1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:05,000 October 12th, 1492. 2 00:00:05,000 --> 00:00:07,000 The New World. 3 00:00:07,000 --> 00:00:11,000 It looks like paradise, and perhaps it is. 4 00:00:11,000 --> 00:00:16,000 A virgin land protected on all sides by vast oceans. 5 00:00:16,000 --> 00:00:21,000 Its people blissfully unaware of life beyond their shores. 6 00:00:22,000 --> 00:00:29,000 But in just a moment, all of that will change. 7 00:00:44,000 --> 00:00:48,000 In 1492, Columbus sailed the ocean blue. 8 00:00:48,000 --> 00:00:50,000 We all know the rhyme. 9 00:00:50,000 --> 00:00:53,000 But what else do you know about Christopher Columbus? 10 00:00:53,000 --> 00:00:55,000 What do you really know? 11 00:00:55,000 --> 00:00:59,000 When it comes to explorers, none are more famous, and yet less understood. 12 00:00:59,000 --> 00:01:04,000 Some people are taught that he discovered America, yet he never set foot here. 13 00:01:04,000 --> 00:01:08,000 His nationality is in dispute, his early years are a total mystery. 14 00:01:08,000 --> 00:01:12,000 Even his own journals are filled with misdirection. 15 00:01:13,000 --> 00:01:15,000 To some, he is an epic hero. 16 00:01:15,000 --> 00:01:18,000 To others, a bloodthirsty conqueror. 17 00:01:18,000 --> 00:01:20,000 But who was he really? 18 00:01:20,000 --> 00:01:26,000 There are two huge mysteries surrounding Columbus that may shed light on the true nature of his character. 19 00:01:26,000 --> 00:01:30,000 And both might be on the verge of being solved. 20 00:01:34,000 --> 00:01:37,000 The first involves the fate of his flagship, the Santa Maria. 21 00:01:37,000 --> 00:01:43,000 Which hasn't been seen since she ran aground on Christmas Day of 1492 off the coast of Haiti. 22 00:01:43,000 --> 00:01:48,000 One explorer claims he's found what is one of the most important ships in history. 23 00:01:48,000 --> 00:01:51,000 But local authorities aren't so sure. 24 00:01:51,000 --> 00:01:55,000 And would you believe we can't even agree on where Columbus is buried? 25 00:01:55,000 --> 00:01:59,000 Two nations have been locked in a dispute over which has the explorer's bones. 26 00:01:59,000 --> 00:02:03,000 But now, DNA evidence may finally unlock the answer. 27 00:02:04,000 --> 00:02:08,000 This is an expedition that will take me to the Old World and the New. 28 00:02:08,000 --> 00:02:11,000 Through four countries and 500 years of history. 29 00:02:11,000 --> 00:02:16,000 All to discover what is the true story of Christopher Columbus. 30 00:02:23,000 --> 00:02:25,000 My name is Josh Gates. 31 00:02:26,000 --> 00:02:30,000 With a degree in archaeology and a passion for exploration. 32 00:02:31,000 --> 00:02:35,000 I have a tendency to end up in some very strange situations. 33 00:02:35,000 --> 00:02:37,000 God Lord! 34 00:02:39,000 --> 00:02:41,000 My travels have taken me to the ends of the earth. 35 00:02:41,000 --> 00:02:44,000 As I investigate the greatest legends in history. 36 00:02:46,000 --> 00:02:49,000 This is Expedition Unknown. 37 00:02:52,000 --> 00:02:55,000 To begin my expedition into the mysteries of Columbus. 38 00:02:55,000 --> 00:03:00,000 I'm bound for Madeira, a small island off the coast of Portugal in the North Atlantic Ocean. 39 00:03:01,000 --> 00:03:06,000 It's also where a young Christopher Columbus honed his navigational skills. 40 00:03:10,000 --> 00:03:14,000 We have cliffs on one side and just water on the other in a very narrow runway. 41 00:03:14,000 --> 00:03:16,000 Not a lot of room to negotiate. 42 00:03:16,000 --> 00:03:20,000 The runway at Madeira Airport is one of the shortest and most dangerous in the world. 43 00:03:20,000 --> 00:03:23,000 A series of deadly crashes prompted the government to lengthen it. 44 00:03:23,000 --> 00:03:29,000 But with no additional land, they built 180 concrete columns and hung the runway over the sea. 45 00:03:43,000 --> 00:03:46,000 That is the joyous sound of not falling into the ocean. 46 00:03:46,000 --> 00:03:49,000 Welcome to Funchal. This is the largest city here in Madeira. 47 00:03:49,000 --> 00:03:52,000 A place that has long been associated with exploration. 48 00:03:52,000 --> 00:03:57,000 It was founded by the Portuguese in 1420, part of their golden age of discovery. 49 00:03:57,000 --> 00:04:00,000 About 40 years later, it became home to Christopher Columbus. 50 00:04:02,000 --> 00:04:06,000 Little is known for certain about the early life of Columbus. 51 00:04:06,000 --> 00:04:10,000 It was founded by the Portuguese in 1420, part of their golden age of discovery. 52 00:04:11,000 --> 00:04:15,000 Little is known for certain about the early life of Columbus. 53 00:04:15,000 --> 00:04:20,000 He seems to appear in history fully formed, a self-made Gatsby for the age of explorers. 54 00:04:20,000 --> 00:04:24,000 Most scholars think he was born in Genoa, Italy, the son of a weaver. 55 00:04:24,000 --> 00:04:30,000 However, some historians have identified Columbus as Portuguese, Spanish, and even Jewish to boot. 56 00:04:30,000 --> 00:04:33,000 His arrival in Portugal is mysterious. 57 00:04:33,000 --> 00:04:37,000 He supposedly washes ashore in a shipwreck in 1476, 58 00:04:37,000 --> 00:04:41,000 and four years later, he arrives in Madeira to make his living as a chart maker. 59 00:04:41,000 --> 00:04:44,000 But he also develops an obsession with the sea. 60 00:04:51,000 --> 00:04:55,000 Madeira is steep, and to discover its history, you need to head uphill. 61 00:04:57,000 --> 00:04:59,000 Welcome to the top of Madeira. 62 00:05:02,000 --> 00:05:05,000 There's little physical evidence of Columbus here today. 63 00:05:05,000 --> 00:05:08,000 At his house, this window is all that remains. 64 00:05:08,000 --> 00:05:12,000 And through it, Columbus looked out on a very different world than ours. 65 00:05:15,000 --> 00:05:20,000 At the end of the 15th century, the European powers depend on trade along the famed Silk Road to India. 66 00:05:20,000 --> 00:05:24,000 But the route becomes blocked by the powerful Ottoman Empire. 67 00:05:24,000 --> 00:05:31,000 Spain and Portugal dispatch their best navigators to find an ocean route to the southeast around the tip of Africa. 68 00:05:35,000 --> 00:05:38,000 But the young chart maker in Madeira has a different plan. 69 00:05:38,000 --> 00:05:40,000 To look west. 70 00:05:43,000 --> 00:05:47,000 It's easy to see why Columbus and his fellow colonists loved Madeira. 71 00:05:47,000 --> 00:05:50,000 The view up here can't be beat. 72 00:05:50,000 --> 00:05:55,000 In Columbus' time, though, getting back down to sea level quickly required a novel solution. 73 00:05:55,000 --> 00:05:58,000 Wicker sleds that would fly down the steep streets. 74 00:05:59,000 --> 00:06:05,000 They once carried bottles of Madeira's famous wine, but today they carry less precious cargo. 75 00:06:05,000 --> 00:06:07,000 Television personalities. 76 00:06:07,000 --> 00:06:11,000 I can literally feel and hear the wicker breaking under me, as I said. 77 00:06:11,000 --> 00:06:13,000 That's not a good sign. 78 00:06:13,000 --> 00:06:20,000 This crazy contraption is called a carreros de monte, and it is not for the faint of heart or the weak of bladder. 79 00:06:20,000 --> 00:06:22,000 Oh, again. 80 00:06:22,000 --> 00:06:24,000 This is insane. 81 00:06:24,000 --> 00:06:26,000 Good lord! 82 00:06:26,000 --> 00:06:28,000 Yeah! 83 00:06:28,000 --> 00:06:30,000 Yeah! 84 00:06:30,000 --> 00:06:32,000 Oh, I'm crazy. 85 00:06:32,000 --> 00:06:34,000 Yeah! 86 00:06:34,000 --> 00:06:36,000 Whoa, whoa! 87 00:06:36,000 --> 00:06:41,000 Imagine flying 30 miles an hour downhill in a red basket from Pottery Barn with no brakes, 88 00:06:41,000 --> 00:06:44,000 and you'll get an idea of how safe this is. 89 00:06:44,000 --> 00:06:47,000 Is this an intersection? Are you kidding me? 90 00:06:47,000 --> 00:06:49,000 Yeah! 91 00:06:53,000 --> 00:06:55,000 Excellent work, boys. 92 00:06:55,000 --> 00:07:00,000 I'm just going to sit here for a minute and think about the choices in my life that brought me to this moment. 93 00:07:03,000 --> 00:07:08,000 Shaking off my near-death experience, I get it together and head to the docks to meet here. 94 00:07:08,000 --> 00:07:13,000 I'm hopeful that he can shed some light on what kind of man Columbus really was, 95 00:07:13,000 --> 00:07:16,000 and reveal more about his fateful voyage. 96 00:07:16,000 --> 00:07:22,000 He told me he has a boat by the docks, and, well, it's not hard to spot. 97 00:07:22,000 --> 00:07:24,000 How are you? 98 00:07:24,000 --> 00:07:26,000 I'm fine. Welcome on board. 99 00:07:26,000 --> 00:07:28,000 This is the Santa Maria. 100 00:07:28,000 --> 00:07:29,000 Yes. 101 00:07:29,000 --> 00:07:32,000 When you said you had a boat, I didn't realize you had the boat. 102 00:07:32,000 --> 00:07:34,000 I'm glad you're here. 103 00:07:34,000 --> 00:07:37,000 Now, unlike the real Santa Maria, we're going to come back, though, right? 104 00:07:37,000 --> 00:07:38,000 Yes, yes. 105 00:07:40,000 --> 00:07:45,000 Built by local craftsmen, this is one of the only working replicas of the Santa Maria in the world. 106 00:07:48,000 --> 00:07:52,000 Put about 500 years on her odometer, and this could be the boat I'm looking for. 107 00:07:52,000 --> 00:07:54,000 This is the same size as the Santa Maria. 108 00:07:54,000 --> 00:07:56,000 Exactly the same size. 109 00:07:56,000 --> 00:08:00,000 Which, you know, it seems, frankly, it's not the same size as the Santa Maria. 110 00:08:00,000 --> 00:08:02,000 Exactly the same size. 111 00:08:02,000 --> 00:08:05,000 Which, you know, it seems, frankly, being out here, it seems kind of small. 112 00:08:05,000 --> 00:08:11,000 Because people have the idea that those sheep were big, but these was the biggest they had. 113 00:08:20,000 --> 00:08:27,000 While everyone else is trying to get around Africa, Columbus is obsessing over the journals of the great explorer Marco Polo. 114 00:08:27,000 --> 00:08:32,000 Polo went over land, way past India, to the grand courts of Kublai Khan in China. 115 00:08:32,000 --> 00:08:37,000 Columbus is convinced he can sail west and reach this mysterious country. 116 00:08:37,000 --> 00:08:42,000 And for almost 10 years, he seeks funding for what most believe is a fantasy. 117 00:08:42,000 --> 00:08:48,000 But in 1492, he's finally granted sponsorship from Spain's Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand. 118 00:08:49,000 --> 00:08:53,000 On August 3rd of that year, Columbus, a crew of about 100 men, 119 00:08:53,000 --> 00:08:59,000 and three small but sea-worthy ships, the Nina, the Pinta, and the Santa Maria, depart for Asia. 120 00:08:59,000 --> 00:09:03,000 Little does anyone know that only two ships will be coming back. 121 00:09:07,000 --> 00:09:11,000 Even just outside of Port here, it's pretty rolly on this boat. 122 00:09:11,000 --> 00:09:12,000 Yes. 123 00:09:12,000 --> 00:09:16,000 With a storm, this would be very difficult to...to...to sail. 124 00:09:16,000 --> 00:09:21,000 If I'm gonna get inside Columbus' head, though, I'm gonna have to sail a mile in his shoes. 125 00:09:21,000 --> 00:09:23,000 Okay, so, all right, step one. 126 00:09:23,000 --> 00:09:26,000 Step one, you have to anti-these sails. 127 00:09:26,000 --> 00:09:27,000 Okay, what do I pull? 128 00:09:27,000 --> 00:09:30,000 Uh, not here. You have to go up there. 129 00:09:32,000 --> 00:09:35,000 No, this is...look, there's so many things here to pull. 130 00:09:35,000 --> 00:09:38,000 It doesn't want to be used just to make the sail drop. 131 00:09:38,000 --> 00:09:42,000 You just have to go up there, and you will see it's very easy. It's very easy. 132 00:09:44,000 --> 00:09:45,000 Okay. 133 00:09:45,000 --> 00:09:47,000 Up like this? Yeah, this is very stable. 134 00:09:47,000 --> 00:09:48,000 Yes. 135 00:09:48,000 --> 00:09:50,000 Now I can see you have Portuguese blood. 136 00:09:50,000 --> 00:09:53,000 Yeah, you're about to have some Portuguese blood on the deck of the ship in a minute. 137 00:09:55,000 --> 00:09:59,000 While I hang on for dear life, the Portuguese Hugh Jackman here just keeps smiling, 138 00:09:59,000 --> 00:10:02,000 and another deckhand flies up like mogulie from the Jungle Book. 139 00:10:02,000 --> 00:10:04,000 Wait, why are you so much faster than me? 140 00:10:07,000 --> 00:10:09,000 That's good. We are just going slow ahead. 141 00:10:11,000 --> 00:10:12,000 Slow ahead. 142 00:10:12,000 --> 00:10:13,000 Slow ahead. 143 00:10:13,000 --> 00:10:14,000 Slow ahead. 144 00:10:14,000 --> 00:10:17,000 Be careful. It's moving a little bit. 145 00:10:17,000 --> 00:10:20,000 This is horrible. This is officially horrible. 146 00:10:29,000 --> 00:10:34,000 I'm off the coast of Portugal aboard a life-size replica of Columbus flagship, the Santa Maria. 147 00:10:34,000 --> 00:10:36,000 This is crazy. So it's up higher. 148 00:10:36,000 --> 00:10:39,000 This is horrible. This is officially horrible. 149 00:10:39,000 --> 00:10:42,000 I'm up in the very creaky crow's nest to untie the sail. 150 00:10:47,000 --> 00:10:50,000 It is a puke McGillicuddy up here. 151 00:10:55,000 --> 00:10:58,000 I can't even imagine being up here in a storm. 152 00:10:58,000 --> 00:11:00,000 You are supposed to untie that rope there. 153 00:11:01,000 --> 00:11:02,000 Okay, untied. 154 00:11:03,000 --> 00:11:04,000 Can I get out of here now? 155 00:11:04,000 --> 00:11:05,000 Yes, you can come down. 156 00:11:05,000 --> 00:11:06,000 Okay, I'm coming down. 157 00:11:07,000 --> 00:11:10,000 I carefully descend down the ropes and get back to the deck, 158 00:11:10,000 --> 00:11:13,000 and with knots untied, we're ready to sail. 159 00:11:17,000 --> 00:11:28,000 How about that? That's as good as you say, else. 160 00:11:48,000 --> 00:11:52,000 According to Columbus' calculations, he can sail west and reach the coast of China, 161 00:11:52,000 --> 00:11:54,000 and technically, he's right. 162 00:11:54,000 --> 00:11:59,000 But what he and nobody else in Europe knows is that the world is bigger than they thought, 163 00:11:59,000 --> 00:12:04,000 and that two entire continents and a lot of islands are standing in his way. 164 00:12:04,000 --> 00:12:08,000 And on October 11, 1492, after many waterlogged weeks at sea, 165 00:12:08,000 --> 00:12:10,000 Columbus finally spots land. 166 00:12:10,000 --> 00:12:14,000 Actually, one of his crew members does, but Columbus takes the credit. 167 00:12:14,000 --> 00:12:15,000 Ego. 168 00:12:15,000 --> 00:12:20,000 Ricardo and other experts believe the first sighting was probably of San Salvador in the Caribbean. 169 00:12:20,000 --> 00:12:25,000 And then, over the next two and a half months, a perplexed Columbus explores small islands, 170 00:12:25,000 --> 00:12:29,000 and then the coast of Cuba, Haiti, and the Dominican Republic, 171 00:12:29,000 --> 00:12:34,000 all the while desperately looking for some indication that this is Asia. 172 00:12:34,000 --> 00:12:41,000 In the process, he discovers coffee, sugar, and spices, but no sign of gold, pearls, or China. 173 00:12:41,000 --> 00:12:44,000 I have to say, being out here, it really gives me an idea. 174 00:12:44,000 --> 00:12:47,000 It really gives me an idea of how hard this must have been, 175 00:12:47,000 --> 00:12:51,000 and how brave you'd have to be to set sail on a voyage like that. 176 00:12:51,000 --> 00:12:56,000 Even nowadays, it's not any sailor that can take about a ship like this and sail to America. 177 00:12:56,000 --> 00:13:00,000 If anything happened to these guys, nobody was coming for them. 178 00:13:00,000 --> 00:13:04,000 No. On the voyage over, he didn't lose a single man. 179 00:13:04,000 --> 00:13:07,000 Which, you know, in those days is quite rare. 180 00:13:07,000 --> 00:13:08,000 Yeah, it's an accomplishment. 181 00:13:08,000 --> 00:13:14,000 They had a lot of confidence in Columbus' ability to sail, to navigate. 182 00:13:16,000 --> 00:13:18,000 Alright, well, it looks like we're getting a little weather coming in here. 183 00:13:18,000 --> 00:13:19,000 Yes, yes. 184 00:13:19,000 --> 00:13:23,000 So we can either go back to port or we can go to the New World. What do you want to do? 185 00:13:23,000 --> 00:13:25,000 I think for today, it's better to go back to port. 186 00:13:25,000 --> 00:13:27,000 Smart man, let's go. Sail this thing. 187 00:13:29,000 --> 00:13:33,000 This replica has one advantage over its namesake. It still floats. 188 00:13:33,000 --> 00:13:36,000 The original Santa Maria sank accidentally. 189 00:13:37,000 --> 00:13:38,000 Or did it? 190 00:13:39,000 --> 00:13:42,000 There are new theories about what really happened to the ship, 191 00:13:42,000 --> 00:13:44,000 and shocking revelations about her captain. 192 00:13:44,000 --> 00:13:48,000 To learn the truth, I need to follow Columbus' path to the New World. 193 00:13:52,000 --> 00:13:58,000 It's pretty wild to be flying over the same ocean that Columbus traversed hundreds of years ago. 194 00:13:58,000 --> 00:14:04,000 You know, it took him and his crew more than a month to sail down there in really tough conditions. 195 00:14:04,000 --> 00:14:08,000 Today, in a modern jetliner, we make the trip in about ten hours, 196 00:14:08,000 --> 00:14:11,000 and you get to watch old two-and-a-half men episodes. 197 00:14:12,000 --> 00:14:16,000 So, maybe it was better on Columbus' ship. 198 00:14:16,000 --> 00:14:20,000 It's 3,500 miles from this island to my destination on another. 199 00:14:20,000 --> 00:14:21,000 Haiti. 200 00:14:28,000 --> 00:14:30,000 Haiti is a nation born of hope. 201 00:14:30,000 --> 00:14:34,000 Founded in 1804 by former slaves, he threw off their shackles 202 00:14:34,000 --> 00:14:36,000 and seized their freedom from the French. 203 00:14:36,000 --> 00:14:41,000 This was the first black republic in the world with an astounding cultural legacy 204 00:14:41,000 --> 00:14:46,000 and historic treasures which reveal a past filled with wealth and pride. 205 00:14:47,000 --> 00:14:51,000 Unfortunately, none of this is what Haiti is known for. 206 00:14:56,000 --> 00:14:57,000 Port-au-Prince, Haiti. 207 00:14:58,000 --> 00:15:02,000 This is, generally speaking, not a place that many tourists visit these days. 208 00:15:02,000 --> 00:15:03,000 I've never been here. 209 00:15:03,000 --> 00:15:05,000 In fact, I don't think I know anyone who's been here. 210 00:15:05,000 --> 00:15:08,000 Haiti is not just synonymous with poverty. 211 00:15:08,000 --> 00:15:09,000 It redefines it. 212 00:15:09,000 --> 00:15:12,000 Though it is closer to Miami than Washington, D.C., 213 00:15:12,000 --> 00:15:15,000 it exists in an entirely different world. 214 00:15:15,000 --> 00:15:21,000 For the past hundred years, the Haitian people have been victims of endemic corruption and foreign meddling. 215 00:15:22,000 --> 00:15:25,000 Port-au-Prince is a capital city of over a million people 216 00:15:25,000 --> 00:15:30,000 that lacks reliable infrastructure, sanitation, and in some cases, buildings. 217 00:15:32,000 --> 00:15:36,000 It has been five years since a massive earthquake leveled much of the capital, 218 00:15:36,000 --> 00:15:41,000 taking with it at least 100,000 people and more than a quarter of a million homes. 219 00:15:42,000 --> 00:15:44,000 Since then, a lot has been done. 220 00:15:44,000 --> 00:15:46,000 A lot hasn't been done. 221 00:15:46,000 --> 00:15:49,000 And there's a real sense here in the city that people are unsure 222 00:15:49,000 --> 00:15:51,000 what's going to happen next. 223 00:15:51,000 --> 00:15:56,000 Perhaps the only thing that pulled through the earthquake stronger than before was capitalism. 224 00:15:56,000 --> 00:15:59,000 Haiti is a country constantly on the make, 225 00:15:59,000 --> 00:16:02,000 and every man, woman, and child has to sell to survive. 226 00:16:05,000 --> 00:16:06,000 Hey, guys. 227 00:16:06,000 --> 00:16:07,000 How are you? 228 00:16:07,000 --> 00:16:09,000 How you doing? 229 00:16:09,000 --> 00:16:10,000 So what is this? 230 00:16:10,000 --> 00:16:12,000 This is bootlegging. 231 00:16:12,000 --> 00:16:13,000 Bootlegging. 232 00:16:13,000 --> 00:16:15,000 This is a power line. 233 00:16:15,000 --> 00:16:17,000 And this is now a cell phone charging station. 234 00:16:17,000 --> 00:16:19,000 Can I top up? 235 00:16:19,000 --> 00:16:21,000 Do we have a charger for him? 236 00:16:23,000 --> 00:16:24,000 We got it. 237 00:16:24,000 --> 00:16:25,000 Got it. 238 00:16:25,000 --> 00:16:26,000 And it's charging. 239 00:16:26,000 --> 00:16:27,000 It's charging. 240 00:16:27,000 --> 00:16:30,000 So basically this is a power line, and they've cut into it, 241 00:16:30,000 --> 00:16:33,000 and it directly attached cell phone chargers. 242 00:16:33,000 --> 00:16:36,000 It's like cutting out the wall socket. 243 00:16:36,000 --> 00:16:38,000 How long do these things take to charge? 244 00:16:41,000 --> 00:16:44,000 500 years ago, Haiti didn't yet exist. 245 00:16:44,000 --> 00:16:49,000 On Christmas Eve of 1492, the Santa Maria sailed along her northern coast. 246 00:16:49,000 --> 00:16:51,000 Columbus, according to his log, 247 00:16:51,000 --> 00:16:54,000 hands the tiller to a crewman and goes to sleep. 248 00:16:57,000 --> 00:17:01,000 That crewman leaves the Santa Maria in the hands of a young boy. 249 00:17:01,000 --> 00:17:04,000 It's like letting your 12-year-old pilot the space shuttle. 250 00:17:05,000 --> 00:17:07,000 Which is why, on early Christmas morning, 251 00:17:07,000 --> 00:17:11,000 one of the world's greatest navigators crashes into a reef off northern Haiti. 252 00:17:15,000 --> 00:17:19,000 A tragic mistake. 253 00:17:19,000 --> 00:17:20,000 Or was it? 254 00:17:20,000 --> 00:17:23,000 Columbus' journals were often filled with misdirection. 255 00:17:23,000 --> 00:17:25,000 The wreck and what happens after 256 00:17:25,000 --> 00:17:28,000 could reveal the darkest secrets about Columbus. 257 00:17:28,000 --> 00:17:30,000 But in order to learn them, 258 00:17:30,000 --> 00:17:33,000 we need to find the greatest lost ship in history. 259 00:17:44,000 --> 00:17:48,000 At Haiti's National Museum, I meet with director of conservation, Camille Louis, 260 00:17:48,000 --> 00:17:51,000 who shows me a breathtaking connection to the mystery. 261 00:17:51,000 --> 00:17:54,000 So tell me about this incredible artifact. 262 00:17:54,000 --> 00:17:58,000 It's anchor. It's from the Santa Maria. 263 00:17:58,000 --> 00:18:00,000 This is the anchor from Columbus' flagship? 264 00:18:00,000 --> 00:18:01,000 Absolutely. 265 00:18:01,000 --> 00:18:03,000 Was the anchor found in the water? 266 00:18:03,000 --> 00:18:06,000 No. It was found on Earth. 267 00:18:09,000 --> 00:18:11,000 The anchor, one of six aboard the Santa Maria, 268 00:18:11,000 --> 00:18:13,000 was discovered in the year 1700, 269 00:18:13,000 --> 00:18:17,000 rusting in a plantation field near the northern village of Limanada. 270 00:18:17,000 --> 00:18:20,000 The question is, how did it end up so far inland? 271 00:18:20,000 --> 00:18:22,000 We have one theory. 272 00:18:22,000 --> 00:18:25,000 Because at the time when we had this shipwreck, 273 00:18:25,000 --> 00:18:29,000 they used all the roots from the Santa Maria to build a fort. 274 00:18:29,000 --> 00:18:31,000 Not even that. 275 00:18:32,000 --> 00:18:36,000 After the Santa Maria runs aground on Christmas morning of 1492, 276 00:18:36,000 --> 00:18:38,000 Columbus makes a shocking decision. 277 00:18:38,000 --> 00:18:41,000 Before the boat sinks, he orders the deck timbers stripped 278 00:18:41,000 --> 00:18:45,000 and hauled on shore to build a fort that he names La Navidad. 279 00:18:45,000 --> 00:18:48,000 He commands that 39 men whose ride home has crashed 280 00:18:48,000 --> 00:18:51,000 will stay behind until Columbus can return. 281 00:18:53,000 --> 00:18:55,000 Has the fort itself ever been found? 282 00:18:55,000 --> 00:18:59,000 Well, we had some missions, but unfortunately not yet. 283 00:19:00,000 --> 00:19:03,000 The government's current missions to find La Navidad 284 00:19:03,000 --> 00:19:07,000 may be my best opportunity to unravel the mystery of the Santa Maria. 285 00:19:07,000 --> 00:19:10,000 Find the fort, and the rest of the boat, 286 00:19:10,000 --> 00:19:13,000 along with the truth about Columbus, will be revealed. 287 00:19:20,000 --> 00:19:22,000 Port-au-Prince, Haiti. 288 00:19:22,000 --> 00:19:25,000 I'm on my way north to where Christopher Columbus wrecked his flagship 289 00:19:25,000 --> 00:19:27,000 and where its anchor was found. 290 00:19:27,000 --> 00:19:29,000 But if I'm going to join archaeologists in their search, 291 00:19:29,000 --> 00:19:31,000 I've got a long drive ahead of me. 292 00:19:31,000 --> 00:19:34,000 The anchor was found far north of Port-au-Prince, 293 00:19:34,000 --> 00:19:36,000 the second largest city, Capatian. 294 00:19:40,000 --> 00:19:43,000 When you think of the Caribbean, you don't really think of mountains, 295 00:19:43,000 --> 00:19:46,000 but in fact, Haiti is very mountainous. 296 00:19:46,000 --> 00:19:49,000 Tallest peak on the island is almost 9,000 feet. 297 00:19:49,000 --> 00:19:51,000 And to get from Port-au-Prince up to Capatian, 298 00:19:51,000 --> 00:19:53,000 we have to go over the top. 299 00:19:53,000 --> 00:19:55,000 In Haiti, no matter the time of day, 300 00:19:55,000 --> 00:19:57,000 there are people walking along the road. 301 00:19:57,000 --> 00:20:00,000 So driving is dangerous for both me and them. 302 00:20:00,000 --> 00:20:02,000 Fortunately, I only have to hit the brakes once, 303 00:20:02,000 --> 00:20:04,000 and it's for this. 304 00:20:07,000 --> 00:20:09,000 Who's the best? 305 00:20:09,000 --> 00:20:11,000 Guess people love. 306 00:20:11,000 --> 00:20:13,000 Let me see your moves, man. Let me see your moves. 307 00:20:13,000 --> 00:20:14,000 What do you got? 308 00:20:14,000 --> 00:20:16,000 I mean, I can't just let this be a spectator sport. 309 00:20:16,000 --> 00:20:18,000 I'm coming in. 310 00:20:19,000 --> 00:20:21,000 Come on, slow it down, dude! 311 00:20:22,000 --> 00:20:24,000 Get out of here! 312 00:20:24,000 --> 00:20:27,000 Come on! We got this! We got this! 313 00:20:27,000 --> 00:20:28,000 Come on! 314 00:20:28,000 --> 00:20:31,000 Man, you gotta slow that down. You gotta slow that down, man. 315 00:20:33,000 --> 00:20:35,000 Slow that down, man. 316 00:20:40,000 --> 00:20:42,000 Okay, I need a rest now. 317 00:20:43,000 --> 00:20:45,000 Even with the double Dutch break, 318 00:20:45,000 --> 00:20:47,000 it takes six hours over twisting roads 319 00:20:47,000 --> 00:20:50,000 to go only 150 miles to the North Shore. 320 00:20:51,000 --> 00:20:54,000 Columbus' journals place the wreck of the Santa Maria 321 00:20:54,000 --> 00:20:56,000 near a reef off the coast, 322 00:20:56,000 --> 00:20:59,000 and recently, one American explorer claimed to find it. 323 00:21:03,000 --> 00:21:06,000 To find out if he did, I'll need a guide. 324 00:21:06,000 --> 00:21:08,000 And in Northern Haiti, looking for shipwrecks 325 00:21:08,000 --> 00:21:11,000 brings you to one man, Jean-Claude Dichmar. 326 00:21:11,000 --> 00:21:12,000 Bonjour. 327 00:21:12,000 --> 00:21:13,000 Bonjour. 328 00:21:13,000 --> 00:21:14,000 How are you? 329 00:21:14,000 --> 00:21:15,000 I'm good. You ready to go out? 330 00:21:15,000 --> 00:21:16,000 Yeah, of course. 331 00:21:16,000 --> 00:21:17,000 Okay, let's do it. 332 00:21:17,000 --> 00:21:20,000 Don't let his age fool you. Jean-Claude is a machine. 333 00:21:20,000 --> 00:21:23,000 He's been documenting wrecks in Haiti for 40 years 334 00:21:23,000 --> 00:21:26,000 and even worked alongside Cousteau aboard the Calypso. 335 00:21:26,000 --> 00:21:28,000 This guy is full Steve Zizou. 336 00:21:28,000 --> 00:21:31,000 This is for me? Captain? 337 00:21:31,000 --> 00:21:32,000 Souvenir, Captain. 338 00:21:32,000 --> 00:21:33,000 Captain Adriel. 339 00:21:33,000 --> 00:21:34,000 I'm Arnaud. 340 00:21:41,000 --> 00:21:43,000 Most of the known shipwrecks in this area 341 00:21:43,000 --> 00:21:45,000 were discovered by Jean-Claude, 342 00:21:45,000 --> 00:21:48,000 but there's one that has eluded his grasp. 343 00:21:48,000 --> 00:21:49,000 How many wrecks out here? 344 00:21:49,000 --> 00:21:51,000 257. 345 00:21:51,000 --> 00:21:53,000 257? 346 00:21:53,000 --> 00:21:54,000 Right here. 347 00:22:02,000 --> 00:22:05,000 In 2013, famed American explorer Barry Clifford 348 00:22:05,000 --> 00:22:09,000 found a wreck nearby that he claimed was the Santa Maria. 349 00:22:09,000 --> 00:22:11,000 Case closed? Hardly. 350 00:22:11,000 --> 00:22:15,000 Since the wreck is so old, most of what's left are ballast stones. 351 00:22:15,000 --> 00:22:18,000 Large rocks used to stabilize the boat. 352 00:22:18,000 --> 00:22:22,000 Many disagreed with Clifford's claim, including Jean-Claude. 353 00:22:22,000 --> 00:22:25,000 So how many years have you been looking for the Santa Maria? 354 00:22:25,000 --> 00:22:26,000 About 15 years. 355 00:22:26,000 --> 00:22:27,000 15 years. 356 00:22:27,000 --> 00:22:29,000 The boat that everybody talked about in the news 357 00:22:29,000 --> 00:22:31,000 with Barry Clifford, that boat. 358 00:22:31,000 --> 00:22:32,000 Is that the Santa Maria? 359 00:22:32,000 --> 00:22:33,000 I don't think so. 360 00:22:33,000 --> 00:22:34,000 No. 361 00:22:34,000 --> 00:22:35,000 So you think it's still out there? 362 00:22:35,000 --> 00:22:36,000 Yeah. 363 00:22:36,000 --> 00:22:37,000 Yeah. 364 00:22:37,000 --> 00:22:40,000 Where do you think the reef is that the Santa Maria hit? 365 00:22:40,000 --> 00:22:43,000 Not of capacean. Capacean is here, not of chair. 366 00:22:43,000 --> 00:22:44,000 So somewhere off here? 367 00:22:44,000 --> 00:22:45,000 Somewhere off here. 368 00:22:45,000 --> 00:22:46,000 And you can see reef, like right here, right? 369 00:22:46,000 --> 00:22:47,000 Yeah. 370 00:22:47,000 --> 00:22:48,000 That's reef. That's reef. 371 00:22:48,000 --> 00:22:49,000 Right here. 372 00:22:49,000 --> 00:22:50,000 Lots of reef. 373 00:22:50,000 --> 00:22:51,000 So many places for him to wreck? 374 00:22:51,000 --> 00:22:52,000 Over there. 375 00:22:52,000 --> 00:22:53,000 Over there? Over there? 376 00:22:53,000 --> 00:22:54,000 Over there. 377 00:22:54,000 --> 00:22:55,000 It's not easy, right? 378 00:22:55,000 --> 00:22:56,000 No. 379 00:22:56,000 --> 00:22:58,000 And now the verdict seems to be in. 380 00:22:58,000 --> 00:23:04,000 Recently, UN experts studied the find and declared that the wreck isn't old enough to be the lost ship. 381 00:23:07,000 --> 00:23:10,000 Jean-Claude has two new leads on possible wrecks, 382 00:23:10,000 --> 00:23:15,000 both from the local fishermen who've had their lines snagged on something just off the coast. 383 00:23:20,000 --> 00:23:22,000 The old-sized medium BC. 384 00:23:22,000 --> 00:23:25,000 Because when you look at me, you think medium. 385 00:23:28,000 --> 00:23:35,000 I'm down at the bottom. 386 00:23:35,000 --> 00:23:37,000 Visibility is about 10 feet. 387 00:23:46,000 --> 00:23:50,000 Under the surface is the world's greatest undiscovered museum. 388 00:23:50,000 --> 00:23:55,000 The remains of untold ships swept into these reefs by erratic currents. 389 00:23:55,000 --> 00:23:59,000 It doesn't take long before we see what shredded the local fishermen's nets, 390 00:23:59,000 --> 00:24:03,000 jagged metal rising up from the ocean floor. 391 00:24:04,000 --> 00:24:07,000 There's definitely something down here. 392 00:24:10,000 --> 00:24:12,000 Oh my God, look at that! 393 00:24:12,000 --> 00:24:14,000 There's a huge wreck down here. 394 00:24:14,000 --> 00:24:17,000 It's absolutely massive. 395 00:24:26,000 --> 00:24:28,000 Under the waves off the northern coast of Haiti, 396 00:24:28,000 --> 00:24:32,000 expert diver Jean-Claude Dichmar and I have been scouring the sea floor 397 00:24:32,000 --> 00:24:36,000 for evidence of Christopher Columbus's lost ship, the Santa Maria. 398 00:24:36,000 --> 00:24:40,000 What we find is almost beyond description. 399 00:24:41,000 --> 00:24:43,000 Oh my God, look at that! 400 00:24:47,000 --> 00:24:50,000 There's a huge wreck down here. 401 00:24:51,000 --> 00:24:53,000 It's massive. 402 00:24:54,000 --> 00:24:58,000 It looks like the ship is wrapped in pieces on the reef. 403 00:24:59,000 --> 00:25:01,000 The hull is steel. 404 00:25:03,000 --> 00:25:06,000 This is not all the wreck must have been later. 405 00:25:07,000 --> 00:25:11,000 The wreck is both far too large and far too modern to be the Santa Maria. 406 00:25:12,000 --> 00:25:16,000 It's more likely a 20th century cargo freighter that hit the same reef 407 00:25:16,000 --> 00:25:19,000 Columbus smashed into 500 years earlier. 408 00:25:19,000 --> 00:25:23,000 And as I soon discover, there may be more here than meets the eye. 409 00:25:40,000 --> 00:25:45,000 These are ancient amphoras, ceramic vessels that date back centuries. 410 00:25:49,000 --> 00:25:51,000 Over here. 411 00:25:52,000 --> 00:25:54,000 It's a cannon! 412 00:25:54,000 --> 00:25:56,000 We got a cannon! 413 00:26:01,000 --> 00:26:06,000 Crusted over by time and the elements is the barrel of a historic cannon. 414 00:26:09,000 --> 00:26:12,000 System. System's in trouble. 415 00:26:12,000 --> 00:26:15,000 This is a cannon from the 1500s. 416 00:26:15,000 --> 00:26:18,000 It and the rest of this wreck has never been documented. 417 00:26:20,000 --> 00:26:24,000 However, the cannon doesn't match the type aboard Columbus's ship. 418 00:26:24,000 --> 00:26:28,000 This is likely a weapon from about 50 to 100 years later 419 00:26:28,000 --> 00:26:31,000 when other explorers followed in Columbus's wake. 420 00:26:34,000 --> 00:26:36,000 I'm turning to the surface. 421 00:26:36,000 --> 00:26:40,000 I head to the surface, speechless at having been able to find something so historic. 422 00:26:44,000 --> 00:26:46,000 How was it? 423 00:26:46,000 --> 00:26:49,000 For me, this was the dive of a lifetime. 424 00:26:49,000 --> 00:26:51,000 For Jean-Claude, it's Tuesday. 425 00:26:51,000 --> 00:26:53,000 The hunt continues. 426 00:26:58,000 --> 00:27:02,000 It turns out that not everyone is looking in the same place. 427 00:27:02,000 --> 00:27:07,000 One historian has proposed a new theory that could turn everything we know about Columbus upside down. 428 00:27:07,000 --> 00:27:10,000 I'm meeting with him in Haiti's second largest city. 429 00:27:16,000 --> 00:27:18,000 This is Cape Haitian. 430 00:27:18,000 --> 00:27:21,000 At one point, this was the richest city in the Caribbean. 431 00:27:21,000 --> 00:27:27,000 Today, it is a brightly colored maze of streets, equal parts charm and chaos. 432 00:27:32,000 --> 00:27:35,000 Cape Haitian is a city waiting for a comeback. 433 00:27:35,000 --> 00:27:38,000 Look past the chipped paint and the faded signs. 434 00:27:38,000 --> 00:27:42,000 Underneath, this place is absolutely alive. 435 00:27:42,000 --> 00:27:45,000 Oh yeah! I got it! 436 00:27:47,000 --> 00:27:49,000 I got it! 437 00:27:49,000 --> 00:27:51,000 Okay, nice work. High five. 438 00:27:55,000 --> 00:28:01,000 Columbus was so obsessed with shimmering gold that he hardly noticed some of the island's natural riches. 439 00:28:01,000 --> 00:28:06,000 In his logs, he described walking right past natives who were drying out leaves. 440 00:28:06,000 --> 00:28:12,000 If he'd bothered to investigate, he could have been the richest man in the world by introducing tobacco to Europe. 441 00:28:12,000 --> 00:28:16,000 So, as the first European to set foot in the new world, 442 00:28:16,000 --> 00:28:20,000 Columbus tried to chronicle all of the things that he found here. 443 00:28:20,000 --> 00:28:25,000 He tried to describe a fruit that had never been seen by anybody in Europe at this point. 444 00:28:25,000 --> 00:28:29,000 He didn't have a name for it. Today, we know it is pineapple. 445 00:28:32,000 --> 00:28:36,000 I'm pulled away from the fun when I get a call on my emergency satellite phone. 446 00:28:36,000 --> 00:28:40,000 This thing doesn't ring often, and when it does, it's for a reason. 447 00:28:43,000 --> 00:28:46,000 I'm gonna need a minute. 448 00:28:51,000 --> 00:28:54,000 Just found out that I'm gonna be a dad. 449 00:28:54,000 --> 00:28:56,000 Oh my god! 450 00:28:56,000 --> 00:28:58,000 Yeah! 451 00:29:06,000 --> 00:29:09,000 It's gonna take a few minutes for my brain to reboot. 452 00:29:09,000 --> 00:29:12,000 In fact, I'll let you know when it finishes. 453 00:29:12,000 --> 00:29:16,000 Well, new life in the new world. 454 00:29:16,000 --> 00:29:18,000 Look at that. 455 00:29:18,000 --> 00:29:21,000 Okay, Josh, get it together. There's no crying in exploration. 456 00:29:27,000 --> 00:29:30,000 So far, all of the people searching for the ship 457 00:29:30,000 --> 00:29:35,000 have based their work on Columbus' own logs and maps, sources that are suspect. 458 00:29:35,000 --> 00:29:39,000 But what if Columbus changed more than just a few numbers in his log? 459 00:29:39,000 --> 00:29:42,000 What if he lied about the event altogether? 460 00:29:47,000 --> 00:29:50,000 I meet historian Manuel Rosa, who has a groundbreaking new theory 461 00:29:50,000 --> 00:29:54,000 that could literally change every history textbook in the world. 462 00:29:55,000 --> 00:29:56,000 Manuel. 463 00:29:56,000 --> 00:29:57,000 Hey, Josh. Good to meet you. 464 00:29:57,000 --> 00:29:58,000 Nice to meet you too. How are you? 465 00:29:58,000 --> 00:29:59,000 Good. 466 00:29:59,000 --> 00:30:02,000 I'm told that when it comes to Columbus, you're a man with a lot of info. 467 00:30:02,000 --> 00:30:05,000 Yeah, 24 years of research in Columbus and uncovered a lot of dirt. 468 00:30:05,000 --> 00:30:07,000 Okay, so how do we understand him? 469 00:30:07,000 --> 00:30:10,000 If you really want to listen to Columbus, you have to retrace his route. 470 00:30:10,000 --> 00:30:12,000 Retrace his route. Let's do it. Come on. 471 00:30:15,000 --> 00:30:18,000 We head back toward the reef where Columbus supposedly wrecked. 472 00:30:18,000 --> 00:30:21,000 But Manuel paints a very different picture of the event. 473 00:30:22,000 --> 00:30:24,000 Orient me a little bit. Where are we? 474 00:30:24,000 --> 00:30:26,000 Okay, so we're in the Bay of Cape Aetian. 475 00:30:26,000 --> 00:30:29,000 Columbus called it Mount Curry Butter, which is that high peak there. 476 00:30:29,000 --> 00:30:35,000 And on December 24th, 1492, he says that Santa Maria was roughly in this area 477 00:30:35,000 --> 00:30:37,000 before he went to sleep. 478 00:30:37,000 --> 00:30:42,000 If it's true, then we would be sitting right near the spot where his flagship was lost. 479 00:30:42,000 --> 00:30:47,000 Columbus had already seen and charted the massive reef that buffets this side of the island 480 00:30:47,000 --> 00:30:50,000 and spent time anchoring inside of it where it was calm. 481 00:30:50,000 --> 00:30:55,000 Yet according to his logs, he smashed into it from the ocean side in the dead of night. 482 00:30:56,000 --> 00:30:58,000 You have a different version of this story. 483 00:30:58,000 --> 00:31:00,000 Oh yes, because none of it made any sense. 484 00:31:00,000 --> 00:31:04,000 The whole scenario about the Santa Maria racking on this reef is false. 485 00:31:05,000 --> 00:31:08,000 He was an expert mariner. He knew where he was every hour of the day. 486 00:31:08,000 --> 00:31:10,000 He knew exactly where he was going. 487 00:31:10,000 --> 00:31:16,000 Manuel finds it inconceivable that Columbus would have fallen asleep with the ship outside the deadly reef. 488 00:31:16,000 --> 00:31:19,000 Even I have to admit, it does seem weird. 489 00:31:19,000 --> 00:31:22,000 Instead, he thinks he wrecked the boat on purpose. 490 00:31:22,000 --> 00:31:23,000 But why? 491 00:31:23,000 --> 00:31:27,000 Columbus wanted to leave the Santa Maria behind. 492 00:31:27,000 --> 00:31:30,000 So when he got to Spain, he had a reason to return. 493 00:31:30,000 --> 00:31:34,000 Because if everybody made it back to Spain safe and sound, there was no reason to return. 494 00:31:34,000 --> 00:31:38,000 So he had to leave a reason to force a second voyage. 495 00:31:38,000 --> 00:31:40,000 And then he invented the whole story about the ship racking. 496 00:31:41,000 --> 00:31:49,000 According to Columbus, the timbers from the ship were pulled ashore to make a fort, La Navidad, where he left 39 of his men behind. 497 00:31:53,000 --> 00:32:01,000 And you don't think there's any possibility that Columbus just screwed up, was in the wrong place when he went to sleep and wrecked the ship? 498 00:32:01,000 --> 00:32:07,000 No. You see, Columbus was like a tool to me. It was a genius at sailing. Everything he did was very well planned. 499 00:32:07,000 --> 00:32:08,000 Right. 500 00:32:08,000 --> 00:32:11,000 And this is why you should question everything you've been told. 501 00:32:11,000 --> 00:32:13,000 Where do we look for the Santa Maria? 502 00:32:13,000 --> 00:32:18,000 You're going to look for it near a river, which he said there was, where they can get fresh water. 503 00:32:18,000 --> 00:32:22,000 Somewhere where it's easy to drag up on shore, so it has to be, you know, flat beach. 504 00:32:22,000 --> 00:32:28,000 And then in a place that's going to be easily defended against, you know, possibly with water on two sides. 505 00:32:28,000 --> 00:32:30,000 So you think that's where the Santa Maria ended up? 506 00:32:30,000 --> 00:32:32,000 Yes, it is. I think we should go look for it. 507 00:32:32,000 --> 00:32:34,000 Okay. Let's go find it. 508 00:32:35,000 --> 00:32:42,000 According to Manuel's research, we're quickly approaching the area he believes the remains of the Santa Maria were pulled ashore. 509 00:32:42,000 --> 00:32:43,000 Okay. Hi guys. 510 00:32:43,000 --> 00:32:47,000 To get into the shallows, we hitch a ride with some local fishermen. 511 00:32:51,000 --> 00:32:55,000 This is it. This is where Columbus arrived over 500 years ago. 512 00:32:55,000 --> 00:32:56,000 100 years ago. 513 00:33:03,000 --> 00:33:09,000 We make landfall and immediately set up our equipment to find any metallic remnants that hail from the Santa Maria. 514 00:33:10,000 --> 00:33:16,000 Okay. So chances are the coast would have been further in during Columbus' time. 515 00:33:16,000 --> 00:33:18,000 It really is needle in a haystack territory. 516 00:33:18,000 --> 00:33:19,000 Sure. 517 00:33:19,000 --> 00:33:20,000 But that's okay. 518 00:33:21,000 --> 00:33:23,000 We got something here. 519 00:33:23,000 --> 00:33:24,000 No, here. 520 00:33:26,000 --> 00:33:28,000 Something there for sure. 521 00:33:37,000 --> 00:33:39,000 That's a big hit. 522 00:33:39,000 --> 00:33:41,000 Something right here. 523 00:33:43,000 --> 00:33:44,000 What is this? 524 00:33:51,000 --> 00:33:59,000 Researcher Manuel Rosa and I are searching for evidence to support his radical new theory that the Santa Maria's demise was no accident. 525 00:34:00,000 --> 00:34:01,000 Something right here. 526 00:34:09,000 --> 00:34:10,000 Here we go. There it is. 527 00:34:12,000 --> 00:34:13,000 Yeah, a piece of pipe. 528 00:34:13,000 --> 00:34:16,000 It looks very old, very worn, but this could literally be from any way. 529 00:34:16,000 --> 00:34:18,000 Sure. It could also be from the Santa Maria. 530 00:34:18,000 --> 00:34:19,000 You never know, right? 531 00:34:19,000 --> 00:34:20,000 We need a little bit more than that. 532 00:34:20,000 --> 00:34:21,000 So let's keep exploring. 533 00:34:24,000 --> 00:34:27,000 Like everywhere else in Haiti, you're never alone for very long. 534 00:34:27,000 --> 00:34:31,000 A local farmer takes notice of our work and comes over to chat. 535 00:34:37,000 --> 00:34:42,000 We're looking for the remains of something wooden or like pieces of metal. 536 00:34:45,000 --> 00:34:46,000 You have? 537 00:34:48,000 --> 00:34:49,000 This way. Please. 538 00:35:02,000 --> 00:35:03,000 Oh, look at that. 539 00:35:03,000 --> 00:35:05,000 Oh my God. Look at that. 540 00:35:08,000 --> 00:35:09,000 That is a cannon. 541 00:35:11,000 --> 00:35:12,000 It's metal. 542 00:35:12,000 --> 00:35:13,000 That's metal, all right. 543 00:35:14,000 --> 00:35:15,000 Just out here in the open. 544 00:35:15,000 --> 00:35:19,000 There's probably either the remains of a fort here or the remains of a ship. 545 00:35:19,000 --> 00:35:20,000 You know? 546 00:35:20,000 --> 00:35:21,000 Yes, it didn't float here on the waves. 547 00:35:21,000 --> 00:35:24,000 Right. We know that Columbus did have cannons on the Santa Maria, right? 548 00:35:24,000 --> 00:35:26,000 Yes, he left some cannons behind. 549 00:35:26,000 --> 00:35:30,000 At least he would have had to leave at least one because when he returned on the second voyage, 550 00:35:30,000 --> 00:35:34,000 and he's out here in the bay trying to meet up with the people who left back at Navidad, 551 00:35:34,000 --> 00:35:37,000 they fired a cannon from the Ninha. 552 00:35:39,000 --> 00:35:42,000 And they were expecting a reply from Navidad and that reply never came. 553 00:35:42,000 --> 00:35:46,000 And they began to suspect that something had happened to the people he left behind. 554 00:35:46,000 --> 00:35:50,000 So what do you think? Could we be looking at the cannon from the Santa Maria? 555 00:35:50,000 --> 00:35:54,000 No, I would say that they probably left behind a small cannon. 556 00:35:54,000 --> 00:35:56,000 They wouldn't have left something this big. 557 00:35:56,000 --> 00:35:58,000 I would say this looks later, wouldn't you? 558 00:35:58,000 --> 00:36:00,000 Yeah, and I don't think Santa Maria had cannons this big anyway. 559 00:36:00,000 --> 00:36:02,000 Yeah, this looks huge. 560 00:36:02,000 --> 00:36:07,000 The cannon is too large for the Santa Maria, but it is likely from a Spanish fort, 561 00:36:07,000 --> 00:36:10,000 established here after Columbus' second voyage, 562 00:36:10,000 --> 00:36:14,000 and yet it remains totally unexcavated, sinking in the mud. 563 00:36:14,000 --> 00:36:16,000 It's a piece of history, you know? 564 00:36:16,000 --> 00:36:20,000 Though it may not be from that fort, it is part of the history that followed. 565 00:36:20,000 --> 00:36:21,000 Exactly. 566 00:36:21,000 --> 00:36:23,000 This is probably just the tip of the iceberg here. 567 00:36:23,000 --> 00:36:27,000 Sure, with a good archaeologist, they might find quite a few things around here, 568 00:36:27,000 --> 00:36:29,000 valuable things for the history of Haiti. 569 00:36:29,000 --> 00:36:33,000 It's just incredible to think that you can come to a place like this 570 00:36:33,000 --> 00:36:37,000 and you can actually come upon something that is still sitting where it was left. 571 00:36:37,000 --> 00:36:39,000 Thank you very much, Missy. 572 00:36:39,000 --> 00:36:40,000 Missy. 573 00:36:48,000 --> 00:36:53,000 Nearby, there's a Haitian archaeologist who's taking a different approach to the mystery. 574 00:36:53,000 --> 00:36:57,000 He too thinks the key to locating the Santa Maria is to find her remains on land, 575 00:36:57,000 --> 00:36:59,000 that he's searching just down the coast. 576 00:36:59,000 --> 00:37:03,000 I walk into town to link up with him, that is, if I don't get hit by a bus. 577 00:37:03,000 --> 00:37:05,000 Hi, how are you doing? 578 00:37:05,000 --> 00:37:06,000 How you doing, man? 579 00:37:06,000 --> 00:37:07,000 Good. 580 00:37:07,000 --> 00:37:08,000 It's a busy intersection to meet at. 581 00:37:08,000 --> 00:37:12,000 Yes, it is, but you know it's a light spot because we need to catch a ride. 582 00:37:12,000 --> 00:37:13,000 Catch a ride? 583 00:37:13,000 --> 00:37:14,000 Oh, we have to catch this one. 584 00:37:14,000 --> 00:37:15,000 That's it? 585 00:37:15,000 --> 00:37:16,000 Okay. 586 00:37:16,000 --> 00:37:20,000 To get there, we're taking public transportation, and in Haiti, there's no bus stops. 587 00:37:22,000 --> 00:37:24,000 Wow, we made it. 588 00:37:30,000 --> 00:37:37,000 Like most things in Haiti, the Tap Tap system is totally unregulated. 589 00:37:37,000 --> 00:37:39,000 This is the action up here. 590 00:37:39,000 --> 00:37:41,000 Can you feel the breeze there? 591 00:37:41,000 --> 00:37:42,000 Yeah, this is great. 592 00:37:42,000 --> 00:37:45,000 This is what it's all about. 593 00:37:47,000 --> 00:37:51,000 Each truck fits about a dozen people, and when you're ready to bail, you just tap the roof. 594 00:37:55,000 --> 00:37:56,000 Tap tap. 595 00:37:56,000 --> 00:37:57,000 Yes, here we go. 596 00:37:57,000 --> 00:37:58,000 We're here. 597 00:37:58,000 --> 00:37:59,000 Okay. 598 00:38:01,000 --> 00:38:08,000 We arrive at our stop and make our way on foot toward a field where Alain is certain that the remains of La Navidad will be found. 599 00:38:08,000 --> 00:38:11,000 The only question for him is, will it be found today? 600 00:38:20,000 --> 00:38:24,000 I didn't expect that the search for Columbus' ship would lead to a field. 601 00:38:25,000 --> 00:38:28,000 But we call this place Embasaline. 602 00:38:28,000 --> 00:38:29,000 Embasaline? 603 00:38:29,000 --> 00:38:30,000 Yes. 604 00:38:30,000 --> 00:38:35,000 Embasaline is the name of an ancient settlement of indigenous people known as the Taíno. 605 00:38:35,000 --> 00:38:43,000 Contrary to the myth that Columbus discovered the New World, when his three ships arrived in the Caribbean, the islands were positively swarming with life. 606 00:38:43,000 --> 00:38:49,000 By some estimates, there were more than one million Taíno living in the islands off North America. 607 00:38:49,000 --> 00:39:01,000 When the ship of Santa Maria went on the bay of Cartesian, the tribe was there to receive Christopher Columbus. 608 00:39:04,000 --> 00:39:06,000 How was he received by the Taíno people? 609 00:39:06,000 --> 00:39:15,000 The chief of the Taíno village received him, I would say, as a king. 610 00:39:15,000 --> 00:39:19,000 To the Taíno, Columbus and his crew may as well be gods. 611 00:39:19,000 --> 00:39:24,000 They are skinned, huge ships, and the Taíno have never even seen metal before. 612 00:39:24,000 --> 00:39:29,000 At first contact, one of them innocently grabs the blade of a sword and draws blood. 613 00:39:29,000 --> 00:39:32,000 A prophetic moment for what is to come. 614 00:39:32,000 --> 00:39:39,000 Columbus is welcomed warmly and leaves 39 men in La Navidad surrounded by the Taíno. 615 00:39:39,000 --> 00:39:45,000 When he returns 11 months later, the fort will be destroyed and all the men will be dead. 616 00:39:45,000 --> 00:39:49,000 What happens in those 11 months to sour the relationship? 617 00:39:49,000 --> 00:39:56,000 Finding La Navidad may be the key to learning the truth and what role Columbus played in the death of his men. 618 00:39:57,000 --> 00:39:59,000 And you think that that fort could be here? 619 00:39:59,000 --> 00:40:05,000 Absolutely. It may take time, but I think we can find it. 620 00:40:05,000 --> 00:40:09,000 It's incredible to think that this pivotal moment in history may have happened right near here. 621 00:40:09,000 --> 00:40:11,000 It's in this area. 622 00:40:14,000 --> 00:40:20,000 Elaine is systematically excavating the fields near the location where Columbus' anchor was found. 623 00:40:24,000 --> 00:40:27,000 Alright, Columbus, come on. Where's your boat? 624 00:40:30,000 --> 00:40:34,000 We spend hours in the 95 degree heat digging up portions of the field. 625 00:40:34,000 --> 00:40:37,000 Archaeologically speaking, it's a treasure trove. 626 00:40:39,000 --> 00:40:42,000 Everywhere we put a shovel, we get something. 627 00:40:42,000 --> 00:40:44,000 Watch out, it's a false stone. 628 00:40:44,000 --> 00:40:45,000 Stop, stop, stop. 629 00:40:47,000 --> 00:40:49,000 Look at that. Seashell. 630 00:40:49,000 --> 00:40:51,000 So you find a lot of those here, yeah? 631 00:40:51,000 --> 00:40:54,000 Yes, we found a lot of seashells there. 632 00:40:55,000 --> 00:40:57,000 The seashells here are telling. 633 00:40:57,000 --> 00:41:03,000 Their presence means that they were brought inland and that this was a settlement, perhaps even La Navidad itself. 634 00:41:04,000 --> 00:41:05,000 Let's go. 635 00:41:14,000 --> 00:41:16,000 Once it up, once it up. 636 00:41:16,000 --> 00:41:18,000 Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. Right there. 637 00:41:26,000 --> 00:41:31,000 Down here is where the bones Christopher Columbus were capped for centuries. 638 00:41:31,000 --> 00:41:33,000 You feel 100% confident that he's here. 639 00:41:33,000 --> 00:41:35,000 I don't believe it. I know it. 640 00:41:35,000 --> 00:41:37,000 This could be Christopher Columbus. 641 00:41:37,000 --> 00:41:38,000 Yeah. 642 00:41:45,000 --> 00:41:47,000 Come on, let's get out of here. 643 00:41:49,000 --> 00:41:51,000 We're just getting knocked down. 644 00:41:55,000 --> 00:41:57,000 Guys, come here.