1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:04,000 In the ruins of one of the world's great civilizations 2 00:00:06,000 --> 00:00:07,000 are secrets 3 00:00:07,000 --> 00:00:09,000 Holy good Lord 4 00:00:09,000 --> 00:00:13,000 that may lead to the truth behind a terrifying mystery 5 00:00:14,000 --> 00:00:15,000 In the darkness 6 00:00:19,000 --> 00:00:20,000 Call me! 7 00:00:20,000 --> 00:00:21,000 Call Captain! 8 00:00:31,000 --> 00:00:35,000 It seems like just yesterday everyone was talking about the impending Mayan apocalypse 9 00:00:35,000 --> 00:00:39,000 but the year 2012 came and went without our world ending 10 00:00:39,000 --> 00:00:42,000 However, the same can't be said for the once great Mayan Empire 11 00:00:42,000 --> 00:00:46,000 that mysteriously collapsed a thousand years ago 12 00:00:48,000 --> 00:00:52,000 Their once vibrant cities and imposing pyramids were deserted 13 00:00:52,000 --> 00:00:54,000 reclaimed by the jungle 14 00:00:56,000 --> 00:00:58,000 So what went wrong? 15 00:00:58,000 --> 00:01:03,000 And can we protect our own future from whatever disaster consumed the Mayans? 16 00:01:03,000 --> 00:01:09,000 For years, archaeologists had had many theories but no answers until now 17 00:01:09,000 --> 00:01:14,000 New evidence is emerging, not in Mayan ruins but beneath our feet in Cenotes 18 00:01:14,000 --> 00:01:19,000 dark flooded caverns that the Maya believed were portals to the underworld 19 00:01:20,000 --> 00:01:25,000 In fact, a renowned archaeologist has recently uncovered a secret underground chamber 20 00:01:25,000 --> 00:01:28,000 at one of the world's most important Mayan sites 21 00:01:28,000 --> 00:01:33,000 A cavern that he believes may totally reshape our understanding of their collapse 22 00:01:36,000 --> 00:01:41,000 My plan is to join him and other explorers by descending into the Mayan underworld 23 00:01:41,000 --> 00:01:44,000 a place of monsters, ghosts and legends 24 00:01:44,000 --> 00:01:48,000 to find out what happened to one of the world's mightiest empires 25 00:01:49,000 --> 00:01:53,000 My name is Josh Gates 26 00:01:53,000 --> 00:01:57,000 With a degree in archaeology and a passion for exploration 27 00:01:57,000 --> 00:02:02,000 I have a tendency to end up in some very strange situations 28 00:02:02,000 --> 00:02:06,000 There has gotta be a better way to make a living 29 00:02:06,000 --> 00:02:11,000 My travels have taken me to the ends of the earth as I investigate the greatest legends in history 30 00:02:11,000 --> 00:02:13,000 We're gonna try, let's go 31 00:02:13,000 --> 00:02:16,000 This is Expedition Unknown 32 00:02:17,000 --> 00:02:21,000 Mexico, America's sun-drenched neighbor to the south 33 00:02:21,000 --> 00:02:24,000 and at the tip of the Yucatan Peninsula, Cancun 34 00:02:28,000 --> 00:02:33,000 It was only a short flight here from New York, but my bag seems to have had other plans 35 00:02:36,000 --> 00:02:38,000 I'm sure my bag will be out any minute now 36 00:02:38,000 --> 00:02:40,000 I'm gonna go and get it 37 00:02:40,000 --> 00:02:42,000 I'm gonna go and get it 38 00:02:43,000 --> 00:02:46,000 I'm sure my bag will be out any minute now 39 00:02:55,000 --> 00:02:58,000 You know what you want when you touch down in the jungles of the Yucatan? 40 00:02:58,000 --> 00:03:00,000 It's about 120 degrees out 41 00:03:00,000 --> 00:03:05,000 You wanna be wearing a nice thick pair of jeans and some roof-limbsy bow shoes 42 00:03:05,000 --> 00:03:07,000 That's gonna be interesting 43 00:03:08,000 --> 00:03:10,000 It turns out my bag was sent to Washington DC 44 00:03:10,000 --> 00:03:13,000 where I assume it's enjoying a tour of the nation's capital 45 00:03:13,000 --> 00:03:16,000 As for me, I'm carrying on without it 46 00:03:16,000 --> 00:03:21,000 I've always thought that most tourists come to Cancun looking to hit the beach, party and get laid 47 00:03:21,000 --> 00:03:23,000 What do you think of my outfit? 48 00:03:24,000 --> 00:03:27,000 Me? I just settle for a decent pair of boots 49 00:03:29,000 --> 00:03:31,000 No, no, no 50 00:03:31,000 --> 00:03:34,000 After a quick trip to a local store, yes 51 00:03:34,000 --> 00:03:38,000 I pick up some appropriate adventure attire and leave Cancun in the dust 52 00:03:39,000 --> 00:03:42,000 Okay, I guess there's time for one spring break shop 53 00:03:51,000 --> 00:03:57,000 To unravel the secret of the downfall of the Maya, I'm driving an hour and a half south down the coast 54 00:03:57,000 --> 00:04:03,000 From downtown Cancun, it's kind of hard to imagine that an incredibly powerful ancient civilization once thrived here 55 00:04:03,000 --> 00:04:06,000 But all you have to do is head just down the road, run on the coast 56 00:04:06,000 --> 00:04:09,000 and you can see evidence of one of their most beautiful creations 57 00:04:16,000 --> 00:04:18,000 This is Tulum 58 00:04:19,000 --> 00:04:21,000 To the Maya, it was the city of the dawn 59 00:04:21,000 --> 00:04:26,000 A fortified campus of temples surrounded on three sides by thick walls 60 00:04:26,000 --> 00:04:28,000 On the other side, the Pacific 61 00:04:29,000 --> 00:04:31,000 And atop the sheer cliffs 62 00:04:31,000 --> 00:04:34,000 A stone pyramid gazing out to the sun 63 00:04:34,000 --> 00:04:39,000 I'm meeting with archaeologist Carmen Rojas to learn more about the people who built the city 64 00:04:40,000 --> 00:04:43,000 At its height, how big is this civilization? 65 00:04:43,000 --> 00:04:45,000 Five million people 66 00:04:45,000 --> 00:04:46,000 Five million just in the Yucatan? 67 00:04:46,000 --> 00:04:47,000 Yeah 68 00:04:47,000 --> 00:04:52,000 To understand how chilling the downfall of the Maya is, consider how high they soared 69 00:04:52,000 --> 00:04:57,000 From 300 to 800 AD, the Mayan Empire exploded across the Yucatan Peninsula 70 00:04:57,000 --> 00:05:01,000 And down through Guatemala, Belize, Honduras and El Salvador 71 00:05:01,000 --> 00:05:05,000 In unforgiving jungles, more than 4,000 cities emerged 72 00:05:05,000 --> 00:05:08,000 Supporting more than 20 million people 73 00:05:09,000 --> 00:05:11,000 The Mayans were an amazing civilization 74 00:05:11,000 --> 00:05:14,000 But we have many questions because they are not here 75 00:05:14,000 --> 00:05:15,000 So we can ask them 76 00:05:15,000 --> 00:05:19,000 We only have their structures or their burials 77 00:05:20,000 --> 00:05:24,000 Within about 100 years, the entire civilization ground to a halt 78 00:05:24,000 --> 00:05:27,000 It is one of the greatest mysteries of archaeology 79 00:05:28,000 --> 00:05:33,000 Why do you think that these large-scale Mayan cities were abandoned? 80 00:05:33,000 --> 00:05:36,000 It's not really clear what happened 81 00:05:36,000 --> 00:05:39,000 Some people say it's because of the political changes 82 00:05:39,000 --> 00:05:42,000 Some others say it's because of the climate change 83 00:05:42,000 --> 00:05:46,000 What do you think personally caused them to walk away from these places? 84 00:05:46,000 --> 00:05:47,000 I don't know 85 00:05:47,000 --> 00:05:49,000 That's the question 86 00:05:49,000 --> 00:05:50,000 That's the question 87 00:05:50,000 --> 00:05:52,000 Not knowing is troubling 88 00:05:52,000 --> 00:05:55,000 After all, if it could happen to the Maya, could it happen to us? 89 00:05:55,000 --> 00:05:58,000 There are many theories about the Mayan collapse 90 00:05:58,000 --> 00:06:03,000 Including war, disease, a natural disaster, or the arrival of the Spanish 91 00:06:03,000 --> 00:06:06,000 Over time, though, these theories have started to fall apart 92 00:06:06,000 --> 00:06:10,000 For instance, even though Tulum was still occupied when the Spanish arrived 93 00:06:10,000 --> 00:06:12,000 It was in serious decline 94 00:06:12,000 --> 00:06:15,000 And many other Mayan cities had been totally abandoned 95 00:06:16,000 --> 00:06:19,000 One of those cities is just a little further inland 96 00:06:23,000 --> 00:06:26,000 The Yucatan is covered in thick jungles 97 00:06:26,000 --> 00:06:29,000 But beneath the canopy, there are secrets 98 00:06:34,000 --> 00:06:35,000 These are the ruins of Koba 99 00:06:35,000 --> 00:06:38,000 This is really one of the coolest sites here in the Yucatan 100 00:06:38,000 --> 00:06:39,000 It's been partially excavated 101 00:06:39,000 --> 00:06:41,000 But as you can see, a lot of it's really overgrown still 102 00:06:41,000 --> 00:06:44,000 So it has this very mysterious kind of Indiana Jones vibe 103 00:06:44,000 --> 00:06:46,000 The site covered 30 square miles 104 00:06:46,000 --> 00:06:49,000 With a population of more than 50,000 people 105 00:06:49,000 --> 00:06:52,000 That's larger than the city of London at the time 106 00:06:52,000 --> 00:06:56,000 Today, the empty ruins give us clues about life in the Mayan world 107 00:06:58,000 --> 00:07:00,000 This is a Mayan ball court 108 00:07:02,000 --> 00:07:05,000 It's something that you find in every ruined Mayan city in the world 109 00:07:05,000 --> 00:07:07,000 And not just one of them, most cities had lots of these 110 00:07:08,000 --> 00:07:11,000 The Mayan! 111 00:07:15,000 --> 00:07:18,000 It's a game that we only partially understand 112 00:07:18,000 --> 00:07:20,000 There's still a lot of debate about exactly how it was played 113 00:07:20,000 --> 00:07:22,000 And what its significance was 114 00:07:22,000 --> 00:07:25,000 What's clear is that it was difficult and deadly 115 00:07:27,000 --> 00:07:30,000 The Mesoamerican ball game was a fixture of Mayan society 116 00:07:30,000 --> 00:07:33,000 It's a little bit soccer, a little bit racket ball 117 00:07:33,000 --> 00:07:35,000 And seriously high stakes 118 00:07:36,000 --> 00:07:41,000 Based on Mayan glyphs, it seems players would try to knock a ball through a stone hoop 119 00:07:41,000 --> 00:07:43,000 But this was more than just a game 120 00:07:43,000 --> 00:07:45,000 It was a ritual to the gods 121 00:07:45,000 --> 00:07:49,000 During official matches, the losing team would be executed 122 00:07:50,000 --> 00:07:52,000 Sometimes the winning team as well 123 00:07:54,000 --> 00:07:59,000 Along with the ball courts, the buildings at Coba are some of the most impressive in all of Mexico 124 00:07:59,000 --> 00:08:03,000 This includes Ismoha, the tallest Mayan pyramid in the Yucatan 125 00:08:06,000 --> 00:08:09,000 But to really appreciate it, you have to get to the top 126 00:08:18,000 --> 00:08:22,000 I'm in Mexico searching for answers to the collapse of the Mayan Empire 127 00:08:22,000 --> 00:08:24,000 I'm exploring the ruins of the city of Coba 128 00:08:24,000 --> 00:08:28,000 And the crumbling remains of the tallest pyramid in the Yucatan 129 00:08:28,000 --> 00:08:31,000 Today's cardio workout brought to you by the Mayan Empire 130 00:08:33,000 --> 00:08:34,000 Here we go 131 00:08:36,000 --> 00:08:38,000 The pyramid has a hundred steps 132 00:08:38,000 --> 00:08:40,000 Actually, there's a lot more than that 133 00:08:40,000 --> 00:08:43,000 But I stopped counting when it felt like my heart was going to explode 134 00:08:44,000 --> 00:08:45,000 It's horrible 135 00:08:45,000 --> 00:08:46,000 The stairs are ridiculous 136 00:08:46,000 --> 00:08:48,000 I wonder if the civilization collapsed 137 00:08:54,000 --> 00:08:57,000 And soon, I arrived triumphantly at the top of the pyramid 138 00:09:00,000 --> 00:09:01,000 Oh god 139 00:09:02,000 --> 00:09:03,000 I'm just going to lay down right here 140 00:09:03,000 --> 00:09:05,000 If anybody needs me 141 00:09:05,000 --> 00:09:08,000 I'll just be here at the top of this pyramid for the rest of eternity 142 00:09:09,000 --> 00:09:11,000 Somebody send a helicopter up here, please 143 00:09:14,000 --> 00:09:17,000 Climbing to the top of the pyramid immediately puts a bunch of things in perspective 144 00:09:17,000 --> 00:09:20,000 You realize first of all just how huge these structures are 145 00:09:20,000 --> 00:09:23,000 And it's so impressive that they were all crafted entirely by hand 146 00:09:23,000 --> 00:09:25,000 Without the use of modern equipment 147 00:09:25,000 --> 00:09:30,000 But beyond that, you really get a sense of how much of the Mayan world was about jungle 148 00:09:30,000 --> 00:09:34,000 You look out and even a thousand years after the end of their empire 149 00:09:34,000 --> 00:09:35,000 It's the dominant thing here 150 00:09:35,000 --> 00:09:37,000 You know, it's undeveloped 151 00:09:37,000 --> 00:09:41,000 This is still just this incredibly difficult impermeable landscape 152 00:09:41,000 --> 00:09:44,000 It's so impermeable that you look out and you see these bumps 153 00:09:44,000 --> 00:09:46,000 Those are huge pyramids 154 00:09:46,000 --> 00:09:47,000 That's how difficult it is 155 00:09:47,000 --> 00:09:48,000 We know there are other pyramids here 156 00:09:48,000 --> 00:09:50,000 We haven't gone in to excavate them yet 157 00:09:50,000 --> 00:09:51,000 It's that hard 158 00:09:51,000 --> 00:09:54,000 In fact, of the 6,500 buildings in Koba 159 00:09:54,000 --> 00:09:56,000 Only 2% have been excavated 160 00:09:57,000 --> 00:09:59,000 And along with the jungle 161 00:09:59,000 --> 00:10:02,000 There's something else about the landscape that catches my eye 162 00:10:02,000 --> 00:10:05,000 There's no water anywhere to be found 163 00:10:05,000 --> 00:10:08,000 It's not until you get above the trees that you fully appreciate 164 00:10:08,000 --> 00:10:10,000 How difficult a place they were built in 165 00:10:10,000 --> 00:10:13,000 The Maya are the only large civilization in history 166 00:10:13,000 --> 00:10:16,000 To concentrate their cities in a place without rivers 167 00:10:16,000 --> 00:10:18,000 So how did they pull it off? 168 00:10:18,000 --> 00:10:20,000 That's what I aim to find out 169 00:10:22,000 --> 00:10:24,000 With daylight fading, I drive back to Tulum 170 00:10:25,000 --> 00:10:27,000 Only to find the city and its residents 171 00:10:27,000 --> 00:10:29,000 Have changed 172 00:10:34,000 --> 00:10:36,000 This is Dia de los Muertos 173 00:10:36,000 --> 00:10:38,000 The Day of the Dead 174 00:10:38,000 --> 00:10:42,000 A national holiday to commemorate those who have crossed to the other side 175 00:10:42,000 --> 00:10:45,000 It feels like I've wandered into a Tim Burton movie 176 00:10:45,000 --> 00:10:47,000 But this celebration has deep roots 177 00:10:47,000 --> 00:10:49,000 Elements of Spanish Catholicism 178 00:10:49,000 --> 00:10:51,000 Blended with the rituals of the Maya 179 00:10:52,000 --> 00:10:56,000 Dancing skeletons were a part of all Saints Day festivals in medieval Europe 180 00:10:56,000 --> 00:10:59,000 While here in Mexico, the native people wore skull masks 181 00:10:59,000 --> 00:11:01,000 As a way to confront death 182 00:11:01,000 --> 00:11:04,000 Something that on the surface looks incredibly ghoulish 183 00:11:04,000 --> 00:11:07,000 And macabre is actually unbelievably joyous 184 00:11:21,000 --> 00:11:23,000 The culture's unique relationship with the afterlife 185 00:11:23,000 --> 00:11:26,000 Can be seen in every living skull 186 00:11:26,000 --> 00:11:29,000 While many societies fear death, here it's a part of life 187 00:11:29,000 --> 00:11:33,000 And to the Maya, it's just another step in reaching a higher existence 188 00:11:37,000 --> 00:11:39,000 It isn't just a feast for the eyes 189 00:11:39,000 --> 00:11:41,000 The food is also out of this world 190 00:11:41,000 --> 00:11:43,000 I don't know about Day of the Dead, my diet just died 191 00:11:43,000 --> 00:11:47,000 There's also one dish you definitely won't find at your local Mexican restaurant 192 00:11:47,000 --> 00:11:49,000 T Doesn't ItWe 193 00:11:50,000 --> 00:11:51,000 Can You Guess It!? 194 00:11:51,000 --> 00:11:52,000 Yes, it does 195 00:11:52,000 --> 00:11:53,000 Oh those are insects 196 00:11:54,000 --> 00:11:56,000 These are little tiny crickets 197 00:11:58,000 --> 00:12:00,000 But they are big on flavour 198 00:12:00,000 --> 00:12:02,000 I'd say their blood fat 199 00:12:04,000 --> 00:12:05,000 On a confine with their blood 200 00:12:06,000 --> 00:12:07,000 It's Succeed 201 00:12:08,000 --> 00:12:11,000 I'm like, that's AgoCh تع United 202 00:12:11,000 --> 00:12:13,000 Why did I take like 200 of them? 203 00:12:13,000 --> 00:12:15,000 That's a lot of Nvidia of Vietnam to get through 204 00:12:15,000 --> 00:12:22,000 I'm starting to get into the spirit of things, so I decide to get my own morbid makeover. 205 00:12:22,000 --> 00:12:24,840 I look like John Candy in Spaceballs. 206 00:12:24,840 --> 00:12:31,580 After a bit more dabbing, painting, and blending, my transformation is complete. 207 00:12:31,580 --> 00:12:35,640 With my new look, I go from an outsider to being the afterlife of the part. 208 00:12:35,640 --> 00:12:40,160 Sorry, is this skeleton throwing gang signs right now? 209 00:12:40,160 --> 00:12:41,160 This is much better. 210 00:12:41,160 --> 00:12:42,160 I feel like I'm blending in more now. 211 00:12:42,160 --> 00:12:43,160 It takes a little weight off me. 212 00:12:43,160 --> 00:12:44,160 It's a very thinning look. 213 00:12:45,040 --> 00:12:46,540 I gotta go skeleton more often. 214 00:12:51,960 --> 00:12:55,360 The next morning, I hit the ground running to continue my investigation. 215 00:12:55,360 --> 00:12:59,520 To understand how the Maya thrive without any rivers, I'm meeting archaeologist Jovana 216 00:12:59,520 --> 00:13:03,160 Jimenez at the entrance to a natural cave complex near Tulum. 217 00:13:03,160 --> 00:13:04,160 Hola. 218 00:13:04,160 --> 00:13:05,160 Hola. 219 00:13:05,160 --> 00:13:06,160 Jovana. 220 00:13:06,160 --> 00:13:07,160 Yes, nice to meet you. 221 00:13:07,160 --> 00:13:08,160 Yeah, nice to meet you too. 222 00:13:08,160 --> 00:13:09,160 I'm here to learn about caves. 223 00:13:09,160 --> 00:13:10,160 Yes. 224 00:13:10,160 --> 00:13:11,160 I see you've got a weevah wetsuit on? 225 00:13:11,160 --> 00:13:12,160 Yes. 226 00:13:12,160 --> 00:13:13,660 Well, we're going to need it, you know, actually. 227 00:13:13,660 --> 00:13:17,160 Oh, I was picturing something dry, no? 228 00:13:17,160 --> 00:13:18,160 No. 229 00:13:18,160 --> 00:13:19,160 Not at all. 230 00:13:21,160 --> 00:13:25,000 After a quick wardrobe change, she leads me down a rickety wooden staircase into this 231 00:13:25,000 --> 00:13:26,160 subterranean maze. 232 00:13:26,160 --> 00:13:30,160 There's like millions of stalactites. 233 00:13:30,160 --> 00:13:33,660 Beneath the surface is another world. 234 00:13:33,660 --> 00:13:34,660 Unbelievable. 235 00:13:34,660 --> 00:13:37,660 These chambers are known as cenotes. 236 00:13:37,660 --> 00:13:40,660 The Yucatan Peninsula is made of limestone. 237 00:13:40,660 --> 00:13:45,000 Over millions of years, rainwater has flowed through the surface, slowly dissolving and 238 00:13:45,000 --> 00:13:46,160 weakening the rock. 239 00:13:46,160 --> 00:13:52,000 Eventually, the limestone collapses, turning the underside of the Yucatan into Swiss cheese. 240 00:13:52,000 --> 00:13:56,460 The cenotes filtered billions of gallons of fresh water into flooded tunnels, creating 241 00:13:56,460 --> 00:14:00,360 a clean, plentiful source of water vital to the Mayans. 242 00:14:00,360 --> 00:14:01,360 How old is this formation? 243 00:14:01,360 --> 00:14:04,660 This place would be about two millions years old. 244 00:14:04,660 --> 00:14:06,160 Two million years old. 245 00:14:06,160 --> 00:14:09,660 And how many cenotes are there in the Yucatan? 246 00:14:10,160 --> 00:14:13,160 Well, just to be conservative, we have about 6,000. 247 00:14:13,160 --> 00:14:14,160 That's insane. 248 00:14:14,160 --> 00:14:18,660 And what about tunnels that connect them? 249 00:14:18,660 --> 00:14:25,160 There is about 1,000 miles that has been discovered, but that's just the 10%. 250 00:14:25,160 --> 00:14:29,660 So there's almost 10,000 miles worth of tunnels that nobody has been into yet? 251 00:14:29,660 --> 00:14:31,160 Yeah, it's like a tree, let's say. 252 00:14:31,160 --> 00:14:38,160 You know, it has many branches, so you have to really connect those passages. 253 00:14:38,160 --> 00:14:42,600 As we make our way deeper into the pitch-black cenote, the light bouncing off the crystal-clear 254 00:14:42,600 --> 00:14:44,500 water is disorienting. 255 00:14:44,500 --> 00:14:49,740 The caves are both beautiful and creepy, and totally otherworldly, which is exactly what 256 00:14:49,740 --> 00:14:53,160 the Mayans thought. 257 00:14:53,160 --> 00:14:59,660 Central to Mayan life was the belief in Shabalba, the underworld known as the place of fear. 258 00:14:59,660 --> 00:15:04,960 Ruled by the Mayan death gods, this mythological realm was filled with demons, serpents, and 259 00:15:04,960 --> 00:15:07,660 spirits of the dead. 260 00:15:07,660 --> 00:15:10,660 Shabalba, it turns out, is more than just a story. 261 00:15:10,660 --> 00:15:13,660 It's a real place. 262 00:15:13,660 --> 00:15:15,660 And we're wading right through it. 263 00:15:15,660 --> 00:15:17,660 It's just like endless. 264 00:15:17,660 --> 00:15:18,660 Yes. 265 00:15:18,660 --> 00:15:20,160 How many hours could you walk for down here? 266 00:15:20,160 --> 00:15:23,160 You could walk a whole day and no finish. 267 00:15:23,160 --> 00:15:24,160 Really? 268 00:15:24,160 --> 00:15:25,160 Yep. 269 00:15:25,160 --> 00:15:26,660 Do you ever get freaked out being alone down here? 270 00:15:26,660 --> 00:15:27,660 Yes. 271 00:15:27,660 --> 00:15:28,660 You do? 272 00:15:28,660 --> 00:15:29,660 Yes. 273 00:15:29,660 --> 00:15:30,660 All right, good. 274 00:15:30,660 --> 00:15:35,860 Mayans regarded these cenotes as sacred conduits to this otherworld, and would perform elaborate 275 00:15:35,860 --> 00:15:42,760 ceremonies and even ritual sacrifices at the edges of these seemingly endless caves. 276 00:15:42,760 --> 00:15:47,160 After what feels like a mile of darkness, Javana leads me to something that takes my 277 00:15:47,160 --> 00:15:48,160 breath away. 278 00:15:48,160 --> 00:15:49,160 No way. 279 00:15:49,160 --> 00:15:57,160 Look at that. 280 00:15:57,160 --> 00:16:01,360 I'm traveling Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula, looking for answers to the disappearance of 281 00:16:01,360 --> 00:16:02,360 the ancient Maya. 282 00:16:02,360 --> 00:16:07,660 Now, I've been led deep into an underground cave called a cenote to discover a breathtaking 283 00:16:07,660 --> 00:16:08,660 artifact. 284 00:16:08,660 --> 00:16:09,660 No way. 285 00:16:09,660 --> 00:16:10,660 Look at that. 286 00:16:10,660 --> 00:16:16,420 That is unbelievable. 287 00:16:16,420 --> 00:16:21,860 It's amazingly rare to see an intact piece of Mayan pottery and in such a remote location. 288 00:16:21,860 --> 00:16:23,380 So why is it here? 289 00:16:23,380 --> 00:16:24,860 How long has this been down here for? 290 00:16:24,860 --> 00:16:28,780 Well, this is from about 800 years ago. 291 00:16:28,780 --> 00:16:29,780 And it's in position? 292 00:16:29,780 --> 00:16:30,780 It's where it was found? 293 00:16:30,780 --> 00:16:32,280 Yes, probably it was a part of an offering. 294 00:16:32,700 --> 00:16:36,300 If they came to put it down here, it means it was something really important. 295 00:16:36,300 --> 00:16:41,940 It was unnerving enough getting here with modern headlamps, wetsuits and guidelines. 296 00:16:41,940 --> 00:16:44,020 Imagine having only a torch. 297 00:16:44,020 --> 00:16:47,820 Believing this was a supernatural realm filled with serpents and demons. 298 00:16:47,820 --> 00:16:52,140 If the Mayan were so intimidated by these cenotes, why do you think that they would 299 00:16:52,140 --> 00:16:54,340 come all the way down here to put that there? 300 00:16:54,340 --> 00:16:58,860 Well, probably no water, no food, something like that could be happening. 301 00:16:58,860 --> 00:17:03,160 And then you really need to do something like coming through the underworld. 302 00:17:03,160 --> 00:17:04,160 Right. 303 00:17:04,160 --> 00:17:06,800 If you really needed that bad, you're willing to come down here. 304 00:17:06,800 --> 00:17:07,800 Yeah. 305 00:17:07,800 --> 00:17:09,440 Could this offering be a clue? 306 00:17:09,440 --> 00:17:12,760 And could water have something to do with the collapse of the empire? 307 00:17:12,760 --> 00:17:16,640 To find out, Jovana and I make the long trek back into the light. 308 00:17:16,640 --> 00:17:24,840 And she leads me to what appears to be a large pond, but appearances can be deceiving. 309 00:17:24,840 --> 00:17:28,600 This is another cenote, but it's filled to the brim with water. 310 00:17:28,600 --> 00:17:31,340 To explore it, we need to dive. 311 00:17:31,340 --> 00:17:32,340 Okay. 312 00:17:32,340 --> 00:17:37,620 I've brought along a remote operated vehicle, or ROV, that will help film our journey and 313 00:17:37,620 --> 00:17:49,020 navigate any tight spaces. 314 00:17:49,020 --> 00:17:53,940 We submerge and I'm stunned by the clarity of the water. 315 00:17:53,940 --> 00:17:58,140 The walls of the cenote are like vertical cliffs, and as we descend, the light from 316 00:17:58,160 --> 00:18:07,120 the surface begins to fade away. 317 00:18:07,120 --> 00:18:20,080 As we dive deeper, I suddenly see something rising up from the darkness. 318 00:18:20,080 --> 00:18:24,600 It looks like a monster, but these tendrils are the tops of branches from a huge tree 319 00:18:24,600 --> 00:18:27,440 that fell into the cenote ages ago. 320 00:18:27,440 --> 00:18:43,260 What's truly unsettling is the strange looking fog hovering underneath it. 321 00:18:43,260 --> 00:18:48,620 This is a layer of hydrogen sulfide, an acid suspended in the water which creates an illusion 322 00:18:48,620 --> 00:18:50,700 that I'm flying above clouds. 323 00:18:50,700 --> 00:18:55,100 I'm starting to see why the Maya thought these cenotes were supernatural. 324 00:18:55,100 --> 00:19:06,640 I'm also realizing how huge this place really is. 325 00:19:06,640 --> 00:19:15,280 I follow the ROV and discover that this cenote is part of a massive labyrinth of tunnels. 326 00:19:15,280 --> 00:19:19,000 Beneath the Mayan Empire is a watery looking glass world. 327 00:19:19,000 --> 00:19:22,320 Once I get over how spooky it is, I realize something else. 328 00:19:22,340 --> 00:19:28,100 This may be the most beautiful place I've ever seen. 329 00:19:28,100 --> 00:19:33,140 These cenotes were the only source of water for the entire Mayan Empire in the Yucatan. 330 00:19:33,140 --> 00:19:35,540 Even the jungle above is drinking out of them. 331 00:19:35,540 --> 00:19:46,860 And while I want to keep exploring, it's important not to go too far. 332 00:19:46,860 --> 00:20:04,400 Not wanting to permanently join the land of the dead, we return to the surface. 333 00:20:04,400 --> 00:20:08,280 To better understand how these cenotes relate to the collapse of the Maya, I'm heading 334 00:20:08,280 --> 00:20:13,280 west to meet with archaeologists that have recently made a stunning discovery. 335 00:20:13,280 --> 00:20:17,380 On the coast, I'm driving about 100 miles through the city of Vaya del Lid, and then 336 00:20:17,380 --> 00:20:21,460 onto the Mayan city of Chichen Itza. 337 00:20:21,460 --> 00:20:23,540 This is the real Yucatan. 338 00:20:23,540 --> 00:20:26,980 Undeveloped, unspoiled, wild. 339 00:20:26,980 --> 00:20:32,300 And even though the cities of the Maya have long been abandoned, Mayan people still endure. 340 00:20:32,300 --> 00:20:37,060 There are an estimated 7 million Maya living throughout the Americas, some in traditional 341 00:20:37,060 --> 00:20:40,260 villages, others in cities, like Vaya del Lid. 342 00:20:44,280 --> 00:20:49,580 You'd be hard pressed to find a more charming town in the Yucatan. 343 00:20:49,580 --> 00:20:52,900 This is the colonial city of Vaya del Lid, which is established by the Spanish in the 344 00:20:52,900 --> 00:20:53,900 1540s. 345 00:20:53,900 --> 00:20:54,900 This place is bold. 346 00:20:54,900 --> 00:20:56,460 It's also kind of a sleepy town today. 347 00:20:56,460 --> 00:21:01,380 In the 1800s, the local Maya actually staged an uprising against the Spanish here, and 348 00:21:01,380 --> 00:21:02,380 they were successful for a time. 349 00:21:02,380 --> 00:21:04,300 They actually took the whole city. 350 00:21:04,300 --> 00:21:06,820 Today, it's a pretty quiet little place. 351 00:21:06,820 --> 00:21:08,100 Most tourists just bypass it. 352 00:21:08,100 --> 00:21:11,980 They go from the hotels out on the coast, take the big highway over to Chichen Itza, and 353 00:21:12,200 --> 00:21:16,000 they don't really stop in here, which is really a shame because this town is gorgeous. 354 00:21:18,200 --> 00:21:22,360 The only downside to this colonial paradise is that it's absolutely sweltering. 355 00:21:24,200 --> 00:21:25,640 Hola, señor. 356 00:21:25,640 --> 00:21:27,520 It's very, very hot here. 357 00:21:27,520 --> 00:21:28,520 Is this ice cream? 358 00:21:28,520 --> 00:21:29,520 Gelado. 359 00:21:29,520 --> 00:21:30,520 Can I have one, please? 360 00:21:30,520 --> 00:21:31,520 Coco, por favor. 361 00:21:31,520 --> 00:21:32,520 Pequeño. 362 00:21:32,520 --> 00:21:35,520 Oh, this is going to hit the spot right here. 363 00:21:35,520 --> 00:21:36,520 Cuanto cuesta. 364 00:21:36,520 --> 00:21:37,520 How much? 365 00:21:37,520 --> 00:21:38,520 Thank you. 366 00:21:38,520 --> 00:21:39,520 How much? 367 00:21:39,520 --> 00:21:40,520 Vente pesos. 368 00:21:41,520 --> 00:21:43,520 And I am out of money. 369 00:21:44,520 --> 00:21:46,520 I just bought an ice cream with no money. 370 00:21:46,520 --> 00:21:47,520 That's embarrassing. 371 00:21:47,520 --> 00:21:51,980 Unfortunately, this guy doesn't take credit cards, but he's come up with another way for 372 00:21:51,980 --> 00:21:53,520 me to pay off my bill. 373 00:21:53,520 --> 00:21:54,520 Ice cream for sale. 374 00:21:54,520 --> 00:21:55,520 Gelado. 375 00:21:55,520 --> 00:21:57,520 Gelado for sale. 376 00:21:57,520 --> 00:21:58,520 Anyone? 377 00:21:58,520 --> 00:21:59,520 Ice cream? 378 00:21:59,520 --> 00:22:01,520 I'm working off of debt, people, please. 379 00:22:01,520 --> 00:22:03,520 Anybody can buy an ice cream for me. 380 00:22:03,520 --> 00:22:04,520 Gelado. 381 00:22:04,520 --> 00:22:06,520 What a man on the sky's got. 382 00:22:06,520 --> 00:22:07,520 You have watermelon? 383 00:22:07,520 --> 00:22:09,520 This guy's hurting my business. 384 00:22:09,520 --> 00:22:11,520 It turns out I have a little competition. 385 00:22:11,520 --> 00:22:12,520 Cuanta cuesta. 386 00:22:12,520 --> 00:22:13,520 Ten pesos. 387 00:22:13,520 --> 00:22:14,520 Ten pesos? 388 00:22:14,520 --> 00:22:15,520 Five pesos. 389 00:22:15,520 --> 00:22:16,520 It's right here, people. 390 00:22:16,520 --> 00:22:17,520 Five pesos. 391 00:22:17,520 --> 00:22:18,520 I'm taking you out, buddy. 392 00:22:18,520 --> 00:22:19,520 Gelado, sir. 393 00:22:19,520 --> 00:22:20,520 Would you like a gelado? 394 00:22:20,520 --> 00:22:21,520 Delicious. 395 00:22:21,520 --> 00:22:22,520 Don't buy from this gentleman. 396 00:22:22,520 --> 00:22:24,520 He's wanted by the authorities. 397 00:22:24,520 --> 00:22:25,520 Gelado? 398 00:22:25,520 --> 00:22:26,520 Gelado, sí? 399 00:22:26,520 --> 00:22:29,520 Okay, this is what we're talking about. 400 00:22:29,520 --> 00:22:31,520 I have a coca o piña. 401 00:22:31,520 --> 00:22:32,520 Coco? 402 00:22:32,520 --> 00:22:33,520 Coco. 403 00:22:33,520 --> 00:22:34,520 Coco o piña. 404 00:22:34,520 --> 00:22:35,520 Coco. 405 00:22:35,520 --> 00:22:36,520 Trace Coco. 406 00:22:36,520 --> 00:22:37,520 Coming up. 407 00:22:37,520 --> 00:22:38,520 I can do this. 408 00:22:38,520 --> 00:22:39,520 It's a little melty. 409 00:22:39,520 --> 00:22:42,520 I'm definitely going to give you a napkin with this. 410 00:22:42,520 --> 00:22:44,520 Coco, that's for you, my friend. 411 00:22:44,520 --> 00:22:45,520 Yup. 412 00:22:45,520 --> 00:22:47,520 Coco, there you go. 413 00:22:47,520 --> 00:22:48,520 Coco, for you. 414 00:22:48,520 --> 00:22:49,520 Gracias. 415 00:22:49,520 --> 00:22:51,520 Thank you very much. 416 00:22:51,520 --> 00:22:52,520 Okay. 417 00:22:52,520 --> 00:22:54,520 Making money at this. 418 00:22:54,520 --> 00:22:57,520 Gracias, sir. 419 00:22:57,520 --> 00:23:00,520 With my debt paid off, I'm free to leave town. 420 00:23:00,520 --> 00:23:04,520 But before I go, I need to make one very important stop. 421 00:23:04,520 --> 00:23:06,520 The very cool thing about these cenotes is that, 422 00:23:06,520 --> 00:23:08,520 yes, some of them are out in the middle of nowhere 423 00:23:08,520 --> 00:23:10,520 and are hard to get to, but some of them are literally 424 00:23:10,520 --> 00:23:12,520 right in the middle of town. 425 00:23:12,520 --> 00:23:16,520 We're making our way out. 426 00:23:16,520 --> 00:23:20,520 We're making our way out. 427 00:23:20,520 --> 00:23:23,520 I'll enjoy freedom. 428 00:23:23,520 --> 00:23:25,520 Yes, cenotes are dark. 429 00:23:25,520 --> 00:23:26,520 They are mysterious. 430 00:23:26,520 --> 00:23:30,520 But in this heat, they're also very refreshing. 431 00:23:31,520 --> 00:23:36,520 I'm taking our way. 432 00:23:36,520 --> 00:23:41,520 We're making our way. 433 00:23:41,520 --> 00:23:45,520 We're making our way. 434 00:23:45,520 --> 00:23:46,520 Woo! 435 00:23:46,520 --> 00:23:50,520 I tell you, it's cool off. 436 00:23:50,520 --> 00:23:52,520 I'd spend all day cooling off in this cenote, 437 00:23:52,520 --> 00:23:54,520 but I've got work to do. 438 00:23:54,520 --> 00:23:59,520 About 25 miles down the road, 439 00:23:59,520 --> 00:24:03,520 I pull over and walk along a jungle path. 440 00:24:03,520 --> 00:24:07,520 In the clearing ahead is one of the most stunning ruins in the world. 441 00:24:13,520 --> 00:24:16,520 I've come to the Yucatan Peninsula chasing new leads 442 00:24:16,520 --> 00:24:19,520 in the mystery of the downfall of the Mayan Empire. 443 00:24:19,520 --> 00:24:21,520 My travels have brought me to a jungle path 444 00:24:21,520 --> 00:24:24,520 that leads to a stunning sight. 445 00:24:30,520 --> 00:24:33,520 This is Chichen Itza, 446 00:24:33,520 --> 00:24:37,520 the most famous Mayan city in the world. 447 00:24:37,520 --> 00:24:39,520 Sprawling out over a thousand acres, 448 00:24:39,520 --> 00:24:41,520 it contains imposing temples, 449 00:24:41,520 --> 00:24:43,520 a stellar observatory, 450 00:24:43,520 --> 00:24:45,520 sacrificial altars, 451 00:24:45,520 --> 00:24:46,520 and a massive ball court 452 00:24:46,520 --> 00:24:49,520 that feels like the Colosseum of the New World. 453 00:24:49,520 --> 00:24:50,520 And at the center of it all, 454 00:24:50,520 --> 00:24:53,520 archaeologists discovered El Castillo. 455 00:24:53,520 --> 00:24:55,520 When they stripped back the jungle growth, 456 00:24:55,520 --> 00:24:58,520 they revealed the finest pyramid in the Americas. 457 00:24:59,520 --> 00:25:02,520 In fact, it's actually a massive calendar, 458 00:25:02,520 --> 00:25:06,520 with 365 steps, one for each day of the year. 459 00:25:06,520 --> 00:25:08,520 On the spring and fall equinox, 460 00:25:08,520 --> 00:25:10,520 the sun's shadows even create the illusion 461 00:25:10,520 --> 00:25:14,520 that a massive stone serpent is creeping down the stairs. 462 00:25:16,520 --> 00:25:20,520 I'm here to meet with famed Mayan archaeologist Guillermo de Anda, 463 00:25:20,520 --> 00:25:22,520 who has recently found new clues 464 00:25:22,520 --> 00:25:24,520 as to why this mighty city fell apart. 465 00:25:24,520 --> 00:25:27,520 How long have you been studying Chichen Itza? 466 00:25:27,520 --> 00:25:29,520 Over 20 years. 467 00:25:29,520 --> 00:25:31,520 Is this site built here and aligned here 468 00:25:31,520 --> 00:25:33,520 simply because of astronomy? 469 00:25:33,520 --> 00:25:35,520 I mean, so much of the Mayan world seems to be fixated on us. 470 00:25:35,520 --> 00:25:36,520 Yes, we believe not. 471 00:25:36,520 --> 00:25:40,520 Astronomy was a very important part of this building. 472 00:25:40,520 --> 00:25:42,520 It's like a huge calendar. 473 00:25:42,520 --> 00:25:48,520 But also, it's built there in relationship with cenotes, 474 00:25:48,520 --> 00:25:53,520 because most of the main deities lived in cenotes and caves. 475 00:25:53,520 --> 00:25:57,520 Specifically, one god, Chak, which was the rain god. 476 00:25:58,520 --> 00:26:01,520 Few Mayan deities were treated with greater reverence 477 00:26:01,520 --> 00:26:03,520 than the rain god Chak. 478 00:26:03,520 --> 00:26:06,520 The Maya relied on rain to fill the cenotes with water, 479 00:26:06,520 --> 00:26:08,520 essential to their survival. 480 00:26:08,520 --> 00:26:11,520 When that rain didn't come, blood was shed. 481 00:26:11,520 --> 00:26:14,520 In some cases, priests even cut the beating hearts 482 00:26:14,520 --> 00:26:16,520 out of sacrificial victims. 483 00:26:17,520 --> 00:26:19,520 And why do you think they fixated on cenotes? 484 00:26:19,520 --> 00:26:22,520 Is it because they're naturally kind of mysterious places, 485 00:26:22,520 --> 00:26:25,520 or because they were filled with water which they needed? 486 00:26:25,520 --> 00:26:27,520 What was it about the cenotes that drew them? 487 00:26:27,520 --> 00:26:29,520 I think it's both things. 488 00:26:29,520 --> 00:26:32,520 They were amazed as we are, with the beauty of the places 489 00:26:32,520 --> 00:26:34,520 and the mystery of the places. 490 00:26:34,520 --> 00:26:36,520 And when you go into a cave, everything changed. 491 00:26:36,520 --> 00:26:40,520 The humidity, the temperature, the light conditions, the smell. 492 00:26:40,520 --> 00:26:43,520 Going there is going to the supernatural. 493 00:26:45,520 --> 00:26:48,520 Is the whole reason that Chichen Itza is here 494 00:26:48,520 --> 00:26:49,520 is because of these cenotes? 495 00:26:49,520 --> 00:26:51,520 Yes, I think so. 496 00:26:51,520 --> 00:26:54,520 If you really want to understand, you have to see it from above. 497 00:26:56,520 --> 00:26:59,520 To better understand the significance of the cenotes to Chichen Itza, 498 00:26:59,520 --> 00:27:02,520 we head to the local airfield to catch a ride. 499 00:27:02,520 --> 00:27:03,520 Ready to fly? 500 00:27:03,520 --> 00:27:04,520 Ready. 501 00:27:09,520 --> 00:27:10,520 Okay, let's fly. 502 00:27:22,520 --> 00:27:23,520 It's amazing. 503 00:27:23,520 --> 00:27:27,520 It's not until you get up here that you realize just how forest this place is. 504 00:27:27,520 --> 00:27:29,520 It's just covered in thick jungle. 505 00:27:29,520 --> 00:27:32,520 There's hundreds of cenotes down there. 506 00:27:32,520 --> 00:27:37,520 It's amazing how the Maya could have lived here and conquered this land. 507 00:27:37,520 --> 00:27:42,520 For years, archaeologists assumed Chichen Itza was aligned to the sun and stars. 508 00:27:42,520 --> 00:27:47,520 But Guillermo and others have made a series of discoveries that have to do with cenotes. 509 00:27:47,520 --> 00:27:50,520 I can see El Castillo. I can see the pyramid. 510 00:27:50,520 --> 00:27:52,520 Just rising up from the jungle. 511 00:27:52,520 --> 00:27:54,520 Incredible. 512 00:27:54,520 --> 00:27:57,520 The most famous cenote at Chichen Itza is the sacred cenote, 513 00:27:57,520 --> 00:28:00,520 which we see at the end of a straight path north of the pyramid. 514 00:28:00,520 --> 00:28:04,520 In this gaping mouth, hundreds of people, mainly children, 515 00:28:04,520 --> 00:28:07,520 were sacrificed and dumped into the murky water. 516 00:28:08,520 --> 00:28:10,520 But there are other cenotes here. 517 00:28:10,520 --> 00:28:14,520 Along with the sacred well in the north, there is Cenote Canjium to the east, 518 00:28:14,520 --> 00:28:18,520 Echtelach to the south, and to the far west, Holtun, 519 00:28:18,520 --> 00:28:20,520 which was only found in the last decade. 520 00:28:21,520 --> 00:28:25,520 The Maya were fantastic builders and mathematicians 521 00:28:25,520 --> 00:28:29,520 and they knew exactly where and how to put their building. 522 00:28:29,520 --> 00:28:32,520 This is part of their sacred geography. 523 00:28:32,520 --> 00:28:36,520 This sacred geography may have been the reason behind Chichen Itza's design. 524 00:28:36,520 --> 00:28:39,520 The four cenotes create a diamond, 525 00:28:39,520 --> 00:28:42,520 and at the center is the pyramid of El Castillo. 526 00:28:42,520 --> 00:28:44,520 It turns out the entire layout of the city, 527 00:28:44,520 --> 00:28:48,520 and in fact of many Mayan cities, was dictated by the location of water. 528 00:28:49,520 --> 00:28:53,520 The little explored cenote of Holtun is remote and hard to reach, 529 00:28:53,520 --> 00:28:58,520 but Guillermo believes this sacred well could provide answers to why the Maya disappeared. 530 00:28:59,520 --> 00:29:02,520 Holtun, it's very hard to see from up here. It's sort of shrouded in the jungle. 531 00:29:02,520 --> 00:29:04,520 I can show it to you. 532 00:29:04,520 --> 00:29:05,520 Yeah? Can you see it? 533 00:29:05,520 --> 00:29:07,520 Sure. We'll go there. 534 00:29:07,520 --> 00:29:09,520 Alright, I'm in. 535 00:29:15,520 --> 00:29:17,520 Okay, good flight. 536 00:29:18,520 --> 00:29:23,520 Back on the ground, Guillermo and I waste no time setting off into the deepest jungles of the Yucatan. 537 00:29:23,520 --> 00:29:26,520 I'm eager to understand the secrets of Holtun, 538 00:29:26,520 --> 00:29:31,520 a cenote that has only been explored by just a handful of archaeologists to perform me. 539 00:29:31,520 --> 00:29:33,520 But getting there is no walk in the park. 540 00:29:33,520 --> 00:29:36,520 You know, even though Chichen Itza is such a well-known site, 541 00:29:36,520 --> 00:29:41,520 I now finally understand why this particular cenote was kind of off the map for so long. 542 00:29:41,520 --> 00:29:45,520 The jungles here, they grow so fast that if these little trails aren't tended to, 543 00:29:45,520 --> 00:29:47,520 they just grow right in and disappear. 544 00:29:47,520 --> 00:29:49,520 It is not the kind of place you want to get lost. 545 00:29:49,520 --> 00:29:51,520 Luckily, Guillermo knows where he's going. 546 00:29:51,520 --> 00:29:54,520 Everything in the Yucatan is sharp, Guillermo. 547 00:29:54,520 --> 00:29:57,520 Yes, it is. You've got to be very careful here. 548 00:29:58,520 --> 00:30:00,520 I'm literally trapped in these jungles. 549 00:30:00,520 --> 00:30:02,520 Don't leave me, Guillermo. 550 00:30:06,520 --> 00:30:08,520 These jungles are the real deal. 551 00:30:08,520 --> 00:30:12,520 And even though some of the Yucatan's local residents are making me wish I was back on the plane, 552 00:30:12,520 --> 00:30:16,520 I continue to follow Guillermo, eager to see this rarely explored cenote 553 00:30:16,520 --> 00:30:19,520 that may hold the answers to the collapse of the Mayan Empire. 554 00:30:19,520 --> 00:30:22,520 So when was this cenote really discovered? 555 00:30:22,520 --> 00:30:23,520 Just a few years ago. 556 00:30:23,520 --> 00:30:24,520 So very recently. 557 00:30:25,520 --> 00:30:26,520 This is it. 558 00:30:26,520 --> 00:30:27,520 This is it. We're here. 559 00:30:27,520 --> 00:30:28,520 Wow, look at that. 560 00:30:28,520 --> 00:30:30,520 Just a little hole in the ground. 561 00:30:30,520 --> 00:30:31,520 Yes, that's what it is. 562 00:30:32,520 --> 00:30:34,520 Whoa! How far down is that? 563 00:30:34,520 --> 00:30:35,520 78 feet. 564 00:30:35,520 --> 00:30:37,520 That's a bad fall if you go down there. 565 00:30:37,520 --> 00:30:38,520 Oh, yeah. 566 00:30:40,520 --> 00:30:42,520 And how exactly does one get to the bottom of this thing? 567 00:30:43,520 --> 00:30:45,520 We're going to use ropes. There's no other way. 568 00:30:45,520 --> 00:30:48,520 And we're going to use these to support us? 569 00:30:48,520 --> 00:30:49,520 Yeah. 570 00:30:49,520 --> 00:30:52,520 We had only had maybe three people falling. 571 00:30:53,520 --> 00:30:54,520 That's not much. 572 00:30:59,520 --> 00:31:01,520 You know the saying, it takes a village, 573 00:31:01,520 --> 00:31:04,520 but it applies to more than just raising children. 574 00:31:04,520 --> 00:31:07,520 Guillermo brings in a small army of men from a local village. 575 00:31:07,520 --> 00:31:09,520 These are the descendants of the Maya, 576 00:31:09,520 --> 00:31:12,520 and they help us move all of our essential gear out to the cenote 577 00:31:12,520 --> 00:31:14,520 and prepare for the descent. 578 00:31:14,520 --> 00:31:17,520 Now all that's left to do is suit up. 579 00:31:17,520 --> 00:31:20,520 Wet suit plus harness is very packaging. 580 00:31:22,520 --> 00:31:24,520 You may need to blur some of this out. 581 00:31:26,520 --> 00:31:27,520 Total again? 582 00:31:28,520 --> 00:31:29,520 Oh boy. 583 00:31:29,520 --> 00:31:31,520 Holy good Lord. 584 00:31:31,520 --> 00:31:33,520 That log is suffering. 585 00:31:33,520 --> 00:31:36,520 Why are you messing with me right now? 586 00:31:36,520 --> 00:31:37,520 Okay, let's go. 587 00:31:37,520 --> 00:31:38,520 You're good. 588 00:31:38,520 --> 00:31:39,520 See you later. 589 00:31:39,520 --> 00:31:41,520 See you later. Good luck, Lord. 590 00:31:41,520 --> 00:31:42,520 Here we go. 591 00:31:42,520 --> 00:31:44,520 Into the darkness. 592 00:31:49,520 --> 00:31:52,520 Oh my God, you are not going to get out of here. 593 00:31:52,520 --> 00:31:54,520 You're going to get out of here. 594 00:31:54,520 --> 00:31:56,520 You're going to get out of here. 595 00:31:57,520 --> 00:32:00,520 Oh my God, you are not going to believe this. 596 00:32:07,520 --> 00:32:10,520 My mission to uncover the ultimate fate of the Maya 597 00:32:10,520 --> 00:32:14,520 has led me across Mexico to the ruins of Chichen Itza, 598 00:32:14,520 --> 00:32:16,520 and now deep in the jungle 599 00:32:16,520 --> 00:32:19,520 to a little explored cenote known as Holtun. 600 00:32:20,520 --> 00:32:23,520 The opening is little more than a hole in the ground, 601 00:32:23,520 --> 00:32:26,520 which gives way to a 70-foot drop into the unknown. 602 00:32:27,520 --> 00:32:29,520 We've lowered down a camera and one light, 603 00:32:29,520 --> 00:32:30,520 and I'm next. 604 00:32:30,520 --> 00:32:31,520 Into the darkness. 605 00:32:32,520 --> 00:32:33,520 I'm going to be honest, 606 00:32:33,520 --> 00:32:35,520 I am pretty freaked out right about now. 607 00:32:36,520 --> 00:32:39,520 The narrow sides of the opening are covered in vines, 608 00:32:39,520 --> 00:32:40,520 but as I descend, 609 00:32:40,520 --> 00:32:42,520 the hole opens up to something larger. 610 00:32:43,520 --> 00:32:44,520 Much larger. 611 00:32:45,520 --> 00:32:48,520 Oh my God, you are not going to believe this. 612 00:32:50,520 --> 00:32:52,520 It's a huge cavern. 613 00:32:52,520 --> 00:32:54,520 That's everywhere. 614 00:32:55,520 --> 00:32:58,520 The tiny entrance above is actually a door, 615 00:32:58,520 --> 00:33:01,520 the top of a domed cavern more than 100 feet wide 616 00:33:01,520 --> 00:33:03,520 and dripping with stalactites. 617 00:33:03,520 --> 00:33:06,520 And below me, it's a long way down. 618 00:33:07,520 --> 00:33:09,520 Okay, keep going. 619 00:33:09,520 --> 00:33:11,520 I'm about halfway there. 620 00:33:12,520 --> 00:33:13,520 As I approach the water, 621 00:33:13,520 --> 00:33:15,520 I feel overwhelmed with adrenaline. 622 00:33:15,520 --> 00:33:17,520 Since this cenote was rediscovered, 623 00:33:17,520 --> 00:33:21,520 only about a dozen people have made this descent into the darkness. 624 00:33:21,520 --> 00:33:23,520 I guess I'm lucky number 13. 625 00:33:30,520 --> 00:33:31,520 As I hit the water though, 626 00:33:31,520 --> 00:33:34,520 the reality of my situation sinks in. 627 00:33:34,520 --> 00:33:35,520 I'm floating in black water, 628 00:33:35,520 --> 00:33:37,520 and there's no way out but up. 629 00:33:40,520 --> 00:33:42,520 Alright, Guillermo, let's do this. 630 00:33:44,520 --> 00:33:45,520 Get down. 631 00:33:45,520 --> 00:33:46,520 I'm just panting. 632 00:33:47,520 --> 00:33:48,520 Can't take. 633 00:33:52,520 --> 00:33:54,520 I'm slightly anxious for some company. 634 00:33:56,520 --> 00:33:57,520 Once Guillermo arrives, 635 00:33:57,520 --> 00:34:00,520 we don our masks and descend. 636 00:34:08,520 --> 00:34:10,520 Oh, the water is a little bit cool. 637 00:34:10,520 --> 00:34:12,520 Visibility is good, about 50 feet, 638 00:34:12,520 --> 00:34:14,520 but very, very dark in here. 639 00:34:15,520 --> 00:34:16,520 I can't see the bottom of it all. 640 00:34:16,520 --> 00:34:18,520 Guillermo, how deep does this thing go? 641 00:34:18,520 --> 00:34:21,520 This goes 450 feet. 642 00:34:21,520 --> 00:34:24,520 I mean, it looks like it goes down forever down there. 643 00:34:24,520 --> 00:34:26,520 Yeah, and we can see the bottom from here. 644 00:34:26,520 --> 00:34:27,520 It's like a bottomless pit. 645 00:34:27,520 --> 00:34:29,520 The visibility is so clear, 646 00:34:29,520 --> 00:34:31,520 and the cenote is so dark 647 00:34:31,520 --> 00:34:33,520 that I feel like I'm floating, 648 00:34:33,520 --> 00:34:35,520 not in water, but in space. 649 00:34:35,520 --> 00:34:37,520 Because the water is so clear, 650 00:34:37,520 --> 00:34:39,520 it's very hard to get a sense of how deep you are 651 00:34:39,520 --> 00:34:41,520 or the distance between things. 652 00:34:41,520 --> 00:34:42,520 It's kind of disorienting. 653 00:34:42,520 --> 00:34:45,520 You have desensitization under our flying. 654 00:34:45,520 --> 00:34:47,520 It's down here, Josh. 655 00:34:47,520 --> 00:34:49,520 I want to show you some of the beautiful 656 00:34:49,520 --> 00:34:51,520 pay-per-mations here. 657 00:34:51,520 --> 00:34:53,520 Absolutely incredible, just these huge 658 00:34:53,520 --> 00:34:56,520 curds and formations, and since the lag ties, 659 00:34:56,520 --> 00:34:59,520 it's just unbelievable down here. 660 00:34:59,520 --> 00:35:01,520 Guillermo's team has made a number of huge 661 00:35:01,520 --> 00:35:03,520 finds in this darkness. 662 00:35:03,520 --> 00:35:05,520 First, they've realized that Holtun is critical 663 00:35:05,520 --> 00:35:08,520 to the alignment of all of Chichen Itza. 664 00:35:10,520 --> 00:35:12,520 Every May 23rd, when the sun reaches its zenith 665 00:35:12,520 --> 00:35:15,520 or highest point, it shines directly down 666 00:35:15,520 --> 00:35:17,520 into the mouth of Holtun, 667 00:35:17,520 --> 00:35:20,520 bathing this black water in ethereal light. 668 00:35:20,520 --> 00:35:22,520 Then, that night, the sun sets directly in line 669 00:35:22,520 --> 00:35:26,520 with the cenote and the side of Chichen Itza's main pyramid. 670 00:35:26,520 --> 00:35:29,520 Okay, so where are we headed over to the wall? 671 00:35:29,520 --> 00:35:31,520 Yeah, we'll go to the wall to one side, 672 00:35:31,520 --> 00:35:33,520 whether it's on the little cavern, 673 00:35:33,520 --> 00:35:35,520 or there's a slab of the shelf. 674 00:35:35,520 --> 00:35:38,520 Okay, let's go ahead and check if we can. 675 00:35:46,520 --> 00:35:49,520 Josh, come on, come on here, look at this. 676 00:35:50,520 --> 00:35:52,520 Oh my God, look at that! 677 00:35:52,520 --> 00:35:56,520 Incredible pieces of pottery, incredible intact ceramics. 678 00:35:56,520 --> 00:35:58,520 Yeah, this is one thing the cenotes have. 679 00:35:58,520 --> 00:36:02,520 They preserve materials in an incredible way. 680 00:36:02,520 --> 00:36:04,520 But there are other secrets here. 681 00:36:04,520 --> 00:36:06,520 As beautiful as the cenote is, 682 00:36:06,520 --> 00:36:09,520 it is also undeniably scary. 683 00:36:09,520 --> 00:36:11,520 Really scary. 684 00:36:11,520 --> 00:36:13,520 This truly is the Mayan underworld. 685 00:36:13,520 --> 00:36:16,520 To them, this was the home of Chak, the rain god. 686 00:36:16,520 --> 00:36:20,520 Who knows what rituals the royalty at Chichen Itza conducted here. 687 00:36:21,520 --> 00:36:26,520 Amazing pottery down here definitely offerings to the gods. 688 00:36:26,520 --> 00:36:30,520 Very dark in here, terrible, may need some of your light. 689 00:36:33,520 --> 00:36:36,520 Climby, look at that! 690 00:36:43,520 --> 00:36:46,520 Oh my God, it's a human skull! 691 00:36:46,520 --> 00:36:48,520 I have bones in here! 692 00:36:48,520 --> 00:36:50,520 Amazing! 693 00:36:51,520 --> 00:36:54,520 Teeth look perfect on a skull! 694 00:36:54,520 --> 00:36:56,520 Yeah, they are very well preserved. 695 00:36:56,520 --> 00:37:00,520 They tell us that this person was proven high-stash. 696 00:37:00,520 --> 00:37:02,520 But the truth is, they are not. 697 00:37:02,520 --> 00:37:04,520 They are not. 698 00:37:04,520 --> 00:37:06,520 They are not. 699 00:37:06,520 --> 00:37:08,520 They are not. 700 00:37:08,520 --> 00:37:13,520 They preserve, they tell us that this person was proven high-stash. 701 00:37:13,520 --> 00:37:18,520 Because it has a very good health and a lot of them death. 702 00:37:18,520 --> 00:37:21,520 And look at it, bones, undeniably. 703 00:37:22,520 --> 00:37:24,520 Another skull right there. 704 00:37:27,520 --> 00:37:29,520 How many bodies are here? 705 00:37:29,520 --> 00:37:31,520 We believe in total in this cenote. 706 00:37:31,520 --> 00:37:35,520 We have a minimum number of 15 individuals. 707 00:37:36,520 --> 00:37:38,520 That looks like a weapon. 708 00:37:38,520 --> 00:37:41,520 That's probably a sacrifice of life. 709 00:37:41,520 --> 00:37:44,520 But we want us to see that sitting there on the shelf, 710 00:37:44,520 --> 00:37:46,520 and just getting incredibly dangerous. 711 00:37:46,520 --> 00:37:48,520 Such a good shape, yes. 712 00:37:48,520 --> 00:37:50,520 How many people have been down here to see this? 713 00:37:50,520 --> 00:37:52,520 Very, very few, yes. 714 00:37:52,520 --> 00:37:55,520 And a lot of researchers, our team. 715 00:37:55,520 --> 00:37:57,520 Amazing to be some of the first people down here 716 00:37:57,520 --> 00:38:00,520 since this sacrifice took place probably. 717 00:38:00,520 --> 00:38:04,520 Yes, yes, it's overwhelming, I will say. 718 00:38:04,520 --> 00:38:07,520 After exploring what appears to be a sacrificial altar, 719 00:38:07,520 --> 00:38:10,520 Guillermo leads me to the other side of the cenote. 720 00:38:10,520 --> 00:38:13,520 George, just be very careful here. 721 00:38:13,520 --> 00:38:17,520 The object of the two is there and taught for centuries. 722 00:38:17,520 --> 00:38:19,520 Okay. 723 00:38:21,520 --> 00:38:23,520 I hope you tell us, Guillermo, 724 00:38:23,520 --> 00:38:26,520 so many things I'm looking at you, what are we seeing here? 725 00:38:26,520 --> 00:38:29,520 There is human bones, there's human skulls, 726 00:38:29,520 --> 00:38:31,520 which are obvious, there's lots of animals, 727 00:38:31,520 --> 00:38:33,520 there's deer, dogs. 728 00:38:33,520 --> 00:38:36,520 That plot has bones coming out from it, 729 00:38:36,520 --> 00:38:39,520 when they laid and was placed with an animal inside. 730 00:38:39,520 --> 00:38:42,520 The stone shelf contains a grisly scene, 731 00:38:42,520 --> 00:38:44,520 but it's not just the bones that are disturbing. 732 00:38:44,520 --> 00:38:46,520 It's their organization. 733 00:38:46,520 --> 00:38:48,520 There's so many things on the shelf. 734 00:38:48,520 --> 00:38:50,520 Guillermo, what do you think we're looking at? 735 00:38:50,520 --> 00:38:52,520 Is this a funerary offering? 736 00:38:52,520 --> 00:38:55,520 Is this a sacrifice? What do you think this is? 737 00:38:55,520 --> 00:38:58,520 We assume that this is a sacrifice in policy. 738 00:38:58,520 --> 00:39:01,520 If blood was important for the gas, 739 00:39:01,520 --> 00:39:04,520 so it would be great, so probably this is a sacrifice. 740 00:39:04,520 --> 00:39:07,520 At more than 20 feet underwater, 741 00:39:07,520 --> 00:39:09,520 it would have been impossible for the Maya 742 00:39:09,520 --> 00:39:11,520 to arrange these items so carefully. 743 00:39:11,520 --> 00:39:14,520 Unless, of course, none of this was submerged at the time. 744 00:39:14,520 --> 00:39:16,520 We believe it was a huge drought. 745 00:39:16,520 --> 00:39:20,520 The archaeological material matches that time, 746 00:39:20,520 --> 00:39:25,520 and we believe that water level was at least 20-25 feet 747 00:39:25,520 --> 00:39:27,520 below what it is now. 748 00:39:27,520 --> 00:39:30,520 This shelf is actually a ceremonial altar, 749 00:39:30,520 --> 00:39:33,520 which means the water level must have plummeted far enough 750 00:39:33,520 --> 00:39:35,520 for the Maya to descend here on foot 751 00:39:35,520 --> 00:39:38,520 and make desperate sacrifices. 752 00:39:38,520 --> 00:39:41,520 Have you really excavated around here at all yet? 753 00:39:41,520 --> 00:39:43,520 Have you looked under the sediment? 754 00:39:43,520 --> 00:39:45,520 No, we're really waiting for better technology 755 00:39:45,520 --> 00:39:49,520 to know what's down there before we even touch anything. 756 00:39:49,520 --> 00:39:52,520 The bones had been dated to about a thousand years ago, 757 00:39:52,520 --> 00:39:55,520 the exact time when the Mayan Empire began to collapse. 758 00:39:58,520 --> 00:40:00,520 This analysis is now being confirmed 759 00:40:00,520 --> 00:40:02,520 in other parts of the region as well. 760 00:40:02,520 --> 00:40:05,520 Recently, samples drilled in a massive cenote and belize 761 00:40:05,520 --> 00:40:07,520 show mineral deposits indicating 762 00:40:07,520 --> 00:40:10,520 a terrifying lack of rainfall at the time. 763 00:40:10,520 --> 00:40:13,520 No rain, no drinking water, no corn. 764 00:40:13,520 --> 00:40:16,520 And just like that, the whole delicate balance of life 765 00:40:16,520 --> 00:40:18,520 begins to topple over. 766 00:40:19,520 --> 00:40:21,520 Just a place is getting low. 767 00:40:21,520 --> 00:40:23,520 I think it's time to go up. 768 00:40:23,520 --> 00:40:25,520 I'm going to be right behind you, Guillermo. 769 00:40:25,520 --> 00:40:28,520 We ascend to the surface and with the help of the modern Mayans 770 00:40:28,520 --> 00:40:30,520 get pulled back toward the sun. 771 00:40:33,520 --> 00:40:35,520 Oh! He's gone! He's gone! 772 00:40:39,520 --> 00:40:41,520 That's a long way back up. 773 00:40:41,520 --> 00:40:43,520 Okay. 774 00:40:48,520 --> 00:40:51,520 Guillermo, I'll see you later. I'm getting out of here. 775 00:40:53,520 --> 00:40:55,520 There's a whole other world down there. 776 00:40:55,520 --> 00:40:59,520 It's a dark, scary and very cool world. 777 00:40:59,520 --> 00:41:02,520 It's going to be back up here in the land of the living. 778 00:41:06,520 --> 00:41:08,520 As I make my way out of the jungle, 779 00:41:08,520 --> 00:41:10,520 it's now clear that the Mayans 780 00:41:10,520 --> 00:41:13,520 oriented their entire world toward water. 781 00:41:13,520 --> 00:41:16,520 And yet, though brilliant, they weren't able to anticipate 782 00:41:16,520 --> 00:41:19,520 that their environment could turn on them. 783 00:41:19,520 --> 00:41:21,520 By the time of the drought, 784 00:41:21,520 --> 00:41:23,520 they had cut down most of the trees in the region 785 00:41:23,520 --> 00:41:25,520 for firewood, building materials, 786 00:41:25,520 --> 00:41:27,520 and to clear fields for corn. 787 00:41:27,520 --> 00:41:31,520 A new NASA computer model shows that the loss of that many trees 788 00:41:31,520 --> 00:41:35,520 likely caused a 20 to 30% decrease in rainfall. 789 00:41:35,520 --> 00:41:37,520 In other words, 790 00:41:37,520 --> 00:41:40,520 the Mayans brought on their own demise. 791 00:41:43,520 --> 00:41:45,520 The Maya themselves didn't vanish. 792 00:41:45,520 --> 00:41:48,520 The culture and generations of people have survived. 793 00:41:48,520 --> 00:41:51,520 But the empire that once was is gone. 794 00:41:53,520 --> 00:41:56,520 It is said that those who cannot remember the past 795 00:41:56,520 --> 00:41:58,520 are doomed to repeat it. 796 00:41:58,520 --> 00:42:00,520 World populations are exploding. 797 00:42:00,520 --> 00:42:02,520 Deforestation is rampant. 798 00:42:02,520 --> 00:42:04,520 And droughts are becoming more common. 799 00:42:05,520 --> 00:42:08,520 The seemingly silent ruins of the Mayan world 800 00:42:08,520 --> 00:42:09,520 whisper to us. 801 00:42:09,520 --> 00:42:11,520 We just need to listen. 802 00:42:11,520 --> 00:42:13,520 From crumbling pyramids above ground 803 00:42:13,520 --> 00:42:16,520 to the miles of flooded chambers in the underworld, 804 00:42:16,520 --> 00:42:18,520 the message is clear. 805 00:42:18,520 --> 00:42:20,520 We must strike a true balance with nature 806 00:42:20,520 --> 00:42:22,520 and live within our means. 807 00:42:22,520 --> 00:42:26,520 If not, we may be destined to answer to the Earth itself.