1 00:00:02,527 --> 00:00:03,660 NARRATOR: Ancient monuments 2 00:00:04,729 --> 00:00:08,132 precisely aligned to celestial events. 3 00:00:08,367 --> 00:00:13,537 History written in stone honoring otherworldly rulers. 4 00:00:13,572 --> 00:00:17,541 And a calendar accurately predicting shifts in the Earth's 5 00:00:17,576 --> 00:00:21,845 axis every 26,000 years. 6 00:00:21,881 --> 00:00:26,550 Did the Maya of Central America really create one of the most 7 00:00:26,585 --> 00:00:30,520 advanced civilizations of ancient times? 8 00:00:30,556 --> 00:00:34,424 Or did their intelligence originate from somewhere else, 9 00:00:34,460 --> 00:00:38,327 perhaps out of this world? 10 00:00:39,864 --> 00:00:41,030 MARK VAN STONE: They didn't have metal. 11 00:00:41,099 --> 00:00:42,365 They didn't have electricity. 12 00:00:42,734 --> 00:00:46,135 But what they did have is advanced mythology, advanced 13 00:00:46,171 --> 00:00:48,737 language and advanced religious culture. 14 00:00:49,175 --> 00:00:53,579 JON C. LOHSE: They understood astronomy to an incredible degree, 15 00:00:54,748 --> 00:00:58,115 more so than any societies at the time. 16 00:00:58,950 --> 00:01:01,984 PHILIP COPPENS: The Mayans were absolutely convinced that 17 00:01:02,020 --> 00:01:06,089 timing was crucial because the gods were going to come back. 18 00:01:06,758 --> 00:01:12,795 DAVID CHILDRESS: Lord Pakal's sarcophagus was his spaceship. 19 00:01:12,831 --> 00:01:15,398 He's the original rocket man. 20 00:01:15,834 --> 00:01:19,468 NARRATOR: Millions of people around the world believe we 21 00:01:19,504 --> 00:01:23,406 have been visited in the past by extraterrestrial beings. 22 00:01:23,474 --> 00:01:26,409 What if it were true? 23 00:01:26,477 --> 00:01:31,747 Did ancient aliens really help to shape our history? 24 00:01:31,816 --> 00:01:36,586 And if so, did they plot the success and demise of the 25 00:01:36,654 --> 00:01:40,223 ancient Maya civilization? 26 00:01:56,020 --> 00:01:59,620 Sync and corrections by bellows www.addic7ed.com 27 00:02:10,821 --> 00:02:13,222 NARRATOR: Southern Mexico. 28 00:02:13,258 --> 00:02:17,526 Surrounded by dense forests in the foothills of the Tumbala 29 00:02:17,562 --> 00:02:22,332 Mountains lie the ruins of the ancient Mayan city of Palenque. 30 00:02:23,568 --> 00:02:29,171 Established as early as 1800 BC, Palenque was one of the key 31 00:02:29,207 --> 00:02:32,742 population centers of the ancient Maya civilization that 32 00:02:32,810 --> 00:02:38,215 dominated present-day Central America for nearly 2,000 years. 33 00:02:41,218 --> 00:02:46,989 Without metal tools, the wheel or pack animals, the Maya built 34 00:02:47,025 --> 00:02:50,192 cities like Palenque across a vast region with incredible 35 00:02:50,228 --> 00:02:52,662 architectural precision. 36 00:02:53,431 --> 00:02:55,565 EDWIN BARNHART: There are a number of texts around the 37 00:02:55,633 --> 00:03:01,804 Maya world that mention four cities in association with four directions. 38 00:03:02,240 --> 00:03:06,842 Palenque is recognized in these texts as the Western capital of 39 00:03:06,878 --> 00:03:08,611 the Maya world. 40 00:03:08,947 --> 00:03:14,116 The southern one was Copan, the eastern one was Tikal, and the 41 00:03:14,185 --> 00:03:16,686 northernmost one was Calakmul. 42 00:03:17,121 --> 00:03:20,089 VAN STONE: What I find the most impressive about them is 43 00:03:20,124 --> 00:03:23,125 that they were able to build a civilization out of the jungle. 44 00:03:23,194 --> 00:03:27,596 Jungles have really thin topsoil, and for them to be able 45 00:03:27,632 --> 00:03:31,267 to support a huge population, which is 20 or 30 times what the 46 00:03:31,302 --> 00:03:35,339 population is in that area today, is amazing. 47 00:03:39,710 --> 00:03:42,445 NARRATOR: Regarded by scholars as one of the most 48 00:03:42,480 --> 00:03:45,948 sophisticated and complex civilizations in the ancient 49 00:03:45,984 --> 00:03:50,152 world, Maya triumphs included numerous scientific achievements 50 00:03:50,221 --> 00:03:54,054 in agriculture, engineering and astronomy. 51 00:03:55,092 --> 00:03:56,993 VAN STONE: They didn't have a lot of things that we think of 52 00:03:57,061 --> 00:04:00,663 as the hallmarks of advancement, but what they did have is 53 00:04:00,732 --> 00:04:09,071 advanced mythology, advanced language and advanced religious culture. 54 00:04:09,107 --> 00:04:13,075 CHILDRESS: The site of Palenque is still a vast 55 00:04:13,111 --> 00:04:14,510 unexcavated site. 56 00:04:14,912 --> 00:04:19,081 They think that only ten percent of this city has so far been 57 00:04:19,117 --> 00:04:22,084 excavated by archaeologists. 58 00:04:22,086 --> 00:04:26,288 The aqueduct system here at Palenque was very sophisticated, 59 00:04:26,324 --> 00:04:29,425 and the Mayans were actually able to have water pressure by 60 00:04:29,460 --> 00:04:33,096 siphoning water channels off of the main river. 61 00:04:33,564 --> 00:04:37,266 All the Mayan cities had ball courts in them where they'd play 62 00:04:37,301 --> 00:04:42,838 this celestial game where the players would knock a rubber 63 00:04:42,907 --> 00:04:47,043 ball through a stone or wooden hoop. 64 00:04:47,412 --> 00:04:52,815 It's thought that this is a representation of alignments of the sun. 65 00:04:52,917 --> 00:04:55,584 COPPENS: When you start looking at all the various 66 00:04:55,620 --> 00:04:59,021 cultures, whether it is the ancient Babylonians, the ancient 67 00:04:59,090 --> 00:05:03,125 Egyptians or the Mayans, we now know that the people who were 68 00:05:03,161 --> 00:05:06,496 by far the most advanced was the Mayans. 69 00:05:09,300 --> 00:05:12,201 NARRATOR: According to mainstream historians, by the 70 00:05:12,270 --> 00:05:15,871 ninth century, the great Maya cities were abandoned, and the 71 00:05:15,940 --> 00:05:18,875 Maya people had vanished. 72 00:05:21,044 --> 00:05:22,511 But why? 73 00:05:22,647 --> 00:05:27,450 Many blame the disappearance of the Maya on war, overpopulation 74 00:05:27,485 --> 00:05:28,851 and drought. 75 00:05:29,120 --> 00:05:30,553 (thunderclap) 76 00:05:30,621 --> 00:05:34,156 But might the Maya have left behind clues to suggest that 77 00:05:34,192 --> 00:05:40,530 their origin and destiny had been plotted by otherworldly forces? 78 00:05:44,268 --> 00:05:45,635 1952. 79 00:05:46,304 --> 00:05:51,474 Archaeologist Alberto Lhuillier discovers the Pyramid Tomb of 80 00:05:51,509 --> 00:05:56,245 King Pakal who ruled over the ancient Mayan city of Palenque 81 00:05:56,314 --> 00:05:59,015 from 615 to 683. 82 00:05:59,984 --> 00:06:05,488 During his nearly 70-year reign, Pakal transformed Palenque, 83 00:06:05,523 --> 00:06:08,824 creating some of the most significant inscriptions and 84 00:06:08,860 --> 00:06:12,030 monuments of the ancient Maya civilization. 85 00:06:14,632 --> 00:06:18,634 GERARDO ALDANA: The city of Palenque was sacked by 86 00:06:18,669 --> 00:06:20,503 the ruler of Calakmul. 87 00:06:20,538 --> 00:06:23,272 So this was really tragic for the city itself. 88 00:06:23,674 --> 00:06:27,910 And it sets the stage for Hanab Pakal himself, who becomes king 89 00:06:27,979 --> 00:06:31,480 at a very early age, and then takes this city that's been 90 00:06:31,516 --> 00:06:35,050 destroyed, and now brings it up to what becomes one of the most 91 00:06:35,086 --> 00:06:38,188 important cities of the late classic period. 92 00:06:42,092 --> 00:06:44,927 CHILDRESS: This is the famous Temple of the Inscriptions 93 00:06:44,996 --> 00:06:50,233 behind me, perhaps the most famous pyramid in all of the Mayan world. 94 00:06:50,768 --> 00:06:55,838 It was in 1948 that the French... Mexican archeologist, Alberto 95 00:06:55,873 --> 00:07:01,911 Lhuillier began his excavations at the top of the Temple of Inscriptions. 96 00:07:02,680 --> 00:07:06,949 What he found there was the famous staircase leading down 97 00:07:07,018 --> 00:07:10,419 into the depths of the pyramid. 98 00:07:10,454 --> 00:07:16,559 But the staircase was completely filled in with rubble of small 99 00:07:16,594 --> 00:07:18,461 stones and dirt. 100 00:07:18,896 --> 00:07:26,101 It took him four years to slowly excavate, step by step, down the 101 00:07:26,137 --> 00:07:33,576 pyramid, until he finally came to the tomb of Lord Pakal and 102 00:07:33,611 --> 00:07:39,883 the giant sarcophagus and lid that the pyramid were built around. 103 00:07:43,253 --> 00:07:47,056 NARRATOR: Arguably the most remarkable Mayan artifact ever 104 00:07:47,091 --> 00:07:51,627 found... the stone Sarcophagus Lid of King Pakal... has produced 105 00:07:51,662 --> 00:07:53,596 considerable controversy. 106 00:07:54,065 --> 00:07:58,500 Mainstream scholars believe the depiction is of King Pakal on a 107 00:07:58,569 --> 00:08:02,004 journey to the underworld. 108 00:08:02,073 --> 00:08:06,375 But ancient astronaut theorists believe the king is portrayed 109 00:08:06,410 --> 00:08:10,579 seated at the controls of a spacecraft, and have dubbed him 110 00:08:10,615 --> 00:08:13,616 "the Palenque astronaut." 111 00:08:15,051 --> 00:08:18,120 CHILDRESS: He appears to be going into space. 112 00:08:18,456 --> 00:08:24,260 He's the original rocket man... there manipulating his 113 00:08:24,295 --> 00:08:27,197 spacecraft, going into space. 114 00:08:28,499 --> 00:08:32,801 GIORGIO TSOUKALOS: We have maintained for a very long time 115 00:08:32,837 --> 00:08:39,108 that the depiction here is of King Pakal sitting in some type 116 00:08:39,143 --> 00:08:43,979 of a spacecraft, because he is at an angle... like modern-day 117 00:08:44,048 --> 00:08:46,182 astronauts upon liftoff. 118 00:08:46,417 --> 00:08:49,251 He's manipulating some controls right here. 119 00:08:49,886 --> 00:08:53,855 He has some type of breathing apparatus or some type of a 120 00:08:53,891 --> 00:08:55,124 telescope in front of his face. 121 00:08:55,993 --> 00:09:03,265 His feet are on some type of a pedal, and down here, you have 122 00:09:03,333 --> 00:09:08,604 something that looks like an exhaust with flames. 123 00:09:11,408 --> 00:09:15,444 NARRATOR: In 2011 the strange carving on King Pakal's 124 00:09:15,479 --> 00:09:21,016 sarcophagus lid was translated into a 3-D replica by model 125 00:09:21,085 --> 00:09:22,717 maker Paul Francis. 126 00:09:23,187 --> 00:09:25,254 PAUL FRANCIS: When I saw this, I instantly said, "There's 127 00:09:25,289 --> 00:09:27,022 a guy in a space capsule." 128 00:09:27,091 --> 00:09:29,325 You know, it doesn't need to be spelled out for me, I don't have 129 00:09:29,360 --> 00:09:30,592 to find anything. 130 00:09:30,628 --> 00:09:31,727 It was already there. 131 00:09:32,096 --> 00:09:34,363 It was carved many, many years ago. 132 00:09:34,432 --> 00:09:38,767 TSOUKALOS: I think this is absolutely extraordinary because 133 00:09:38,803 --> 00:09:44,473 this is definitely one of the most compelling pieces in the 134 00:09:44,508 --> 00:09:50,346 ancient astronaut theory, and to finally see Pakal as a 3-D 135 00:09:50,381 --> 00:09:54,483 sculpture, to me, is a dream come true. 136 00:09:54,485 --> 00:09:58,687 For the longest time we have said that what is on this Pakal 137 00:09:58,723 --> 00:10:01,724 lid is not something symbolic. 138 00:10:01,792 --> 00:10:06,829 It was something that the artist saw or was told about, and then 139 00:10:06,864 --> 00:10:10,333 he or she tried to recreate this on a slab. 140 00:10:11,369 --> 00:10:13,068 I love the craftsmanship. 141 00:10:13,137 --> 00:10:16,538 I love how you, you know, at the bottom of the Palenque slab, you 142 00:10:16,574 --> 00:10:18,540 see something like the flames... FRANCIS: It looks like, it 143 00:10:18,576 --> 00:10:19,375 looks like fire, and... 144 00:10:20,310 --> 00:10:21,109 TSOUKALOS: Exactly. 145 00:10:21,144 --> 00:10:22,877 FRANCIS: I had to do a little interpretive. 146 00:10:22,912 --> 00:10:25,878 - I put engine bells on instead of the flame. - Of course. 147 00:10:25,916 --> 00:10:27,648 FRANCIS: But that's the thruster stage. 148 00:10:28,018 --> 00:10:31,853 TSOUKALOS: I also love the detail that you have underneath 149 00:10:31,889 --> 00:10:37,225 his right foot where his foot is resting on a pedestal, and that 150 00:10:37,261 --> 00:10:42,898 is exactly what we can see on the Palenque slab. 151 00:10:42,933 --> 00:10:47,369 And how his hands are manipulating some controls, and 152 00:10:47,404 --> 00:10:50,939 also this kind of breathing apparatus that's going on in 153 00:10:51,008 --> 00:10:52,274 front of his nose. 154 00:10:52,342 --> 00:10:55,944 FRANCIS: The breathing apparatus is actually a very neat piece. 155 00:10:56,013 --> 00:10:58,880 It's called the giver of life. 156 00:10:58,916 --> 00:11:05,253 The soul transfers through this, and a giver of life to me would be air. 157 00:11:05,289 --> 00:11:06,454 I mean, we breathe air. 158 00:11:06,523 --> 00:11:09,958 This is a guy who needs this mask to survive. 159 00:11:10,027 --> 00:11:12,093 TSOUKALOS: Because where is he? 160 00:11:13,197 --> 00:11:14,130 FRANCIS: Outer space. 161 00:11:15,699 --> 00:11:19,100 NARRATOR: Could the carving on the sarcophagus lid of King 162 00:11:19,136 --> 00:11:23,738 Pakal really provide confirmation of the complicity 163 00:11:23,774 --> 00:11:28,043 between Maya rulers and extraterrestrial forces, as 164 00:11:28,078 --> 00:11:30,380 ancient astronaut theorists believe? 165 00:11:31,915 --> 00:11:36,618 Perhaps further evidence can be found etched in stone throughout 166 00:11:36,687 --> 00:11:37,954 Mesoamerica. 167 00:11:43,969 --> 00:11:45,936 NARRATOR: The Palace of Palenque. 168 00:11:48,075 --> 00:11:52,044 Discovered in the late 18th century by Spanish explorers, 169 00:11:52,079 --> 00:11:56,048 this royal compound is the largest and most complex of 170 00:11:56,083 --> 00:11:59,518 those found in the ancient city. 171 00:11:59,553 --> 00:12:03,255 Researchers believe a four-story tower in the middle of the 172 00:12:03,290 --> 00:12:07,526 palace was built so Mayan kings and priests could observe the 173 00:12:07,561 --> 00:12:11,697 celestial movement of the sun and stars. 174 00:12:11,699 --> 00:12:15,567 CHILDRESS: This is the main palace here at Palenque, and one 175 00:12:15,603 --> 00:12:20,806 of the unusual features is its observatory, a huge tower to 176 00:12:20,874 --> 00:12:22,911 watch the stars. 177 00:12:25,713 --> 00:12:30,649 Also throughout the palace are these unusual T-shaped windows 178 00:12:30,718 --> 00:12:33,752 and they've baffled archaeologists for centuries. 179 00:12:33,787 --> 00:12:37,323 It's thought that perhaps they represent the wind god, 180 00:12:38,459 --> 00:12:39,992 but it's also possible that these 181 00:12:40,060 --> 00:12:43,529 T-shaped windows are pointing to the sky. 182 00:12:44,465 --> 00:12:48,388 What was it that the rulers of Palenque were looking for? 183 00:12:51,671 --> 00:12:56,274 NARRATOR: The tower at the Palace of Palenque is just one 184 00:12:56,310 --> 00:13:00,112 of many celestial observatories built throughout the ancient 185 00:13:00,147 --> 00:13:03,115 Maya territories. 186 00:13:03,117 --> 00:13:06,018 LOHSE: Their practical system of astronomy was an 187 00:13:06,086 --> 00:13:09,254 observational one, and so the design and construction of a lot 188 00:13:09,289 --> 00:13:13,025 of buildings was intended to, to create these sight lines, to 189 00:13:13,093 --> 00:13:16,495 create these vantages for observation to see and mark 190 00:13:16,530 --> 00:13:18,830 important astronomical events. 191 00:13:18,866 --> 00:13:22,601 COPPENS: We see that temples were aligned to specific moments 192 00:13:22,636 --> 00:13:26,705 in time, and the equinoxes and the solstices are the most 193 00:13:26,774 --> 00:13:30,942 important moments in time, so wherever we look, we see how 194 00:13:30,978 --> 00:13:33,845 this knowledge of astronomy is incorporated into these 195 00:13:33,881 --> 00:13:34,846 monuments. 196 00:13:34,882 --> 00:13:39,484 DAVID CHEETHAM: Plazas were great places where people stood 197 00:13:39,520 --> 00:13:43,221 and paid reverence to particular times of the year. 198 00:13:43,290 --> 00:13:46,792 These were places that were aligned from time immemorial... 199 00:13:46,827 --> 00:13:49,961 hundreds and hundreds of years... to make these specific 200 00:13:49,997 --> 00:13:51,397 observations. 201 00:13:54,734 --> 00:13:58,370 NARRATOR: But what... or perhaps who... were the Maya 202 00:13:58,405 --> 00:14:00,708 looking for in the sky? 203 00:14:02,976 --> 00:14:06,745 According to ancient astronaut theorists, the answer can be 204 00:14:06,814 --> 00:14:09,849 found carved in stone. 205 00:14:10,884 --> 00:14:14,486 TSOUKALOS: In Quiriguá, Guatemala, there is a national 206 00:14:14,521 --> 00:14:16,822 park featuring zoo morphs. 207 00:14:17,424 --> 00:14:21,393 Zoo morphs are these giant boulders that were carved into 208 00:14:21,428 --> 00:14:23,161 different shapes. 209 00:14:23,197 --> 00:14:27,200 Some of them depict crocodiles, some of them depict turtles. 210 00:14:28,736 --> 00:14:32,104 But at the same time, the carvings are very reminiscent of 211 00:14:32,172 --> 00:14:35,539 something technological in nature. 212 00:14:39,178 --> 00:14:43,248 In fact, there is one boulder that we can see where this guy 213 00:14:43,283 --> 00:14:47,053 is essentially sitting inside some type of cockpit. 214 00:14:48,388 --> 00:14:51,690 Is it possible that this is nothing else but an artist's 215 00:14:51,725 --> 00:14:56,795 rendering of something that they didn't understand because their 216 00:14:56,864 --> 00:15:01,299 technological frame of reference was less advanced than our 217 00:15:01,368 --> 00:15:05,338 technological frame of reference we have today? 218 00:15:09,909 --> 00:15:14,379 NARRATOR: In the present-day Mexican state of Tabasco, near 219 00:15:14,414 --> 00:15:19,217 the Gulf of Mexico, lie the ruins of a ceremonial center 220 00:15:19,253 --> 00:15:21,688 called La Venta. 221 00:15:22,923 --> 00:15:28,727 Here in 1862, oil riggers discovered four very large stone 222 00:15:28,762 --> 00:15:33,030 heads in the Olmec area of Mesoamerica. 223 00:15:37,370 --> 00:15:40,972 Since then, archaeologists have unearthed 13 more similar 224 00:15:41,041 --> 00:15:46,079 sculptures that were carved as early as 850 BC. 225 00:15:47,548 --> 00:15:51,983 Known as the colossal heads, scholars believe they depict the 226 00:15:52,052 --> 00:15:56,154 Olmecs... an ancient civilization that many consider to be the 227 00:15:56,223 --> 00:15:58,256 ancestors of the Maya. 228 00:15:59,427 --> 00:16:02,160 LOHSE: One of the most striking aspects of Olmec art 229 00:16:02,229 --> 00:16:05,764 and archeology are these colossal head sculptures, and 230 00:16:05,799 --> 00:16:08,834 one of the hypotheses that's been put out to explain these is 231 00:16:08,902 --> 00:16:12,304 that they were portraits of important rulers, kings, 232 00:16:12,339 --> 00:16:15,373 shamans, important people in their society. 233 00:16:16,343 --> 00:16:18,944 NARRATOR: But ancient astronaut theorists contend the 234 00:16:18,979 --> 00:16:22,747 mysterious stone statues are proof of extraterrestrial 235 00:16:22,783 --> 00:16:25,552 intervention in the distant past. 236 00:16:29,256 --> 00:16:31,256 PETER FIEBAG (translated): Huge stone heads were found in 237 00:16:31,291 --> 00:16:34,659 the Olmec area, which were beautifully made but then 238 00:16:34,695 --> 00:16:36,261 ritually buried. 239 00:16:36,263 --> 00:16:38,930 One asks, what is that? 240 00:16:38,966 --> 00:16:43,201 Are these heads of rulers or priests, or were they maybe 241 00:16:43,270 --> 00:16:46,104 aliens that they wanted to portray because they had unusual 242 00:16:46,139 --> 00:16:47,774 facial features? 243 00:16:50,778 --> 00:16:53,378 CHILDRESS: These guys are often wearing strange helmets, 244 00:16:53,447 --> 00:16:54,813 and they look to be foreigners. 245 00:16:54,848 --> 00:16:57,983 They appear to be from Africa and the Middle East and other 246 00:16:58,018 --> 00:16:59,517 areas like that. 247 00:16:59,553 --> 00:17:02,687 So what are they doing here in Central America? 248 00:17:02,723 --> 00:17:07,225 You have this curious mix of different racial groups. 249 00:17:07,294 --> 00:17:09,528 Are they coming with the sky gods? 250 00:17:09,529 --> 00:17:13,363 Perhaps they, too, are the alien ETs. 251 00:17:15,970 --> 00:17:17,669 TSOUKALOS: There is one statue that we can find that 252 00:17:17,704 --> 00:17:22,574 clearly shows an Olmec wearing some type of a flight suit. 253 00:17:23,143 --> 00:17:28,046 To me, this depicts nothing else but someone from Africa having 254 00:17:28,081 --> 00:17:31,516 visited Central America in a type of a flight suit and with 255 00:17:31,551 --> 00:17:33,720 some type of craft. 256 00:17:34,988 --> 00:17:38,690 You've got the legs here like in a modern-day astronaut suit, and 257 00:17:38,725 --> 00:17:41,159 there's also some type of a life 258 00:17:41,194 --> 00:17:44,294 support pack that's on his chest. 259 00:17:47,167 --> 00:17:48,636 There are six wings 260 00:17:50,504 --> 00:17:53,271 and the head is clearly enclosed by a 261 00:17:53,340 --> 00:17:57,010 skullcap similar to modern-day astronauts. 262 00:17:58,679 --> 00:18:02,847 So what we have here, in my opinion, is nothing else but 263 00:18:02,883 --> 00:18:06,618 depictions of physical extraterrestrial encounters 264 00:18:06,687 --> 00:18:11,523 hundreds... and yes, even thousands... of years ago. 265 00:18:14,560 --> 00:18:16,795 CHILDRESS: There is considerable evidence linking 266 00:18:16,863 --> 00:18:20,500 the Mayans and the Olmecs to extraterrestrial beings. 267 00:18:22,135 --> 00:18:26,471 You have it in La Venta, many of the Olmecs wearing curious masks. 268 00:18:26,540 --> 00:18:32,410 Also at Tikal, they're wearing what look like space masks with 269 00:18:32,446 --> 00:18:33,779 respirators. 270 00:18:36,482 --> 00:18:41,920 You've got also flying beings who are hovering above certain 271 00:18:41,955 --> 00:18:45,124 objects and things like that in the Mayan world. 272 00:18:45,392 --> 00:18:48,060 These are the birdmen, the people who can fly. 273 00:18:51,931 --> 00:18:55,567 NARRATOR: But do the stone sculptures really provide proof 274 00:18:55,602 --> 00:19:00,472 that the Maya had early contact with star travelers, as ancient 275 00:19:00,507 --> 00:19:02,741 astronaut theorists contend? 276 00:19:05,144 --> 00:19:09,814 And might further evidence reveal a shocking truth, that 277 00:19:09,850 --> 00:19:15,919 some ancient Maya rulers were themselves of otherworldly origin? 278 00:19:19,042 --> 00:19:20,878 NARRATOR: Central America. 279 00:19:23,213 --> 00:19:28,216 Here, in western Honduras, lie the impressive ruins of the 280 00:19:28,251 --> 00:19:31,921 ancient Maya city of Copan. 281 00:19:31,922 --> 00:19:36,825 And though Copan's temples, pyramids and monuments rank 282 00:19:36,894 --> 00:19:41,663 among the most important of any Mayan sites, researchers looking 283 00:19:41,732 --> 00:19:45,734 to explain the incredible achievements of the Maya have 284 00:19:45,769 --> 00:19:49,838 been drawn to a 72-step structure known as the 285 00:19:49,907 --> 00:19:51,973 Hieroglyphic Stairway. 286 00:19:53,644 --> 00:19:55,577 PAYSON SHEETS: The Hieroglyphic Stairway at Copan 287 00:19:55,612 --> 00:19:59,445 was constructed in the early 700s AD, 288 00:20:01,052 --> 00:20:05,652 with the intent of writing out the history of Copan at that time. 289 00:20:05,956 --> 00:20:11,126 And so it was designed as a public monument to the glory and 290 00:20:11,161 --> 00:20:15,630 success of all the kings, from Yax K'uk Mo', all the way to the 291 00:20:15,666 --> 00:20:19,469 13th one who commissioned it to be built. 292 00:20:20,704 --> 00:20:24,773 NARRATOR: Carved into 1,200 stones in the massive monument, 293 00:20:24,808 --> 00:20:28,877 the ancient Maya symbols, known as glyphs, make up what 294 00:20:28,946 --> 00:20:32,881 historians believe is one of the oldest and most sophisticated 295 00:20:32,950 --> 00:20:34,745 systems of writing. 296 00:20:36,720 --> 00:20:40,722 But for centuries, the glyphs found throughout Mesoamerica 297 00:20:40,791 --> 00:20:42,724 were undecipherable. 298 00:20:45,962 --> 00:20:51,733 Then, in 1880, German librarian and anthropologist Ernst 299 00:20:51,802 --> 00:20:54,736 Forstemann cracked the code. 300 00:20:54,738 --> 00:20:58,073 VAN STONE: Ernst Forstemann was a librarian at Dresden. 301 00:20:58,141 --> 00:21:03,545 And in his desk he kept one of the four Maya books, the Dresden Codex. 302 00:21:03,580 --> 00:21:10,051 He was a brilliant mathematician and extremely logical and had 303 00:21:10,087 --> 00:21:10,919 enormous insights. 304 00:21:10,988 --> 00:21:14,823 And at a time when we couldn't read a single Maya hieroglyph, 305 00:21:14,858 --> 00:21:19,261 he was able to figure out the Maya calligraphy. 306 00:21:19,329 --> 00:21:22,597 ALDANA: Maya hieroglyphic writing is very robust, and 307 00:21:22,666 --> 00:21:24,766 that's because it uses really two components. 308 00:21:24,835 --> 00:21:26,101 There are logo graphs. 309 00:21:26,169 --> 00:21:29,704 Logo graphs are really pictures that represent entire words. 310 00:21:29,706 --> 00:21:33,208 So "Balaam," for example, which is "jaguar," could be written 311 00:21:33,243 --> 00:21:35,243 with just the head of a jaguar. 312 00:21:35,279 --> 00:21:37,612 On the other hand, we have these things that we call phonetic 313 00:21:37,681 --> 00:21:38,446 complements. 314 00:21:38,515 --> 00:21:42,517 And these are glyphs... they're images that represent sounds. 315 00:21:44,620 --> 00:21:46,621 NARRATOR: According to interpretations of the 316 00:21:46,690 --> 00:21:50,625 Hieroglyphic Stairway, the glyphs chronicle not only the 317 00:21:50,694 --> 00:21:55,597 history but also the origin of the ancient Maya rulers. 318 00:21:55,866 --> 00:21:58,800 ALDANA: The hieroglyphs are really attached to what was 319 00:21:58,869 --> 00:22:02,203 important to royalty at the time, and that was lineage and 320 00:22:02,239 --> 00:22:04,105 the genealogies of the kings. 321 00:22:04,141 --> 00:22:07,609 They went out of their way to demonstrate how they were 322 00:22:07,644 --> 00:22:12,580 connected to their ancestors and the gods of their ancestors, to 323 00:22:12,616 --> 00:22:14,716 establish their right to rule. 324 00:22:14,718 --> 00:22:19,888 SHEETS: This is a picture I took of the, of a close-up of a 325 00:22:19,923 --> 00:22:27,462 sculpture of Uaxac Lahun Ubac C'awil, the 13th ruler of Copan. 326 00:22:27,564 --> 00:22:32,500 And he's depicted here on the front, in all of his finery. 327 00:22:32,569 --> 00:22:37,104 And then the sculptor put a hieroglyphic passage on the side. 328 00:22:37,240 --> 00:22:41,309 We don't think commoners could read, but all the elites could 329 00:22:41,345 --> 00:22:42,444 and the king could. 330 00:22:42,479 --> 00:22:47,015 So, he or another elite individual could come here and 331 00:22:47,084 --> 00:22:52,320 impress people by saying this demonstrates the semi-divinity 332 00:22:52,389 --> 00:22:54,990 of our king and his power to 333 00:22:55,058 --> 00:22:57,823 intercede between us and the heavens. 334 00:23:00,263 --> 00:23:03,264 NARRATOR: But just what was the real source of power and 335 00:23:03,300 --> 00:23:07,836 authority behind the Maya priests and kings? 336 00:23:07,904 --> 00:23:11,506 Do the hieroglyphs reveal an otherworldly truth to their 337 00:23:11,575 --> 00:23:15,211 origin, as the Maya themselves maintain? 338 00:23:16,346 --> 00:23:21,016 Ancient astronaut theorists believe the answer is yes. 339 00:23:21,952 --> 00:23:25,020 TSOUKALOS: What we have to think about today is, where did 340 00:23:25,088 --> 00:23:28,456 the origin of the priesthood come from? 341 00:23:28,458 --> 00:23:32,594 And the origin is nothing else but that they... the initial 342 00:23:32,629 --> 00:23:37,632 cabal of priests... they were all in contact with 343 00:23:37,667 --> 00:23:41,603 extraterrestrials, and that's why they were revered. 344 00:23:41,638 --> 00:23:45,473 Our ancestors thought they were gods because they didn't 345 00:23:45,509 --> 00:23:51,046 understand the nuts-and-bolts aspects behind those visits. 346 00:23:51,114 --> 00:23:56,117 But when it all comes down to it, it was all a huge 347 00:23:56,153 --> 00:24:02,200 misunderstanding and a way to keep the common people in place. 348 00:24:03,692 --> 00:24:07,128 ERICH VON DANIKEN: In the beginning, the first ruler were 349 00:24:07,164 --> 00:24:12,534 gods... real descendants from the sky, extraterrestrials. 350 00:24:14,970 --> 00:24:21,209 But later, the priests and the rulers took the names of their ancestors' god. 351 00:24:21,278 --> 00:24:25,213 So they made a secret and a kind of conspiracy around them, 352 00:24:25,282 --> 00:24:29,284 because the normal people should give them offerings, should give 353 00:24:29,319 --> 00:24:34,055 them gold, metal, all kinds of gifts, etc. , as they did 354 00:24:34,124 --> 00:24:36,958 some centuries before for the real gods. 355 00:24:36,993 --> 00:24:38,693 So it was a kind of conspiracy 356 00:24:38,728 --> 00:24:41,495 among the priests and among the kings. 357 00:24:42,132 --> 00:24:45,500 COPPENS: Mayan hieroglyphs specifically say that the Mayans 358 00:24:45,535 --> 00:24:48,670 were absolutely convinced about the existence of otherworldly 359 00:24:48,705 --> 00:24:51,673 beings, and that they actually believed that these beings 360 00:24:51,708 --> 00:24:56,611 manifested themselves regularly at preordained moments of time. 361 00:24:58,647 --> 00:25:01,916 NARRATOR: Perhaps further evidence of the Mayan belief in 362 00:25:01,985 --> 00:25:05,487 the existence of extraterrestrial beings may be 363 00:25:05,522 --> 00:25:09,737 found in their daily rituals of human sacrifice. 364 00:25:14,563 --> 00:25:18,333 Scholars believe that blood offerings were seen as an act of 365 00:25:18,368 --> 00:25:23,871 devotion to the Maya rulers, who were assumed to be descendants of the gods. 366 00:25:23,940 --> 00:25:26,841 VAN STONE: We know that the Maya practiced blood sacrifice, 367 00:25:26,877 --> 00:25:29,612 because they were still doing it when the Spanish came. 368 00:25:30,747 --> 00:25:34,916 We have images on wall paintings, on vases and in 369 00:25:34,951 --> 00:25:38,186 sculptures that show people letting their own blood and 370 00:25:38,221 --> 00:25:40,355 sacrificing other people. 371 00:25:42,725 --> 00:25:46,761 CHILDRESS: The Mayans had a complex pantheon, which involved 372 00:25:46,796 --> 00:25:50,131 gods from the sky, and the rulers were supposed to be 373 00:25:50,200 --> 00:25:52,233 descendants of these gods. 374 00:25:52,269 --> 00:25:55,236 And they believed that these gods demanded sacrifices of 375 00:25:55,272 --> 00:25:59,707 them, and that their blood, the blood of their kings, was the 376 00:25:59,743 --> 00:26:02,544 ideal sacrifice for the gods. 377 00:26:04,580 --> 00:26:08,483 Later, the Mayans began to take captives, particularly other 378 00:26:08,552 --> 00:26:14,989 royal captives, and execute them, using their blood as the 379 00:26:15,058 --> 00:26:16,725 gift to the gods. 380 00:26:20,930 --> 00:26:24,265 ADRIAN GILBERT: The ancient Maya were particularly worried 381 00:26:24,301 --> 00:26:28,937 that jaguar gods had come to Earth from somewhere else and 382 00:26:28,972 --> 00:26:32,340 had instructed them, and in return they had to make 383 00:26:32,409 --> 00:26:35,076 sacrifices to the jaguar gods. 384 00:26:35,111 --> 00:26:38,446 In particular, heart sacrifices. 385 00:26:38,448 --> 00:26:41,616 COPPENS: We see hundreds, if not thousands, of people being 386 00:26:41,651 --> 00:26:47,355 dragged up the pyramids and really sacrificed. 387 00:26:47,691 --> 00:26:51,926 Definitely there is this absolute belief that the Mayans 388 00:26:51,962 --> 00:26:55,263 needed the intervention of the gods, and they believed that 389 00:26:55,298 --> 00:27:00,835 somehow sacrificing human beings was gonna bring back the gods. 390 00:27:02,806 --> 00:27:05,706 GEORGE NOORY: It's very possible that this civilization, 391 00:27:05,775 --> 00:27:12,180 as cultured as they seem to have been, were also pretty barbaric. 392 00:27:13,182 --> 00:27:15,483 And this could have been their way of trying to 393 00:27:15,518 --> 00:27:17,552 offer the gods something. 394 00:27:18,721 --> 00:27:21,989 TSOUKALOS: Blood sacrifice was nothing else but an act of 395 00:27:22,058 --> 00:27:28,128 desperation to bring about the return of the extraterrestrials, 396 00:27:28,164 --> 00:27:32,900 because one thing is crystal clear: In every single ancient 397 00:27:32,935 --> 00:27:38,871 culture, there is a promise of a return in the future of those gods. 398 00:27:39,442 --> 00:27:43,477 Blood sacrifice was something that we humans did ourselves 399 00:27:43,512 --> 00:27:47,915 because we didn't understand that what we dealt with was 400 00:27:47,984 --> 00:27:53,687 nothing else but flesh and blood space travelers instead of real 401 00:27:53,723 --> 00:27:55,156 or actual gods. 402 00:27:59,127 --> 00:28:01,462 NARRATOR: But why did the Maya believe they were 403 00:28:01,497 --> 00:28:03,799 connected to the gods by blood? 404 00:28:05,468 --> 00:28:08,569 Might there have been evidence within their DNA that could link 405 00:28:08,637 --> 00:28:13,507 the lineage of Maya kings to otherworldly beings, as ancient 406 00:28:13,542 --> 00:28:15,978 astronaut theorists believe? 407 00:28:17,113 --> 00:28:21,715 And if so, is it possible that otherworldly visitors may have 408 00:28:21,751 --> 00:28:26,788 stayed behind and assumed the role of Maya kings? 409 00:28:27,723 --> 00:28:31,592 Perhaps the answer can be found, not by examining the ancient 410 00:28:31,660 --> 00:28:37,431 remains of the Maya, but by studying their creation myths. 411 00:28:40,180 --> 00:28:42,281 NARRATOR: Chicago, Illinois. 412 00:28:42,916 --> 00:28:47,552 Housed here, in the Newberry Library, is the Mayan manuscript 413 00:28:47,588 --> 00:28:49,955 known as the Popol Vuh. 414 00:28:49,990 --> 00:28:54,259 Literally translated as "the book of the people," it is a 415 00:28:54,294 --> 00:28:59,299 collection of Maya oral histories passed on through the ages. 416 00:29:00,567 --> 00:29:04,269 Written in the mid-16th century, this incredible book encompasses 417 00:29:04,304 --> 00:29:10,207 a range of subjects including those involving Mayan creation myths. 418 00:29:11,078 --> 00:29:15,515 INGA CALVIN: The Popol Vuh talks about the creation of the universe. 419 00:29:16,450 --> 00:29:19,084 It talks about the fact that in the beginning all was darkness. 420 00:29:19,119 --> 00:29:20,886 There was a primordial sea. 421 00:29:21,588 --> 00:29:26,258 And then these creators, male and female, spoke the word, 422 00:29:26,293 --> 00:29:28,227 and with the word, the Earth was 423 00:29:28,228 --> 00:29:29,694 created and animals were created. 424 00:29:32,566 --> 00:29:35,100 VAN STONE: It's sort of like the combination of the book of 425 00:29:35,169 --> 00:29:37,154 Genesis and the book of Chronicles in the Bible. 426 00:29:38,005 --> 00:29:42,007 It's a story of battles between the gods, and then it connects 427 00:29:42,042 --> 00:29:45,277 the creation of the world with the present day through the 428 00:29:45,346 --> 00:29:46,846 kings of the K'iche. 429 00:29:47,581 --> 00:29:50,916 It's really the only complete Maya creation myth that we have. 430 00:29:51,518 --> 00:29:54,553 COPPENS: What they were saying was that a framework was 431 00:29:54,588 --> 00:29:58,457 created... that certain deities manifested themselves physically 432 00:29:58,525 --> 00:30:02,661 and made decisions as to what was going to happen. 433 00:30:03,263 --> 00:30:05,764 In the case of the Mayans, this was a choice as to where the 434 00:30:05,799 --> 00:30:09,803 Mayans were going to live, as well as the selection of certain sacred sites. 435 00:30:11,739 --> 00:30:14,740 NARRATOR: Throughout the ancient world, there have been 436 00:30:14,775 --> 00:30:17,943 numerous similar myths of otherworldly beings coming to 437 00:30:18,011 --> 00:30:21,847 Earth and interacting with some of the earliest humans. 438 00:30:22,015 --> 00:30:25,751 Most mainstream historians believe these stories represent 439 00:30:25,786 --> 00:30:29,189 only religious and spiritual beliefs. 440 00:30:30,924 --> 00:30:34,493 But is it possible, as ancient astronaut theorists believe, 441 00:30:34,528 --> 00:30:37,996 that the Popol Vuh, as well as other ancient creation tales, 442 00:30:38,031 --> 00:30:43,535 represents actual evidence of contact with extraterrestrials 443 00:30:43,570 --> 00:30:45,372 in the distant past? 444 00:30:47,207 --> 00:30:50,242 According to the translations of hieroglyphs found at numerous 445 00:30:50,277 --> 00:30:55,447 ancient Mayan cities, Kukulkan, or the great feathered serpent, 446 00:30:55,516 --> 00:30:59,251 was the god who brought knowledge to the Maya. 447 00:30:59,853 --> 00:31:01,720 LOGAN HAWKES: When we talk about the Mayan gods, we know 448 00:31:01,755 --> 00:31:04,456 that the most important god to them was the plumed serpent, or 449 00:31:04,525 --> 00:31:05,958 Kukulkan. 450 00:31:06,860 --> 00:31:09,261 We see his image all across the Mayan world. 451 00:31:09,797 --> 00:31:12,331 We see it on great carved images on stone. 452 00:31:12,966 --> 00:31:16,935 Kukulkan is often depicted as a plumed serpent, some would say 453 00:31:16,970 --> 00:31:19,971 a dragon or a snake with wings. 454 00:31:20,040 --> 00:31:25,443 That leads some to believe that Kukulkan may have descended 455 00:31:25,478 --> 00:31:27,112 from the sky. 456 00:31:28,049 --> 00:31:30,882 VON DANIKEN: Now, the Maya were living in the jungle. 457 00:31:30,918 --> 00:31:34,986 The Maya knew that the snake could not fly, but this snake, 458 00:31:35,055 --> 00:31:37,357 this serpent, could fly. 459 00:31:38,759 --> 00:31:44,529 The oldest Maya histories tell that Kukulkan was the teacher of young Maya. 460 00:31:44,765 --> 00:31:49,734 He had chosen eight boys in the age between seven and 12, and 461 00:31:49,770 --> 00:31:54,072 he'd teach these eight boys in mathematics, in astronomy, in 462 00:31:54,107 --> 00:31:56,475 all kind of science. 463 00:31:56,743 --> 00:32:01,146 And later, Kukulkan disappeared with the promise that he will 464 00:32:01,181 --> 00:32:04,116 return in the faraway future. 465 00:32:04,451 --> 00:32:08,854 These boys had become the first priests and the first teachers 466 00:32:08,922 --> 00:32:10,924 again for the Maya. 467 00:32:12,593 --> 00:32:15,427 HUGH NEWMAN: Some of the legends state that he appeared 468 00:32:15,462 --> 00:32:18,930 along the Gulf Coast on a raft of serpents, and he spread his 469 00:32:18,966 --> 00:32:21,466 high knowledge through that part of the country. 470 00:32:21,668 --> 00:32:25,370 Even today in some of the Mayan cultures, he's revered as this 471 00:32:25,439 --> 00:32:28,340 great god that brought all these teachings and civilization to 472 00:32:28,375 --> 00:32:29,808 their part of the world. 473 00:32:30,143 --> 00:32:33,180 And yet, no one knows who he was or where he came from. 474 00:32:35,382 --> 00:32:38,350 NARRATOR: Strangely, depictions of a winged serpent 475 00:32:38,385 --> 00:32:42,154 god can be found all around the ancient world. 476 00:32:43,123 --> 00:32:48,727 In India, the epic text of the Mahabharata details the ancient 477 00:32:48,795 --> 00:32:52,398 account of sky beings known as Nagas. 478 00:32:52,966 --> 00:32:58,637 Dating as far back as 2500 BC, the half-human and half-serpent 479 00:32:58,672 --> 00:33:02,875 entities look nearly identical to the Mayan Kukulkan. 480 00:33:04,211 --> 00:33:08,380 And ancient Chinese mythology from the fifth millennium BC 481 00:33:08,415 --> 00:33:12,150 describe flying dragons that are eerily similar to the 482 00:33:12,185 --> 00:33:15,355 serpent god depicted in Mesoamerica. 483 00:33:17,658 --> 00:33:20,325 ANDREW COLLINS: To the peoples that preceded the Inca 484 00:33:20,360 --> 00:33:25,363 in Peru, similar ideas were put upon characters like 485 00:33:25,399 --> 00:33:29,367 Quetzalcoatl, the feathered serpent, who was this wisdom 486 00:33:29,403 --> 00:33:35,274 bringer, sometimes said to have come down from the sky world. 487 00:33:35,876 --> 00:33:39,044 And once again, bringing the rudiments of civilization to the 488 00:33:39,079 --> 00:33:41,781 peoples of Central America. 489 00:33:43,350 --> 00:33:46,618 HAWKES: There is a common thread among many ancient 490 00:33:46,687 --> 00:33:50,255 cultures of the Americas when it comes to plumed serpent god. 491 00:33:50,290 --> 00:33:53,458 The Cherokee, for example, believe that time... their 492 00:33:53,527 --> 00:33:57,228 calendar... is based upon a rattlesnake that they can see in 493 00:33:57,264 --> 00:34:00,298 the night sky, perhaps a constellation. 494 00:34:00,367 --> 00:34:04,369 So, the idea of a serpent or a snake or a dragon is common 495 00:34:04,404 --> 00:34:08,640 among many ancient cultures, and not just the Maya or the 496 00:34:08,709 --> 00:34:10,443 Mesoamericans. 497 00:34:11,979 --> 00:34:15,113 COPPENS: The snake is the giver of wisdom in so many 498 00:34:15,148 --> 00:34:20,118 cultures, and it gives the tools of civilization... working with 499 00:34:20,153 --> 00:34:23,088 metals, working with other instruments, certain knowledge, 500 00:34:23,123 --> 00:34:27,792 certain aspects of life... and that it really gives this 501 00:34:27,828 --> 00:34:31,429 knowledge to certain people, and that he places these people 502 00:34:31,465 --> 00:34:35,000 in a position whereby, from their social position, they're 503 00:34:35,068 --> 00:34:37,870 able to give this to the rest of their culture. 504 00:34:38,472 --> 00:34:42,674 TSOUKALOS: All these cultures were far apart from each other, 505 00:34:42,743 --> 00:34:46,245 sometimes by thousands and thousands of miles. 506 00:34:46,847 --> 00:34:51,016 So, how is it possible that all these societies came up with not 507 00:34:51,084 --> 00:34:53,785 similar, but identical stories? 508 00:34:53,820 --> 00:34:59,524 Was it really flying snakes or gods that were snakes? 509 00:34:59,593 --> 00:35:01,159 Of course not. 510 00:35:01,194 --> 00:35:03,161 It was misunderstood technology. 511 00:35:03,196 --> 00:35:07,032 Some types of vehicles were witnessed that descended from 512 00:35:07,100 --> 00:35:11,369 the sky out of which people came... astronauts... that 513 00:35:11,438 --> 00:35:16,775 instructed people of different cultures in different societies 514 00:35:16,810 --> 00:35:19,709 in certain scientific disciplines. 515 00:35:20,547 --> 00:35:22,447 This is not coincidence. 516 00:35:22,482 --> 00:35:28,118 This is evidence for ancient alien encounters in the remote past. 517 00:35:28,455 --> 00:35:31,390 There is no other way. 518 00:35:31,825 --> 00:35:35,894 NARRATOR: Can the ancient creation myths and legends of 519 00:35:35,962 --> 00:35:40,231 flying serpent gods really be interpreted as factual accounts 520 00:35:40,300 --> 00:35:45,270 of extraterrestrial visitors, as ancient astronaut theorists contend? 521 00:35:45,906 --> 00:35:50,575 And if so, might such celestial travelers have given the Maya 522 00:35:50,644 --> 00:35:55,015 both the tools and the knowledge to help advance their civilization? 523 00:35:57,050 --> 00:36:01,653 Perhaps further evidence can be found by looking at the Mayans' 524 00:36:01,688 --> 00:36:05,257 very profound connection to the stars. 525 00:36:11,219 --> 00:36:15,055 NARRATOR: In the Mexican state of the Yucatan lie the 526 00:36:15,090 --> 00:36:18,760 ruins of the ancient Mayan city of Chichen Itza. 527 00:36:20,028 --> 00:36:24,397 Here, in the tenth century, the Maya built what has become known 528 00:36:24,433 --> 00:36:27,535 as the El Caracol observatory. 529 00:36:29,037 --> 00:36:32,105 BARNHART: It has four doors on the bottom that can be used 530 00:36:32,140 --> 00:36:34,875 as observation points, and had a number of windows up on 531 00:36:34,910 --> 00:36:37,410 top, but most of those have fallen. 532 00:36:37,446 --> 00:36:40,280 We only have two and a half of those left. 533 00:36:40,349 --> 00:36:43,850 But looking at those, we can see that they're definitely looking 534 00:36:43,886 --> 00:36:47,521 at the sun, probably at the moon. 535 00:36:47,556 --> 00:36:51,291 There are hints that they could have been using them for 536 00:36:51,360 --> 00:36:52,626 stars and planets. 537 00:36:52,694 --> 00:36:56,296 VAN STONE: They were tracking in particular Venus, the phases 538 00:36:56,365 --> 00:36:59,799 of the moon, eclipses. 539 00:36:59,868 --> 00:37:05,238 We know that because we have books that record these things. 540 00:37:06,474 --> 00:37:11,244 NARRATOR: Most researchers agree that from 250 to 900 AD, 541 00:37:11,280 --> 00:37:16,050 the Mayans were the most advanced astronomers of their time. 542 00:37:16,718 --> 00:37:20,820 But why were they observing the cosmos so intently? 543 00:37:20,889 --> 00:37:24,125 And what might they have been looking for? 544 00:37:26,160 --> 00:37:29,329 CALVIN: The Maya were very sophisticated in terms of what 545 00:37:29,398 --> 00:37:35,837 they watched in the heavens and in the calendars that they kept track of. 546 00:37:37,872 --> 00:37:41,975 The ability to understand that Venus as morning star and Venus 547 00:37:42,010 --> 00:37:46,780 as evening star are the same star was very rarely done in the 548 00:37:46,815 --> 00:37:48,949 history of humankind. 549 00:37:48,984 --> 00:37:52,452 They were oftentimes seen as two different entities. 550 00:37:52,487 --> 00:37:56,089 The idea that they could predict the cycles of the heavens 551 00:37:56,124 --> 00:37:59,693 reflects their sophistication. 552 00:38:00,461 --> 00:38:02,929 VAN STONE: The Maya were one of the only ancient people that 553 00:38:02,965 --> 00:38:06,700 invented a mathematical system that we use, which is called 554 00:38:06,768 --> 00:38:08,802 place value and zero. 555 00:38:08,837 --> 00:38:13,440 And using place value and zero allows you to make enormous 556 00:38:13,475 --> 00:38:16,142 calculations, numbers that are very, very large. 557 00:38:16,178 --> 00:38:18,378 (beeping) 558 00:38:18,447 --> 00:38:23,885 They could probably calculate things thousands of years into the past. 559 00:38:25,620 --> 00:38:28,054 NARRATOR: Did the Maya develop such mastery of 560 00:38:28,123 --> 00:38:30,624 astronomy and mathematics on their own? 561 00:38:31,559 --> 00:38:34,995 Or is it possible, as ancient astronaut theorists believe, 562 00:38:35,030 --> 00:38:38,198 that the elite rulers of the Maya had received help from 563 00:38:38,266 --> 00:38:40,934 star travelers? 564 00:38:42,103 --> 00:38:44,304 VON DANIKEN: The Maya, for example, had the knowledge of 565 00:38:44,339 --> 00:38:47,874 the planet Venus surrounding our solar system in such a 566 00:38:47,943 --> 00:38:54,546 precise way that within 6,000 years, the difference was a few hours. 567 00:38:55,849 --> 00:39:00,120 Now, the Mayas itself did not live for 6,000 years. 568 00:39:00,155 --> 00:39:03,456 So they had no time... 6,000 years... to observe if their 569 00:39:03,492 --> 00:39:07,727 calculation concerning the Venus rotation is correct or not, 570 00:39:07,796 --> 00:39:11,898 because they had their information from their gods. 571 00:39:13,333 --> 00:39:16,002 COPPENS: The Mayans could not possibly have developed these 572 00:39:16,038 --> 00:39:19,039 systems on their own because it would take thousands, some of 573 00:39:19,074 --> 00:39:22,008 them tens of thousands of years of observation. 574 00:39:22,744 --> 00:39:25,412 So it is clear that they were given to them by aliens out 575 00:39:25,480 --> 00:39:29,300 there who have made contact with the Mayan people. 576 00:39:29,985 --> 00:39:32,886 NARRATOR: Perhaps the most intriguing astronomical 577 00:39:32,921 --> 00:39:37,056 accomplishment of the Maya concerns their understanding of 578 00:39:37,091 --> 00:39:41,494 the slow change in the Earth's rotational axis in space. 579 00:39:41,530 --> 00:39:45,532 Called precession, it's a process that takes more than 580 00:39:45,567 --> 00:39:49,536 26,000 years to complete. 581 00:39:49,571 --> 00:39:53,006 But how could the Maya have tracked events over such an 582 00:39:53,041 --> 00:39:55,075 extreme time span? 583 00:39:55,110 --> 00:39:59,846 Is it possible that, like modern scientists, the Maya had 584 00:39:59,881 --> 00:40:05,119 been using knowledge of the Earth's movement in space to track time? 585 00:40:06,455 --> 00:40:09,890 And if so, for what purpose? 586 00:40:10,092 --> 00:40:14,260 LOHSE: The Maya developed these timekeeping skills by 587 00:40:14,296 --> 00:40:18,565 monitoring the movements and predicting the movements of not 588 00:40:18,600 --> 00:40:22,802 just the sun, but the moon, Venus, in some cases Jupiter, 589 00:40:22,871 --> 00:40:26,374 Mars, Saturn and some of the constellations. 590 00:40:28,343 --> 00:40:32,011 NARRATOR: Though most people consider the Egyptians as the 591 00:40:32,047 --> 00:40:36,349 ultimate pyramid builders, ten times as many pyramids were 592 00:40:36,384 --> 00:40:39,886 constructed in Mesoamerica than in Egypt. 593 00:40:40,122 --> 00:40:43,790 But why did the Maya build so many of their monumental 594 00:40:43,859 --> 00:40:48,895 structures in absolute precise alignment with solar, lunar and 595 00:40:48,930 --> 00:40:51,764 stellar events? 596 00:40:52,099 --> 00:40:54,601 COLLINS: Well, it seems as if they were paranoid that if they 597 00:40:54,636 --> 00:40:58,605 did not do this, something bad would happen. 598 00:40:58,874 --> 00:41:00,807 (rumbling) 599 00:41:00,876 --> 00:41:05,812 They were on the fifth epoch, and each of these earlier epochs 600 00:41:05,881 --> 00:41:08,915 they believed had ended in catastrophe. 601 00:41:09,684 --> 00:41:14,254 And it seemed as if they had to synchronize their rituals, their 602 00:41:14,289 --> 00:41:20,093 events, their games, their activities with these specific 603 00:41:20,128 --> 00:41:24,464 celestial events, because if they didn't, something bad would 604 00:41:24,499 --> 00:41:29,570 happen, and the epoch would end prematurely. 605 00:41:30,272 --> 00:41:33,139 COPPENS: The Mayans were absolutely convinced that timing 606 00:41:33,175 --> 00:41:38,144 was crucial, because the stars were revealing when the gods 607 00:41:38,180 --> 00:41:41,648 were going to come back, and obviously, that meant the gods 608 00:41:41,683 --> 00:41:43,550 were coming from the stars. 609 00:41:46,353 --> 00:41:50,790 NARRATOR: But where, or from whom, did the ancient Maya learn 610 00:41:50,826 --> 00:41:54,627 to accurately track time by tracing the celestial movements 611 00:41:54,663 --> 00:41:58,833 of our solar system and the universe beyond? 612 00:42:00,068 --> 00:42:03,470 Could the ancient Maya have actually conspired with 613 00:42:03,505 --> 00:42:08,074 extraterrestrial visitors to plan not only the future, and 614 00:42:08,143 --> 00:42:10,545 even the very end of our world? 615 00:42:13,414 --> 00:42:16,015 Perhaps a further examination of the infamous 616 00:42:16,051 --> 00:42:21,920 Mayan calendar and its so-called doomsday prophecy is required. 617 00:42:21,988 --> 00:42:24,590 NEWMAN: There are several legends in the Mayan world which 618 00:42:24,591 --> 00:42:27,491 suggest that this end date of the Mayan calendar in December, 619 00:42:27,492 --> 00:42:30,395 2012 is actually an apocalypse day. 620 00:42:30,398 --> 00:42:34,732 The Popol Vuh discusses it as a possible destruction of the planet. 621 00:42:35,536 --> 00:42:39,072 The Tortuguero Monument, which is a site near Palenque... 622 00:42:39,107 --> 00:42:42,542 it's the only inscription in stone that mentions the 2012 end date 623 00:42:42,577 --> 00:42:43,843 of the calendar. 624 00:42:43,879 --> 00:42:47,013 And that talks about nine gods descending to Earth. 625 00:42:47,048 --> 00:42:49,684 But no one really knows exactly what that means. 626 00:42:51,219 --> 00:42:53,953 Some people suggest that may cause a cataclysm. 627 00:42:54,022 --> 00:42:57,957 Others suggest it may be a whole dawn of a new age where we 628 00:42:58,026 --> 00:43:00,528 actually move into a more conscious way of life. 629 00:43:04,765 --> 00:43:08,268 CHILDRESS: If the truth is that the Mayans were in contact 630 00:43:08,303 --> 00:43:12,538 with extraterrestrial beings, and now their calendar is ending 631 00:43:12,574 --> 00:43:16,976 on December 21, 2012, this might be the return of the gods 632 00:43:17,045 --> 00:43:20,213 themselves, of the extraterrestrials coming back to 633 00:43:20,248 --> 00:43:23,014 Earth to the Mayans, as they promised. 634 00:43:25,820 --> 00:43:28,221 NARRATOR: Given the sophistication of the Mayan 635 00:43:28,256 --> 00:43:32,225 calendar, is it really possible that the Maya could have 636 00:43:32,260 --> 00:43:35,795 accurately predicted the exact date of some sort of 637 00:43:35,830 --> 00:43:37,498 Earth-changing event? 638 00:43:39,067 --> 00:43:43,436 Might such an event usher in a new era of human enlightenment? 639 00:43:43,905 --> 00:43:47,674 Or might it mark the end of mankind in the form of a 640 00:43:47,742 --> 00:43:50,176 cataclysmic doomsday? 641 00:43:50,612 --> 00:43:54,513 Perhaps only time will tell.