FINE EDGE,
A VERY SHARP EDGE.

IN MESOAMERICA,
THEY DIDN'T HAVE STEEL.

THEY HAD SOFT METALS LIKE
COPPER, TIN, LEAD, GOLD, SILVER.

SO OBSIDIAN WAS EXCELLENT
FOR MAKING WEAPONS.

NARRATOR:
OBSIDIAN WAS THE HALLMARK

OF ONE PARTICULAR CIVILIZATION.

TEOTIHUACAN.

THIS CITY OF TEMPLES
WAS 10 TIMES LARGER
THAN MONTE ALBAÁN.

ITS ARMIES ENJOYED
AN OVERWHELMING ADVANTAGE

THANKS TO THEIR
OBSIDIAN-TIPPED WEAPONS.

THEY WORKED OUT
HOW TO PROPEL THEIR SPEARHEADS

USING A WOODEN THROWING DEVICE
KNOWN AS AN ATLATL.

TRANSLATOR FOR ALEJANDRO:
IT'S A GREAT WEAPON.

IT'S EASY TO CARRY,
RELATIVELY EASY TO MAKE,

AND DEADLY TO USE
AGAINST YOUR ENEMIES.

IT CAN BE THROWN A LONG WAY,

AND WITH PRACTICE,
IT'S VERY ACCURATE.

YOU CAN IMAGINE
AN ARMY OF WARRIORS

THROWING A HUGE NUMBER OF SPEARS
WITH GREAT SPEED AND FORCE.

IT WOULD INFLICT TERRIBLE DAMAGE
ON THE ENEMY.

NARRATOR:
AS A PROJECTILE WEAPON,

THE ATLATL AND SPEAR
COULD DELIVER A LETHAL FORCE

WITHOUT THE NEED
FOR HAND-TO-HAND COMBAT.

TRANSLATOR FOR ALEJANDRO:
AH, THE TIP IS BROKEN.

IT'S LODGED IN THE BONE.

IMAGINE THE BLEEDING
AND ALL THE BLOOD THAT
WOULD HAVE BEEN PRODUCED.

IT REALLY IS A GREAT WEAPON.

THEY WOULD HAVE BEEN LETHAL
WITH THEIR ATLATL ARMIES.

AAH!

[SCREAMING]

NARRATOR: AND SO IT SEEMS
THE CONQUERORS

WERE THEMSELVES CONQUERED,

OUTCOMPETED
BY A STRONGER CIVILIZATION

WITH A GREATER LUST FOR POWER
AND A TECHNOLOGY TO MATCH.

THIS PATTERN IS REPEATED
CENTURY AFTER CENTURY

ALL OVER THE WORLD.

THE HORSE, THE BOW...

THE GUN, THE BOMB.

AS WAR DRIVES
TECHNOLOGICAL PROGRESS,

CIVILIZATION SPREADS.

PETER: MESOAMERICA IS A PERFECT
EXAMPLE OF DESTRUCTIVE CREATION.

IT'S JUST ONE EXAMPLE
OF A MUCH MORE GENERAL PROCESS

THAT GOES ON IN HUMAN HISTORY
IN ALL PARTS OF THE WORLD.

SOCIETIES THAT ARE BETTER
AT PLAYING THE GAME

SWALLOW OTHER SOCIETIES

AND THEREBY BECOME LARGER.

AND THIS PROCESS
GOES ON AND ON AND ON.

NARRATOR:
BUT AS CIVILIZATIONS GROW,

THEY REACH A POINT
WHERE THEY CAN'T EXPAND
BY BRUTE FORCE ALONE.

THEY NEED ALLIES.

THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT HAPPENED
IN MESOAMERICA.

HAVING CONQUERED MONTE ALBAÁN,

THE TEOTIHUACANOS
SET THEIR SIGHTS TO THE EAST,

TO THE RAINFORESTS
OF MODERN-DAY GUATEMALA...

HOME TO THE MAYA PEOPLE.

1,700 YEARS AGO, THE MAYA WERE
FORMING THEIR OWN CITY STATES,

DIVIDED AGAINST EACH OTHER.

THE TEOTIHUACANOS
WOULD USE THIS DIVISION

TO THEIR OWN ADVANTAGE.

TOM GARRISON HAS CONTINUED
EXCAVATING AT THE HILLTOP SITE

OF EL ZOTZ,

WHERE HE UNCOVERED
A ROYAL BURIAL IN 2010.

TOM: WE'VE BEEN USING
AERIAL LIDAR TECHNOLOGY,

WHICH ALLOWS US TO DIGITALLY
PEEL BACK THE JUNGLE

AND SEE THE MAYA RUINS
UNDERNEATH.

IN THIS AREA,
THE NORTHERN PART OF THE VALLEY

IS JUST COVERED WITH STRUCTURES
THAT WE'VE NEVER SEEN BEFORE.

THE GOAL OF THIS SEASON
IS TO GO CHECK OUT
SOME OF THESE.

WE'VE COME ACROSS THIS TEMPLE
HERE IN THE JUNGLE,

AND UNFORTUNATELY AS YOU CAN SEE
BY THIS GAPING CUT AND HOLES,

LOOTERS HAVE BEEN HERE FIRST.

BUT WHAT THIS DESTRUCTION ALLOWS

IS FOR US TO SEE THE PROFILE
OF THE BUILDING

AS IT WOULD HAVE BEEN
IN MAYA TIME.

SO HERE IN OUR DRAWING

WE CAN SEE THIS VERY INTERESTING
ARCHITECTURAL FEATURE

THAT WE CALL TALUD
AND TABLERO,

OR SLOPE AND TABLET.

THIS ISN'T MAYA ARCHITECTURE.

THIS IS THE STYLE
OF TEOTIHUACAN.

AND WHAT THIS MEANS IS
THAT THE MAYA IN THIS REGION

ARE STARTING TO ADOPT
THE TEOTIHUACANO CULTURE.

IT'S SHOWING THE INFLUENCE

THAT'S COMING DOWN INTO
THE MAYA LOWLANDS FROM THE WEST.

NARRATOR: THIS WASN'T THE FIRST
CLUE THAT THE TEOTIHUACANOS

WERE EXERTING AN INFLUENCE
ON THE MAYA.

THE BURIAL RITUALS
IN THE ROYAL TOMB

INVOLVED THE SACRIFICE
AND DECAPITATION OF BABIES.

IT WAS A SIGNATURE
OF TEOTIHUACANO CULTURE.

PROOF THE RULERS OF EL ZOTZ
HAD ADOPTED THE WAYS OF
THE MEXICAN SUPERPOWER.

TOM: THEY DECIDED
TO ALLY THEMSELVES

WITH THE FORTUNES
OF TEOTIHUACAN.

THEY TOOK A GAMBLE THAT
THIS WAS THE RIGHT DESTINY
FOR THEIR KINGDOM.

NARRATOR: BUT WHAT WAS
THE ULTERIOR MOTIVE

FOR THE TEOTIHUACANOS?

WHY WERE THEY SO WILLING
TO SHARE THEIR CULTURE

AND OFFER THEIR PROTECTION?

THEIR REAL GOAL WAS TO ESTABLISH
A FOOTHOLD IN THE JUNGLE,

A BASE FROM WHICH TO CONTINUE
THEIR EXPANSION.

TOM: WE'RE LOOKING OUT HERE
ON THE BUENA VISTA VALLEY,

THE VALLEY OF GOOD VIEWS.

FROM UP HERE, THE EL ZOTZ KINGS
WOULD HAVE BEEN COMFORTABLY
FORTIFIED

IN THEIR HILLTOP PALACE,

BUT WHY THE NEED
FOR THIS PROTECTION?

WELL, IF WE LOOK OVER HERE,
JUST 12 MILES TO THE EAST

IS TIKAL, THE GREATEST MAYA
CITY STATE EVER BUILT

AND A REAL THREAT
TO THE KINGDOM OF EL ZOTZ.

[THUNDER]

NARRATOR:
WE KNOW WHAT HAPPENED NEXT

BECAUSE IT WAS RECORDED
IN ANCIENT MAYA TEXT.

IN 378 THE TEOTIHUACANOS
MOVED AGAINST TIKAL.

TOM: THE 14th KING OF TIKAL,
CHAK TOK ICH'AAK,

GREAT MISTY CLAW,

IS THE MOST POWERFUL MAYA KING
ANYWHERE AT THIS TIME.

BUT HIS WORLD'S ABOUT TO CHANGE.

A FORCE IS ARRIVING.

THAT FORCE IS LED BY A MAN NAMED
SIYAJ K'AK',

BORN FROM FIRE.

HE'S A GENERAL FROM TEOTIHUACAN,

AND HE'S BRINGING HIS FORCES TO
TIKAL TO OVERTHROW THAT DYNASTY.

[SCREAMING AND YELLING]

AH!

TOM: ON THE DAY BORN FROM FIRE
ARRIVES IN TIKAL,

CHAK TOK ICH'AAK I
ENTERS THE WATER.

AH!

TOM: THIS IS THE MAYA METAPHOR
FOR DEATH.

A NEW ORDER IS IN PLACE
IN THE MAYA LOWLANDS.

NARRATOR: THIS WAS DESTRUCTION
ON A GRAND SCALE,

BUT ONCE AGAIN,
A CATALYST FOR CHANGE.

FROM CONQUEST CAME PROGRESS.

TOM: IT BRINGS CHAOS
TO THIS REGION,

BUT IT RESULTS IN PEACE.

IN THE END, THIS PEACE
IS A BENEFICIAL THING.

ONE BY ONE, THESE COMMUNITIES
START TO PLEDGE THEIR LOYALTY

TO TEOTIHUACAN,

AND IT CREATES THIS BREATHING
ROOM FOR CULTURE TO FLOURISH.

NARRATOR: UNDER THE RULE
OF TEOTIHUACAN,

THE MAYA LOWLANDS ENJOYED
A GOLDEN AGE.

ASTRONOMY, ENGINEERING,
AND TRADE ALL BENEFITED

FROM THE PEACE IMPOSED
ON THE REGION.

THIS IS ONE OF
THE UNIVERSAL NARRATIVES
OF CIVILIZATION:

A REPEATING CYCLE
OF CHAOS, VIOLENCE, AND ORDER.

THE OLD DIES
SO THE NEW CAN BE BORN.

PETER: THE MAIN REASON
WE STUDY THE PAST

IS SO WE CAN BETTER UNDERSTAND
THE PRESENT AND THE FUTURE.

AND ONE MESSAGE
COMES LOUD AND CLEAR

THROUGH OUR ANALYSIS OF HISTORY.

AAH!

WAR AND CIVILIZATION
ARE INTERTWINED.

YOU CANNOT HAVE CIVILIZATION
WITHOUT WAR.

[YELLING]

NARRATOR:
WHETHER WE LIKE IT OR NOT,

CIVILIZATION
HAS ALWAYS NEEDED WAR.

IT DRIVES
TECHNOLOGICAL PROGRESS...

AND TIGHTENS THE BONDS
THAT HOLD US TOGETHER.

LITTLE WONDER WE FIND IT SO HARD
TO KICK THE HABIT.

WHERE WE HAVE
PUT DOWN OUR WEAPONS,

WE STILL BEHAVE
AS IF WE'RE AT WAR

THROUGH SPORT, POLITICS,
BUSINESS.

THE SAME RULES APPLY.

PETER: CULTURAL EVOLUTION
REQUIRES THE LOGIC

OF DESTRUCTIVE CREATION.

BUT WARFARE IS JUST ONE TYPE.

PEOPLE DON'T NEED TO BE KILLED
IN ORDER TO ACHIEVE ITS RESULT.

NARRATOR: SINCE ANCIENT TIMES,
THE BLUEPRINT HAS NOT CHANGED.

COOPERATION, COMPETITION...
CONQUEST,

AH!

NARRATOR:
THIS IS CIVILIZATION.