1
00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:05,000
Welcome to Eldorado.

2
00:00:05,000 --> 00:00:07,000
Oh my God.

3
00:00:07,000 --> 00:00:11,000
The Spanish came here because they believed that it was full of gold.

4
00:00:11,000 --> 00:00:15,000
Right, they didn't find this Eldorado in the south, so they believed come up here.

5
00:00:17,000 --> 00:00:19,000
How many burials have you found here?

6
00:00:19,000 --> 00:00:20,000
120.

7
00:00:20,000 --> 00:00:21,000
Look at that.

8
00:00:22,000 --> 00:00:23,000
We got a cave, look at this.

9
00:00:31,000 --> 00:00:34,000
That's just gonna get way, way worse.

10
00:00:40,000 --> 00:00:42,000
Holy s***, this is madness.

11
00:00:44,000 --> 00:00:45,000
Almost there!

12
00:00:47,000 --> 00:00:48,000
Woo!

13
00:00:53,000 --> 00:00:54,000
Look at this.

14
00:00:54,000 --> 00:00:55,000
This is a lost city.

15
00:00:57,000 --> 00:00:58,000
What is that?

16
00:00:58,000 --> 00:00:59,000
It's gold.

17
00:00:59,000 --> 00:01:00,000
Yeah.

18
00:01:00,000 --> 00:01:02,000
That is amazing!

19
00:01:12,000 --> 00:01:13,000
Eldorado.

20
00:01:13,000 --> 00:01:17,000
It is a legend both dazzling and deadly.

21
00:01:17,000 --> 00:01:23,000
For centuries, thousands of Spanish conquistadors vanished into the jungles of South America

22
00:01:23,000 --> 00:01:26,000
in pursuit of a secret city made of gold.

23
00:01:26,000 --> 00:01:30,000
Laying waste to entire indigenous civilizations.

24
00:01:31,000 --> 00:01:34,000
But what actually inspired the legend?

25
00:01:34,000 --> 00:01:38,000
Were there really golden treasures and hidden cities?

26
00:01:38,000 --> 00:01:42,000
And if so, is there more out there waiting to be found?

27
00:01:42,000 --> 00:01:46,000
The country of Columbia is ground zero for the Eldorado myth,

28
00:01:46,000 --> 00:01:51,000
and now modern explorers there are making incredible new discoveries.

29
00:01:51,000 --> 00:01:57,000
One archaeologist is mounting a search for a forgotten cave

30
00:01:57,000 --> 00:02:01,000
where Columbia's greatest golden prize was found.

31
00:02:01,000 --> 00:02:05,000
Another team is excavating the tombs of a powerful civilization

32
00:02:05,000 --> 00:02:09,000
near Columbia's mysterious Stonehenge.

33
00:02:09,000 --> 00:02:12,000
Meanwhile, deep in the untamed rainforest,

34
00:02:12,000 --> 00:02:17,000
cutting edge technology has revealed a massive network of lost structures

35
00:02:17,000 --> 00:02:19,000
that have never been explored.

36
00:02:19,000 --> 00:02:23,000
Can they be reached? And what secrets will they reveal?

37
00:02:25,000 --> 00:02:28,000
To untangle the myth of Eldorado,

38
00:02:28,000 --> 00:02:32,000
I'm embarking on my own quest for both truth and treasure,

39
00:02:32,000 --> 00:02:37,000
where the chances for discovery and danger are as good as gold.

40
00:02:40,000 --> 00:02:42,000
My name is Josh Gates.

41
00:02:42,000 --> 00:02:43,000
Hello!

42
00:02:43,000 --> 00:02:44,000
Explorer.

43
00:02:45,000 --> 00:02:46,000
Adventure.

44
00:02:46,000 --> 00:02:47,000
This is sick!

45
00:02:48,000 --> 00:02:51,000
And a guy who ends up in some very strange situation.

46
00:02:51,000 --> 00:02:52,000
Oh, s***!

47
00:02:52,000 --> 00:02:53,000
That was exciting.

48
00:02:53,000 --> 00:02:57,000
With a degree in archaeology and a passion for the unexplained,

49
00:02:57,000 --> 00:02:59,000
I travel to the ends of the earth,

50
00:02:59,000 --> 00:03:02,000
investigating the greatest legends in history.

51
00:03:02,000 --> 00:03:03,000
Now let's punch it!

52
00:03:03,000 --> 00:03:06,000
This is Expedition Unknown.

53
00:03:13,000 --> 00:03:14,000
Wheels down Bogota.

54
00:03:14,000 --> 00:03:17,000
Columbia's colorful, chaotic capital.

55
00:03:17,000 --> 00:03:21,000
The city is perched nearly 9,000 feet above sea level,

56
00:03:21,000 --> 00:03:24,000
with views that will literally take your breath away.

57
00:03:25,000 --> 00:03:26,000
Oh!

58
00:03:26,000 --> 00:03:27,000
Thank you.

59
00:03:27,000 --> 00:03:28,000
Gryffindor!

60
00:03:35,000 --> 00:03:38,000
Before I trek into the depths of the jungle in search of Eldorado,

61
00:03:38,000 --> 00:03:41,000
I stop for one last indulgence.

62
00:03:41,000 --> 00:03:42,000
Gracias.

63
00:03:42,000 --> 00:03:44,000
This is Chocolate Santa Farino,

64
00:03:44,000 --> 00:03:46,000
which is hot chocolate and cheese,

65
00:03:46,000 --> 00:03:49,000
a classic Colombian comfort food, I'm told.

66
00:03:54,000 --> 00:03:55,000
Yep, it's great.

67
00:03:56,000 --> 00:03:57,000
It's official.

68
00:03:57,000 --> 00:03:59,000
Two things I would never combined in my life.

69
00:03:59,000 --> 00:04:02,000
I should have been putting together this whole time.

70
00:04:02,000 --> 00:04:03,000
Amazing.

71
00:04:03,000 --> 00:04:04,000
The uses.

72
00:04:05,000 --> 00:04:07,000
When you tell people you're traveling to Colombia,

73
00:04:07,000 --> 00:04:09,000
everybody asks the same question.

74
00:04:09,000 --> 00:04:10,000
Is it safe?

75
00:04:10,000 --> 00:04:11,000
And hey, fair enough.

76
00:04:11,000 --> 00:04:14,000
After all, for decades, this country was caught in the crosshairs

77
00:04:14,000 --> 00:04:17,000
between right-wing paramilitary groups,

78
00:04:17,000 --> 00:04:18,000
left-wing guerrillas,

79
00:04:18,000 --> 00:04:21,000
and some seriously well-armed drug cartels.

80
00:04:21,000 --> 00:04:23,000
But then, things got better.

81
00:04:26,000 --> 00:04:29,000
In 2016, an historic agreement between the government

82
00:04:29,000 --> 00:04:32,000
and insurgent rebels led to a ceasefire,

83
00:04:32,000 --> 00:04:34,000
and a Nobel Peace Prize.

84
00:04:35,000 --> 00:04:38,000
And hey, kidnapings are down by 92%, so...

85
00:04:39,000 --> 00:04:40,000
you know, that's good.

86
00:04:46,000 --> 00:04:48,000
The country has quickly become a hotspot

87
00:04:48,000 --> 00:04:50,000
for adventure travelers, and I'm one of them.

88
00:04:50,000 --> 00:04:52,000
Here to begin my quest for the truth

89
00:04:52,000 --> 00:04:55,000
behind the legendary City of Gold.

90
00:04:55,000 --> 00:04:58,000
Okay, so to understand the myth of Eldorado,

91
00:04:58,000 --> 00:05:01,000
we have got to talk about the history of the city.

92
00:05:01,000 --> 00:05:03,000
And so to understand the myth of Eldorado,

93
00:05:03,000 --> 00:05:06,000
we have got to talk about the founder of Bogota,

94
00:05:06,000 --> 00:05:09,000
Spanish conquistador Gonzalo Jiménez de Quisada,

95
00:05:09,000 --> 00:05:11,000
whose statue is right behind me.

96
00:05:14,000 --> 00:05:15,000
Right.

97
00:05:15,000 --> 00:05:17,000
Uh, about that.

98
00:05:19,000 --> 00:05:21,000
Okay, so we happen to have touched down

99
00:05:21,000 --> 00:05:23,000
at a slightly...what's the word?

100
00:05:23,000 --> 00:05:24,000
Dynamic time.

101
00:05:32,000 --> 00:05:36,000
A few weeks ago, demonstrations erupted across Colombia.

102
00:05:48,000 --> 00:05:51,000
These protests were originally about taxes,

103
00:05:51,000 --> 00:05:53,000
but they have taken on a life of their own.

104
00:05:53,000 --> 00:05:55,000
It's like Occupy Wall Street.

105
00:05:55,000 --> 00:05:58,000
People are rising up against corruption,

106
00:05:58,000 --> 00:06:01,000
calling for peace, and generally fighting

107
00:06:01,000 --> 00:06:04,000
economic disparity here in Colombia.

108
00:06:04,000 --> 00:06:07,000
Many of the injustices that Colombians are fighting today

109
00:06:07,000 --> 00:06:09,000
started with the Spanish,

110
00:06:09,000 --> 00:06:13,000
which is why protesters tore down that statue of de Quisada.

111
00:06:13,000 --> 00:06:15,000
And to see the bigger picture,

112
00:06:15,000 --> 00:06:17,000
we've got to turn back the clock.

113
00:06:21,000 --> 00:06:23,000
Christopher Columbus.

114
00:06:23,000 --> 00:06:24,000
You remember him?

115
00:06:24,000 --> 00:06:27,000
After bumping into the Caribbean while searching for China,

116
00:06:27,000 --> 00:06:30,000
he returned to Spain with reports of a new world,

117
00:06:30,000 --> 00:06:33,000
which ushered in the era of exploration,

118
00:06:33,000 --> 00:06:35,000
and more accurately, exploitation.

119
00:06:36,000 --> 00:06:38,000
Meet the conquistadors.

120
00:06:40,000 --> 00:06:42,000
Hernán Cortés.

121
00:06:42,000 --> 00:06:44,000
He arrives in Mexico in 1519,

122
00:06:44,000 --> 00:06:47,000
and through some very careful diplomacy,

123
00:06:47,000 --> 00:06:49,000
lays waste to the Aztec Empire.

124
00:06:50,000 --> 00:06:54,000
In 1526, this jackwad Francisco Pizarro

125
00:06:54,000 --> 00:06:56,000
decimates the Inca Empire in Peru.

126
00:06:56,000 --> 00:06:59,000
Then there's De Soto, who went looking for a route to China

127
00:06:59,000 --> 00:07:01,000
in the southern United States, go figure,

128
00:07:01,000 --> 00:07:04,000
and Ponce de Leon, who thought the fountain of youth was in Florida.

129
00:07:04,000 --> 00:07:06,000
Alright, maybe he was only half wrong.

130
00:07:06,000 --> 00:07:08,000
And those are just a few of the Spaniards.

131
00:07:08,000 --> 00:07:12,000
Portuguese conquistadors called Bandirantes snatch up Brazil,

132
00:07:12,000 --> 00:07:16,000
and old world invaders fan out across the continent like a virus,

133
00:07:16,000 --> 00:07:18,000
all in the name of their kings.

134
00:07:18,000 --> 00:07:21,000
Oh, and for God. They're also doing this for God.

135
00:07:22,000 --> 00:07:25,000
In the end, the conquistadors kill an estimated 8,000 people

136
00:07:25,000 --> 00:07:29,000
more than 80% of the indigenous population.

137
00:07:29,000 --> 00:07:32,000
And fueling their rampage are the vast quantities

138
00:07:32,000 --> 00:07:35,000
of gold and silver they discover.

139
00:07:35,000 --> 00:07:38,000
They melt it down to mint coins and decorate churches,

140
00:07:38,000 --> 00:07:42,000
and ship more than 180 tons of gold back to Spain.

141
00:07:42,000 --> 00:07:47,000
In today's prices, that's worth about $450 billion.

142
00:07:49,000 --> 00:07:52,000
Which brings us back to our man in Bogota.

143
00:07:55,000 --> 00:07:57,000
Dick Hisado wanted in on the action.

144
00:07:57,000 --> 00:08:01,000
So in 1536, he mounted an expedition to Colombia.

145
00:08:02,000 --> 00:08:06,000
What he saw inspired a legend that would sow destruction

146
00:08:06,000 --> 00:08:08,000
and change the course of history.

147
00:08:08,000 --> 00:08:13,000
That somewhere, there was a secret city entirely made of gold.

148
00:08:13,000 --> 00:08:15,000
El Dorado.

149
00:08:17,000 --> 00:08:21,000
This is the closest thing to El Dorado contained within four walls,

150
00:08:21,000 --> 00:08:23,000
the Museum of Gold in Bogota.

151
00:08:26,000 --> 00:08:29,000
Home to 55,000 glittering artifacts,

152
00:08:29,000 --> 00:08:31,000
the treasures the Spanish never found.

153
00:08:31,000 --> 00:08:34,000
And the crown jewel of the collection is a masterpiece

154
00:08:34,000 --> 00:08:37,000
of ancient metalwork, the golden raft.

155
00:08:37,000 --> 00:08:40,000
It depicts a mysterious ceremony that may be the key

156
00:08:40,000 --> 00:08:43,000
to unlocking the truth about El Dorado.

157
00:08:45,000 --> 00:08:49,000
To learn more, I need to meet the people who made it, the Muisca.

158
00:08:50,000 --> 00:08:54,000
I drive 50 miles from Bogota into the foothills of the Andes

159
00:08:54,000 --> 00:08:56,000
and a place called Cecile.

160
00:08:57,000 --> 00:09:00,000
This area is sacred to the Muisca people.

161
00:09:00,000 --> 00:09:03,000
So I recruited an old friend who spent years

162
00:09:03,000 --> 00:09:05,000
earning the trust of their tribal leaders.

163
00:09:07,000 --> 00:09:08,000
Ash!

164
00:09:08,000 --> 00:09:09,000
How are you?

165
00:09:09,000 --> 00:09:10,000
Good to see you.

166
00:09:10,000 --> 00:09:11,000
How are you doing?

167
00:09:11,000 --> 00:09:12,000
Great, thank you.

168
00:09:12,000 --> 00:09:13,000
Great to see you.

169
00:09:13,000 --> 00:09:15,000
What the hell has the Scotsman doing in the middle of Colombia?

170
00:09:15,000 --> 00:09:17,000
Just like you, Satchin Feraldo.

171
00:09:17,000 --> 00:09:18,000
Really?

172
00:09:18,000 --> 00:09:19,000
Really.

173
00:09:19,000 --> 00:09:22,000
Last time I saw explorer and author Ashley Cowie,

174
00:09:22,000 --> 00:09:25,000
we were searching for gold in his native Scotland.

175
00:09:26,000 --> 00:09:28,000
Okay, so El Dorado.

176
00:09:28,000 --> 00:09:29,000
You want to see it?

177
00:09:29,000 --> 00:09:30,000
Don't want to see El Dorado?

178
00:09:30,000 --> 00:09:31,000
See El Dorado.

179
00:09:31,000 --> 00:09:33,000
Yes, you know where it is?

180
00:09:33,000 --> 00:09:34,000
I can take you to show you El Dorado,

181
00:09:34,000 --> 00:09:36,000
but we're going to introduce you to some people first.

182
00:09:36,000 --> 00:09:38,000
Okay, if it's this easy, sure.

183
00:09:38,000 --> 00:09:39,000
Come on, let's go.

184
00:09:39,000 --> 00:09:40,000
Let's go.

185
00:09:40,000 --> 00:09:41,000
We're on foot, yeah?

186
00:09:41,000 --> 00:09:42,000
We're up here, Josh.

187
00:09:42,000 --> 00:09:43,000
Oh boy.

188
00:09:43,000 --> 00:09:45,000
Everything in Colombia is hills.

189
00:09:46,000 --> 00:09:49,000
After trudging up a steep jungle path,

190
00:09:49,000 --> 00:09:51,000
we emerge into another world.

191
00:09:51,000 --> 00:09:52,000
Wow.

192
00:09:53,000 --> 00:09:55,000
Look at this place.

193
00:09:56,000 --> 00:09:57,000
Amazing.

194
00:09:59,000 --> 00:10:00,000
This is astounding.

195
00:10:00,000 --> 00:10:02,000
I feel like we've traveled back in time here.

196
00:10:02,000 --> 00:10:04,000
We truly have traveled back in time.

197
00:10:04,000 --> 00:10:06,000
Is all of this Moisica?

198
00:10:06,000 --> 00:10:08,000
This is a Moisica community, Josh.

199
00:10:08,000 --> 00:10:10,000
They're called the Sesquili community.

200
00:10:10,000 --> 00:10:13,000
The basic religious beliefs of these people are what?

201
00:10:13,000 --> 00:10:16,000
The Moisicas believed that a creator entity

202
00:10:16,000 --> 00:10:18,000
known as Chimini Gaga

203
00:10:18,000 --> 00:10:21,000
created first the sun and then the moon,

204
00:10:21,000 --> 00:10:22,000
and they were married.

205
00:10:22,000 --> 00:10:24,000
Chimini Gaga can't be worshipped directly.

206
00:10:24,000 --> 00:10:26,000
He was too holy.

207
00:10:26,000 --> 00:10:28,000
So the Moisica people worshipped him

208
00:10:28,000 --> 00:10:30,000
through the sun and the moon.

209
00:10:30,000 --> 00:10:32,000
I've seen a lot of gold.

210
00:10:33,000 --> 00:10:36,000
So this would have been offered up to these gods?

211
00:10:36,000 --> 00:10:40,000
The Museum of Gold in Bogota has 55,000 pieces.

212
00:10:40,000 --> 00:10:42,000
They reckon that represents about 5%

213
00:10:42,000 --> 00:10:44,000
of what the Moisicas gave to their gods.

214
00:10:45,000 --> 00:10:46,000
So where are we going?

215
00:10:46,000 --> 00:10:48,000
We're going to the top part of this hill.

216
00:10:48,000 --> 00:10:50,000
We're going to the temple of the sun,

217
00:10:50,000 --> 00:10:52,000
which is like the last place we have to go to get permission

218
00:10:52,000 --> 00:10:55,000
to enter the most sacred landscape in Colombia.

219
00:10:55,000 --> 00:10:57,000
If you think about it, it's like walking through the doorway

220
00:10:57,000 --> 00:10:59,000
to the El Dorado myth.

221
00:10:59,000 --> 00:11:01,000
Let's open the door. Come on.

222
00:11:03,000 --> 00:11:05,000
At the summit of the hill,

223
00:11:05,000 --> 00:11:07,000
we find a large ceremonial structure

224
00:11:07,000 --> 00:11:09,000
and a friend of Ashley's.

225
00:11:09,000 --> 00:11:12,000
This is Candil. He's the leader of the community here.

226
00:11:12,000 --> 00:11:13,000
Mucho gusto.

227
00:11:13,000 --> 00:11:15,000
Welcome to the temple of the sun.

228
00:11:15,000 --> 00:11:17,000
Please come inside.

229
00:11:20,000 --> 00:11:23,000
But the door to El Dorado doesn't just swing open.

230
00:11:23,000 --> 00:11:27,000
To gain access, I need to be accepted by the community.

231
00:11:27,000 --> 00:11:31,000
What he's going to do is a clearing ceremony, if you like.

232
00:11:31,000 --> 00:11:33,000
To ask the gods for permission,

233
00:11:33,000 --> 00:11:36,000
we're going to share a healing medicine.

234
00:11:36,000 --> 00:11:38,000
He's going to give us tobacco,

235
00:11:38,000 --> 00:11:40,000
which is going to clear the way for us

236
00:11:40,000 --> 00:11:44,000
to allow the spirit of the sun god to come into us.

237
00:11:53,000 --> 00:11:55,000
Soaked in a dizzying haze of smoke,

238
00:11:55,000 --> 00:11:59,000
the shaman blows finely ground snuff called rapé up our noses,

239
00:11:59,000 --> 00:12:02,000
using a traditional bone pipe or tepi.

240
00:12:07,000 --> 00:12:10,000
The snuff is meant to induce a relaxed state

241
00:12:10,000 --> 00:12:13,000
for the next step of the purification trial.

242
00:12:17,000 --> 00:12:19,000
A cleansing offering.

243
00:12:20,000 --> 00:12:24,000
These pieces of cotton are from the youngest leader of the community.

244
00:12:24,000 --> 00:12:27,000
The left represents a negative and the right is a positive.

245
00:12:27,000 --> 00:12:30,000
He's telling us to concentrate all of the negative energies

246
00:12:30,000 --> 00:12:33,000
we've ever had into this piece of cotton.

247
00:12:37,000 --> 00:12:41,000
People are always telling me to stop balling up my negative energy,

248
00:12:41,000 --> 00:12:44,000
but in this case, it's all about letting it go.

249
00:12:50,000 --> 00:12:52,000
Now we're going to place these in the fire.

250
00:12:52,000 --> 00:12:56,000
So we're asking for the good positive energies to be fertilized into our life

251
00:12:56,000 --> 00:12:59,000
and for the old negative energies to be burned away.

252
00:13:07,000 --> 00:13:09,000
One final test remains.

253
00:13:09,000 --> 00:13:12,000
A fermented corn drink called chicha is passed around.

254
00:13:12,000 --> 00:13:15,000
Made by chewing and spitting out corn kernels,

255
00:13:15,000 --> 00:13:18,000
chicha is a sacred and boozy backwash.

256
00:13:19,000 --> 00:13:20,000
There you go.

257
00:13:20,000 --> 00:13:23,000
This is maize and moiscus alive, a judge.

258
00:13:23,000 --> 00:13:25,000
It's fermented for a long time, so it's really strong.

259
00:13:25,000 --> 00:13:27,000
It's going to hit you where it counts.

260
00:13:36,000 --> 00:13:41,000
To outsiders like me, chicha is challenging, but it's also an honor.

261
00:13:41,000 --> 00:13:46,000
And in the smoke, the centuries seemed to waft away to a time before conquest,

262
00:13:46,000 --> 00:13:50,000
when the Muisca were the guardians of this sacred landscape.

263
00:13:55,000 --> 00:13:57,000
Permission is granted.

264
00:13:58,000 --> 00:14:02,000
Candille escorts us from the temple of the sun

265
00:14:02,000 --> 00:14:05,000
to the ceremonial heart of the Muisca people.

266
00:14:07,000 --> 00:14:10,000
Josh, welcome. Tell Dorado.

267
00:14:10,000 --> 00:14:11,000
Oh my God.

268
00:14:19,000 --> 00:14:21,000
This is absolutely breathtaking.

269
00:14:21,000 --> 00:14:23,000
There's no other word for it, Josh.

270
00:14:23,000 --> 00:14:26,000
And without this lake, there would be no Eldorado legend.

271
00:14:26,000 --> 00:14:30,000
Muisca leader Carlos Candille and explorer Ashley Cowie

272
00:14:30,000 --> 00:14:33,000
explain that the Eldorado legend started with a ritual

273
00:14:33,000 --> 00:14:36,000
that took place in Lake Guadavida.

274
00:14:36,000 --> 00:14:39,000
The golden raft in the museum of Bogota

275
00:14:39,000 --> 00:14:43,000
depicts an actual golden raft that was used here at Guadavida, Josh.

276
00:14:43,000 --> 00:14:46,000
That golden man standing on the raft

277
00:14:46,000 --> 00:14:48,000
with all of his attendants around him,

278
00:14:48,000 --> 00:14:50,000
that was the golden man.

279
00:14:50,000 --> 00:14:54,000
To the Muisca, Lake Guadavida was their holiest site,

280
00:14:54,000 --> 00:14:58,000
where thousands would gather to witness the ascension of their ruler,

281
00:14:58,000 --> 00:15:00,000
known as the Zipa.

282
00:15:00,000 --> 00:15:03,000
When the Zipa came here to become king,

283
00:15:03,000 --> 00:15:05,000
they would cover him in gold.

284
00:15:05,000 --> 00:15:08,000
This plant here, when you mush it up, becomes like a glue

285
00:15:08,000 --> 00:15:10,000
that was put all over the man's body.

286
00:15:12,000 --> 00:15:14,000
Then he was put on the raft,

287
00:15:14,000 --> 00:15:16,000
and then he was put on the raft

288
00:15:16,000 --> 00:15:18,000
and then he was put on the raft.

289
00:15:19,000 --> 00:15:22,000
Then he was covered with golden powder.

290
00:15:24,000 --> 00:15:27,000
The raft is loaded with gold figurines,

291
00:15:27,000 --> 00:15:30,000
and it's pushed out into the middle of the lake.

292
00:15:30,000 --> 00:15:32,000
And when it gets there,

293
00:15:32,000 --> 00:15:35,000
the sun is shining on that king to be.

294
00:15:38,000 --> 00:15:40,000
He dives off into the lake.

295
00:15:41,000 --> 00:15:44,000
At that point, he is the golden man.

296
00:15:44,000 --> 00:15:46,000
The golden man.

297
00:15:48,000 --> 00:15:50,000
The golden man.

298
00:15:52,000 --> 00:15:54,000
So, the golden man,

299
00:15:54,000 --> 00:15:56,000
or the golden man.

300
00:15:56,000 --> 00:15:59,000
The golden man originally is a man,

301
00:15:59,000 --> 00:16:01,000
is a king, a leader.

302
00:16:01,000 --> 00:16:03,000
So how do we go from a man,

303
00:16:03,000 --> 00:16:05,000
the golden man,

304
00:16:05,000 --> 00:16:07,000
to the golden man, a city of gold?

305
00:16:07,000 --> 00:16:09,000
It seems like a huge leap.

306
00:16:09,000 --> 00:16:11,000
It's like a game of telephone, Josh.

307
00:16:11,000 --> 00:16:13,000
The first conquistadors come here and find bits of gold,

308
00:16:13,000 --> 00:16:15,000
and they know that there's gold in these landscapes.

309
00:16:15,000 --> 00:16:16,000
Right.

310
00:16:16,000 --> 00:16:18,000
They hear about a golden man,

311
00:16:18,000 --> 00:16:20,000
then it becomes a golden village,

312
00:16:20,000 --> 00:16:23,000
and there actually is records of people looking for golden villages.

313
00:16:23,000 --> 00:16:24,000
Right.

314
00:16:24,000 --> 00:16:25,000
Then it becomes the golden city.

315
00:16:25,000 --> 00:16:27,000
And an early call in the game of telephone

316
00:16:27,000 --> 00:16:30,000
that turned a golden man into a golden city

317
00:16:30,000 --> 00:16:33,000
was placed by our toppled conquistador back in Bogota,

318
00:16:33,000 --> 00:16:36,000
Gonzalo Jimenez de Quisada.

319
00:16:36,000 --> 00:16:40,000
In 1536, he leads 900 men into the Colombian Highlands,

320
00:16:40,000 --> 00:16:43,000
where many fall victim to disease and starvation.

321
00:16:43,000 --> 00:16:45,000
Of the original party,

322
00:16:45,000 --> 00:16:48,000
only 170 make it out of the jungle.

323
00:16:48,000 --> 00:16:50,000
Clearly a glutton for punishment.

324
00:16:50,000 --> 00:16:55,000
In 1569, he tries again with similar dire results.

325
00:16:55,000 --> 00:16:58,000
But the survivors of these ill-fated expeditions

326
00:16:58,000 --> 00:17:01,000
return with stories of a treasure trove of offerings

327
00:17:01,000 --> 00:17:03,000
lost in the depths.

328
00:17:03,000 --> 00:17:07,000
Imagine hearing stories of people covering themselves in gold.

329
00:17:07,000 --> 00:17:08,000
Right.

330
00:17:08,000 --> 00:17:10,000
I mean, you would think,

331
00:17:10,000 --> 00:17:11,000
oh, they must have so much wealth.

332
00:17:11,000 --> 00:17:13,000
They must be so dripping in gold

333
00:17:13,000 --> 00:17:15,000
that they can afford to bathe in it almost.

334
00:17:15,000 --> 00:17:16,000
Yeah.

335
00:17:16,000 --> 00:17:17,000
Their imaginations must have gone wild.

336
00:17:17,000 --> 00:17:18,000
Yeah.

337
00:17:18,000 --> 00:17:20,000
Gold fever erupts.

338
00:17:20,000 --> 00:17:23,000
The scene depicted on that ceremonial raft

339
00:17:23,000 --> 00:17:25,000
launches an armada,

340
00:17:25,000 --> 00:17:28,000
and waves of conquistadors descend on Lake Guadalvita

341
00:17:28,000 --> 00:17:30,000
to make their fortune.

342
00:17:30,000 --> 00:17:32,000
So hundreds of years ago,

343
00:17:32,000 --> 00:17:34,000
how would they have tried to get this gold out of the lake?

344
00:17:34,000 --> 00:17:37,000
The first attempt was made in 1545 with wooden buckets.

345
00:17:37,000 --> 00:17:38,000
Wooden buckets, OK?

346
00:17:38,000 --> 00:17:40,000
That's how desperate they were.

347
00:17:40,000 --> 00:17:42,000
They got more ambitious and they did this here.

348
00:17:42,000 --> 00:17:44,000
They cut this ravine into the side of the lake.

349
00:17:44,000 --> 00:17:45,000
Oh, here where it's cut out.

350
00:17:45,000 --> 00:17:47,000
Yeah, this is a draining hole, George,

351
00:17:47,000 --> 00:17:49,000
where they tried to drain the water out.

352
00:17:49,000 --> 00:17:51,000
It was a disaster.

353
00:17:51,000 --> 00:17:55,000
In 1580, the Spanish drained the lake by 60 feet,

354
00:17:55,000 --> 00:17:58,000
but only recovered half a million dollars worth of gold.

355
00:17:58,000 --> 00:18:00,000
But they abandoned the project

356
00:18:00,000 --> 00:18:03,000
when a ravine collapses, killing hundreds of workers.

357
00:18:04,000 --> 00:18:07,000
In the late 1800s, they pumped water out from the central lake

358
00:18:07,000 --> 00:18:09,000
and they got it down to about four feet high.

359
00:18:09,000 --> 00:18:12,000
But of course, the sun was coming through the water,

360
00:18:12,000 --> 00:18:14,000
and it baked the silt into cement

361
00:18:14,000 --> 00:18:17,000
so they couldn't get through the cement to get to the gold.

362
00:18:17,000 --> 00:18:20,000
It does seem like every effort to recover gold here

363
00:18:20,000 --> 00:18:21,000
has been kind of cursed.

364
00:18:21,000 --> 00:18:22,000
Without doubt.

365
00:18:22,000 --> 00:18:25,000
Disasterous attempts to salvage gold from Lake Guadalvita

366
00:18:25,000 --> 00:18:27,000
didn't stop until the Colombian government

367
00:18:27,000 --> 00:18:31,000
declared it a cultural heritage site in 1965.

368
00:18:34,000 --> 00:18:36,000
All these attempts to drain the lake,

369
00:18:36,000 --> 00:18:39,000
to damage this place, to take this gold,

370
00:18:39,000 --> 00:18:42,000
how has that affected the Muisca?

371
00:18:42,000 --> 00:18:45,000
Our community was destroyed by the conquistadors.

372
00:18:45,000 --> 00:18:49,000
We lost our homes and our sacred places.

373
00:18:49,000 --> 00:18:52,000
We could not practice our religion

374
00:18:52,000 --> 00:18:56,000
and forget many of the stories of our grandparents.

375
00:18:56,000 --> 00:18:58,000
First wave was the physical trauma,

376
00:18:58,000 --> 00:19:00,000
having lost over a million people.

377
00:19:00,000 --> 00:19:03,000
A horrendous, sisters, brothers, gone, traditions,

378
00:19:03,000 --> 00:19:06,000
songs, music, crafts wiped out.

379
00:19:06,000 --> 00:19:09,000
But then came a spiritual catastrophe.

380
00:19:09,000 --> 00:19:11,000
They had no connection with divinity.

381
00:19:11,000 --> 00:19:15,000
They had no way to listen to the goddess and to the gods.

382
00:19:17,000 --> 00:19:21,000
Now, do you think though there is more gold out there,

383
00:19:21,000 --> 00:19:23,000
maybe not a gilded city,

384
00:19:23,000 --> 00:19:25,000
but do you think there is still lost gold,

385
00:19:25,000 --> 00:19:28,000
that elusive thing the Spanish were after?

386
00:19:28,000 --> 00:19:30,000
There's so much more to learn about El Dorado, Josh.

387
00:19:30,000 --> 00:19:33,000
You've seen where the golden raft ceremony took place.

388
00:19:33,000 --> 00:19:34,000
Yes.

389
00:19:34,000 --> 00:19:35,000
But what you really need to see

390
00:19:35,000 --> 00:19:38,000
is where that little golden raft was discovered.

391
00:19:39,000 --> 00:19:41,000
It wasn't discovered around Lake Guadalvita.

392
00:19:41,000 --> 00:19:44,000
It was found about 100 miles from here, Josh.

393
00:19:44,000 --> 00:19:45,000
Really?

394
00:19:46,000 --> 00:19:48,000
Thank you so much for taking us here,

395
00:19:48,000 --> 00:19:50,000
for allowing us to come here, to see this place.

396
00:19:50,000 --> 00:19:52,000
It's really special.

397
00:19:52,000 --> 00:19:54,000
Thank you so much for coming.

398
00:19:54,000 --> 00:19:55,000
Thank you.

399
00:19:56,000 --> 00:19:58,000
From Lake Guadalvita, I journey 100 miles south

400
00:19:58,000 --> 00:20:00,000
to the town of Pasca.

401
00:20:02,000 --> 00:20:04,000
The location of the cave of the golden raft

402
00:20:04,000 --> 00:20:06,000
is a closely guarded secret.

403
00:20:06,000 --> 00:20:09,000
To discover what other treasures may be hiding inside,

404
00:20:09,000 --> 00:20:11,000
I'm going to need a guide.

405
00:20:11,000 --> 00:20:14,000
That's where archeologist and expert in Moisica art,

406
00:20:14,000 --> 00:20:16,000
Dr. Natalia Lazada Mendieta comes in.

407
00:20:16,000 --> 00:20:17,000
Natalia?

408
00:20:17,000 --> 00:20:18,000
Yes.

409
00:20:18,000 --> 00:20:19,000
Hey, how are you?

410
00:20:19,000 --> 00:20:20,000
Hi, Josh.

411
00:20:20,000 --> 00:20:21,000
Jump in.

412
00:20:21,000 --> 00:20:22,000
Thank you.

413
00:20:22,000 --> 00:20:23,000
Nice to meet you.

414
00:20:23,000 --> 00:20:24,000
Nice to meet you too.

415
00:20:24,000 --> 00:20:25,000
Where are we going?

416
00:20:25,000 --> 00:20:26,000
That's the big question.

417
00:20:26,000 --> 00:20:27,000
Further into the mountains.

418
00:20:27,000 --> 00:20:28,000
Further into the mountains?

419
00:20:28,000 --> 00:20:29,000
Yes.

420
00:20:29,000 --> 00:20:30,000
Oh, boy.

421
00:20:30,000 --> 00:20:31,000
Okay.

422
00:20:31,000 --> 00:20:32,000
Yeah, you're going to see where the Moisica rub was found.

423
00:20:32,000 --> 00:20:33,000
I can't wait.

424
00:20:33,000 --> 00:20:34,000
This is amazing.

425
00:20:34,000 --> 00:20:35,000
How are the roads?

426
00:20:35,000 --> 00:20:36,000
Perfect?

427
00:20:36,000 --> 00:20:37,000
Yes.

428
00:20:37,000 --> 00:20:38,000
I've only just met you,

429
00:20:38,000 --> 00:20:40,000
but I sense that you're lying to me.

430
00:20:42,000 --> 00:20:44,000
The conquistadors believe that the roads in El Dorado

431
00:20:44,000 --> 00:20:46,000
were paved with gold.

432
00:20:46,000 --> 00:20:49,000
But where we're going, they're not paved at all.

433
00:20:50,000 --> 00:20:51,000
Okay.

434
00:20:51,000 --> 00:20:53,000
Natalia, you were right.

435
00:20:53,000 --> 00:20:54,000
Great.

436
00:20:54,000 --> 00:20:55,000
It's everything you promised.

437
00:20:55,000 --> 00:20:56,000
I tried to tell you.

438
00:20:56,000 --> 00:20:58,000
How confident are you that you can find this cave?

439
00:20:58,000 --> 00:21:01,000
I mean, I have a rough idea of where it is.

440
00:21:01,000 --> 00:21:02,000
How rough?

441
00:21:02,000 --> 00:21:03,000
It's my first time there.

442
00:21:03,000 --> 00:21:04,000
Yeah.

443
00:21:04,000 --> 00:21:06,000
We're going to try to find it.

444
00:21:06,000 --> 00:21:07,000
Okay.

445
00:21:07,000 --> 00:21:08,000
We're going to go around.

446
00:21:08,000 --> 00:21:10,000
The cave has never been fully investigated,

447
00:21:10,000 --> 00:21:13,000
and its location was nearly forgotten.

448
00:21:13,000 --> 00:21:16,000
Now, we may be one of the first to ever film there,

449
00:21:16,000 --> 00:21:18,000
if we don't get led astray.

450
00:21:19,000 --> 00:21:21,000
I'm following these dogs.

451
00:21:21,000 --> 00:21:23,000
They're leading the way.

452
00:21:27,000 --> 00:21:29,000
I think you have to stop here.

453
00:21:29,000 --> 00:21:30,000
This is it?

454
00:21:30,000 --> 00:21:31,000
Yeah, this is it.

455
00:21:31,000 --> 00:21:33,000
Now, it's up there.

456
00:21:33,000 --> 00:21:35,000
We have to go walking.

457
00:21:35,000 --> 00:21:36,000
I'm sorry, up there?

458
00:21:36,000 --> 00:21:37,000
Yes.

459
00:21:37,000 --> 00:21:39,000
That looks slightly imposing.

460
00:21:41,000 --> 00:21:44,000
I mean, that's about as mysterious of you as you can imagine.

461
00:21:44,000 --> 00:21:45,000
That you can get, yeah.

462
00:21:45,000 --> 00:21:48,000
I all of a sudden understand why no one knows where this cave is.

463
00:21:48,000 --> 00:21:51,000
There are no trail markers, no landmarks,

464
00:21:51,000 --> 00:21:54,000
just the faint traces of an ancient path.

465
00:21:54,000 --> 00:21:57,000
The cave doesn't want to be found.

466
00:21:59,000 --> 00:22:00,000
Okay, starting to rain.

467
00:22:00,000 --> 00:22:01,000
Let's get inside the trees here.

468
00:22:01,000 --> 00:22:02,000
Yeah.

469
00:22:02,000 --> 00:22:04,000
Get rain gear on.

470
00:22:09,000 --> 00:22:10,000
Oh, it is just vertical.

471
00:22:10,000 --> 00:22:11,000
Yeah.

472
00:22:11,000 --> 00:22:14,000
I mean, it's literally just a vertical ascent.

473
00:22:15,000 --> 00:22:17,000
Whoa, Natalia, you okay?

474
00:22:17,000 --> 00:22:19,000
Careful with this.

475
00:22:19,000 --> 00:22:21,000
Stick to the roots, not the branches.

476
00:22:22,000 --> 00:22:26,000
As we climb higher, the dense jungle completely obscures the trail ahead.

477
00:22:31,000 --> 00:22:33,000
Whatever path we had,

478
00:22:33,000 --> 00:22:34,000
Yes.

479
00:22:34,000 --> 00:22:36,000
feels like it's just about gone.

480
00:22:38,000 --> 00:22:39,000
I have a hunch.

481
00:22:39,000 --> 00:22:40,000
You have a hunch?

482
00:22:40,000 --> 00:22:41,000
Yeah.

483
00:22:41,000 --> 00:22:42,000
Good.

484
00:22:42,000 --> 00:22:43,000
Josh, look at this.

485
00:22:43,000 --> 00:22:44,000
Look at that.

486
00:22:44,000 --> 00:22:45,000
A cave.

487
00:22:45,000 --> 00:22:46,000
Look at this.

488
00:22:46,000 --> 00:22:47,000
It's huge.

489
00:22:47,000 --> 00:22:49,000
Josh, this is it.

490
00:22:49,000 --> 00:22:51,000
This is awesome.

491
00:22:51,000 --> 00:22:54,000
Very few have ever seen these sacred chambers

492
00:22:54,000 --> 00:22:56,000
where the golden raft was discovered.

493
00:22:57,000 --> 00:22:59,000
Unbelievable.

494
00:22:59,000 --> 00:23:00,000
This is so cool.

495
00:23:01,000 --> 00:23:02,000
Okay, let's see what's in here.

496
00:23:03,000 --> 00:23:04,000
Nice and slow.

497
00:23:07,000 --> 00:23:08,000
This is insane.

498
00:23:08,000 --> 00:23:10,000
This is great.

499
00:23:14,000 --> 00:23:16,000
Do you see anything, Josh?

500
00:23:17,000 --> 00:23:18,000
No, nothing in here.

501
00:23:22,000 --> 00:23:23,000
Anything over there?

502
00:23:23,000 --> 00:23:24,000
Nothing yet.

503
00:23:27,000 --> 00:23:28,000
What is this?

504
00:23:31,000 --> 00:23:32,000
This looks man-made.

505
00:23:32,000 --> 00:23:33,000
Anything over there?

506
00:23:33,000 --> 00:23:34,000
Nothing yet.

507
00:23:35,000 --> 00:23:36,000
What is this?

508
00:23:42,000 --> 00:23:43,000
This looks man-made.

509
00:23:45,000 --> 00:23:49,000
It has that razor-sharp edge that looks like it was worked, like it was made.

510
00:23:49,000 --> 00:23:50,000
It looks like a tool.

511
00:23:50,000 --> 00:23:51,000
It does.

512
00:23:51,000 --> 00:23:52,000
Could have been a scraper.

513
00:23:52,000 --> 00:23:53,000
Totally.

514
00:23:53,000 --> 00:23:54,000
Potential tool in our hands, right?

515
00:23:54,000 --> 00:23:55,000
You're holding your hands at tool.

516
00:23:55,000 --> 00:23:56,000
Can you see anything?

517
00:23:56,000 --> 00:23:57,000
No.

518
00:23:57,000 --> 00:23:58,000
Nothing.

519
00:23:58,000 --> 00:23:59,000
Nothing.

520
00:23:59,000 --> 00:24:00,000
Nothing.

521
00:24:00,000 --> 00:24:01,000
Nothing.

522
00:24:01,000 --> 00:24:03,460
Your hands are tool, a musket tool.

523
00:24:03,460 --> 00:24:04,800
That's incredible.

524
00:24:04,800 --> 00:24:06,600
The idea that we could be holding something here

525
00:24:06,600 --> 00:24:09,640
that was worked by human hands 1500 years ago?

526
00:24:09,640 --> 00:24:10,400
At least.

527
00:24:10,400 --> 00:24:11,480
How crazy is that?

528
00:24:11,480 --> 00:24:13,320
That's exciting.

529
00:24:13,320 --> 00:24:15,400
That's why we do what we do.

530
00:24:15,400 --> 00:24:17,520
Perhaps used for food preparation,

531
00:24:17,520 --> 00:24:19,680
this stone scraper could have been left here

532
00:24:19,680 --> 00:24:22,720
by the very artisans who made the golden raft.

533
00:24:22,720 --> 00:24:24,040
OK, let's see what else is in here.

534
00:24:27,640 --> 00:24:30,000
So many little nooks and crannies in here.

535
00:24:30,000 --> 00:24:30,900
Yeah.

536
00:24:31,460 --> 00:24:33,860
I don't see anything, but a lot more spiders.

537
00:24:40,380 --> 00:24:42,900
So how did this raft get found here?

538
00:24:42,900 --> 00:24:46,820
So it's 1969.

539
00:24:46,820 --> 00:24:48,220
And there are a couple of farmers

540
00:24:48,220 --> 00:24:51,420
that came up to the mountain.

541
00:24:51,420 --> 00:24:54,220
They found a ceramic vessel, and inside of the vessel

542
00:24:54,220 --> 00:24:55,460
there was the musket raft.

543
00:24:56,460 --> 00:24:59,860
And they take the whole thing back to their home

544
00:24:59,860 --> 00:25:03,060
and tell the priests of the town that they have just found this.

545
00:25:03,060 --> 00:25:03,860
Right.

546
00:25:03,860 --> 00:25:06,060
Did these farmers have any idea the significance

547
00:25:06,060 --> 00:25:07,060
of what they found?

548
00:25:07,060 --> 00:25:08,060
Of course they knew it was important,

549
00:25:08,060 --> 00:25:10,060
and that's why they told the priests, right?

550
00:25:10,060 --> 00:25:10,860
Yeah.

551
00:25:10,860 --> 00:25:13,860
They could have kept it, and so we owe them

552
00:25:13,860 --> 00:25:16,260
to have the musket raft right now.

553
00:25:16,260 --> 00:25:20,460
Another part of this story is that so many musket items

554
00:25:20,460 --> 00:25:22,060
were never turned in, right?

555
00:25:22,060 --> 00:25:22,860
Yeah.

556
00:25:22,860 --> 00:25:23,860
There's been a ton of looting.

557
00:25:24,260 --> 00:25:26,660
It's been a major problem, and most of the items

558
00:25:26,660 --> 00:25:29,060
in the gold museum come from looting.

559
00:25:29,060 --> 00:25:32,260
But the biggest looters of all were the conquistadors.

560
00:25:32,260 --> 00:25:35,460
There's probably lots that were lost when the Spaniards came

561
00:25:35,460 --> 00:25:37,660
because they just took the gold, melted,

562
00:25:37,660 --> 00:25:39,860
and brought it back to Spain.

563
00:25:39,860 --> 00:25:43,660
So the Spanish also seemed to have overlooked

564
00:25:43,660 --> 00:25:44,860
the artistry of it.

565
00:25:44,860 --> 00:25:47,660
There was no appreciation for a lot of the mastery

566
00:25:47,660 --> 00:25:49,860
that went into what the muskets were able to make.

567
00:25:49,860 --> 00:25:52,860
So the Spanish gold has monetary value.

568
00:25:52,860 --> 00:25:54,860
To the Muisca, it's in spiritual value.

569
00:25:54,860 --> 00:25:56,860
I mean, that's the key right there.

570
00:25:56,860 --> 00:25:59,860
These two cultures that are completely opposed

571
00:25:59,860 --> 00:26:01,860
in terms of how they think about this stuff.

572
00:26:01,860 --> 00:26:03,860
So the Spanish, this is valuable.

573
00:26:03,860 --> 00:26:04,860
This is money.

574
00:26:04,860 --> 00:26:06,860
They're hiding money from us.

575
00:26:06,860 --> 00:26:08,860
Pretty hard for the Muisca to be able to calculate

576
00:26:08,860 --> 00:26:10,860
the level of greed from the Spanish Empire, though.

577
00:26:10,860 --> 00:26:11,860
True.

578
00:26:11,860 --> 00:26:15,860
And in the end, the Muisca culture was nearly wiped out.

579
00:26:15,860 --> 00:26:19,860
But the raft survived because it was hidden away up here.

580
00:26:20,860 --> 00:26:24,860
Help me understand why the Muisca would put something so beautiful

581
00:26:24,860 --> 00:26:26,860
in such a remote spot.

582
00:26:26,860 --> 00:26:28,860
Mountains, stuff of the mountains,

583
00:26:28,860 --> 00:26:31,860
would be associated to sacred spots.

584
00:26:31,860 --> 00:26:34,860
And the higher up, there are more sacred the art.

585
00:26:34,860 --> 00:26:38,860
It has to do with the sacred land that belongs to the gods.

586
00:26:38,860 --> 00:26:40,860
When we think about El Dorado,

587
00:26:40,860 --> 00:26:43,860
is part of what drives the Spanish to keep searching

588
00:26:43,860 --> 00:26:45,860
deeper and deeper into the mountains?

589
00:26:45,860 --> 00:26:49,860
This very fact that people are concealing offerings

590
00:26:49,860 --> 00:26:52,860
and that some of these amazing glittering items

591
00:26:52,860 --> 00:26:54,860
are out of reach.

592
00:26:54,860 --> 00:26:55,860
Absolutely.

593
00:26:55,860 --> 00:26:56,860
And it might have looked like that,

594
00:26:56,860 --> 00:26:58,860
because of course, the offerings were being made

595
00:26:58,860 --> 00:27:00,860
in remote places like this.

596
00:27:00,860 --> 00:27:01,860
Right.

597
00:27:01,860 --> 00:27:03,860
It gives fuel to this obsession of theirs.

598
00:27:03,860 --> 00:27:04,860
Yes.

599
00:27:04,860 --> 00:27:06,860
As the Spanish went hunting for treasures in the mountains,

600
00:27:06,860 --> 00:27:08,860
but found only isolated offerings,

601
00:27:08,860 --> 00:27:11,860
they became more desperate.

602
00:27:11,860 --> 00:27:14,860
When De Que Sada rode into a new village demanding gold,

603
00:27:14,860 --> 00:27:17,860
the Muisca would attempt to dissuade his men,

604
00:27:17,860 --> 00:27:20,860
telling them the mother load was deeper in the interior.

605
00:27:20,860 --> 00:27:24,860
El Dorado was always just one conquest away.

606
00:27:24,860 --> 00:27:27,860
This belief led De Que Sada away from Lake Guadalvida

607
00:27:27,860 --> 00:27:30,860
and deeper into Muisca territory.

608
00:27:30,860 --> 00:27:33,860
I thank Natalia and follow Que Sada's quest

609
00:27:33,860 --> 00:27:37,860
140 miles northeast to a site called El Infernito,

610
00:27:37,860 --> 00:27:40,860
where archaeologist Pedro Arguello

611
00:27:40,860 --> 00:27:43,860
may have unearthed a treasure of his own.

612
00:27:45,860 --> 00:27:47,860
Hello, hello.

613
00:27:47,860 --> 00:27:48,860
How are you?

614
00:27:48,860 --> 00:27:49,860
How are you? Nice to meet you.

615
00:27:49,860 --> 00:27:50,860
Much gusto.

616
00:27:50,860 --> 00:27:51,860
Nice to meet you too.

617
00:27:51,860 --> 00:27:52,860
I feel like I'm at Stonehenge.

618
00:27:52,860 --> 00:27:53,860
You are, in a way.

619
00:27:53,860 --> 00:27:56,860
It was a solar observatory used by Muisca people.

620
00:27:56,860 --> 00:27:57,860
Wow, okay.

621
00:27:57,860 --> 00:27:59,860
So these stones would align to what?

622
00:27:59,860 --> 00:28:01,860
To mark December 21.

623
00:28:01,860 --> 00:28:03,860
So the winter solstice?

624
00:28:03,860 --> 00:28:04,860
The solstices, yeah.

625
00:28:04,860 --> 00:28:07,860
It helped them to mark the annual cycle

626
00:28:07,860 --> 00:28:11,860
for agriculture and ritual cycles and things like that.

627
00:28:11,860 --> 00:28:13,860
Carved out of pink sandstone

628
00:28:13,860 --> 00:28:15,860
and aligned in two symmetrical rows,

629
00:28:15,860 --> 00:28:17,860
the position of the sun and moon

630
00:28:17,860 --> 00:28:19,860
in relation to these stones

631
00:28:19,860 --> 00:28:21,860
acts as an astrological calendar.

632
00:28:21,860 --> 00:28:25,860
Now, this place, though, today is called El Infernito.

633
00:28:25,860 --> 00:28:26,860
Yeah.

634
00:28:26,860 --> 00:28:28,860
So if I remember my high school Spanish,

635
00:28:28,860 --> 00:28:29,860
that's like the hell, the...

636
00:28:29,860 --> 00:28:30,860
The little hell.

637
00:28:30,860 --> 00:28:31,860
The little hell.

638
00:28:31,860 --> 00:28:32,860
Yeah, the little hell.

639
00:28:32,860 --> 00:28:33,860
So why is it called that?

640
00:28:33,860 --> 00:28:36,860
In some cases, Spaniards used to put these kind of names

641
00:28:36,860 --> 00:28:39,860
to the places where Indians used to make ritual.

642
00:28:39,860 --> 00:28:41,860
So because this is a pagan place,

643
00:28:41,860 --> 00:28:44,860
it's not Christian, to them it was hell, it was evil.

644
00:28:44,860 --> 00:28:45,860
Yeah.

645
00:28:45,860 --> 00:28:47,860
This is like Conquistador rebranding.

646
00:28:47,860 --> 00:28:48,860
Rebranding, yes.

647
00:28:48,860 --> 00:28:49,860
Right.

648
00:28:49,860 --> 00:28:51,860
This northern area was a big power center for the Muisca.

649
00:28:51,860 --> 00:28:53,860
Yeah, according to the Spaniards,

650
00:28:53,860 --> 00:28:56,860
there were two big chieftains,

651
00:28:56,860 --> 00:29:00,860
the Sipa and Sake, one of the north, one in the south.

652
00:29:00,860 --> 00:29:03,860
And the Spanish and the Casada, the Conquistador,

653
00:29:03,860 --> 00:29:05,860
he comes up to the north as well, right?

654
00:29:05,860 --> 00:29:06,860
Yeah, the Spanish came here

655
00:29:06,860 --> 00:29:08,860
because they believed that it was full of gold.

656
00:29:08,860 --> 00:29:10,860
They were told that the gold was in the north.

657
00:29:10,860 --> 00:29:12,860
Right, they didn't find this Eldorado in the south,

658
00:29:12,860 --> 00:29:14,860
so they believed, come up here.

659
00:29:14,860 --> 00:29:15,860
Yeah.

660
00:29:16,860 --> 00:29:18,860
So the Spanish arrive here, what do they do?

661
00:29:18,860 --> 00:29:20,860
They do what they always do.

662
00:29:20,860 --> 00:29:23,860
First, they kidnap the leader and ask for gold.

663
00:29:23,860 --> 00:29:25,860
Right, that's their big move, right?

664
00:29:25,860 --> 00:29:28,860
Kidnap the leader and demand that all this hidden gold

665
00:29:28,860 --> 00:29:29,860
be brought to them.

666
00:29:29,860 --> 00:29:31,860
And so did they bring gold?

667
00:29:31,860 --> 00:29:34,860
Yeah, people bring some gold, but it was not enough.

668
00:29:34,860 --> 00:29:37,860
So they decide to kill the leader.

669
00:29:37,860 --> 00:29:38,860
It's never enough.

670
00:29:38,860 --> 00:29:40,860
It's never enough for this leader.

671
00:29:40,860 --> 00:29:41,860
Right.

672
00:29:42,860 --> 00:29:45,860
De Quezada and his army use every dirty trick

673
00:29:45,860 --> 00:29:48,860
in the Conquistador playbook, ruthless betrayal,

674
00:29:48,860 --> 00:29:51,860
kidnapping, and murder, to take down the Muisca chieftains

675
00:29:51,860 --> 00:29:53,860
in the north and south.

676
00:29:53,860 --> 00:29:57,860
In less than a year, the Muisca Confederation was crushed.

677
00:29:58,860 --> 00:30:01,860
And now, in terms of the archaeology in this area today,

678
00:30:01,860 --> 00:30:02,860
what are you finding?

679
00:30:02,860 --> 00:30:06,860
We have found enormous places with a lot of population.

680
00:30:06,860 --> 00:30:08,860
The places where the elite used to live.

681
00:30:08,860 --> 00:30:09,860
Uh-huh.

682
00:30:09,860 --> 00:30:13,860
We have found the houses, a big burial sites.

683
00:30:13,860 --> 00:30:14,860
Wow.

684
00:30:14,860 --> 00:30:16,860
Actually, we are digging one of them right now,

685
00:30:16,860 --> 00:30:17,860
if you want to see.

686
00:30:17,860 --> 00:30:18,860
I would love that.

687
00:30:22,860 --> 00:30:24,860
We drive to Dr. Argueo's dig site,

688
00:30:24,860 --> 00:30:26,860
an archaeologist's El Dorado,

689
00:30:26,860 --> 00:30:29,860
that may be the most important Muisca discovery

690
00:30:29,860 --> 00:30:31,860
since the golden raft.

691
00:30:31,860 --> 00:30:33,860
I feel like we're going to a university.

692
00:30:33,860 --> 00:30:34,860
It is a university.

693
00:30:34,860 --> 00:30:36,860
The excavations in a university?

694
00:30:36,860 --> 00:30:37,860
Yeah.

695
00:30:37,860 --> 00:30:38,860
Okay.

696
00:30:38,860 --> 00:30:40,860
This makes no sense to me.

697
00:30:44,860 --> 00:30:45,860
So, this is the dig?

698
00:30:45,860 --> 00:30:46,860
This is the dig?

699
00:30:46,860 --> 00:30:47,860
Yeah.

700
00:30:47,860 --> 00:30:50,860
I mean, we are like in the middle of the campus here.

701
00:30:50,860 --> 00:30:51,860
Yeah.

702
00:30:51,860 --> 00:30:53,860
This is crazy.

703
00:31:05,860 --> 00:31:08,860
My quest to untangle the El Dorado myth

704
00:31:08,860 --> 00:31:11,860
has led me to the remains of a Muisca burial site,

705
00:31:11,860 --> 00:31:13,860
miraculously discovered in the heart

706
00:31:13,860 --> 00:31:16,860
of a Colombian university campus.

707
00:31:17,860 --> 00:31:18,860
Like, what was here?

708
00:31:18,860 --> 00:31:19,860
A parking lot.

709
00:31:19,860 --> 00:31:20,860
Literally, this was a parking lot?

710
00:31:20,860 --> 00:31:22,860
Yeah, it was a parking lot.

711
00:31:22,860 --> 00:31:24,860
But underneath it, a Muisca site.

712
00:31:24,860 --> 00:31:26,860
And it is a Muisca site also.

713
00:31:26,860 --> 00:31:28,860
And so, how did you figure out this was here?

714
00:31:28,860 --> 00:31:30,860
Before we build a new building,

715
00:31:30,860 --> 00:31:32,860
we have to make an archaeological discovery.

716
00:31:33,860 --> 00:31:35,860
How many burials have you found here?

717
00:31:35,860 --> 00:31:37,860
120 burials.

718
00:31:37,860 --> 00:31:38,860
120?

719
00:31:38,860 --> 00:31:39,860
Yeah.

720
00:31:39,860 --> 00:31:41,860
Actually, it is one of the largest burial sites

721
00:31:41,860 --> 00:31:43,860
in the Northern Andes.

722
00:31:43,860 --> 00:31:46,860
The Muisca elite were buried with pots of food

723
00:31:46,860 --> 00:31:48,860
and precious gold jewelry,

724
00:31:48,860 --> 00:31:50,860
indicators of their high social status

725
00:31:50,860 --> 00:31:52,860
to ensure a good afterlife.

726
00:31:55,860 --> 00:31:57,860
The Spanish were aware of this practice

727
00:31:57,860 --> 00:31:59,860
and would rob Muisca graves.

728
00:31:59,860 --> 00:32:01,860
But they never found this site.

729
00:32:01,860 --> 00:32:03,860
Hundreds of vessels have been unearthed here.

730
00:32:03,860 --> 00:32:06,860
And now, archaeologists are homing in

731
00:32:06,860 --> 00:32:09,860
on that most elusive prize, gold.

732
00:32:10,860 --> 00:32:11,860
Hola.

733
00:32:11,860 --> 00:32:12,860
Hola.

734
00:32:12,860 --> 00:32:13,860
An introducer a tierna.

735
00:32:13,860 --> 00:32:14,860
Hola, soy Selena.

736
00:32:14,860 --> 00:32:15,860
Arqueologis in design.

737
00:32:15,860 --> 00:32:16,860
Nice to meet you, nice to meet you.

738
00:32:16,860 --> 00:32:19,860
The sifting station, where all the action happens.

739
00:32:19,860 --> 00:32:20,860
Uh-huh.

740
00:32:20,860 --> 00:32:21,860
What are we finding?

741
00:32:21,860 --> 00:32:23,860
Look at this.

742
00:32:25,860 --> 00:32:26,860
Pottery.

743
00:32:26,860 --> 00:32:28,860
Pottery, pottery, incredible.

744
00:32:28,860 --> 00:32:30,860
Literally, just buckets of dirt

745
00:32:30,860 --> 00:32:33,860
and it is just filled with pottery.

746
00:32:33,860 --> 00:32:35,860
It means that people used to live here.

747
00:32:35,860 --> 00:32:38,860
Give me the range of dates on the pottery.

748
00:32:38,860 --> 00:32:40,860
Mil, mil doscientos años.

749
00:32:40,860 --> 00:32:41,860
Wow.

750
00:32:41,860 --> 00:32:43,860
So, a thousand, twelve hundred years ago.

751
00:32:43,860 --> 00:32:44,860
So cool.

752
00:32:44,860 --> 00:32:46,860
Okay, can we see some of the pits?

753
00:32:46,860 --> 00:32:47,860
Of course.

754
00:32:47,860 --> 00:32:48,860
Let's take a look.

755
00:32:48,860 --> 00:32:49,860
Okay.

756
00:32:51,860 --> 00:32:55,860
A nearby burial offers another window into the past.

757
00:32:55,860 --> 00:32:57,860
Hola.

758
00:32:57,860 --> 00:32:58,860
Hola.

759
00:32:58,860 --> 00:32:59,860
¿Cómo estás?

760
00:32:59,860 --> 00:33:00,860
Good morning.

761
00:33:00,860 --> 00:33:01,860
What have we got here?

762
00:33:01,860 --> 00:33:03,860
Oh, this is awesome.

763
00:33:03,860 --> 00:33:04,860
It's vertebrae.

764
00:33:04,860 --> 00:33:05,860
Yeah.

765
00:33:12,860 --> 00:33:15,860
It's a long bone, yeah?

766
00:33:15,860 --> 00:33:16,860
Tibia maybe?

767
00:33:16,860 --> 00:33:17,860
Yes.

768
00:33:17,860 --> 00:33:18,860
Yeah.

769
00:33:18,860 --> 00:33:19,860
Wow.

770
00:33:19,860 --> 00:33:21,860
And then we have this ceramic vessel.

771
00:33:21,860 --> 00:33:24,860
So, each of these pits is a single burial.

772
00:33:24,860 --> 00:33:25,860
See.

773
00:33:25,860 --> 00:33:26,860
See?

774
00:33:26,860 --> 00:33:27,860
It's so extensive.

775
00:33:27,860 --> 00:33:30,860
Were they buried like in a seated position?

776
00:33:30,860 --> 00:33:32,860
Sentado en posición fetal.

777
00:33:32,860 --> 00:33:33,860
Aha, fetal position.

778
00:33:33,860 --> 00:33:36,860
With ceremonial offerings?

779
00:33:36,860 --> 00:33:37,860
Algunas veces.

780
00:33:37,860 --> 00:33:39,860
Aha, sometimes.

781
00:33:39,860 --> 00:33:42,860
Okay, so let's see what else we got.

782
00:33:42,860 --> 00:33:44,860
There is no clear pattern to determine

783
00:33:44,860 --> 00:33:46,860
which Muisca burials hold offerings.

784
00:33:46,860 --> 00:33:48,860
Modern archaeologists are never sure

785
00:33:48,860 --> 00:33:50,860
what they're going to find.

786
00:33:50,860 --> 00:33:52,860
Oh.

787
00:33:53,860 --> 00:33:55,860
This is amazing.

788
00:33:55,860 --> 00:33:58,860
So, we've got what looks like a vessel that's collapsed.

789
00:33:58,860 --> 00:34:01,860
It's a vessel and it is a human bone inside.

790
00:34:01,860 --> 00:34:02,860
In the vessel?

791
00:34:02,860 --> 00:34:03,860
In the vessel.

792
00:34:03,860 --> 00:34:04,860
And this is a child.

793
00:34:04,860 --> 00:34:05,860
Wow.

794
00:34:05,860 --> 00:34:08,860
How many children's burials have you found here?

795
00:34:08,860 --> 00:34:09,860
50.

796
00:34:09,860 --> 00:34:10,860
Yeah, 50.

797
00:34:10,860 --> 00:34:12,860
And why so many children?

798
00:34:12,860 --> 00:34:16,860
It's a good question and we are trying to figure out why.

799
00:34:16,860 --> 00:34:19,860
One intriguing possibility is that children were brought here

800
00:34:19,860 --> 00:34:22,860
for burial from neighboring villages.

801
00:34:22,860 --> 00:34:26,860
So, maybe more evidence here that this really is a significant site.

802
00:34:26,860 --> 00:34:27,860
A holy place.

803
00:34:27,860 --> 00:34:29,860
A holy place, maybe.

804
00:34:29,860 --> 00:34:31,860
Finding any burial is so personal,

805
00:34:31,860 --> 00:34:34,860
but when you find a child's burial, it's kind of emotional,

806
00:34:34,860 --> 00:34:37,860
you know, I mean, such a short life.

807
00:34:37,860 --> 00:34:42,860
But in a way, you know, a thousand years or more later,

808
00:34:42,860 --> 00:34:43,860
kind of living again in a sense

809
00:34:43,860 --> 00:34:46,860
and teaching us about the culture is incredible.

810
00:34:46,860 --> 00:34:47,860
It's incredible.

811
00:34:47,860 --> 00:34:48,860
Yeah.

812
00:34:48,860 --> 00:34:50,860
And even though this is broken,

813
00:34:50,860 --> 00:34:52,860
the preservation here really is remarkable

814
00:34:52,860 --> 00:34:54,860
considering it was all underneath a parking lot.

815
00:34:54,860 --> 00:34:55,860
Yeah.

816
00:34:55,860 --> 00:34:58,860
It is because most of the burials have a slab.

817
00:34:58,860 --> 00:35:01,860
Oh, so there's like, so there was like a capstone over the top.

818
00:35:01,860 --> 00:35:02,860
Uh-huh.

819
00:35:02,860 --> 00:35:04,860
So they would have had this protective cover.

820
00:35:04,860 --> 00:35:08,860
Yes, actually we have a burial that we haven't opened yet.

821
00:35:08,860 --> 00:35:10,860
So we are waiting for you.

822
00:35:10,860 --> 00:35:11,860
A stone you haven't removed?

823
00:35:11,860 --> 00:35:12,860
Yes, of course.

824
00:35:12,860 --> 00:35:13,860
Oh, can we, can we film it?

825
00:35:13,860 --> 00:35:14,860
Come on.

826
00:35:14,860 --> 00:35:16,860
Oh, yes, this is incredible.

827
00:35:17,860 --> 00:35:20,860
Whatever lies inside hasn't seen the light of day

828
00:35:20,860 --> 00:35:22,860
in more than a thousand years.

829
00:35:22,860 --> 00:35:24,860
Ah, here.

830
00:35:24,860 --> 00:35:26,860
This is awesome.

831
00:35:27,860 --> 00:35:28,860
Wow.

832
00:35:28,860 --> 00:35:29,860
Okay, so, do we lift?

833
00:35:29,860 --> 00:35:30,860
Do we flip?

834
00:35:30,860 --> 00:35:31,860
Do we flip?

835
00:35:31,860 --> 00:35:32,860
Do we flip?

836
00:35:32,860 --> 00:35:33,860
Okay.

837
00:35:33,860 --> 00:35:34,860
Are you ready?

838
00:35:34,860 --> 00:35:35,860
One, two, three.

839
00:35:35,860 --> 00:35:36,860
One, two, three.

840
00:35:42,860 --> 00:35:43,860
Definitely a burial.

841
00:35:43,860 --> 00:35:44,860
Yes.

842
00:35:44,860 --> 00:35:46,860
Perfectly round hole here.

843
00:35:46,860 --> 00:35:48,860
So now, what's inside?

844
00:35:48,860 --> 00:35:49,860
This work.

845
00:35:49,860 --> 00:35:50,860
With pleasure.

846
00:35:50,860 --> 00:35:51,860
Stop to work.

847
00:35:51,860 --> 00:35:52,860
Here we go.

848
00:35:52,860 --> 00:35:53,860
Okay.

849
00:35:57,860 --> 00:35:58,860
Here.

850
00:35:58,860 --> 00:36:00,860
Oh, oh, oh, right here.

851
00:36:00,860 --> 00:36:01,860
Right here, look.

852
00:36:01,860 --> 00:36:03,860
Here, look.

853
00:36:03,860 --> 00:36:05,860
Yeah, it's a hole and...

854
00:36:05,860 --> 00:36:06,860
Is it ceramic?

855
00:36:06,860 --> 00:36:07,860
No.

856
00:36:07,860 --> 00:36:09,860
Is it a skull?

857
00:36:09,860 --> 00:36:10,860
Is a skull?

858
00:36:10,860 --> 00:36:11,860
Look at that.

859
00:36:11,860 --> 00:36:12,860
That is a skull.

860
00:36:12,860 --> 00:36:13,860
Yeah.

861
00:36:13,860 --> 00:36:14,860
Can I have a brush?

862
00:36:17,860 --> 00:36:19,860
The skull is perfectly preserved,

863
00:36:19,860 --> 00:36:22,860
having been protected by its capstone.

864
00:36:22,860 --> 00:36:25,860
And until recently, a parking lot.

865
00:36:25,860 --> 00:36:27,860
Look at this.

866
00:36:27,860 --> 00:36:29,860
Oh, no, isn't that a vessel?

867
00:36:29,860 --> 00:36:30,860
It's a vessel.

868
00:36:30,860 --> 00:36:31,860
It is, that ceramic.

869
00:36:31,860 --> 00:36:32,860
Look at that.

870
00:36:36,860 --> 00:36:37,860
Is that intact?

871
00:36:37,860 --> 00:36:38,860
Maybe.

872
00:36:41,860 --> 00:36:42,860
Absolutely incredible.

873
00:36:44,860 --> 00:36:45,860
Is the lip, yeah?

874
00:36:45,860 --> 00:36:47,860
There's the lip of the vessel right there.

875
00:36:47,860 --> 00:36:48,860
Yes.

876
00:36:48,860 --> 00:36:49,860
Look at that.

877
00:36:49,860 --> 00:36:50,860
Look, I'm going to look at this.

878
00:36:50,860 --> 00:36:52,860
As we brush away more dirt,

879
00:36:52,860 --> 00:36:55,860
something unmistakable catches the light.

880
00:36:55,860 --> 00:36:57,860
Oh, wait, wait.

881
00:36:57,860 --> 00:36:59,860
What is that?

882
00:36:59,860 --> 00:37:00,860
Ah!

883
00:37:06,860 --> 00:37:08,860
Out on the streets of Bogota,

884
00:37:08,860 --> 00:37:10,860
I find a rock star rendition

885
00:37:10,860 --> 00:37:12,860
of a popular Colombian dessert.

886
00:37:12,860 --> 00:37:14,860
Mick Jagger owns this stand?

887
00:37:14,860 --> 00:37:15,860
Yes.

888
00:37:15,860 --> 00:37:16,860
He does?

889
00:37:16,860 --> 00:37:17,860
Wow.

890
00:37:17,860 --> 00:37:18,860
That guy is diversified.

891
00:37:21,860 --> 00:37:23,860
Whatever Mr. Jagger recommends.

892
00:37:23,860 --> 00:37:24,860
Gracias.

893
00:37:24,860 --> 00:37:26,860
This is my first obleo.

894
00:37:26,860 --> 00:37:28,860
Way for cookies, dulce de leche,

895
00:37:28,860 --> 00:37:30,860
jam, and chocolate.

896
00:37:30,860 --> 00:37:33,860
Sir Mick has another hit on his hands.

897
00:37:34,860 --> 00:37:35,860
Incredible.

898
00:37:35,860 --> 00:37:36,860
Wow.

899
00:37:36,860 --> 00:37:39,860
It turns out you can get some satisfaction.

900
00:37:39,860 --> 00:37:40,860
Yes.

901
00:37:40,860 --> 00:37:41,860
That's a Rolling Stones joke.

902
00:37:41,860 --> 00:37:42,860
What do you think?

903
00:37:42,860 --> 00:37:43,860
I'm going to be dancing in the street.

904
00:37:43,860 --> 00:37:45,860
I have a few more of these.

905
00:37:45,860 --> 00:37:46,860
They're Rolling Stones.

906
00:37:46,860 --> 00:37:47,860
It doesn't matter.

907
00:37:47,860 --> 00:37:49,860
They're really good.

908
00:37:55,860 --> 00:37:56,860
What is that?

909
00:37:56,860 --> 00:37:57,860
Soto?

910
00:37:57,860 --> 00:37:58,860
Soto. Yeah.

911
00:37:58,860 --> 00:37:59,860
It's gold?

912
00:37:59,860 --> 00:38:00,860
It's gold.

913
00:38:00,860 --> 00:38:01,860
It's gold.

914
00:38:01,860 --> 00:38:02,860
Yeah.

915
00:38:02,860 --> 00:38:03,860
It's a piece of gold.

916
00:38:03,860 --> 00:38:04,860
Unbelievable.

917
00:38:04,860 --> 00:38:05,860
Look at this.

918
00:38:07,860 --> 00:38:08,860
This is incredible.

919
00:38:08,860 --> 00:38:10,860
It's gold and copper, yeah?

920
00:38:10,860 --> 00:38:11,860
Yeah, it's tumbaga.

921
00:38:12,860 --> 00:38:14,860
That is unbelievable.

922
00:38:14,860 --> 00:38:18,860
Tumbaga is a copper and gold alloy made by the Moisca.

923
00:38:18,860 --> 00:38:21,860
Its lower melting point made it easier to work with

924
00:38:21,860 --> 00:38:22,860
than pure gold.

925
00:38:22,860 --> 00:38:25,860
And the presence of copper explains the green patina.

926
00:38:26,860 --> 00:38:28,860
Have you found this in other pits?

927
00:38:28,860 --> 00:38:29,860
No.

928
00:38:29,860 --> 00:38:30,860
No?

929
00:38:30,860 --> 00:38:31,860
No.

930
00:38:31,860 --> 00:38:32,860
Ah, this is awesome.

931
00:38:33,860 --> 00:38:36,860
We carefully remove more soil from around the scone.

932
00:38:37,860 --> 00:38:38,860
Ah, this is incredible.

933
00:38:38,860 --> 00:38:39,860
There's more, two more.

934
00:38:43,860 --> 00:38:44,860
Another here?

935
00:38:44,860 --> 00:38:45,860
Yeah.

936
00:38:45,860 --> 00:38:48,860
So one, two, three, four, five.

937
00:38:48,860 --> 00:38:49,860
What do you think?

938
00:38:49,860 --> 00:38:50,860
I think it's on necklace.

939
00:38:50,860 --> 00:38:53,860
I mean, look at the positioning of it right under the skull.

940
00:38:53,860 --> 00:38:55,860
That is absolutely incredible.

941
00:38:56,860 --> 00:38:58,860
This must have been someone significant, right?

942
00:38:58,860 --> 00:39:01,860
Una persona importante, un líder.

943
00:39:01,860 --> 00:39:02,860
Yeah.

944
00:39:02,860 --> 00:39:06,860
Finally, after hours of painstaking brushing.

945
00:39:06,860 --> 00:39:07,860
More.

946
00:39:07,860 --> 00:39:08,860
More.

947
00:39:08,860 --> 00:39:09,860
Get out of here.

948
00:39:10,860 --> 00:39:14,860
A dozen pyramid-shaped beads are revealed in all their glory.

949
00:39:14,860 --> 00:39:17,860
When this was buried, it would have shined like gold.

950
00:39:17,860 --> 00:39:18,860
Of course.

951
00:39:18,860 --> 00:39:19,860
But over time, it toppers oxidizing.

952
00:39:19,860 --> 00:39:20,860
Yeah.

953
00:39:21,860 --> 00:39:23,860
And is most of the Moisca gold like this?

954
00:39:23,860 --> 00:39:25,860
Most of the cases, yes.

955
00:39:25,860 --> 00:39:28,860
It's so fascinating because when we think of the myth of

956
00:39:28,860 --> 00:39:31,860
El Dorado and the Spanish obsession with the Moisca gold,

957
00:39:31,860 --> 00:39:34,860
we think of pure gold, but it really wasn't.

958
00:39:34,860 --> 00:39:36,860
And why is that?

959
00:39:36,860 --> 00:39:39,860
It's because Moisca people doesn't have mines.

960
00:39:39,860 --> 00:39:42,860
They weren't mining their own gold.

961
00:39:42,860 --> 00:39:45,860
But they were making a lot of things using gold.

962
00:39:45,860 --> 00:39:47,860
So the gold was coming from where?

963
00:39:47,860 --> 00:39:49,860
From the Magdalena Valley.

964
00:39:49,860 --> 00:39:50,860
They were trading for it?

965
00:39:50,860 --> 00:39:51,860
Yeah.

966
00:39:51,860 --> 00:39:54,860
And what would the Moisca use to trade for gold?

967
00:39:54,860 --> 00:39:55,860
Salt.

968
00:39:56,860 --> 00:39:57,860
Salt.

969
00:39:57,860 --> 00:40:00,860
They used to trade gold by doing salt.

970
00:40:00,860 --> 00:40:02,860
Salt was as valuable as gold?

971
00:40:02,860 --> 00:40:03,860
Yeah.

972
00:40:03,860 --> 00:40:04,860
In some cases, more.

973
00:40:04,860 --> 00:40:06,860
This is a stunning revelation.

974
00:40:06,860 --> 00:40:10,860
The Moisca didn't build a golden city or even a gold mine.

975
00:40:10,860 --> 00:40:15,860
In fact, they were known to other Colombian cultures as the salt people.

976
00:40:15,860 --> 00:40:19,860
They used their expansive trade network to barter for gold and develop

977
00:40:19,860 --> 00:40:24,860
sophisticated metallurgy to transform this rare and precious resource

978
00:40:24,860 --> 00:40:26,860
into gifts for their gods.

979
00:40:26,860 --> 00:40:30,860
You know, it's so funny because the Spanish think that the Moisca have

980
00:40:30,860 --> 00:40:31,860
endless gold.

981
00:40:31,860 --> 00:40:33,860
In reality, they have salt.

982
00:40:33,860 --> 00:40:37,860
We have this legend of El Dorado that is larger than life.

983
00:40:37,860 --> 00:40:39,860
You know, entire cities made of gold.

984
00:40:39,860 --> 00:40:41,860
But here is El Dorado.

985
00:40:41,860 --> 00:40:43,860
This is the reality.

986
00:40:43,860 --> 00:40:44,860
Thank you so much.

987
00:40:44,860 --> 00:40:45,860
You're welcome.

988
00:40:45,860 --> 00:40:46,860
Are there more of these around?

989
00:40:46,860 --> 00:40:48,860
Are there more stones we should be turning over?

990
00:40:48,860 --> 00:40:49,860
Yeah.

991
00:40:49,860 --> 00:40:51,860
I have gold fever now.

992
00:40:51,860 --> 00:40:56,860
In fact, there are more stones to turn in the El Dorado legend.

993
00:40:56,860 --> 00:40:59,860
And mounting evidence suggesting that the conquistadors' belief

994
00:40:59,860 --> 00:41:05,860
in a great lost civilization may not have been so far-fetched.

995
00:41:05,860 --> 00:41:09,860
It's clear that the rituals and precious offerings of the Moisca people

996
00:41:09,860 --> 00:41:13,860
helped fuel the Spanish obsession with El Dorado.

997
00:41:13,860 --> 00:41:16,860
But this legend is about more than just gold.

998
00:41:16,860 --> 00:41:20,860
It's also about an entire lost city.

999
00:41:20,860 --> 00:41:23,860
When the Spanish arrived on Colombia's Caribbean coast,

1000
00:41:23,860 --> 00:41:27,860
they encountered another indigenous group, the Tyrona,

1001
00:41:27,860 --> 00:41:30,860
a people richly adorned in gold jewelry.

1002
00:41:30,860 --> 00:41:34,860
They attempted to raid a Tyrona capital deep in the mountains,

1003
00:41:34,860 --> 00:41:37,860
but were turned back before they could plunder its wealth.

1004
00:41:37,860 --> 00:41:41,860
Outsiders wouldn't find the city for centuries.

1005
00:41:41,860 --> 00:41:47,860
That is until the 1970s, when looters deep in the jungle

1006
00:41:47,860 --> 00:41:51,860
discovered an ancient ruin lost for 400 years,

1007
00:41:51,860 --> 00:41:56,860
a place they called Ciudad Perdida, or the Lost City.

1008
00:41:57,860 --> 00:42:01,860
Soon after, glittering Tyrona artifacts began flooding the black market,

1009
00:42:01,860 --> 00:42:06,860
so much of it that the global price of gold actually dropped.

1010
00:42:06,860 --> 00:42:09,860
And now, archaeologists working at the Lost City

1011
00:42:09,860 --> 00:42:12,860
have deployed cutting-edge scanning technology

1012
00:42:12,860 --> 00:42:15,860
that has revealed something extraordinary.

1013
00:42:15,860 --> 00:42:18,860
There may be even more undiscovered cities

1014
00:42:18,860 --> 00:42:21,860
and lost treasure deeper in the jungle.

1015
00:42:21,860 --> 00:42:25,860
My mission? Reach the team at Ciudad Perdida

1016
00:42:25,860 --> 00:42:30,860
and join a dangerous mission to find a real-life El Dorado.

1017
00:42:34,860 --> 00:42:38,860
From Tyrona, I fly more than 500 miles north to Santa Marta,

1018
00:42:38,860 --> 00:42:40,860
the gateway to the Lost City.

1019
00:42:46,860 --> 00:42:51,860
In 1499, the first Spanish conquistadors arrived on Colombia's Caribbean coast

1020
00:42:51,860 --> 00:42:55,860
in search of gold, God, and glory in that order.

1021
00:42:55,860 --> 00:43:01,860
They founded Santa Marta, the oldest surviving colonial city in all of South America.

1022
00:43:01,860 --> 00:43:05,860
The Spanish tried to reach Ciudad Perdida from Santa Marta,

1023
00:43:05,860 --> 00:43:08,860
but they never conquered the city or understood its true extent.

1024
00:43:08,860 --> 00:43:10,860
Hopefully we fare better.

1025
00:43:10,860 --> 00:43:14,860
My team and I hitch a ride to the aptly-named village of Machete

1026
00:43:14,860 --> 00:43:16,860
to meet our local expedition team.

1027
00:43:17,860 --> 00:43:19,860
Okay, gracias.

1028
00:43:19,860 --> 00:43:21,860
All right, the adventure begins,

1029
00:43:21,860 --> 00:43:24,860
and this place is called the Lost City for a reason.

1030
00:43:24,860 --> 00:43:26,860
It's not easy to reach.

1031
00:43:26,860 --> 00:43:29,860
We're going to have to hike in at least a week's worth of provisions,

1032
00:43:29,860 --> 00:43:32,860
not to mention all of the equipment we need to document the journey.

1033
00:43:32,860 --> 00:43:35,860
And so, to do that, we're going to need some help.

1034
00:43:35,860 --> 00:43:36,860
Okay.

1035
00:43:36,860 --> 00:43:38,860
Tameno, gracias.

1036
00:43:40,860 --> 00:43:43,860
Turns out it takes a village to find a lost city.

1037
00:43:43,860 --> 00:43:46,860
Guide Sergio Guerrero will lead the charge.

1038
00:43:48,860 --> 00:43:50,860
Sergio, hey, nice to meet you, man.

1039
00:43:50,860 --> 00:43:51,860
How you doing? Welcome, man.

1040
00:43:51,860 --> 00:43:52,860
Thank you. Okay, Lost City.

1041
00:43:52,860 --> 00:43:54,860
Lost City is our destination.

1042
00:43:54,860 --> 00:43:55,860
Somewhere up there?

1043
00:43:55,860 --> 00:43:57,860
Yeah. It's right behind that cloud.

1044
00:43:57,860 --> 00:43:58,860
Behind the clouds?

1045
00:43:58,860 --> 00:44:00,860
Yes, about 20 miles.

1046
00:44:00,860 --> 00:44:02,860
It's going to take us two days.

1047
00:44:02,860 --> 00:44:03,860
Perfect.

1048
00:44:03,860 --> 00:44:07,860
The average rainfall here is more than 157 inches a year,

1049
00:44:07,860 --> 00:44:11,860
making for a slow, muddy, and miserable climb.

1050
00:44:11,860 --> 00:44:14,860
And lurking in the jungle are jaguars, spiders,

1051
00:44:14,860 --> 00:44:17,860
and some of the most venomous snakes on Earth.

1052
00:44:18,860 --> 00:44:20,860
And what are the hotels like along the way? Good?

1053
00:44:20,860 --> 00:44:21,860
They're hotels, yeah.

1054
00:44:21,860 --> 00:44:22,860
Five-star?

1055
00:44:22,860 --> 00:44:23,860
Yeah, yeah.

1056
00:44:23,860 --> 00:44:25,860
One thousand stars, I would say.

1057
00:44:25,860 --> 00:44:26,860
Oh, a thousand stars. I see.

1058
00:44:26,860 --> 00:44:27,860
That's because there's no roof?

1059
00:44:27,860 --> 00:44:28,860
Yeah.

1060
00:44:28,860 --> 00:44:29,860
Perfect.

1061
00:44:29,860 --> 00:44:30,860
All right, let's get into it. Come on.

1062
00:44:30,860 --> 00:44:34,860
With so much gear, we're lightening our load with a little mule power.

1063
00:44:34,860 --> 00:44:37,860
That's like over 100 pounds.

1064
00:44:37,860 --> 00:44:40,860
This poor mule deserves every piece of food that you can give it.

1065
00:44:41,860 --> 00:44:43,860
And a little horsepower.

1066
00:44:46,860 --> 00:44:47,860
Let's go.

1067
00:44:51,860 --> 00:44:55,860
The ride starts out so smooth, I feel downright optimistic.

1068
00:44:55,860 --> 00:44:58,860
All right. This is my kind of hiking.

1069
00:45:00,860 --> 00:45:01,860
Sergio.

1070
00:45:01,860 --> 00:45:02,860
Yeah, go.

1071
00:45:02,860 --> 00:45:05,860
Are we taking the bikes the whole way into the Lost City?

1072
00:45:05,860 --> 00:45:07,860
No, only three miles.

1073
00:45:07,860 --> 00:45:08,860
Three miles?

1074
00:45:08,860 --> 00:45:09,860
Yeah.

1075
00:45:09,860 --> 00:45:10,860
I'll take it.

1076
00:45:12,860 --> 00:45:17,860
In these three miles, we're going to gain about 1,500 feet in elevation.

1077
00:45:17,860 --> 00:45:21,860
And it's clear that this road was built for neither comfort nor speed.

1078
00:45:21,860 --> 00:45:24,860
So this gets really challenging up in here.

1079
00:45:24,860 --> 00:45:27,860
Not to complain, I certainly appreciate free ride,

1080
00:45:27,860 --> 00:45:32,860
but not exactly the newest tires and not exactly the best road.

1081
00:45:33,860 --> 00:45:37,860
Not only are we riding on a steep incline of mud and loose rocks,

1082
00:45:37,860 --> 00:45:42,860
but the deep ruts turn these steel horses into bucking Broncos.

1083
00:45:45,860 --> 00:45:46,860
We don't.

1084
00:45:46,860 --> 00:45:48,860
Free top gone in here.

1085
00:45:48,860 --> 00:45:50,860
It's extremely slippy.

1086
00:45:50,860 --> 00:45:52,860
It's enough to make you spout gibberish.

1087
00:45:52,860 --> 00:45:54,860
Slippy dipples.

1088
00:45:54,860 --> 00:45:55,860
Whoa.

1089
00:46:03,860 --> 00:46:05,860
Stop, stop, stop, stop, stop.

1090
00:46:07,860 --> 00:46:08,860
We got this.

1091
00:46:14,860 --> 00:46:16,860
Less like riding a motorcycle.

1092
00:46:16,860 --> 00:46:18,860
Or like ice skating.

1093
00:46:21,860 --> 00:46:22,860
Come on.

1094
00:46:22,860 --> 00:46:23,860
You got this.

1095
00:46:23,860 --> 00:46:25,860
You got this.

1096
00:46:27,860 --> 00:46:30,860
Eventually, though, every ride has to end.

1097
00:46:33,860 --> 00:46:34,860
What's up?

1098
00:46:34,860 --> 00:46:35,860
I'm good.

1099
00:46:35,860 --> 00:46:36,860
It's time to walk.

1100
00:46:36,860 --> 00:46:37,860
What?

1101
00:46:37,860 --> 00:46:38,860
It's time to walk, John.

1102
00:46:38,860 --> 00:46:39,860
Time to walk?

1103
00:46:39,860 --> 00:46:40,860
Yeah, let's do it.

1104
00:46:40,860 --> 00:46:41,860
There's more road, though.

1105
00:46:41,860 --> 00:46:42,860
I can see it.

1106
00:46:42,860 --> 00:46:43,860
We walk now.

1107
00:46:43,860 --> 00:46:44,860
No.

1108
00:46:44,860 --> 00:46:45,860
We have to walk, yeah.

1109
00:46:45,860 --> 00:46:46,860
But I like the bike.

1110
00:46:46,860 --> 00:46:47,860
This is what you came for.

1111
00:46:47,860 --> 00:46:48,860
Let's do it.

1112
00:46:48,860 --> 00:46:53,860
The path ahead will take me into the uncharted depths of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta mountains,

1113
00:46:53,860 --> 00:46:56,860
one of the most unforgiving environments on Earth.

1114
00:46:56,860 --> 00:47:01,860
And somewhere in its depths lies the lost city.

1115
00:47:03,860 --> 00:47:05,860
Next time on Expedition Unknown.

1116
00:47:05,860 --> 00:47:06,860
Where's the bridge?

1117
00:47:06,860 --> 00:47:08,860
This is our bridge.

1118
00:47:08,860 --> 00:47:10,860
All right, let's get wet.

1119
00:47:12,860 --> 00:47:15,860
The quest for El Dorado continues.

1120
00:47:17,860 --> 00:47:19,860
We're now approaching our target coordinates.

1121
00:47:19,860 --> 00:47:21,860
There's no place you can land out here.

1122
00:47:21,860 --> 00:47:24,860
There's really no way to get down there.

1123
00:47:24,860 --> 00:47:26,860
We trek deep into the jungle.

1124
00:47:26,860 --> 00:47:28,860
Whoa, whoa, whoa, Brian.

1125
00:47:28,860 --> 00:47:30,860
To separate fact from fiction.

1126
00:47:30,860 --> 00:47:32,860
It is just a sheer drop here.

1127
00:47:32,860 --> 00:47:35,860
And discover the real El Dorado.

1128
00:47:35,860 --> 00:47:36,860
Ha ha!

1129
00:47:36,860 --> 00:47:37,860
Is it a wall?

1130
00:47:37,860 --> 00:47:38,860
Look at that!

1131
00:47:38,860 --> 00:47:43,860
On an epic adventure that will push my team to the absolute limit.

1132
00:47:43,860 --> 00:47:44,860
Holy s***.

1133
00:47:44,860 --> 00:47:50,860
I have never been in a jungle environment that was more challenging than this one.

1134
00:47:50,860 --> 00:47:51,860
Ever.

1135
00:47:51,860 --> 00:47:52,860
This is madness.

1136
00:47:54,860 --> 00:47:55,860
Wow!

1137
00:47:55,860 --> 00:47:56,860
Jesus!

1138
00:47:57,860 --> 00:47:58,860
Grab him!

1139
00:47:58,860 --> 00:47:59,860
Grab his arm!

1140
00:48:00,860 --> 00:48:01,860
Grab his arm!