1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:05,500 This cross is to Palaya what Excalibur is to King Arthur. 2 00:00:05,500 --> 00:00:07,500 187,000. 3 00:00:07,500 --> 00:00:09,500 Versus how many men that Palaya has? 4 00:00:09,500 --> 00:00:10,500 300. 5 00:00:10,500 --> 00:00:12,000 I've seen that movie, it's called 300. 6 00:00:12,000 --> 00:00:13,500 Yeah, they're not great odds. 7 00:00:13,500 --> 00:00:16,000 Palaya is kind of everywhere here I'm learning. 8 00:00:16,000 --> 00:00:19,500 Yes, it's a hugely important symbol. 9 00:00:23,500 --> 00:00:24,500 Yeah! 10 00:00:24,500 --> 00:00:26,500 Skeleton, from the time of Palaya. 11 00:00:26,500 --> 00:00:27,500 Yeah, I am. 12 00:00:27,500 --> 00:00:28,500 Why don't you go there and meet them? 13 00:00:28,500 --> 00:00:29,500 Are they easy to get to? 14 00:00:29,500 --> 00:00:30,500 No. 15 00:00:30,500 --> 00:00:32,500 Okay, this is a good start. 16 00:00:32,500 --> 00:00:37,500 Oh my word, look at this place! 17 00:00:37,500 --> 00:00:39,500 This is an endless cave. 18 00:00:39,500 --> 00:00:41,500 Oh, f***! 19 00:00:41,500 --> 00:00:43,500 We have a full skeleton here. 20 00:00:43,500 --> 00:00:45,500 Where's the skull? 21 00:00:45,500 --> 00:00:50,500 Nobody has even tread in some of these chambers in the centuries. 22 00:00:50,500 --> 00:00:51,500 Do I hear water? 23 00:00:51,500 --> 00:00:52,500 Yes. 24 00:00:52,500 --> 00:00:53,500 Excalibur. 25 00:00:53,500 --> 00:00:54,500 This is exploration right here. 26 00:00:54,500 --> 00:00:56,500 There's something going on here that feels superstitious. 27 00:00:56,500 --> 00:00:58,500 We got an opening right there. 28 00:00:58,500 --> 00:01:02,500 Oh my word, it is full of bones! 29 00:01:12,500 --> 00:01:18,500 We've all heard of King Arthur, the mythic warrior who vanquished an invading army to become King of the Britons. 30 00:01:18,500 --> 00:01:23,500 But there's another hero from Europe's Dark Ages you may never have heard of. 31 00:01:23,500 --> 00:01:28,500 A man who not only shaped the history of a nation, but the entire world as we know it. 32 00:01:28,500 --> 00:01:31,500 His name is Palayo. 33 00:01:31,500 --> 00:01:44,500 A humble sword bearer in Muslim-controlled 8th century Spain, who rises up to unite his people and repels an army of thousands. 34 00:01:44,500 --> 00:01:49,500 In a battle straight out of Game of Thrones. 35 00:01:49,500 --> 00:01:58,500 His victory leads to the birth of the Christian Spanish Empire, which conquered much of the Americas and altered the course of Western history. 36 00:01:58,500 --> 00:02:02,500 That is, if the story of Palayo is remotely true. 37 00:02:02,500 --> 00:02:07,500 Like King Arthur, it's hard to know where history ends and legend begins. 38 00:02:07,500 --> 00:02:14,500 But now, archaeologists and historians are making discoveries that could unlock the truth. 39 00:02:14,500 --> 00:02:22,500 Beneath the crumbling ruins of an ancient castle, newly found artifacts could reveal Palayo's true identity. 40 00:02:22,500 --> 00:02:29,500 And inside a perilous mountain cave, explorers have made a grisly discovery in the darkness. 41 00:02:29,500 --> 00:02:35,500 Human remains from the time of Palayo, with a shocking tale to tell. 42 00:02:35,500 --> 00:02:49,500 So join me as I search for the real king behind the myth, the true tale of the Christian hero who set Spain on the path to become a global superpower and changed our world forever. 43 00:02:54,500 --> 00:02:56,500 My name is Josh Gates. 44 00:02:56,500 --> 00:02:57,500 Hello! 45 00:02:57,500 --> 00:02:58,500 Explorer. 46 00:02:58,500 --> 00:02:59,500 It goes nothing. 47 00:02:59,500 --> 00:03:00,500 Adventurer. 48 00:03:00,500 --> 00:03:02,500 Oh, that's a long way down. 49 00:03:02,500 --> 00:03:05,500 And a guy who ends up in some very strange situations. 50 00:03:05,500 --> 00:03:07,500 I'm alive for now. 51 00:03:07,500 --> 00:03:16,500 With a degree in archaeology and a passion for the unexplained, I travel to the ends of the earth, investigating the greatest legends in history. 52 00:03:16,500 --> 00:03:18,500 Ready to rock and roll. 53 00:03:18,500 --> 00:03:20,500 This is Expedition Unknown. 54 00:03:21,500 --> 00:03:35,500 Spain, home to beautiful beaches, all night raves, and as much sangria and ham as you can eat. 55 00:03:35,500 --> 00:03:38,500 At least that's what I was expecting. 56 00:03:41,500 --> 00:03:42,500 Plot twist. 57 00:03:42,500 --> 00:03:44,500 Spain is freezing right now. 58 00:03:44,500 --> 00:03:52,500 I'm in the northern part of the country in the Picos de Europa mountains, and it's definitely more alpine than Ibiza. 59 00:03:52,500 --> 00:03:54,500 Turns out I waxed my back for nothing. 60 00:03:54,500 --> 00:03:56,500 What a waste. 61 00:03:59,500 --> 00:04:08,500 Since the story of Palayo is so shrouded in myth, we have to begin with the real locations that are associated with his story. 62 00:04:08,500 --> 00:04:14,500 And there's no better place to start than a high mountain sanctuary known as Covedanga. 63 00:04:14,500 --> 00:04:18,500 After all, Palayo himself is supposedly buried there. 64 00:04:23,500 --> 00:04:28,500 Near the summit of the mountain is a grand basilica and statue dedicated to Palayo. 65 00:04:28,500 --> 00:04:30,500 But I'm not here for sightseeing. 66 00:04:30,500 --> 00:04:36,500 Now that I've climbed all this way, I'm actually going down into the mountain itself. 67 00:04:39,500 --> 00:04:47,500 This is the holy cave of Covedanga, and it's been considered a sacred site for as long as anybody can remember. 68 00:04:47,500 --> 00:04:51,500 But there's a reason that Catholics still make pilgrimages here today. 69 00:04:51,500 --> 00:04:58,500 It's because this is where the legendary warrior Palayo and his men were victorious against an invading army. 70 00:04:58,500 --> 00:05:03,500 Here inside the sanctuary, I meet medieval historian Robert Portis. 71 00:05:03,500 --> 00:05:04,500 Hi Josh. 72 00:05:04,500 --> 00:05:05,500 Nice to meet you. 73 00:05:05,500 --> 00:05:06,500 Likewise. 74 00:05:06,500 --> 00:05:11,500 I think this may be the most dramatic location for a chapel I've ever seen, like literally perched on a cliff. 75 00:05:11,500 --> 00:05:15,500 And of course, here we are standing by the supposed resting place of Palayo himself. 76 00:05:15,500 --> 00:05:17,500 So I have a lot of questions about Palayo. 77 00:05:17,500 --> 00:05:20,500 When does this story take place and what's going on here in Spain? 78 00:05:20,500 --> 00:05:23,500 In the fifth century, the Roman Empire falls apart. 79 00:05:23,500 --> 00:05:31,500 And by the time we get to the early sixth century, a new political force has emerged in Spain, and that is the Visigothic Kingdom. 80 00:05:31,500 --> 00:05:38,500 Meet the Visigoths, the barbarian Germanic tribe that becomes a Christian kingdom, invades Italy, takes down Rome, 81 00:05:38,500 --> 00:05:45,500 and ends up occupying most of the Iberian Peninsula, aka future Spain, with their capital in the city of Toledo. 82 00:05:45,500 --> 00:05:47,500 But wait, who's that at the door? 83 00:05:47,500 --> 00:05:49,500 It's probably just the pizza we ordered. 84 00:05:49,500 --> 00:05:52,500 Oh no, it's the Islamic Umayyad Caliphate. 85 00:05:52,500 --> 00:05:57,500 In the year 711, this army of Arab and North African fighters destroy the Visigoth capital 86 00:05:57,500 --> 00:06:03,500 and conquer most of the country, giving them a foothold to launch attacks on the rest of Western Europe. 87 00:06:04,500 --> 00:06:09,500 And these guys are no joke, right? I mean, they really do sweep the board here in Spain. 88 00:06:09,500 --> 00:06:11,500 Yes, with really astonishing speed. 89 00:06:11,500 --> 00:06:16,500 So within a handful of years, perhaps three years, almost all of the peninsula is conquered. 90 00:06:16,500 --> 00:06:21,500 And it's in this landscape that our guy emerges. This is where Palayo comes onto the battlefield. 91 00:06:21,500 --> 00:06:25,500 That's right. So Palayo exists both in history and in legend. 92 00:06:25,500 --> 00:06:27,500 And what a legend it is. 93 00:06:29,500 --> 00:06:36,500 Palayo is a young Christian Visigoth noble, being groomed for power under the mentorship of King Roderick in Toledo. 94 00:06:45,500 --> 00:06:50,500 In the first wave of the Muslim invasion, though, the Visigoth army is wiped out. 95 00:06:52,500 --> 00:06:54,500 And King Roderick is killed. 96 00:06:55,500 --> 00:06:59,500 Palayo flees to the untamed northern borderlands of Asturias. 97 00:06:59,500 --> 00:07:07,500 Here, he rallies a ragged frontier population to his cause and prepares to face off against the Islamic forces 98 00:07:07,500 --> 00:07:10,500 in a battle to decide the fate of the Western world. 99 00:07:12,500 --> 00:07:18,500 Palayo and his followers are pursued up to this vantage point here, where we are right now. 100 00:07:18,500 --> 00:07:20,500 We literally right here in this cave. 101 00:07:20,500 --> 00:07:21,500 That's right. 102 00:07:21,500 --> 00:07:24,500 And then ultimately there's this supposedly this big battle. 103 00:07:24,500 --> 00:07:28,500 This is Palayo and his rallied forces versus the Arab army. 104 00:07:28,500 --> 00:07:31,500 And this is meant to be a fairly lopsided battle, right? 105 00:07:31,500 --> 00:07:33,500 What are the numbers that we're talking about here? 106 00:07:33,500 --> 00:07:38,500 We're told that the Arab-Berbat force is 187,000 strong. 107 00:07:38,500 --> 00:07:39,500 Okay. Yes. 108 00:07:39,500 --> 00:07:41,500 Huge, huge army. 109 00:07:41,500 --> 00:07:42,500 Absolutely. 110 00:07:42,500 --> 00:07:43,500 Versus how many men that Palayo has? 111 00:07:43,500 --> 00:07:44,500 300. 112 00:07:44,500 --> 00:07:46,500 I've seen that movie. It's called 300. 113 00:07:46,500 --> 00:07:47,500 Yeah, they're not great odds. 114 00:07:48,500 --> 00:07:55,500 Facing a slaughter, Palayo prays to the Virgin Mary for help, and his prayers are seemingly answered. 115 00:08:01,500 --> 00:08:10,500 Charging onto the battlefield, wielding the cross of their faith, Palayo and his 300 men find themselves aided by a series of miracles. 116 00:08:11,500 --> 00:08:14,500 Crushing boulders rain down from the heavens. 117 00:08:14,500 --> 00:08:22,500 Surging rivers swallow the Muslim army, and volleys of arrows turn in mid-air back at the terrified archers who fired them. 118 00:08:22,500 --> 00:08:29,500 Admittedly, this blessing from above reads like a marvel-sized special effects extravaganza. 119 00:08:29,500 --> 00:08:37,500 But according to the legend, over 100,000 Muslims are killed, and Palayo is crowned the first king of Asturias. 120 00:08:38,500 --> 00:08:52,500 His line would become a dynasty that forms the beginnings of the Christian Spanish Empire, which expands beyond Europe to explore and then conquer the new world, including land that would become the good old U.S. of A. 121 00:08:52,500 --> 00:08:55,500 And all of it starts in this cave. 122 00:08:55,500 --> 00:08:57,500 So this is a great story. 123 00:08:57,500 --> 00:08:58,500 It's an amazing story. 124 00:08:58,500 --> 00:09:00,500 Right? It's an underdog story. It's heroic. 125 00:09:00,500 --> 00:09:01,500 It is. 126 00:09:01,500 --> 00:09:03,500 Is any of it true? 127 00:09:04,500 --> 00:09:07,500 No, this is the difficult question to answer. 128 00:09:07,500 --> 00:09:08,500 Right. 129 00:09:08,500 --> 00:09:13,500 The main sources for the heroic Palayo legend are all, unsurprisingly, Christian. 130 00:09:13,500 --> 00:09:21,500 But Islamic writers mention him too, painting Palayo as a pathetic rebel who they don't even bother to attack. 131 00:09:21,500 --> 00:09:25,500 They do bother to mention him, though, which probably tells us something. 132 00:09:25,500 --> 00:09:29,500 I think that Palayo is too prominent a figure to have been totally invented. 133 00:09:29,500 --> 00:09:30,500 Right. 134 00:09:30,500 --> 00:09:34,500 And what can we say historically? Let's take the tomb, for instance. 135 00:09:34,500 --> 00:09:37,500 Is there any historicity to him being buried right here? 136 00:09:37,500 --> 00:09:40,500 We don't have a concrete indication that he's buried here. 137 00:09:40,500 --> 00:09:46,500 The tomb dates back to about the year 1200 and is mostly regarded as a symbolic burial. 138 00:09:46,500 --> 00:09:54,500 Furthermore, the crypt here will never be opened, lest it threaten the legend of Palayo, which looms large here in Spain. 139 00:09:54,500 --> 00:10:00,500 So we have a lot of symbolism here, but where do we look to figure out if this story is true? 140 00:10:00,500 --> 00:10:04,500 Well, some artifacts remain from the period in question. 141 00:10:04,500 --> 00:10:07,500 One particular object survives. 142 00:10:07,500 --> 00:10:09,500 An artifact that may be from Palayo's life. 143 00:10:09,500 --> 00:10:14,500 That's right. Perhaps even an artifact that he may have handled himself, which can be found locally, in fact, in Orviado. 144 00:10:14,500 --> 00:10:16,500 All right. A good place to start. 145 00:10:16,500 --> 00:10:17,500 Absolutely. 146 00:10:18,500 --> 00:10:27,500 I drive 50 miles from Covedanga to the capital of Asturias, the city of Orviado. 147 00:10:35,500 --> 00:10:42,500 Over the centuries, Orviado and the surrounding area has been occupied by Celts, Romans and Visigoths, 148 00:10:42,500 --> 00:10:46,500 and the influences of all of them are still felt here today. 149 00:10:46,500 --> 00:10:51,500 I want to see the only known artifact associated with the legendary King Palayo, 150 00:10:51,500 --> 00:10:58,500 so I head to the Cathedral of San Salvador to meet journalist and historian, Olia Pena. 151 00:10:58,500 --> 00:11:02,500 I have to say, I'm kind of overwhelmed. This is magnificent. 152 00:11:02,500 --> 00:11:08,500 It was ordered to be built by one of the descendants of Palayo, the King Alfonso II. 153 00:11:08,500 --> 00:11:11,500 Palayo is kind of everywhere here, I'm learning. 154 00:11:11,500 --> 00:11:18,500 Yeah, and we have a very important object, a physical object, that belongs to Palayo history. 155 00:11:18,500 --> 00:11:19,500 Okay. Do you want to see it? 156 00:11:19,500 --> 00:11:20,500 I would love to see it. 157 00:11:20,500 --> 00:11:23,500 Let's go. There's a crypt underneath the cathedral. 158 00:11:23,500 --> 00:11:24,500 Oh, I love a good crypt. 159 00:11:27,500 --> 00:11:33,500 Olia escorts me underground, having arranged for rare access to the Camara Santa, 160 00:11:33,500 --> 00:11:37,500 the holy chamber where the church holds sacred treasures. 161 00:11:42,500 --> 00:11:44,500 Wow, look at this. 162 00:11:44,500 --> 00:11:50,500 This is the cross that Palayo carried into battle, the cross of victory. 163 00:11:51,500 --> 00:11:52,500 What? 164 00:11:58,500 --> 00:12:04,500 This is the cross that Palayo carried at Covedanga, in the defeat of the Muslim army. 165 00:12:04,500 --> 00:12:10,500 Yeah, according to the legend, he defeats the enemy with the help of this cross. 166 00:12:10,500 --> 00:12:15,500 Spain's celebrated King Palayo was said to have been a Christian Visigoth noble, 167 00:12:15,500 --> 00:12:21,500 who allied himself with savage northern tribesmen to evict the country's Muslim occupiers. 168 00:12:21,500 --> 00:12:25,500 I'm in a church crypt searching for the truth behind the legend, 169 00:12:25,500 --> 00:12:30,500 and getting exclusive access to one of Spain's holiest relics. 170 00:12:31,500 --> 00:12:33,500 And it's the actual cross. 171 00:12:33,500 --> 00:12:34,500 According to legend, it is. 172 00:12:34,500 --> 00:12:38,500 So there's that word again, legend, that always comes up with Palayo, right? 173 00:12:38,500 --> 00:12:42,500 This cross is to Palayo what Excalibur is to King Arthur, right? 174 00:12:42,500 --> 00:12:45,500 Yes, it's a hugely important symbol. 175 00:12:45,500 --> 00:12:47,500 This cross is so ornate. 176 00:12:47,500 --> 00:12:52,500 It's not what I would imagine a warrior would be carrying into battle in the mountains. 177 00:12:52,500 --> 00:12:58,500 According to the legend, the cross that Palayo carried to rally his troops was a wooden one. 178 00:12:58,500 --> 00:13:00,500 Right, a simple cross. 179 00:13:00,500 --> 00:13:01,500 A simple cross. 180 00:13:02,500 --> 00:13:06,500 In the legend, Palayo's faith and the wooden cross he carried into battle 181 00:13:06,500 --> 00:13:10,500 led to divine intervention to defeat the invading army. 182 00:13:10,500 --> 00:13:14,500 Years later, one of Palayo's descendants, King Alfonso III, 183 00:13:14,500 --> 00:13:20,500 supposedly gilded the cross and decorated it with 152 jewels. 184 00:13:20,500 --> 00:13:22,500 How do we know that his cross is in here? 185 00:13:22,500 --> 00:13:23,500 That's a good point. 186 00:13:23,500 --> 00:13:27,500 We know that because there is an inscription here behind the cross 187 00:13:27,500 --> 00:13:33,500 that says that this cross was gilded in Gasson Castle. 188 00:13:33,500 --> 00:13:37,500 One of the castles built by that king, Alfonso III. 189 00:13:37,500 --> 00:13:38,500 And is that true? 190 00:13:38,500 --> 00:13:41,500 Well, there is a team of archaeologists. 191 00:13:41,500 --> 00:13:43,500 They are still working there. 192 00:13:43,500 --> 00:13:44,500 Okay. 193 00:13:44,500 --> 00:13:48,500 So if you want to know if this is the true cross, you have to go to Gasson Castle. 194 00:13:48,500 --> 00:13:51,500 Okay, so to the castle. 195 00:13:52,500 --> 00:13:58,500 To see where Palayo's cross came from and learn if this part of the legend holds up, 196 00:13:58,500 --> 00:14:03,500 I drive 30 miles north of Oviedo to Gasson Castle. 197 00:14:05,500 --> 00:14:10,500 Working here to reconstruct the story of the castle and its connection to King Palayo 198 00:14:10,500 --> 00:14:13,500 is archaeologist Alejandro Garcia. 199 00:14:14,500 --> 00:14:15,500 Alejandro! 200 00:14:15,500 --> 00:14:16,500 Hey! 201 00:14:16,500 --> 00:14:17,500 Hello, Jos. 202 00:14:17,500 --> 00:14:18,500 How are you? 203 00:14:18,500 --> 00:14:19,500 Nice to meet you. 204 00:14:19,500 --> 00:14:20,500 I'm out of breath. 205 00:14:20,500 --> 00:14:21,500 But I'm good, I'm good. 206 00:14:21,500 --> 00:14:27,500 Okay, so I've seen this cross at the cathedral, this beautiful gold gilded cross. 207 00:14:27,500 --> 00:14:32,500 And it says, literally, stamped that it was gilded here at Gasson Castle. 208 00:14:32,500 --> 00:14:33,500 Is that true? 209 00:14:33,500 --> 00:14:35,500 Yes, that's true. 210 00:14:35,500 --> 00:14:36,500 100%? 211 00:14:36,500 --> 00:14:37,500 Yeah. 212 00:14:37,500 --> 00:14:40,500 Oh, I thought you were going to hedge and be an archaeologist and say we don't know. 213 00:14:40,500 --> 00:14:42,500 Maybe you feel confident. 214 00:14:42,500 --> 00:14:44,500 In this case, we are confident. 215 00:14:44,500 --> 00:14:45,500 Okay, why are you so confident? 216 00:14:45,500 --> 00:14:49,500 Because we found a lot of things that are linked with the cross. 217 00:14:49,500 --> 00:14:50,500 Link to the cross? 218 00:14:50,500 --> 00:14:51,500 Yeah. 219 00:14:51,500 --> 00:14:56,500 To make the Palayo connection, Alejandro brings me over to the other side of Gasson. 220 00:14:56,500 --> 00:14:57,500 So what did you find here? 221 00:14:57,500 --> 00:15:08,500 The most important is that we found here, we have in this little box, we have this pieces. 222 00:15:08,500 --> 00:15:09,500 Are these gems? 223 00:15:09,500 --> 00:15:10,500 Yeah. 224 00:15:11,500 --> 00:15:14,500 Wait, you found gems in the ground here? 225 00:15:14,500 --> 00:15:16,500 Yes, in this side. 226 00:15:16,500 --> 00:15:17,500 May I? 227 00:15:17,500 --> 00:15:18,500 Yeah, you can. 228 00:15:18,500 --> 00:15:22,500 These jewels look exactly like the gems that we see on the cross. 229 00:15:22,500 --> 00:15:23,500 Yeah. 230 00:15:23,500 --> 00:15:28,500 The jewels here are exactly the same type and shape as those on the Holy Cross. 231 00:15:28,500 --> 00:15:34,500 And archaeologists found remains of smelting fires in what was likely a workshop. 232 00:15:34,500 --> 00:15:37,500 Carbon dating of the charcoal puts it in the 10th century. 233 00:15:37,500 --> 00:15:41,500 At the exact time the cross was supposed to have been gilded. 234 00:15:41,500 --> 00:15:46,500 So we have a metal workshop where metalworking gilding was happening. 235 00:15:46,500 --> 00:15:47,500 Yeah. 236 00:15:47,500 --> 00:15:48,500 In the exact right time period. 237 00:15:48,500 --> 00:15:49,500 Uh-huh. 238 00:15:49,500 --> 00:15:50,500 Yeah. 239 00:15:50,500 --> 00:15:51,500 In the place where the cross was supposed to be made. 240 00:15:51,500 --> 00:15:52,500 Yes, you are right. 241 00:15:52,500 --> 00:15:55,500 The cross was made here in 908. 242 00:15:55,500 --> 00:15:56,500 Unbelievable. 243 00:15:56,500 --> 00:15:57,500 Amazing. 244 00:15:57,500 --> 00:16:02,500 This could be the very room where Palayo's victory cross was gilded. 245 00:16:02,500 --> 00:16:08,500 And it helps establish a firm connection to the artifact. 246 00:16:08,500 --> 00:16:11,500 But this isn't the only shocking discovery. 247 00:16:11,500 --> 00:16:16,500 Alejandro's team is currently digging just outside the remains of the castle walls. 248 00:16:16,500 --> 00:16:20,500 And they've found items that shouldn't be there. 249 00:16:20,500 --> 00:16:22,500 Look at this. 250 00:16:22,500 --> 00:16:24,500 Here is a piece of pottery. 251 00:16:24,500 --> 00:16:26,500 Oh, with a weird pattern. 252 00:16:26,500 --> 00:16:28,500 It's a special pottery. 253 00:16:28,500 --> 00:16:29,500 Okay, special how? 254 00:16:29,500 --> 00:16:35,500 I think that this pottery can be of the 6th or 7th century. 255 00:16:35,500 --> 00:16:36,500 6th or 7th century? 256 00:16:36,500 --> 00:16:37,500 Yes. 257 00:16:37,500 --> 00:16:41,500 But the castle is built by Alfonso III in the 10th century. 258 00:16:41,500 --> 00:16:42,500 So what is this doing here? 259 00:16:42,500 --> 00:16:49,500 It's here, this pottery, because we are discovering that there was a castle here before Alfonso III. 260 00:16:49,500 --> 00:16:59,500 The fact that there was a castle here centuries earlier than previously thought may fundamentally alter key elements of the Palayo legend. 261 00:16:59,500 --> 00:17:11,500 What the team is discovering here reveals that far from being savage frontiersmen, the Asturians that Palayo led into battle appear to have been a sophisticated and organized society. 262 00:17:11,500 --> 00:17:19,500 Arrowheads and blades found at the site confirmed that they knew how to fight before Palayo arrived here. 263 00:17:19,500 --> 00:17:28,500 In fact, there's even a version of Palayo's story from the 9th century that suggests he might not have come here as an outsider from the big city of Toledo. 264 00:17:28,500 --> 00:17:33,500 Instead, he might have actually been from this northern area to begin with. 265 00:17:33,500 --> 00:17:38,500 So maybe Palayo is less King Arthur and more William Wallace. 266 00:17:38,500 --> 00:17:43,500 He's less of this nobleman who rises up and he's more of a local warrior. 267 00:17:43,500 --> 00:17:44,500 Yeah. 268 00:17:45,500 --> 00:17:49,500 But the artifacts here don't just challenge Palayo's origin story. 269 00:17:49,500 --> 00:17:54,500 They're telling us more about the bedrock of the Palayo legend, his Christian faith. 270 00:17:54,500 --> 00:18:01,500 I think that in the 8th century, they were between the two wars. 271 00:18:01,500 --> 00:18:07,500 They were Christians, but also they were a fallow pagan traditions. 272 00:18:07,500 --> 00:18:14,500 This too defies our image of Palayo as the Christian noble assisted in battle by the Virgin Mary. 273 00:18:14,500 --> 00:18:19,500 Christianity was still in a time of great transition in this part of the world. 274 00:18:19,500 --> 00:18:23,500 Yeah, because there is a very clear change. 275 00:18:23,500 --> 00:18:31,500 Later of the 8th or 9th centuries, all the people buried in the cemeteries of the churches. 276 00:18:31,500 --> 00:18:32,500 Right. 277 00:18:32,500 --> 00:18:43,500 And before, they were buried in the top of hills or we have found very close from here, burials inside a cave. 278 00:18:43,500 --> 00:18:44,500 Uh-huh. 279 00:18:45,500 --> 00:18:47,500 This is very significant. 280 00:18:47,500 --> 00:18:55,500 Incredibly rare evidence of burials has been found in a nearby cave system close to the site of the battle of Covadanga. 281 00:18:55,500 --> 00:19:01,500 These remains could rewrite the true story of Palayo and his warriors. 282 00:19:01,500 --> 00:19:10,500 Our next stop is about 50 miles from here, where at this very moment, archaeologists are making discoveries in a remote cave known as Lagarma. 283 00:19:10,500 --> 00:19:20,500 And there, deep underground, they're finding that the truth about the world of Palayo is much darker than the gilded legend and much more dangerous. 284 00:19:23,500 --> 00:19:30,500 At the entrance to the Lagarma cave complex, I meet a pair of explorers who have been crawling inside of these mountains for decades. 285 00:19:30,500 --> 00:19:33,500 Pablo Arias and Jose Angel. 286 00:19:33,500 --> 00:19:35,500 Okay, so you guys look ready for adventure. 287 00:19:35,500 --> 00:19:36,500 Ready. 288 00:19:36,500 --> 00:19:37,500 Yes, okay. 289 00:19:37,500 --> 00:19:39,500 So tell me about this cave that you're exploring. 290 00:19:39,500 --> 00:19:41,500 What makes this place so special? 291 00:19:41,500 --> 00:19:43,500 Well, everything makes Lagarma special. 292 00:19:43,500 --> 00:19:44,500 It's a unique place. 293 00:19:44,500 --> 00:19:45,500 It's called Lagarma and why? 294 00:19:45,500 --> 00:19:46,500 Why is it unique? 295 00:19:46,500 --> 00:19:49,500 Because people have been living here for half a million years. 296 00:19:49,500 --> 00:19:52,500 Boy, it sounded like you said a half a million years. 297 00:19:52,500 --> 00:19:53,500 Yeah, exactly. 298 00:19:53,500 --> 00:19:56,500 There's human habitation in this cave that goes back that far? 299 00:19:56,500 --> 00:19:57,500 Yeah, yeah. 300 00:19:57,500 --> 00:19:58,500 Wow. 301 00:19:58,500 --> 00:20:00,500 And has this cave been fully mapped? 302 00:20:00,500 --> 00:20:01,500 Not yet. 303 00:20:01,500 --> 00:20:03,500 There are many galleries and no... 304 00:20:03,500 --> 00:20:04,500 And you think there's more to find? 305 00:20:04,500 --> 00:20:05,500 Yes. 306 00:20:05,500 --> 00:20:06,500 Okay. 307 00:20:06,500 --> 00:20:08,500 And so what sorts of things are you discovering? 308 00:20:08,500 --> 00:20:10,500 Right now, we are finding human skeletons. 309 00:20:10,500 --> 00:20:11,500 From when? 310 00:20:11,500 --> 00:20:14,500 From the time of Palayo. 311 00:20:14,500 --> 00:20:19,500 This is extraordinary because there's so little archaeological evidence from this time period. 312 00:20:19,500 --> 00:20:21,500 Why don't you go there and meet them? 313 00:20:29,500 --> 00:20:31,500 Meet skeletons from the time of Palayo. 314 00:20:31,500 --> 00:20:32,500 Yeah, I am. 315 00:20:32,500 --> 00:20:37,500 Deep inside the mountains of northern Spain, archaeologists have made a discovery that 316 00:20:37,500 --> 00:20:43,500 could help tell the real story of the legendary warrior king Palayo. 317 00:20:43,500 --> 00:20:45,500 So tell me about these skeletons. 318 00:20:45,500 --> 00:20:47,500 Well, you can see them yourself. 319 00:20:47,500 --> 00:20:48,500 In the cave? 320 00:20:48,500 --> 00:20:49,500 Yeah, yeah, inside the cave. 321 00:20:49,500 --> 00:20:50,500 Are they easy to get to? 322 00:20:50,500 --> 00:20:51,500 No, no. 323 00:20:51,500 --> 00:20:52,500 No, of course not. 324 00:20:52,500 --> 00:20:54,500 It's quite a difficult trip. 325 00:20:54,500 --> 00:20:55,500 It's three hours underground. 326 00:20:55,500 --> 00:20:57,500 Three hours in darkness? 327 00:20:57,500 --> 00:21:00,500 Okay, well, I would like to meet them. 328 00:21:00,500 --> 00:21:01,500 Okay, let's go. 329 00:21:01,500 --> 00:21:02,500 Shall we do it? 330 00:21:02,500 --> 00:21:03,500 Let's go. 331 00:21:03,500 --> 00:21:04,500 Come on, let's do it. 332 00:21:05,500 --> 00:21:14,500 Lagarma is firmly closed to the public, so this access is very, very special. 333 00:21:14,500 --> 00:21:19,500 As we approach the cave entrance, we're joined by Pablo and Jose's team, who'll be going into 334 00:21:19,500 --> 00:21:21,500 Lagarma with us. 335 00:21:21,500 --> 00:21:23,500 Into the darkness, here we go. 336 00:21:24,500 --> 00:21:29,500 I've been told this is a massive cave. 337 00:21:29,500 --> 00:21:32,500 Right now, though, it doesn't feel like it. 338 00:21:32,500 --> 00:21:33,500 That's the entrance? 339 00:21:33,500 --> 00:21:34,500 Yes. 340 00:21:34,500 --> 00:21:36,500 Oh, I should have skipped breakfast. 341 00:21:36,500 --> 00:21:37,500 Okay, let's go. 342 00:21:37,500 --> 00:21:38,500 Go ahead. 343 00:21:41,500 --> 00:21:42,500 No way. 344 00:21:44,500 --> 00:21:45,500 I mean... 345 00:21:45,500 --> 00:21:50,500 I might have to do this head first. 346 00:21:50,500 --> 00:21:55,500 Hey, it's not going to be graceful, but here I come. 347 00:21:55,500 --> 00:22:07,500 This is a good start. 348 00:22:07,500 --> 00:22:09,500 This is only the beginning. 349 00:22:09,500 --> 00:22:11,500 Okay, nobody wants to hear that. 350 00:22:11,500 --> 00:22:13,500 Are you kidding me with this? 351 00:22:13,500 --> 00:22:18,500 This cave has been preserved from outsiders for centuries, and microbes from the surface 352 00:22:18,500 --> 00:22:22,500 could potentially change the ecology inside Lagarma. 353 00:22:22,500 --> 00:22:27,500 To prevent that, we change into footwear that's been sterilized. 354 00:22:27,500 --> 00:22:32,500 Properly shod, we are ready to descend the vertical shaft, which has been outfitted with 355 00:22:32,500 --> 00:22:33,500 a ladder. 356 00:22:33,500 --> 00:22:34,500 Oh boy. 357 00:22:34,500 --> 00:22:36,500 I'm going to get out of here. 358 00:22:36,500 --> 00:22:40,500 We're ready to descend the vertical shaft, which has been outfitted with a ladder. 359 00:22:40,500 --> 00:22:41,500 Oh boy. 360 00:22:41,500 --> 00:22:44,500 Big drop off. 361 00:22:44,500 --> 00:22:50,500 Alright, Enblay, coming down. 362 00:22:50,500 --> 00:22:55,500 Everything in this cave is damp and slick, so we make sure to use harnesses and clip 363 00:22:55,500 --> 00:22:56,500 in. 364 00:22:56,500 --> 00:22:59,500 One misstep, and the drops are lethal. 365 00:22:59,500 --> 00:23:00,500 Oh boy. 366 00:23:00,500 --> 00:23:05,500 That's a long way down. 367 00:23:05,500 --> 00:23:12,500 Okay, I'm down. 368 00:23:12,500 --> 00:23:13,500 Okay. 369 00:23:13,500 --> 00:23:17,500 Now that I'm safely down, Pablo and Jose join me. 370 00:23:17,500 --> 00:23:19,500 Okay, we made it down the ladder. 371 00:23:19,500 --> 00:23:20,500 The first ladder. 372 00:23:20,500 --> 00:23:21,500 The first ladder. 373 00:23:21,500 --> 00:23:22,500 Yeah. 374 00:23:22,500 --> 00:23:23,500 Oh, okay, great. 375 00:23:23,500 --> 00:23:25,500 Okay, let's go. 376 00:23:25,500 --> 00:23:27,500 The first ladder. 377 00:23:27,500 --> 00:23:29,500 How deep is this cave? 378 00:23:29,500 --> 00:23:30,500 The answer? 379 00:23:30,500 --> 00:23:31,500 Very deep. 380 00:23:31,500 --> 00:23:35,500 There's almost a mile of known passages in La Garma. 381 00:23:35,500 --> 00:23:41,260 Pablo's team has mapped three distinct levels, each with a sheer drop with some chambers 382 00:23:41,260 --> 00:23:44,860 that are more than 400 feet underground. 383 00:23:44,860 --> 00:23:49,200 To keep all of us from getting hopelessly lost, they've marked the floor with reflectors 384 00:23:49,200 --> 00:23:55,500 to create a narrow path through the dark and winding forest of stone. 385 00:23:55,500 --> 00:24:00,500 I mean, look at this place. 386 00:24:00,500 --> 00:24:04,500 Woo. 387 00:24:04,500 --> 00:24:09,500 We hike on into the darkness through one immense cavern after another. 388 00:24:09,500 --> 00:24:14,140 Eventually, we find ourselves at the top of another drop where the archaeologists have 389 00:24:14,140 --> 00:24:18,140 rigged another ladder. 390 00:24:18,140 --> 00:24:19,500 Ladder number two. 391 00:24:19,500 --> 00:24:21,500 Oh, my word. 392 00:24:21,500 --> 00:24:23,500 Oh boy. 393 00:24:23,500 --> 00:24:27,500 This is an endless cave. 394 00:24:28,500 --> 00:24:33,500 Pablo graciously agrees to go first, then it's my turn to descend. 395 00:24:33,500 --> 00:24:42,500 Okay, down we go. 396 00:24:42,500 --> 00:24:45,500 How is it so far down? 397 00:24:45,500 --> 00:24:50,500 It's like a black hole. 398 00:24:50,500 --> 00:24:54,500 Oh, oh, f***. 399 00:24:54,500 --> 00:24:55,500 You all right? 400 00:24:55,500 --> 00:25:04,500 This is the third level of La Garma. 401 00:25:04,500 --> 00:25:11,500 Pablo and Jose lead us further until we enter a chamber dripping with stalactites. 402 00:25:11,500 --> 00:25:14,500 Well, just this is the room I wanted you to see. 403 00:25:14,500 --> 00:25:16,500 Oh, my word. 404 00:25:16,500 --> 00:25:18,500 Look at this place. 405 00:25:18,500 --> 00:25:20,500 Unbelievable. 406 00:25:20,500 --> 00:25:24,500 As we enter, the chamber is eerily quiet, like a sanctuary. 407 00:25:24,500 --> 00:25:28,500 And then I learn that we're not alone. 408 00:25:28,500 --> 00:25:31,500 And this is the person I wanted you to meet. 409 00:25:31,500 --> 00:25:33,500 Oh, my God. 410 00:25:33,500 --> 00:25:37,500 This is a full skeleton. 411 00:25:37,500 --> 00:25:42,500 Oh, my God. 412 00:25:42,500 --> 00:25:44,500 This is a full skeleton. 413 00:25:44,500 --> 00:25:46,500 Look at this. 414 00:25:46,500 --> 00:25:53,500 We're deep inside the La Garma cave, an undisturbed time capsule from the era of Spain's heroic king, Palayo. 415 00:25:53,500 --> 00:25:57,500 We're searching for evidence of the truth behind his legend. 416 00:25:57,500 --> 00:26:00,500 This might qualify. 417 00:26:00,500 --> 00:26:03,500 We have a full skeleton here. 418 00:26:03,500 --> 00:26:06,500 But there are the skeletons. There's another one up there. 419 00:26:06,500 --> 00:26:08,500 Oh, there's another skeleton right there. 420 00:26:08,500 --> 00:26:10,500 How many of these skeletons are here? 421 00:26:10,500 --> 00:26:12,500 There are five in this gallery. 422 00:26:12,500 --> 00:26:13,500 Five. 423 00:26:13,500 --> 00:26:15,500 And these are from the time of Palayo? 424 00:26:15,500 --> 00:26:16,500 Yeah, he's there. 425 00:26:16,500 --> 00:26:22,500 The archaeologists have discovered that this chamber is, in fact, an eerie necropolis. 426 00:26:22,500 --> 00:26:31,500 The skeletons have been carefully laid out on the floor, surrounded by broken pieces of stalactites in some sort of burial ritual. 427 00:26:31,500 --> 00:26:33,500 Unbelievable. 428 00:26:33,500 --> 00:26:35,500 I'm trying to understand this. 429 00:26:35,500 --> 00:26:38,500 People brought these five bodies all the way down here. 430 00:26:38,500 --> 00:26:40,500 This whole trip that we've made, they came the same way. 431 00:26:40,500 --> 00:26:42,500 Only ropes and torches. 432 00:26:42,500 --> 00:26:46,500 Think about that. With torches, how scary this environment would be. 433 00:26:46,500 --> 00:26:49,500 They must have felt like they were venturing into the underworld. 434 00:26:49,500 --> 00:26:50,500 Yeah, yeah. No doubt. 435 00:26:50,500 --> 00:26:56,500 Why? This must have been a kind of ceremonial burial, in a way, right? 436 00:26:56,500 --> 00:26:58,500 Yeah, it's a funerary treatment. 437 00:26:58,500 --> 00:27:01,500 Was any clothing found? Was any textiles found? 438 00:27:01,500 --> 00:27:03,500 No, it had not been preserved. 439 00:27:03,500 --> 00:27:05,500 We did find one thing in the other room. 440 00:27:05,500 --> 00:27:08,500 Just a metal belt buckle. 441 00:27:08,500 --> 00:27:11,500 A metal belt buckle? And what does it look like? 442 00:27:11,500 --> 00:27:15,500 It is made of iron with silver and brass inlates. 443 00:27:15,500 --> 00:27:18,500 And it has a cross. 444 00:27:18,500 --> 00:27:20,500 It has a cross? Yes. 445 00:27:20,500 --> 00:27:22,500 So these are Christians? 446 00:27:22,500 --> 00:27:23,500 We think so. 447 00:27:23,500 --> 00:27:28,500 I mean, there's something very heathen or pagan about this. 448 00:27:28,500 --> 00:27:34,500 There are so few burials from the time of Palayo that what we're seeing here is revelatory. 449 00:27:34,500 --> 00:27:40,500 It's clear that at this time Christianity existed alongside lingering pagan traditions, 450 00:27:40,500 --> 00:27:44,500 including some very dark rituals. 451 00:27:44,500 --> 00:27:50,500 For being here over a thousand years, it's incredibly well preserved, except for one thing. 452 00:27:50,500 --> 00:27:53,500 The skull. Where's the skull? 453 00:27:53,500 --> 00:27:55,500 The skull is here, but it has been crushed. 454 00:27:55,500 --> 00:27:57,500 Literally smashed down to a powder almost. 455 00:27:57,500 --> 00:28:01,500 Yeah, yeah, yeah. All of them have their skulls crushed. 456 00:28:01,500 --> 00:28:03,500 Why? Why crush the skull? 457 00:28:03,500 --> 00:28:08,500 Probably because they have a fear of these people because they wanted them to not to return. 458 00:28:08,500 --> 00:28:11,500 To return? Revenants. 459 00:28:11,500 --> 00:28:14,500 Revenants? You're talking about vampires? 460 00:28:14,500 --> 00:28:20,500 In the Middle Ages, the belief that people could return from the dead as evil spirits was not only common, 461 00:28:20,500 --> 00:28:23,500 urgent measures were taken to prevent it. 462 00:28:23,500 --> 00:28:27,500 So-called revenant burials have been found all over the world, 463 00:28:27,500 --> 00:28:31,500 with the dead buried upside down, with stones in their mouths, 464 00:28:31,500 --> 00:28:35,500 and even with the occasional stake through the heart. 465 00:28:35,500 --> 00:28:37,500 But they're from the time of Palayo. 466 00:28:37,500 --> 00:28:40,500 But who these five people are, we don't know. 467 00:28:40,500 --> 00:28:41,500 No, no, no. 468 00:28:41,500 --> 00:28:44,500 These bodies are an incredible discovery. 469 00:28:44,500 --> 00:28:48,500 We don't know who they were or why they were given such a strange burial, 470 00:28:48,500 --> 00:28:54,500 but the fact that things like this were happening shows us that all of the romantic imagery of Palayo 471 00:28:54,500 --> 00:29:00,500 and his men as squeaky clean Christian heroes isn't painting a full enough picture of the time. 472 00:29:03,500 --> 00:29:07,500 We're pressing onward, further and deeper into the bowels of the earth, 473 00:29:07,500 --> 00:29:11,500 toward a section of Ligarma that has never been explored. 474 00:29:11,500 --> 00:29:13,500 Okay, that's impressive. 475 00:29:13,500 --> 00:29:16,500 Yes, this is the largest room that we have in the cave. 476 00:29:16,500 --> 00:29:17,500 This is crazy. 477 00:29:17,500 --> 00:29:18,500 Yeah. 478 00:29:18,500 --> 00:29:19,500 Oh, it goes up even higher. 479 00:29:19,500 --> 00:29:20,500 Must be 150 feet up. 480 00:29:20,500 --> 00:29:21,500 Thanks. 481 00:29:21,500 --> 00:29:22,500 A single room. 482 00:29:22,500 --> 00:29:24,500 How far underground are we here? 483 00:29:24,500 --> 00:29:26,500 Around 400 feet. 484 00:29:26,500 --> 00:29:27,500 400 feet underground? 485 00:29:27,500 --> 00:29:28,500 Yeah. 486 00:29:32,500 --> 00:29:37,500 But to get to the unseen sections of Ligarma, we're going even deeper, 487 00:29:37,500 --> 00:29:41,500 thanks to one last ladder placed by Pablo's team. 488 00:29:42,500 --> 00:29:48,500 Just, this is the ladder we've just set up to descend to the lowest level. 489 00:29:48,500 --> 00:29:49,500 Okay. 490 00:29:49,500 --> 00:29:53,500 Unlike the ladders above, it feels hastily rigged. 491 00:29:53,500 --> 00:29:58,500 To get to the bottom safely, we may need to resort to Palayo's technique, prayer. 492 00:29:58,500 --> 00:29:59,500 Jose. 493 00:29:59,500 --> 00:30:00,500 Yes? 494 00:30:00,500 --> 00:30:01,500 You like this ladder? 495 00:30:01,500 --> 00:30:02,500 No, I hate this ladder. 496 00:30:02,500 --> 00:30:04,500 But it's the only ladder we have. 497 00:30:04,500 --> 00:30:07,500 You ever think about starting a greeting card company, Jose? 498 00:30:07,500 --> 00:30:09,500 I don't know. 499 00:30:09,500 --> 00:30:10,500 What? 500 00:30:10,500 --> 00:30:11,500 Nothing. 501 00:30:11,500 --> 00:30:12,500 It's very inspirational. 502 00:30:12,500 --> 00:30:13,500 Here we go. 503 00:30:13,500 --> 00:30:18,500 We clip in for one final descent, and then down we go. 504 00:30:18,500 --> 00:30:20,500 Is that a rung my foot's on? 505 00:30:20,500 --> 00:30:21,500 Okay. 506 00:30:21,500 --> 00:30:23,500 Boy, it's just blind. 507 00:30:23,500 --> 00:30:25,500 You can't see anything. 508 00:30:25,500 --> 00:30:26,500 Oh, this sucks. 509 00:30:26,500 --> 00:30:27,500 Okay. 510 00:30:27,500 --> 00:30:29,500 Okay, coming down. 511 00:30:29,500 --> 00:30:32,500 Okay, I'm down. 512 00:30:32,500 --> 00:30:37,500 Shaking like a leaf. 513 00:30:37,500 --> 00:30:40,500 This is it, literal rock bottom. 514 00:30:40,500 --> 00:30:41,500 Okay. 515 00:30:41,500 --> 00:30:42,500 I'm down. 516 00:30:42,500 --> 00:30:44,500 I'm down. 517 00:30:44,500 --> 00:30:46,500 I'm down. 518 00:30:46,500 --> 00:30:48,500 I'm down. 519 00:30:48,500 --> 00:30:50,500 I'm down. 520 00:30:50,500 --> 00:30:52,500 I'm down. 521 00:30:52,500 --> 00:30:53,500 I'm down. 522 00:30:53,500 --> 00:30:54,500 I'm down. 523 00:30:54,500 --> 00:30:55,500 I'm down. 524 00:30:55,500 --> 00:30:56,500 I'm down. 525 00:30:56,500 --> 00:30:57,500 I'm down. 526 00:30:57,500 --> 00:30:58,500 I'm down. 527 00:30:58,500 --> 00:30:59,500 I'm down. 528 00:30:59,500 --> 00:31:06,500 We're heading into unknown territory, a new unmapped level of tunnels here 529 00:31:06,500 --> 00:31:11,000 at Lagarma that may contain more burials and perhaps, even a tangible 530 00:31:11,000 --> 00:31:19,500 connection to Palaios. 531 00:31:19,500 --> 00:31:24,500 Down, down, down. 532 00:31:24,500 --> 00:31:26,500 Do I hear water? 533 00:31:26,500 --> 00:31:27,660 Yes, it's a river. 534 00:31:27,660 --> 00:31:29,140 The river runs through this level. 535 00:31:29,140 --> 00:31:29,940 Yeah. 536 00:31:29,940 --> 00:31:32,180 And I don't see any of your excavation markers here. 537 00:31:32,180 --> 00:31:33,000 No. 538 00:31:33,000 --> 00:31:33,840 That's new territory. 539 00:31:33,840 --> 00:31:34,660 New territory. 540 00:31:34,660 --> 00:31:35,460 All right. 541 00:31:35,460 --> 00:31:36,460 Let's see what we find. 542 00:31:36,460 --> 00:31:45,220 Well, we're really going in the river. 543 00:31:45,220 --> 00:31:46,120 Yeah. 544 00:31:46,120 --> 00:31:47,020 Wow. 545 00:31:47,020 --> 00:31:47,820 Excuse me. 546 00:31:52,900 --> 00:31:55,380 We follow the river deeper into the mountain 547 00:31:55,380 --> 00:31:58,940 until there's nothing but a trickle left. 548 00:31:58,940 --> 00:32:01,540 At the end, we meet up with the rest of the team that's 549 00:32:01,540 --> 00:32:04,020 been working just ahead of us. 550 00:32:04,020 --> 00:32:06,020 Hola, hola, hola. 551 00:32:06,020 --> 00:32:08,380 All right, so here we are at the bottom of the world. 552 00:32:08,380 --> 00:32:12,420 And now, boys, this is the moment to look around here. 553 00:32:12,420 --> 00:32:14,700 Let's explore this this area where there's 554 00:32:14,700 --> 00:32:18,180 a lot of places where there might be hidden objects 555 00:32:18,180 --> 00:32:20,060 or human bones. 556 00:32:20,060 --> 00:32:20,700 OK. 557 00:32:20,700 --> 00:32:22,380 So careful where you step. 558 00:32:22,380 --> 00:32:23,380 Yeah. 559 00:32:23,380 --> 00:32:24,500 And see what you can find, yeah? 560 00:32:25,460 --> 00:32:26,340 All right, here we go. 561 00:32:26,340 --> 00:32:27,340 Keep your eyes open. 562 00:32:27,340 --> 00:32:28,340 No. 563 00:32:39,020 --> 00:32:42,540 Nobody has even tread in some of these galleries 564 00:32:42,540 --> 00:32:46,700 and these chambers in centuries. 565 00:32:46,700 --> 00:32:48,020 This is exploration right here. 566 00:32:54,780 --> 00:32:57,580 This is the end. 567 00:32:57,580 --> 00:32:58,700 Look at that. 568 00:32:58,700 --> 00:33:00,900 We got an opening right there. 569 00:33:00,900 --> 00:33:02,420 That does look like a chamber. 570 00:33:02,420 --> 00:33:03,380 You climbing up? 571 00:33:03,380 --> 00:33:04,180 Yeah. 572 00:33:04,180 --> 00:33:06,740 Careful. 573 00:33:06,740 --> 00:33:09,740 Careful. 574 00:33:09,740 --> 00:33:11,220 Careful, Luis. 575 00:33:11,220 --> 00:33:12,700 Can you see anything? 576 00:33:12,700 --> 00:33:14,100 Oh, shit. 577 00:33:14,100 --> 00:33:15,060 What's going on? 578 00:33:15,060 --> 00:33:16,980 You see something. 579 00:33:16,980 --> 00:33:21,100 It's full of bones. 580 00:33:21,100 --> 00:33:21,580 It's what? 581 00:33:21,580 --> 00:33:22,580 It's full of bones? 582 00:33:22,580 --> 00:33:23,380 Yeah. 583 00:33:23,380 --> 00:33:24,380 Yeah, for sure. 584 00:33:24,380 --> 00:33:25,380 Can I see? 585 00:33:25,380 --> 00:33:26,380 Yeah. 586 00:33:31,380 --> 00:33:33,380 Oh, I mean, it could not be in a worse place. 587 00:33:35,380 --> 00:33:36,380 Ha! 588 00:33:36,380 --> 00:33:39,380 Oh, my word. 589 00:33:39,380 --> 00:33:40,380 It is. 590 00:33:40,380 --> 00:33:41,380 It's full of bones. 591 00:33:53,380 --> 00:33:55,380 Here in Asturias, they don't dance the flamenco 592 00:33:55,380 --> 00:33:56,380 or run with the bulls. 593 00:33:56,380 --> 00:34:00,380 Instead, they drink, specifically hard cider poured 594 00:34:00,380 --> 00:34:02,380 with a lot of flair. 595 00:34:02,380 --> 00:34:05,380 The waiters pour the cider like this to aerate it. 596 00:34:05,380 --> 00:34:07,380 And let's face it, because it's very cool. 597 00:34:07,380 --> 00:34:10,380 The best of them can even do it without looking at the glass. 598 00:34:14,380 --> 00:34:15,380 The whole thing. 599 00:34:15,380 --> 00:34:16,380 The whole thing. 600 00:34:16,380 --> 00:34:17,380 OK, sure. 601 00:34:19,380 --> 00:34:20,380 I spooved. 602 00:34:20,380 --> 00:34:21,380 Can I pour it? 603 00:34:21,380 --> 00:34:22,380 Yes. 604 00:34:23,380 --> 00:34:24,380 You're going up? 605 00:34:24,380 --> 00:34:25,380 OK. 606 00:34:25,380 --> 00:34:26,380 Here we go. 607 00:34:26,380 --> 00:34:27,380 I got this. 608 00:34:27,380 --> 00:34:28,380 I got this. 609 00:34:28,380 --> 00:34:29,380 Going up here? 610 00:34:29,380 --> 00:34:30,380 OK, ready? 611 00:34:31,380 --> 00:34:32,380 Oh, boy. 612 00:34:32,380 --> 00:34:33,380 That's all right. 613 00:34:33,380 --> 00:34:34,380 I'm getting some of it in there. 614 00:34:37,380 --> 00:34:38,380 It's all right. 615 00:34:38,380 --> 00:34:41,380 This tradition dates back to ancient times. 616 00:34:41,380 --> 00:34:42,380 Who knows? 617 00:34:42,380 --> 00:34:43,380 Palaeon is men. 618 00:34:43,380 --> 00:34:45,380 They have celebrated their victory with a cider pour 619 00:34:45,380 --> 00:34:46,380 just like this. 620 00:34:46,380 --> 00:34:48,380 Keep it coming. 621 00:34:48,380 --> 00:34:49,380 Keep it coming. 622 00:34:54,380 --> 00:34:55,380 Ha! 623 00:34:55,380 --> 00:34:58,380 Oh, my word. 624 00:34:58,380 --> 00:34:59,380 It is. 625 00:34:59,380 --> 00:35:00,380 It's full of bones. 626 00:35:00,380 --> 00:35:02,380 It is full of bones. 627 00:35:02,380 --> 00:35:05,380 Deep in a cave, we're discovering the real history 628 00:35:05,380 --> 00:35:08,380 behind the legendary character of King Palaeon. 629 00:35:08,380 --> 00:35:12,380 And we've just discovered a new burial site. 630 00:35:12,380 --> 00:35:13,380 I can see part of a mandible. 631 00:35:13,380 --> 00:35:17,380 I can see teeth, long bones. 632 00:35:17,380 --> 00:35:20,380 It's different from the one we saw on the level above. 633 00:35:20,380 --> 00:35:23,380 The skulls here aren't smashed at all. 634 00:35:23,380 --> 00:35:25,380 Can you see anything else? 635 00:35:25,380 --> 00:35:26,380 No. 636 00:35:26,380 --> 00:35:28,380 It's just bones as far as you can see. 637 00:35:29,380 --> 00:35:32,380 Given the extreme effort surely required to bring the bodies 638 00:35:32,380 --> 00:35:34,380 down to this level of the cave, 639 00:35:34,380 --> 00:35:37,380 it's likely this was a hallowed place. 640 00:35:37,380 --> 00:35:40,380 Only artifacts will tell us for sure. 641 00:35:40,380 --> 00:35:41,380 Fortunately... 642 00:35:41,380 --> 00:35:42,380 Whoa. 643 00:35:42,380 --> 00:35:44,380 There's something metal here. 644 00:35:44,380 --> 00:35:47,380 There's something metal in here for sure. 645 00:35:47,380 --> 00:35:48,380 Pablo. 646 00:35:48,380 --> 00:35:49,380 Now what? 647 00:35:49,380 --> 00:35:51,380 Well, let's see. 648 00:35:51,380 --> 00:35:53,380 We'll have to take some photographs. 649 00:35:53,380 --> 00:35:54,380 Photogrammetry, yes? 650 00:35:54,380 --> 00:35:55,380 Yeah. 651 00:35:55,380 --> 00:35:57,380 Okay, let's get them in here. 652 00:35:58,380 --> 00:36:01,380 This is a groundbreaking discovery. 653 00:36:01,380 --> 00:36:03,380 But we can't risk touching any of the bones 654 00:36:03,380 --> 00:36:08,380 before preserving the scene with a photographic 3D scan. 655 00:36:08,380 --> 00:36:10,380 To create a workspace on a sheer ledge, 656 00:36:10,380 --> 00:36:13,380 the team sets climbing pins into the rock. 657 00:36:14,380 --> 00:36:18,380 Then, team member Carlos climbs up and positions the camera, 658 00:36:18,380 --> 00:36:22,380 while his partner Luis controls the shutter remotely. 659 00:36:22,380 --> 00:36:24,380 Okay, Luis, it's time to put them on. 660 00:36:24,380 --> 00:36:27,380 They quickly take hundreds of photographs 661 00:36:27,380 --> 00:36:29,380 that are instantly beamed to a computer, 662 00:36:29,380 --> 00:36:32,380 where they'll be stitched together to create a final image. 663 00:36:32,380 --> 00:36:35,380 And it all takes place in the blink of an eye. 664 00:36:36,380 --> 00:36:37,380 We have data, yes? 665 00:36:37,380 --> 00:36:38,380 Yes, we have. 666 00:36:38,380 --> 00:36:39,380 Okay. 667 00:36:39,380 --> 00:36:40,380 Let's see. 668 00:36:40,380 --> 00:36:41,380 What do we get? 669 00:36:42,380 --> 00:36:44,380 This is incredible. 670 00:36:44,380 --> 00:36:46,380 But there's so many bones. 671 00:36:46,380 --> 00:36:48,380 There are bones everywhere. 672 00:36:48,380 --> 00:36:49,380 And in the back? 673 00:36:49,380 --> 00:36:50,380 Right up there. 674 00:36:50,380 --> 00:36:51,380 More in the back. 675 00:36:51,380 --> 00:36:53,380 There are concentrations there of long bones. 676 00:36:53,380 --> 00:36:55,380 So many more than you can see from the entrance. 677 00:36:55,380 --> 00:36:57,380 It goes all the way back. 678 00:36:57,380 --> 00:36:59,380 How many people do we think this is? 679 00:36:59,380 --> 00:37:01,380 It's difficult to say. 680 00:37:01,380 --> 00:37:02,380 I mean, several of them. 681 00:37:02,380 --> 00:37:03,380 Incredible. 682 00:37:03,380 --> 00:37:05,380 And the metal piece that's near the front 683 00:37:05,380 --> 00:37:06,380 is where the camera is. 684 00:37:06,380 --> 00:37:07,380 Incredible. 685 00:37:07,380 --> 00:37:09,380 And the metal piece that's near the front is where? 686 00:37:12,380 --> 00:37:13,380 Where is that? 687 00:37:13,380 --> 00:37:14,380 Here. 688 00:37:14,380 --> 00:37:16,380 So here, this large piece of metal here. 689 00:37:16,380 --> 00:37:18,380 Some big chunk of iron, yeah? 690 00:37:18,380 --> 00:37:19,380 Yeah, it's... 691 00:37:19,380 --> 00:37:22,380 Okay, so there's a lot in here. 692 00:37:22,380 --> 00:37:23,380 Yeah, yeah. 693 00:37:23,380 --> 00:37:24,380 I have seen a lot of Burial Sanctus. 694 00:37:24,380 --> 00:37:26,380 This is one of the best I've ever seen. 695 00:37:26,380 --> 00:37:27,380 It's incredible. 696 00:37:27,380 --> 00:37:28,380 It's just incredible. 697 00:37:28,380 --> 00:37:29,380 The presentation is so good. 698 00:37:29,380 --> 00:37:30,380 Yeah. 699 00:37:30,380 --> 00:37:32,380 Okay, we have incredible imagery. 700 00:37:32,380 --> 00:37:33,380 Now what? 701 00:37:33,380 --> 00:37:35,380 Now, it's time to dig. 702 00:37:35,380 --> 00:37:36,380 Yes. 703 00:37:36,380 --> 00:37:37,380 Let's dig. 704 00:37:39,380 --> 00:37:41,380 The scientists have tentatively dated this new burial 705 00:37:41,380 --> 00:37:43,380 to around the time of Palayo. 706 00:37:43,380 --> 00:37:46,380 More importantly, there appear to be metal artifacts here 707 00:37:46,380 --> 00:37:48,380 with the bodies. 708 00:37:48,380 --> 00:37:50,380 Now that we've documented the find, 709 00:37:50,380 --> 00:37:54,380 we get to excavate and see exactly what they are. 710 00:37:54,380 --> 00:37:55,380 Okay. 711 00:37:55,380 --> 00:37:57,380 Coming to you. 712 00:37:57,380 --> 00:37:59,380 This is going to be a type of archaeology 713 00:37:59,380 --> 00:38:00,380 I've never practiced before. 714 00:38:00,380 --> 00:38:02,380 Delicately moving human remains 715 00:38:02,380 --> 00:38:04,380 while dangling off the ledge of a cave. 716 00:38:04,380 --> 00:38:07,380 But we managed to gently clear the bones away 717 00:38:07,380 --> 00:38:10,380 from the mysterious metal object. 718 00:38:10,380 --> 00:38:13,380 This left humerus. 719 00:38:13,380 --> 00:38:14,380 Got it. 720 00:38:14,380 --> 00:38:17,380 Once the bones are removed, 721 00:38:17,380 --> 00:38:19,380 Pablo can access the metal, 722 00:38:19,380 --> 00:38:21,380 which over the last thousand years 723 00:38:21,380 --> 00:38:24,380 appears to have been concreted to the cave. 724 00:38:24,380 --> 00:38:27,380 He gently chisels at the calcium buildup on the wall 725 00:38:27,380 --> 00:38:29,380 to work it free. 726 00:38:29,380 --> 00:38:30,380 Until... 727 00:38:30,380 --> 00:38:31,380 You got it. 728 00:38:31,380 --> 00:38:32,380 Yeah. 729 00:38:32,380 --> 00:38:33,380 It's free. 730 00:38:33,380 --> 00:38:34,380 It's free. 731 00:38:34,380 --> 00:38:35,380 Okay, hold on here. 732 00:38:35,380 --> 00:38:36,380 I'll take it. 733 00:38:36,380 --> 00:38:37,380 Behind you. 734 00:38:37,380 --> 00:38:38,380 Behind you. 735 00:38:38,380 --> 00:38:39,380 Okay, I have it? 736 00:38:39,380 --> 00:38:40,380 Yeah. 737 00:38:40,380 --> 00:38:41,380 I have it. 738 00:38:41,380 --> 00:38:42,380 Oh, my word. 739 00:38:42,380 --> 00:38:44,380 It's an axe, yeah? 740 00:38:44,380 --> 00:38:47,380 You can see the hole for the handle. 741 00:38:47,380 --> 00:38:49,380 Unbelievable. 742 00:38:49,380 --> 00:38:51,380 Now holding an axe head, 743 00:38:51,380 --> 00:38:54,380 we can see the hole for the handle. 744 00:38:54,380 --> 00:38:56,380 We can see the hole for the handle. 745 00:38:56,380 --> 00:38:58,380 We can see the hole for the handle. 746 00:38:58,380 --> 00:39:00,380 Now holding an axe head, 747 00:39:00,380 --> 00:39:03,380 we rush back down to rejoin the rest of the team 748 00:39:03,380 --> 00:39:05,380 so we can examine it. 749 00:39:05,380 --> 00:39:06,380 I mean, look at this. 750 00:39:06,380 --> 00:39:07,380 It's stunning. 751 00:39:07,380 --> 00:39:08,380 Wonderful. 752 00:39:08,380 --> 00:39:09,380 It's wonderful. 753 00:39:09,380 --> 00:39:10,380 Yeah, yeah. 754 00:39:10,380 --> 00:39:12,380 So, this is like not a household chopping item. 755 00:39:12,380 --> 00:39:13,380 No, it's a weapon. 756 00:39:13,380 --> 00:39:14,380 This is a weapon? 757 00:39:14,380 --> 00:39:15,380 Yes. 758 00:39:15,380 --> 00:39:16,380 When is this from? 759 00:39:16,380 --> 00:39:17,380 Around Pelagios time. 760 00:39:17,380 --> 00:39:18,380 So who do you think this is, 761 00:39:18,380 --> 00:39:19,380 the person who owned this? 762 00:39:19,380 --> 00:39:21,380 Who is probably a warrior? 763 00:39:21,380 --> 00:39:22,380 A warrior. 764 00:39:22,380 --> 00:39:23,380 In this period in Spain, 765 00:39:23,380 --> 00:39:25,380 do we find many burials with weapons? 766 00:39:25,380 --> 00:39:26,380 No. 767 00:39:26,380 --> 00:39:27,380 Rare. 768 00:39:27,380 --> 00:39:28,380 Rare. 769 00:39:28,380 --> 00:39:30,380 Have you found anything like this before? 770 00:39:30,380 --> 00:39:33,380 No, it's the first time I find an axe like this in my life. 771 00:39:33,380 --> 00:39:34,380 Wow. 772 00:39:34,380 --> 00:39:35,380 Incredible. 773 00:39:35,380 --> 00:39:38,380 An Asturian warrior from the 8th century 774 00:39:38,380 --> 00:39:40,380 buried near the Battle of Covedanga 775 00:39:40,380 --> 00:39:42,380 is beyond rare. 776 00:39:42,380 --> 00:39:44,380 And the implications are humbling. 777 00:39:44,380 --> 00:39:47,380 This could be a warrior of Palayo right here. 778 00:39:47,380 --> 00:39:48,380 Incredible. 779 00:39:48,380 --> 00:39:49,380 And now what will happen here? 780 00:39:49,380 --> 00:39:51,380 Much more work to be done? 781 00:39:51,380 --> 00:39:53,380 Yeah, quite a lot because it will take 782 00:39:53,380 --> 00:39:55,380 quite a long time to scab that properly, 783 00:39:55,380 --> 00:39:56,380 but we will do it. 784 00:39:56,380 --> 00:39:57,380 Good. 785 00:39:57,380 --> 00:39:58,380 And you'll send me lots of photos. 786 00:39:58,380 --> 00:39:59,380 Yeah, many, many. 787 00:39:59,380 --> 00:40:01,380 Hey, thank you so much. 788 00:40:01,380 --> 00:40:02,380 Gracias. 789 00:40:02,380 --> 00:40:03,380 Thank you so much. 790 00:40:03,380 --> 00:40:04,380 Okay. 791 00:40:04,380 --> 00:40:06,380 A long journey back up to the surface. 792 00:40:06,380 --> 00:40:07,380 Okay. 793 00:40:07,380 --> 00:40:08,380 Let's go. 794 00:40:08,380 --> 00:40:09,380 Thank you guys. 795 00:40:09,380 --> 00:40:12,380 In terms of the legend of King Palayo, 796 00:40:12,380 --> 00:40:14,380 there's little doubt that he was 797 00:40:14,380 --> 00:40:16,380 an actual historian. 798 00:40:16,380 --> 00:40:17,380 He was a great historian. 799 00:40:17,380 --> 00:40:18,380 He was a great historian. 800 00:40:18,380 --> 00:40:19,380 He was a great historian. 801 00:40:19,380 --> 00:40:20,380 He was a great historian. 802 00:40:20,380 --> 00:40:21,380 He was a great historian. 803 00:40:21,380 --> 00:40:23,380 There's little doubt that he was 804 00:40:23,380 --> 00:40:25,380 an actual historical figure, 805 00:40:25,380 --> 00:40:27,380 but his story didn't unfold the way 806 00:40:27,380 --> 00:40:31,380 the Christian chronicles would have us believe. 807 00:40:31,380 --> 00:40:33,380 Evidence hidden in the foundations 808 00:40:33,380 --> 00:40:36,380 of Gausson Castle suggests that rather 809 00:40:36,380 --> 00:40:38,380 than being a shining Christian knight 810 00:40:38,380 --> 00:40:39,380 from the big city, 811 00:40:39,380 --> 00:40:42,380 Palayo might well have been a homegrown 812 00:40:42,380 --> 00:40:43,380 Asturian leader, 813 00:40:43,380 --> 00:40:44,380 a king of the north, 814 00:40:44,380 --> 00:40:47,380 a braveheart who rallied local warriors 815 00:40:47,380 --> 00:40:50,380 to win an improbable victory. 816 00:40:51,380 --> 00:40:53,380 The vampiric skeletons we found 817 00:40:53,380 --> 00:40:55,380 in the depths of Lugarma show us 818 00:40:55,380 --> 00:40:57,380 that this was a time where Christianity 819 00:40:57,380 --> 00:41:03,380 was still deeply infused with pagan beliefs. 820 00:41:03,380 --> 00:41:05,380 And as for the seemingly venerated warriors 821 00:41:05,380 --> 00:41:07,380 buried deep in the cave, 822 00:41:07,380 --> 00:41:09,380 they could well be among those 823 00:41:09,380 --> 00:41:11,380 who fought victoriously at the battle 824 00:41:11,380 --> 00:41:14,380 of Covedanga. 825 00:41:14,380 --> 00:41:17,380 What we do know is that much like the 826 00:41:17,380 --> 00:41:18,380 Cross of Victory, 827 00:41:18,380 --> 00:41:21,380 Palayo's story has been gilded, 828 00:41:21,380 --> 00:41:23,380 embellished to animate a young country 829 00:41:23,380 --> 00:41:27,380 forging a new identity. 830 00:41:27,380 --> 00:41:28,380 And now, 831 00:41:28,380 --> 00:41:32,380 1300 years after Palayo united his people, 832 00:41:32,380 --> 00:41:35,380 his story continues to inspire them.