1 00:00:02,000 --> 00:00:04,167 [rugged music plays] 2 00:00:04,167 --> 00:00:06,000 [low growling] 3 00:00:06,167 --> 00:00:09,000 I'm deep in the jungles of Chiapas, Mexico, 4 00:00:09,000 --> 00:00:12,467 in front of one of the largest stone arches in the world. 5 00:00:12,467 --> 00:00:15,968 It's known as Arco del Tiempo, or the Arch of Time. 6 00:00:16,133 --> 00:00:18,501 Sounds like the title of an Indiana Jones movie, 7 00:00:18,667 --> 00:00:21,501 but by traveling through it, we may be able to solve 8 00:00:21,667 --> 00:00:24,167 a mystery worthy of Indy himself, 9 00:00:24,167 --> 00:00:29,267 the fate of a vanished civilization known as the Zoque. 10 00:00:29,267 --> 00:00:32,968 If you've never heard of the Zoque, you're not alone. 11 00:00:33,133 --> 00:00:36,200 But 3,000 years ago, well before the Aztecs 12 00:00:36,367 --> 00:00:39,467 or the height of the Maya, it was the Zoque that may have 13 00:00:39,634 --> 00:00:42,167 laid the groundwork for their empires, 14 00:00:42,334 --> 00:00:44,901 building monumental temples and cities, 15 00:00:45,067 --> 00:00:48,100 and forging connections to animal spirits in 16 00:00:48,267 --> 00:00:51,767 deep underground caverns they believed were portals 17 00:00:51,934 --> 00:00:53,467 to the underworld. 18 00:00:53,634 --> 00:00:56,100 But then, their civilization collapsed. 19 00:00:57,367 --> 00:00:59,767 Their once magnificent cities abandoned, 20 00:00:59,934 --> 00:01:04,167 their once grand culture reduced to whispered legends, 21 00:01:04,167 --> 00:01:05,901 and no one is sure why. 22 00:01:07,868 --> 00:01:11,100 To modern observers, the Zoque seem to have simply 23 00:01:11,267 --> 00:01:12,868 up and vanished. 24 00:01:12,868 --> 00:01:16,467 But now, an archaeologist is conducting a bold search 25 00:01:16,634 --> 00:01:21,467 near a former Zoque capital for evidence of uncharted ruins. 26 00:01:21,467 --> 00:01:25,067 And an expert researcher and climber is hunting for 27 00:01:25,234 --> 00:01:27,567 lost caves in the dangerous depths 28 00:01:27,567 --> 00:01:29,968 of the Mexican jungle to reveal 29 00:01:30,133 --> 00:01:33,067 where the Zoque went and what became of them. 30 00:01:35,100 --> 00:01:38,667 So join me on an adventure beyond the Arch of Time 31 00:01:38,834 --> 00:01:42,367 and into the distant past as we search for the truth behind 32 00:01:42,367 --> 00:01:44,501 Mexico's mysterious Zoque. 33 00:01:48,667 --> 00:01:50,968 [Josh] The past is all around us. 34 00:01:51,133 --> 00:01:53,868 -[overlapping shouting] -Whoa! It's working! 35 00:01:53,868 --> 00:01:55,801 [Josh] A world of mystery... 36 00:01:55,968 --> 00:01:58,701 This is the Thunderbolt! Yeah! 37 00:01:58,868 --> 00:01:59,868 [Josh] ...danger... 38 00:01:59,868 --> 00:02:01,367 -Fire in the hole! -[explosion blasts] 39 00:02:01,367 --> 00:02:02,367 Whoa! 40 00:02:03,467 --> 00:02:04,767 [Josh] ...and adventure. 41 00:02:04,934 --> 00:02:05,968 That's gold! 42 00:02:07,000 --> 00:02:08,367 Oh! Oh! 43 00:02:08,534 --> 00:02:09,634 Look at this place. 44 00:02:11,300 --> 00:02:14,000 [Josh] I travel to the far corners of the earth 45 00:02:14,167 --> 00:02:16,467 to uncover where legends end... -Yeah! 46 00:02:16,467 --> 00:02:18,567 [indistinct shouting, laughing] 47 00:02:18,734 --> 00:02:20,167 [Josh] ...and history begins. 48 00:02:20,334 --> 00:02:22,367 OK, let's punch it. 49 00:02:22,534 --> 00:02:27,000 I'm Josh Gates, and this is "Expedition Unknown." 50 00:02:33,367 --> 00:02:35,901 My mission to uncover who the Zoque were 51 00:02:36,067 --> 00:02:39,567 and what happened to them, starts in southern Mexico. 52 00:02:39,734 --> 00:02:42,968 While the days of the Zoque erecting massive cities may be 53 00:02:43,133 --> 00:02:45,467 long gone, their descendants are still 54 00:02:45,634 --> 00:02:47,100 very much around. 55 00:02:47,100 --> 00:02:51,467 Over 50,000 modern Zoque live in the state of Chiapas, 56 00:02:51,634 --> 00:02:55,200 many speaking a form of the original Zoque language. 57 00:02:55,367 --> 00:02:58,868 Today, the center of Zoque life is here in the town of 58 00:02:59,033 --> 00:03:02,667 Ocozocoautla de Espinosa, or Coita if you're looking to 59 00:03:02,667 --> 00:03:04,000 save a few vowels. 60 00:03:04,167 --> 00:03:06,501 Established by the Spanish during the Colonial era, 61 00:03:06,667 --> 00:03:09,467 it is now home to the annual Zoque Carnival, 62 00:03:09,467 --> 00:03:12,601 where the old ways of life are still on full display. 63 00:03:12,767 --> 00:03:15,701 And lucky for us, we're here just in time for the party. 64 00:03:20,167 --> 00:03:23,167 As the last day to let loose before the beginning of Lent, 65 00:03:23,167 --> 00:03:25,968 Carnival is celebrated all over the world. 66 00:03:26,133 --> 00:03:29,467 And whether you're in New Orleans or Rio or Chiapas, 67 00:03:29,467 --> 00:03:31,100 there's nothing like Fat Tuesday. 68 00:03:32,467 --> 00:03:35,167 Here in Coita, this Catholic celebration has been 69 00:03:35,334 --> 00:03:38,367 uniquely infused with traditions from a culture 70 00:03:38,367 --> 00:03:40,467 older than Christianity itself. 71 00:03:41,767 --> 00:03:45,200 Each of these dances are tied to a different Catholic saint, 72 00:03:45,367 --> 00:03:48,767 but it's a mishmash of symbolism and cultures, 73 00:03:48,767 --> 00:03:51,000 much of it dating back to a time when 74 00:03:51,000 --> 00:03:53,634 the Zoque were the real power in this region. 75 00:03:56,100 --> 00:03:59,167 Exhibit A is making its way into the plaza now, 76 00:03:59,334 --> 00:04:01,467 and it looks like it means business. 77 00:04:01,634 --> 00:04:04,300 So these performers are dressed as jaguars. 78 00:04:04,467 --> 00:04:06,901 This is the dance of the jaguars and the monkeys. 79 00:04:08,868 --> 00:04:12,167 The dance depicts a fight between good and evil. 80 00:04:12,167 --> 00:04:14,667 Evil in this case is the Jaguar, 81 00:04:14,667 --> 00:04:18,567 a dark cave-dwelling embodiment of the underworld. 82 00:04:18,734 --> 00:04:21,901 The good guys -- those are the monkeys, who, along with 83 00:04:22,067 --> 00:04:24,667 a hunter, are here to take down the big cat. 84 00:04:24,834 --> 00:04:26,601 -[gunshot blasts] -[crowd] Oh! 85 00:04:27,667 --> 00:04:30,767 [Josh] The hunt is a success, and the Jaguar is vanquished 86 00:04:30,767 --> 00:04:32,467 to the underworld. 87 00:04:32,467 --> 00:04:34,868 Another pre-Catholic tradition here honors 88 00:04:35,033 --> 00:04:37,701 the ancient god of corn, Homshuk. 89 00:04:37,868 --> 00:04:40,868 The modern Zoque honor him at Carnival by weaponizing 90 00:04:40,868 --> 00:04:42,968 copious amounts of corn flour, 91 00:04:43,133 --> 00:04:45,501 which quickly gets... -Ahhh! 92 00:04:45,667 --> 00:04:46,567 ...off the cob. 93 00:04:47,667 --> 00:04:48,968 Two can play at that game. 94 00:04:50,667 --> 00:04:52,000 -Yeah, yeah, yeah! -[screaming] 95 00:04:52,000 --> 00:04:54,000 [Josh] Actually, it turns out a lot more than two 96 00:04:54,167 --> 00:04:55,167 can play at this game. 97 00:04:55,167 --> 00:04:56,300 [indistinct shouting] 98 00:04:58,667 --> 00:05:00,868 Truce! Truce! 99 00:05:00,868 --> 00:05:01,868 Truce! 100 00:05:01,868 --> 00:05:04,200 [Josh] Hey, all is fair in love and corn. 101 00:05:04,367 --> 00:05:05,567 No, no, no, no, no. Hey! 102 00:05:07,000 --> 00:05:09,367 [overlapping screams] 103 00:05:09,534 --> 00:05:11,367 [Josh] Fortunately, this activity also includes 104 00:05:11,534 --> 00:05:12,601 the consumption of alcohol. 105 00:05:12,767 --> 00:05:13,801 Anyone know what's in these? 106 00:05:16,267 --> 00:05:17,467 Opa! 107 00:05:18,868 --> 00:05:21,767 [Josh] It's joyous, it's colorful, and by the end of it, 108 00:05:21,934 --> 00:05:24,000 I look like an extra on the set of "Scarface." 109 00:05:24,000 --> 00:05:25,901 [indistinct chatter, laughter] 110 00:05:27,367 --> 00:05:29,100 This is brutal. 111 00:05:29,100 --> 00:05:30,167 Total... 112 00:05:30,334 --> 00:05:31,167 [laughter] 113 00:05:32,167 --> 00:05:33,167 ...cornage [carnage]. 114 00:05:34,868 --> 00:05:37,367 It may seem like chaos, and it is -- 115 00:05:37,367 --> 00:05:38,968 I have the laundry bill to prove it. 116 00:05:39,133 --> 00:05:41,167 But it's also tradition, 117 00:05:41,167 --> 00:05:42,901 one with elements that stretch back to 118 00:05:43,067 --> 00:05:45,267 the original ancient Zoque. 119 00:05:45,434 --> 00:05:46,767 But who were they? 120 00:05:46,934 --> 00:05:49,100 Why do we know so little about them? 121 00:05:49,267 --> 00:05:51,567 And where on earth did they go? 122 00:05:51,734 --> 00:05:54,701 The answers to our questions can't be found here. 123 00:05:57,167 --> 00:05:59,667 By the light of a new day, I shake off the dust, 124 00:05:59,667 --> 00:06:02,267 pop a couple of aspirin, and hit the road. 125 00:06:02,267 --> 00:06:05,467 OK, bad news is I have a splitting headache, 126 00:06:05,467 --> 00:06:08,467 but the good news is I have enough corn flour on my body 127 00:06:08,467 --> 00:06:10,367 that I don't think I'm ever gonna sweat again. 128 00:06:10,367 --> 00:06:13,267 But if we're going to crack the mystery of the Zoque, 129 00:06:13,267 --> 00:06:16,467 we have to leave the modern world in the rearview mirror. 130 00:06:16,634 --> 00:06:18,000 Here we go. 131 00:06:18,167 --> 00:06:21,167 It's a nearly three-hour drive 75 miles south 132 00:06:21,334 --> 00:06:23,000 into the Sierra Madre Mountains. 133 00:06:23,000 --> 00:06:27,267 2,300 feet up sits the Zoque's last great city, 134 00:06:27,267 --> 00:06:29,167 home to one of the most significant 135 00:06:29,334 --> 00:06:32,400 Zoque archaeological sites ever discovered. 136 00:06:32,567 --> 00:06:33,634 Iglesia Vieja. 137 00:06:36,100 --> 00:06:37,367 OK... 138 00:06:37,534 --> 00:06:38,601 Things might get a little, uh... 139 00:06:40,801 --> 00:06:41,801 little bumpy. 140 00:06:46,167 --> 00:06:47,200 Whoo-hoo! 141 00:06:49,667 --> 00:06:51,868 And now I'm driving in sand. All right. 142 00:06:53,467 --> 00:06:56,000 Four-wheel drive. Whoo-hoo! 143 00:06:56,000 --> 00:06:57,767 There we go! 144 00:06:57,934 --> 00:06:59,667 Boy, the Zoque really went for some out-of-the-way 145 00:06:59,834 --> 00:07:01,167 real estate here. 146 00:07:03,400 --> 00:07:07,000 Even bad roads must come to an end, and I finally approach 147 00:07:07,000 --> 00:07:10,901 the site of Iglesia Vieja, or in English, "Old Church." 148 00:07:12,267 --> 00:07:14,567 The ruins were actually misnamed during 149 00:07:14,734 --> 00:07:17,367 the Spanish Colonial era, thanks to large blocks 150 00:07:17,534 --> 00:07:20,000 that looked like the foundation of a church. 151 00:07:20,000 --> 00:07:21,868 It was only later that archaeologists realized 152 00:07:22,033 --> 00:07:24,367 they'd stumbled upon something much older 153 00:07:24,367 --> 00:07:26,100 and much, much bigger. 154 00:07:31,567 --> 00:07:35,968 I stare in amazement at not one building or two or three, 155 00:07:36,133 --> 00:07:39,167 but the ruins of a major ancient city. 156 00:07:39,167 --> 00:07:41,868 And here to explain it is an archaeologist who's been 157 00:07:41,868 --> 00:07:45,400 studying the Zoque for years, Arcelia Garcia. 158 00:07:45,567 --> 00:07:46,968 [Arcelia] Welcome to Iglesia Vieja. 159 00:07:47,133 --> 00:07:49,767 -[Josh] It's a jaw-dropper. -[Arcelia] Yeah. 160 00:07:49,934 --> 00:07:52,868 -So this is a Zoque pyramid? -[Arcelia] It is. 161 00:07:53,033 --> 00:07:55,801 This is the largest pyramid in the archaeological site. 162 00:07:55,968 --> 00:07:58,868 -Which is how big? -300 feet long. 163 00:07:58,868 --> 00:08:01,601 That's all, just a 300-foot-long pyramid. 164 00:08:01,767 --> 00:08:03,968 And look at the size of these blocks. 165 00:08:04,133 --> 00:08:06,467 [Arcelia] Yes, this is megalithic construction. 166 00:08:06,467 --> 00:08:08,701 These blocks are made of granite. 167 00:08:08,868 --> 00:08:11,501 Some are as heavy as two tons. 168 00:08:11,667 --> 00:08:13,267 OK, I have a lot of questions about the Zoque. 169 00:08:13,434 --> 00:08:14,767 OK, ask away. 170 00:08:14,767 --> 00:08:16,901 I've just come from Carnival, so the only thing I really know 171 00:08:17,067 --> 00:08:19,400 about them is they know how to throw a party. 172 00:08:19,567 --> 00:08:22,868 But I want to understand the original, the OG Zoque. 173 00:08:22,868 --> 00:08:25,601 Yeah -- to really understand this culture, we have to go 174 00:08:25,767 --> 00:08:28,801 from the modern Zoque to the ancient Zoque. 175 00:08:28,968 --> 00:08:32,067 [Josh] When it comes to the rock stars of Mesoamerica, 176 00:08:32,234 --> 00:08:35,300 nobody has better brand recognition or merch than 177 00:08:35,467 --> 00:08:37,100 the mighty Aztecs. 178 00:08:37,100 --> 00:08:40,767 And hey, we all still marvel at the killer cities of the Maya. 179 00:08:40,767 --> 00:08:43,467 But long before either of them took center stage, 180 00:08:43,467 --> 00:08:45,000 there was one indie band 181 00:08:45,000 --> 00:08:48,400 that deserved to be headlining, the Zoque. 182 00:08:48,567 --> 00:08:52,200 2,000 years before the Aztecs, when the Olmec were busy 183 00:08:52,367 --> 00:08:55,968 turning boulders into giant stone heads on the Gulf Coast, 184 00:08:56,133 --> 00:08:59,667 here on the Pacific side, as early as 1200 BC, 185 00:08:59,667 --> 00:09:03,267 the Zoque were building a civilization of their own. 186 00:09:03,434 --> 00:09:05,801 By 400 BC, the Olmec are in decline -- 187 00:09:05,968 --> 00:09:07,067 sorry, guys -- 188 00:09:07,234 --> 00:09:09,868 while the Zoque are still going strong. 189 00:09:10,033 --> 00:09:12,868 That's a solid millennium on the world stage. 190 00:09:12,868 --> 00:09:15,267 Hey, even the Roman Empire didn't make it that long. 191 00:09:15,434 --> 00:09:17,901 Yet most people have never heard of the Zoque. 192 00:09:19,100 --> 00:09:21,000 So let's talk about why we should know them. 193 00:09:21,167 --> 00:09:23,367 -Mm-hmm. -You know, when I think about pyramids in the Americas, 194 00:09:23,367 --> 00:09:24,501 I think of the Maya. 195 00:09:24,667 --> 00:09:26,868 But here are the Zoque doing this earlier. 196 00:09:27,033 --> 00:09:28,334 Yes, absolutely. 197 00:09:28,334 --> 00:09:31,767 They're also one of the first cultures to master large-scale 198 00:09:31,767 --> 00:09:35,801 agriculture, meaning corn, cacao, what we know now 199 00:09:35,968 --> 00:09:36,968 as chocolate. -[Josh] Right. 200 00:09:37,133 --> 00:09:39,100 And by the way, cacao is a Zoque word. 201 00:09:39,267 --> 00:09:40,200 -It is? -[Arcelia] Yes. 202 00:09:40,367 --> 00:09:42,300 OK, so every time at the holidays, 203 00:09:42,467 --> 00:09:44,767 I have a hot cup of cocoa, I can thank the Zoque. 204 00:09:44,767 --> 00:09:46,100 You can thank the Zoque. 205 00:09:46,267 --> 00:09:48,834 And there's a lot more here. Let me show you. 206 00:09:51,267 --> 00:09:53,467 [Josh] How many different structures are here at the site? 207 00:09:53,634 --> 00:09:56,100 We have 80 buildings in the archaeological site. 208 00:09:56,267 --> 00:09:57,634 -[Josh] Eight-zero? -[Arcelia] Eight-zero. 209 00:09:58,767 --> 00:10:01,901 [Josh] We move through the ceremonial plazas of the city with 210 00:10:02,067 --> 00:10:05,367 pyramids and terraces that once had huge stone 211 00:10:05,367 --> 00:10:09,000 administrative buildings, temples, and markets. 212 00:10:09,000 --> 00:10:11,000 It's a layout that feels familiar, 213 00:10:11,167 --> 00:10:13,167 and that's because the Maya civilization 214 00:10:13,334 --> 00:10:15,801 adopted it almost identically. 215 00:10:15,968 --> 00:10:18,000 But that's not nearly all the Maya learned 216 00:10:18,167 --> 00:10:19,434 from the Zoque. 217 00:10:19,434 --> 00:10:23,767 This cross in ancient Mexico and Central America represents 218 00:10:23,767 --> 00:10:26,100 the planet Venus. -[Josh] Venus. 219 00:10:26,100 --> 00:10:27,334 [Arcelia] Yes. 220 00:10:27,334 --> 00:10:29,501 When I think about astronomy in this part of the world, 221 00:10:29,667 --> 00:10:30,767 I think about the Maya. 222 00:10:30,767 --> 00:10:33,267 Of course, but here you have one of the earliest 223 00:10:33,434 --> 00:10:37,167 civilizations in Mesoamerica already having a symbol 224 00:10:37,334 --> 00:10:39,100 of a planet. -Insane. 225 00:10:40,467 --> 00:10:42,901 One of the first calendars in Mesoamerica? 226 00:10:43,067 --> 00:10:45,267 Not Maya, it was Zoque. 227 00:10:45,267 --> 00:10:47,667 Not to mention, some of the most sacred symbols 228 00:10:47,667 --> 00:10:51,200 we associate with the Maya seem to have been here first. 229 00:10:51,367 --> 00:10:52,467 This is all carved? 230 00:10:52,634 --> 00:10:54,367 [Arcelia] Yeah, so you can see the fang, 231 00:10:54,367 --> 00:10:55,701 you're seeing the eyes... 232 00:10:55,868 --> 00:10:58,167 [Josh] Oh, right, so two eyes, and then this is the mouth, 233 00:10:58,167 --> 00:11:00,167 and these are fangs? -[Arcelia] Yeah, the nose. 234 00:11:00,167 --> 00:11:01,767 [Josh] And the nose is right there, those are the nostrils. 235 00:11:01,767 --> 00:11:03,767 -[Arcelia] Right, exactly. -[Josh] So what is this? 236 00:11:03,767 --> 00:11:06,267 -Well, we think it's a jaguar. -Jaguar. 237 00:11:06,267 --> 00:11:09,567 I mean, a really fearsome-looking creature. 238 00:11:09,567 --> 00:11:13,801 Animal motifs in general are very important for the Zoque, 239 00:11:13,968 --> 00:11:16,868 but the jaguar was very important because he was 240 00:11:16,868 --> 00:11:20,367 connected to the underworld, to the night, to death, 241 00:11:20,534 --> 00:11:22,167 to fertility, and water. 242 00:11:22,167 --> 00:11:23,767 -He's connected to all of that? -[Arcelia] Yeah. 243 00:11:23,767 --> 00:11:26,567 Kind of a deity for all seasons. 244 00:11:26,734 --> 00:11:29,567 Inclusion of the jaguar demonstrates that the Zoque 245 00:11:29,734 --> 00:11:33,400 purposefully designed every detail of Iglesia Vieja, 246 00:11:33,567 --> 00:11:35,200 right down to the landscaping. 247 00:11:35,367 --> 00:11:38,100 -Watch your head there. -Very dangerous-looking tree. 248 00:11:38,100 --> 00:11:39,667 Yes, this is the Ceiba tree. 249 00:11:39,834 --> 00:11:40,701 -Ceiba? -Yes. 250 00:11:40,868 --> 00:11:42,033 OK. 251 00:11:42,033 --> 00:11:43,667 [Arcelia] It was a very important tree for the Zoque 252 00:11:43,834 --> 00:11:46,868 because it connected the three levels of the cosmos. 253 00:11:47,033 --> 00:11:49,968 The leaves connected to the heavens, the trunk of 254 00:11:50,133 --> 00:11:51,667 the tree connected to Earth, 255 00:11:51,667 --> 00:11:55,367 and the roots go underground to the underworld. 256 00:11:55,367 --> 00:11:58,100 [Josh] The roots go to the underworld because that's where 257 00:11:58,100 --> 00:11:59,400 the water is. 258 00:11:59,400 --> 00:12:02,567 In fact, the Zoque believed that the underworld was the source 259 00:12:02,734 --> 00:12:04,267 of water itself. 260 00:12:04,267 --> 00:12:06,567 The Ceiba tree's resin, called copal, 261 00:12:06,734 --> 00:12:11,000 was sacred as well, burned as incense in their rituals. 262 00:12:11,167 --> 00:12:14,467 And across the plaza is another Zoque design flourish, 263 00:12:14,467 --> 00:12:18,601 this one startlingly personal. -Something here. 264 00:12:18,767 --> 00:12:20,767 -Is that -- is that a hand? -[Arcelia] Yeah. 265 00:12:20,767 --> 00:12:23,868 So somebody put their hand here and then carved out 266 00:12:24,033 --> 00:12:25,667 this print? -Yeah. 267 00:12:25,667 --> 00:12:28,501 That's wild. And why do we think? 268 00:12:28,667 --> 00:12:29,868 We don't know. 269 00:12:29,868 --> 00:12:32,267 Could have been a builder, could have been an important 270 00:12:32,267 --> 00:12:34,767 person to the society. We don't know. 271 00:12:34,767 --> 00:12:36,701 I mean, you talk about reaching into the past, right? 272 00:12:36,868 --> 00:12:38,667 -Right. -[Josh] Wow. 273 00:12:38,834 --> 00:12:40,267 That's really cool. 274 00:12:40,434 --> 00:12:43,467 This handprint is like a long-faded signature of 275 00:12:43,467 --> 00:12:47,300 the once mighty Zoque. But where did they go? 276 00:12:47,467 --> 00:12:50,100 Arcelia brings me to meet an archaeologist who's working 277 00:12:50,267 --> 00:12:53,100 on solving that mystery right at this moment. 278 00:12:53,100 --> 00:12:55,868 And he happens to be an old friend of mine. 279 00:12:55,868 --> 00:12:57,267 -Josuhé! -Hey, yo! 280 00:12:57,267 --> 00:12:59,267 -It's nice to see you again. -[Josh] Great to see you, man. 281 00:12:59,434 --> 00:13:00,701 How are you? 282 00:13:00,868 --> 00:13:03,868 This is the director of the Iglesia Vieja project, 283 00:13:03,868 --> 00:13:05,701 Josuhé Lozada. 284 00:13:05,868 --> 00:13:09,000 Last time I saw you, we found a lost city. 285 00:13:09,167 --> 00:13:10,868 -Sac Balam. -How amazing was that? 286 00:13:10,868 --> 00:13:12,167 An incredible adventure. 287 00:13:12,334 --> 00:13:14,667 [Josh] The last city of the Maya in Mexico, 288 00:13:14,667 --> 00:13:18,367 known as Sac Balam, was lost for hundreds of years, 289 00:13:18,534 --> 00:13:21,200 until Josuhé's team and I rediscovered it. 290 00:13:21,367 --> 00:13:22,968 Hey, stone, right there! 291 00:13:23,133 --> 00:13:25,767 Yes, I think we finding Sac Balam. 292 00:13:25,767 --> 00:13:27,400 -You do? -Yes, for sure. 293 00:13:27,567 --> 00:13:29,601 -Now the Zoque. -That's right. 294 00:13:29,767 --> 00:13:32,200 [Josh] But finding the Zoque won't be easy. 295 00:13:32,367 --> 00:13:34,567 In front of us is a mysterious altar, 296 00:13:34,734 --> 00:13:36,868 along with another jaguar image, 297 00:13:37,033 --> 00:13:38,901 which the Zoque seemed rather obsessed with, 298 00:13:39,067 --> 00:13:41,167 are three enigmatic faces. 299 00:13:41,167 --> 00:13:43,100 So who are these three people? 300 00:13:43,100 --> 00:13:46,868 There is a theory that these faces were related with 301 00:13:46,868 --> 00:13:49,667 the first rulers in Iglesia Vieja. 302 00:13:49,834 --> 00:13:50,968 [Josh] Incredible. 303 00:13:50,968 --> 00:13:56,100 Have any Zoque kings or elite burials been found? 304 00:13:56,267 --> 00:13:59,267 Several years ago, another Zoque site named 305 00:13:59,267 --> 00:14:00,901 Chiapa de Corzo, -Uh-huh. 306 00:14:01,067 --> 00:14:04,100 the archaeologists found an elite burial. 307 00:14:04,100 --> 00:14:09,100 [Josh] Almost 175 miles away and dating to 1200 BC, 308 00:14:09,100 --> 00:14:12,467 Chiapa de Corzo is, in many ways, the birthplace of 309 00:14:12,634 --> 00:14:14,267 the Zoque story. 310 00:14:14,434 --> 00:14:18,300 3,000 years ago, this thriving city was one of the first urban 311 00:14:18,467 --> 00:14:22,100 centers in the Americas, establishing the early Zoque as 312 00:14:22,100 --> 00:14:24,300 a major cultural force. 313 00:14:24,467 --> 00:14:27,467 In the middle of the site sits a now ruined pyramid, 314 00:14:27,467 --> 00:14:30,400 and in 2010, archaeologists there made 315 00:14:30,567 --> 00:14:34,467 a jaw-dropping find, the remains of a couple adorned 316 00:14:34,634 --> 00:14:37,501 with jewelry and surrounded by offerings. 317 00:14:37,667 --> 00:14:41,667 It is the oldest pyramid tomb in Mesoamerica and the only 318 00:14:41,834 --> 00:14:44,701 Zoque royal burial ever discovered. 319 00:14:44,868 --> 00:14:47,901 Back here at Iglesia Vieja, Josuhé has set up 320 00:14:48,067 --> 00:14:50,868 an excavation pit in front of this pyramid. 321 00:14:50,868 --> 00:14:54,000 And while he hasn't yet found a burial, he has uncovered 322 00:14:54,167 --> 00:14:57,767 a crucial clue to what happened to its builders. 323 00:14:57,767 --> 00:15:01,067 -[Josuhé] This is called Fine Orange. -Fine Orange, OK. 324 00:15:01,234 --> 00:15:04,968 -And when does it date to? -It's about 700 AD. 325 00:15:05,133 --> 00:15:07,000 700 AD. OK. 326 00:15:07,167 --> 00:15:09,200 So they've been in Iglesia Vieja for 900 years? 327 00:15:09,367 --> 00:15:11,467 -900 years, yes. -OK. 328 00:15:11,634 --> 00:15:15,267 And there is something very interesting about this pottery 329 00:15:15,434 --> 00:15:18,100 because it's related with the last years of 330 00:15:18,100 --> 00:15:19,601 Iglesia Vieja. 331 00:15:19,767 --> 00:15:22,000 And it's not just in Iglesia Vieja. 332 00:15:22,000 --> 00:15:24,000 Other excavations in the Zoque world 333 00:15:24,167 --> 00:15:26,167 show this apparent expiration date 334 00:15:26,167 --> 00:15:28,000 of around 700 AD. 335 00:15:28,000 --> 00:15:32,000 So no pottery gets made after around 700 AD. 336 00:15:32,167 --> 00:15:34,567 And in the digs here, there's no evidence of 337 00:15:34,567 --> 00:15:36,567 a destruction layer. -Mnh-mnh. 338 00:15:36,734 --> 00:15:39,067 -There's no evidence of burning the city or weapons. -[Arcelia] No. 339 00:15:39,234 --> 00:15:40,868 -[Josuhé] No. -We don't find spear points and things. 340 00:15:40,868 --> 00:15:43,467 -No -- it's like they just disappear. -Wow. 341 00:15:43,634 --> 00:15:46,901 -So this is like the final clue, the final piece... -[Josuhé] The final clue. 342 00:15:47,067 --> 00:15:50,000 -[Arcelia] Yeah. -...of their world before they vanish. 343 00:15:50,000 --> 00:15:52,501 Yes, that is the big mystery of the Zoque. 344 00:15:52,667 --> 00:15:55,167 What happened and where did they go? 345 00:15:55,167 --> 00:15:57,467 [Josh] To unravel that, archaeologists need to 346 00:15:57,634 --> 00:16:00,868 understand how many Zoque were here and how large-scale 347 00:16:00,868 --> 00:16:03,200 this abandonment really was. 348 00:16:03,367 --> 00:16:05,868 Unfortunately, we don't even know the full extent 349 00:16:05,868 --> 00:16:07,400 of the ruins. 350 00:16:07,567 --> 00:16:09,801 So wait, there are parts of this city 351 00:16:09,968 --> 00:16:11,267 that have not been seen? 352 00:16:11,267 --> 00:16:15,067 Only 20% of the ruins are uncovered, and there are maybe 353 00:16:15,234 --> 00:16:17,100 structures that we don't even know about. 354 00:16:18,367 --> 00:16:21,868 -And how do we find those? -Same as we find Sac Balam. 355 00:16:22,033 --> 00:16:24,267 -LIDAR. -That's right. 356 00:16:24,267 --> 00:16:27,968 [Josh] Josuhé is ready to scan, so we summit one peak of 357 00:16:28,133 --> 00:16:32,100 a twin pyramid to meet a team led by Jorge Olivares Rivera. 358 00:16:33,467 --> 00:16:34,901 -Nice to meet you. -Mucho gusto. 359 00:16:35,067 --> 00:16:36,367 -Nice to meet you. -[Josh] Alejandro. 360 00:16:36,367 --> 00:16:39,167 So we have a very impressive-looking drone here. 361 00:16:39,334 --> 00:16:43,000 -And what's the payload? -It's a modular LIDAR unit. 362 00:16:43,000 --> 00:16:47,767 Produces 240,000 lasers per second. 363 00:16:47,767 --> 00:16:50,501 [Josh] LIDAR collects literally hundreds of millions 364 00:16:50,667 --> 00:16:52,000 of data points. 365 00:16:52,167 --> 00:16:54,567 It even allows the team to digitally remove 366 00:16:54,734 --> 00:16:58,000 the jungle canopy to see what's beneath. 367 00:16:58,000 --> 00:17:01,767 Josuhé is hoping the scan will reveal as yet undiscovered 368 00:17:01,934 --> 00:17:05,467 Zoque structures, which may contain clues as to what 369 00:17:05,634 --> 00:17:10,200 happened here around 700 AD and where the people fled to. 370 00:17:10,367 --> 00:17:12,300 Have you done LIDAR here before? 371 00:17:12,467 --> 00:17:14,200 Never before. It's the first time. 372 00:17:14,367 --> 00:17:16,300 -This is the first time ever? -Yes. 373 00:17:16,467 --> 00:17:19,467 OK. And so how much of this site 374 00:17:19,467 --> 00:17:20,968 are you going to be able to scan? 375 00:17:21,133 --> 00:17:22,100 Todos. 376 00:17:22,267 --> 00:17:23,200 Todos. All of it? 377 00:17:23,367 --> 00:17:25,367 -200 acres. -200 acres. 378 00:17:25,534 --> 00:17:27,767 OK. So, should we fly? 379 00:17:27,934 --> 00:17:29,400 -Let's do it. -Let's do it. Come on. 380 00:17:30,767 --> 00:17:33,567 [Josh] For over a thousand years, the true extent of 381 00:17:33,734 --> 00:17:36,167 Iglesia Vieja has been hidden away, 382 00:17:36,167 --> 00:17:40,400 now we're one step closer to unlocking its secrets. 383 00:17:50,267 --> 00:17:52,801 OK -- up, up, and away. 384 00:17:52,968 --> 00:17:57,000 This LIDAR drone is scanning the ruins of Iglesia Vieja, 385 00:17:57,000 --> 00:18:00,767 a one-time capital of the Zoque, who thrived for over 386 00:18:00,934 --> 00:18:04,100 a millennium in western Mexico, until one day 387 00:18:04,100 --> 00:18:06,100 they abandoned their major cities. 388 00:18:08,067 --> 00:18:09,868 -It's going to fly lanes, right? -Yeah. 389 00:18:09,868 --> 00:18:11,167 How many? 390 00:18:11,167 --> 00:18:13,100 -About 30. -[Josh] 30 lanes. 391 00:18:13,100 --> 00:18:15,234 OK. Starting mission. Here we go. 392 00:18:17,701 --> 00:18:21,567 Archaeologist Josuhé Lozada has been exploring and excavating 393 00:18:21,567 --> 00:18:25,067 here for clues about where the Zoque went. 394 00:18:25,234 --> 00:18:28,667 The drone scans down through the foliage for the next hour. 395 00:18:28,667 --> 00:18:31,100 We're hoping it detects undiscovered sections 396 00:18:31,267 --> 00:18:32,200 of the city. 397 00:18:38,000 --> 00:18:39,067 Mission is complete. 398 00:18:39,234 --> 00:18:40,667 -Time to land. -OK, let's land it. 399 00:18:41,868 --> 00:18:44,567 [Josh] Its pre-programmed route finished, Jorge brings 400 00:18:44,734 --> 00:18:47,467 the drone back in for a landing, then transfers 401 00:18:47,467 --> 00:18:50,501 the data onto his laptop for analysis. 402 00:18:50,667 --> 00:18:51,601 OK, so... 403 00:18:53,501 --> 00:18:55,267 did it work? -Oh, yes. 404 00:18:55,434 --> 00:18:56,267 OK, great. What have we got? 405 00:18:57,767 --> 00:19:00,300 Wow. OK, so here's our site. 406 00:19:00,467 --> 00:19:02,400 And when you look at the canopy, 407 00:19:02,567 --> 00:19:04,767 you know, you probably would think there's nothing here. 408 00:19:04,767 --> 00:19:07,000 Yeah, we're right on top of the mountains. 409 00:19:07,000 --> 00:19:09,868 Now for the magic trick. Can you take away the canopy? 410 00:19:10,033 --> 00:19:12,567 -Yeah, just one click. -This is my favorite part. 411 00:19:12,567 --> 00:19:13,667 Yeah. 412 00:19:15,200 --> 00:19:17,200 -Oh, wow! -Come on! 413 00:19:17,367 --> 00:19:19,968 [Josh] Without the trees in the way, the construction is 414 00:19:20,133 --> 00:19:21,667 immediately apparent. 415 00:19:21,834 --> 00:19:24,067 The pyramids and plazas I've walked through 416 00:19:24,234 --> 00:19:26,000 are clearly outlined. 417 00:19:26,000 --> 00:19:29,300 You don't realize it standing here, but these plazas are all 418 00:19:29,467 --> 00:19:32,367 just perched on the edge of these cliffs. -Yeah. 419 00:19:32,534 --> 00:19:35,868 Yes, it's a natural mountain, but modified by the Zoque. 420 00:19:36,033 --> 00:19:37,367 They have taken the tops of these mountains 421 00:19:37,534 --> 00:19:40,000 and planed them off. -To build a city. 422 00:19:40,167 --> 00:19:41,100 [Josh] To build a city. 423 00:19:41,100 --> 00:19:43,400 The engineering is mind-boggling. 424 00:19:43,567 --> 00:19:46,667 But what Josuhé is focused on are the areas outside of 425 00:19:46,667 --> 00:19:48,000 the city center. 426 00:19:48,167 --> 00:19:50,767 How big is Iglesia Vieja really? 427 00:19:50,767 --> 00:19:52,200 -Can we zoom in on that? -Yeah. 428 00:19:54,267 --> 00:19:56,467 -[Josuhé & Arcelia] Wow. -What is that? 429 00:19:56,634 --> 00:19:59,801 This is something new. There are many structures here. 430 00:19:59,968 --> 00:20:01,000 [Josh] Is this a platform? 431 00:20:01,167 --> 00:20:04,167 [Josuhé] Yes, we can see the perfect shape. 432 00:20:04,167 --> 00:20:06,767 [Josh] Right, it's totally squared off on this edge. 433 00:20:06,767 --> 00:20:09,100 -And what is this? -[Josuhé] There are some terraces. 434 00:20:09,267 --> 00:20:12,267 [Josh] So it terraces down here and here. 435 00:20:12,267 --> 00:20:16,267 -I mean, nobody has seen that? -No, nobody. 436 00:20:16,267 --> 00:20:19,701 [Josh] These terraces that once held Zoque structures haven't been 437 00:20:19,868 --> 00:20:22,701 seen since the evacuation of Iglesia Vieja. 438 00:20:23,901 --> 00:20:25,167 Wait, is that a new part of the site? 439 00:20:25,167 --> 00:20:27,968 -This is new structure. -[Arcelia] Wow. 440 00:20:28,133 --> 00:20:30,667 I mean, that's -- that's nuts! 441 00:20:30,667 --> 00:20:32,868 [Josh] This is historic. 442 00:20:32,868 --> 00:20:36,467 New sections of this capital, dozens of acres of it, 443 00:20:36,634 --> 00:20:38,167 finally rediscovered. 444 00:20:38,334 --> 00:20:41,000 And hidden within may be the keys to learning 445 00:20:41,167 --> 00:20:43,200 where the Zoque went. 446 00:20:43,367 --> 00:20:46,767 Can you give us an exact coordinate for these places? 447 00:20:46,767 --> 00:20:48,767 I want to see if there's something here. 448 00:20:48,767 --> 00:20:52,167 We can use the GPS to go to the exact spot. 449 00:20:52,167 --> 00:20:53,300 -Let's do it. -[Arcelia] Oh, yeah. 450 00:20:53,467 --> 00:20:54,667 Let's see what this is. 451 00:20:56,267 --> 00:20:59,267 [Josh] With the GPS coordinates in hand, we hike into 452 00:20:59,267 --> 00:21:00,367 the overgrown jungle. 453 00:21:02,667 --> 00:21:05,868 -How far? -500 feet from here. 454 00:21:05,868 --> 00:21:07,167 -500 feet, OK. -[Josuhé] Yeah. 455 00:21:11,367 --> 00:21:12,367 [Josh] This is tough. 456 00:21:19,567 --> 00:21:21,667 -[blade scraping] -No wonder nobody's found this place. 457 00:21:25,300 --> 00:21:27,868 -[Josuhé] We should be here. -[Josh] OK, eyes open. 458 00:21:31,267 --> 00:21:32,300 [Josuhé] Very close. 459 00:21:33,300 --> 00:21:35,100 [Josh] What is this? Here, here, here, here. 460 00:21:35,100 --> 00:21:36,234 -[Arcelia] Yeah. -[Josuhé] There is something here. 461 00:21:37,701 --> 00:21:39,267 -Look at this -- oh, my God. -[Josh] It's a wall! 462 00:21:41,100 --> 00:21:42,100 [Josh] Look at this! 463 00:21:44,501 --> 00:21:47,067 This is the edge of a terrace, yes? 464 00:21:47,234 --> 00:21:48,501 [Josuhé] Yes, of course. 465 00:21:50,667 --> 00:21:52,100 [Josh] Exactly. Nobody has seen 466 00:21:52,267 --> 00:21:55,601 this construction in, what, 1,300 years? 467 00:21:55,767 --> 00:21:57,367 -[Arcelia] Exactly. -[Josuhé] 1,300 years. 468 00:21:57,534 --> 00:21:59,601 The uncovered part of Iglesia Vieja. 469 00:21:59,767 --> 00:22:02,100 -Yes. -[Josh] This is unbelievable. 470 00:22:02,100 --> 00:22:03,868 Look at this place! 471 00:22:04,033 --> 00:22:05,367 Have you found these before? 472 00:22:05,534 --> 00:22:07,667 It's the first time that we saw something like this. 473 00:22:07,834 --> 00:22:10,267 -Maybe it's the base of a home. -Right. 474 00:22:10,267 --> 00:22:11,400 [Josuhé] It's a domestic area. 475 00:22:12,400 --> 00:22:13,868 [Josh] Here it is. 476 00:22:14,033 --> 00:22:17,100 Proof of more structures in Iglesia Vieja. 477 00:22:17,267 --> 00:22:20,467 Not temples or pyramids, but the actual homes of 478 00:22:20,467 --> 00:22:21,901 Zoque families. 479 00:22:22,067 --> 00:22:24,767 So the theory is that they would have built these 480 00:22:24,767 --> 00:22:26,901 little homes on these terraces, yeah? -[Arcelia] Yeah -- yeah. 481 00:22:27,067 --> 00:22:29,167 -Yes. -They weren't living in the ceremonial center. 482 00:22:29,334 --> 00:22:31,767 They would be living here, outside the city. 483 00:22:31,934 --> 00:22:34,000 Based on the LIDAR, these terraces go 484 00:22:34,167 --> 00:22:35,667 all the way down here. -Yeah. 485 00:22:35,667 --> 00:22:39,200 -That's right. -So there could be countless platforms for homes here. 486 00:22:40,701 --> 00:22:44,100 [Josh] This area would have been covered with Zoque homes, 487 00:22:44,267 --> 00:22:46,501 all surrounding the city center that would have been 488 00:22:46,667 --> 00:22:48,701 the heart of public life. 489 00:22:48,868 --> 00:22:50,968 Finding these homes drastically changes 490 00:22:51,133 --> 00:22:54,100 Josuhé's understanding of Iglesia Vieja. 491 00:22:54,100 --> 00:22:58,000 Before, we estimate about 10,000 people 492 00:22:58,167 --> 00:22:59,601 that live in Iglesia Vieja. 493 00:22:59,767 --> 00:23:02,767 But now, with this new data, I think the number is low. 494 00:23:02,767 --> 00:23:04,467 So you think there may be more people here? 495 00:23:04,467 --> 00:23:07,200 There is so much we still have to find. 496 00:23:07,367 --> 00:23:10,367 [Josh] In fact, with so many terraces surrounding the city, 497 00:23:10,534 --> 00:23:12,767 the population may even be double 498 00:23:12,934 --> 00:23:14,767 what was previously thought. 499 00:23:14,767 --> 00:23:18,400 This also means the abandonment here was major -- 500 00:23:18,567 --> 00:23:21,767 a massive emptying of a thriving urban center. 501 00:23:21,934 --> 00:23:26,100 But can this help solve the mystery of why they left, 502 00:23:26,267 --> 00:23:28,400 where they went? -Some of the answers we are 503 00:23:28,567 --> 00:23:31,000 looking for may be buried here in the city. 504 00:23:31,167 --> 00:23:34,267 But it's gonna take generations to excavate 505 00:23:34,267 --> 00:23:37,868 and uncover all of these areas. -So where does that leave us? 506 00:23:38,033 --> 00:23:41,167 There is another place called Rio La Venta Canyon. 507 00:23:41,334 --> 00:23:42,400 And what is this place? 508 00:23:42,567 --> 00:23:46,000 There is evidence of Zoque presence there. 509 00:23:46,000 --> 00:23:48,300 [Josh] La Venta Canyon lies deep in the mountains 510 00:23:48,467 --> 00:23:50,667 northwest of Iglesia Vieja. 511 00:23:50,834 --> 00:23:53,400 Filled with deep ravines and endless caves, 512 00:23:53,567 --> 00:23:57,200 it was a sacred pilgrimage site for the Zoque for more than 513 00:23:57,367 --> 00:23:58,767 a thousand years. 514 00:23:58,934 --> 00:24:02,367 If you wanted to make an entire city disappear, this would be 515 00:24:02,367 --> 00:24:03,801 the place to do it. 516 00:24:03,968 --> 00:24:05,567 And we have some new reports. 517 00:24:05,734 --> 00:24:07,167 Mm! New reports? What do you mean? 518 00:24:07,167 --> 00:24:10,367 So there are some ranchers there, some farmers who live 519 00:24:10,534 --> 00:24:12,767 there, and they informed us that they saw some caves 520 00:24:12,767 --> 00:24:15,300 that have never been explored before. 521 00:24:15,467 --> 00:24:19,367 -OK. -And they might contain artifacts from the Zoque. 522 00:24:19,367 --> 00:24:21,467 This place is near here or far? 523 00:24:21,634 --> 00:24:24,100 -Oh, it's far. -Are you up for it? 524 00:24:25,267 --> 00:24:27,300 With you, Josuhé? Always. 525 00:24:28,801 --> 00:24:32,667 [Josh] The world of the ancient Zoque, once consisted so neatly for me 526 00:24:32,667 --> 00:24:37,000 within Iglesia Vieja, is about to get much, much bigger. 527 00:24:39,467 --> 00:24:42,467 The next morning, Josuhé, Arcelia, and I pack up 528 00:24:42,467 --> 00:24:46,400 the 4x4 to begin a journey into the sacred and unexplored 529 00:24:46,567 --> 00:24:48,868 wilderness of the Zoque. 530 00:24:48,868 --> 00:24:51,200 All right, so we're leaving the coast behind here... 531 00:24:51,367 --> 00:24:53,467 -Mm-hmm. -...and we are headed into the interior. 532 00:24:53,634 --> 00:24:54,567 And what's it like there? 533 00:24:54,734 --> 00:24:56,267 I assume it's more mountainy, yeah? 534 00:24:56,434 --> 00:24:58,067 Yeah, it's very rugged there. 535 00:24:58,234 --> 00:25:00,801 It's a tropical savanna, so it splits between 536 00:25:00,968 --> 00:25:04,300 a very wet season and a very dry season. -OK. 537 00:25:05,601 --> 00:25:08,567 [Josh] The Chiapas region provides a third of all of 538 00:25:08,567 --> 00:25:11,501 Mexico's water, which is one of the reasons this place 539 00:25:11,667 --> 00:25:13,601 was so sacred to the Zoque. 540 00:25:13,767 --> 00:25:16,701 It's the reason we saw so many jaguar images back at 541 00:25:16,868 --> 00:25:20,367 Iglesia Vieja, the fearsome symbol of the underworld, 542 00:25:20,534 --> 00:25:24,801 which the Zoque saw as the source of life-giving water. 543 00:25:24,968 --> 00:25:27,901 Lucky for us, there's no rain in the forecast. 544 00:25:28,067 --> 00:25:29,767 And it's dry now, right? This is the dry season. 545 00:25:29,934 --> 00:25:31,300 Yes, this is the dry season. 546 00:25:31,467 --> 00:25:33,000 And it has been a very dry season. 547 00:25:33,000 --> 00:25:35,000 [Josh] And the drive is about how long? 548 00:25:35,000 --> 00:25:36,868 About three hours in this direction. 549 00:25:37,033 --> 00:25:38,567 [Josh] Three hours into the mountains. 550 00:25:38,734 --> 00:25:39,667 Here we go. 551 00:25:41,767 --> 00:25:44,100 We'll be traveling nearly 80 miles into 552 00:25:44,267 --> 00:25:46,567 the undulating canyons of Chiapas. 553 00:25:46,734 --> 00:25:48,601 At the end of the road, we'll be hiking a day to 554 00:25:48,767 --> 00:25:50,267 the La Venta Canyon, 555 00:25:50,434 --> 00:25:52,701 and then we'll follow the river for another day 556 00:25:52,868 --> 00:25:55,767 toward the location where farmers have reported 557 00:25:55,934 --> 00:25:56,801 uncharted caves. 558 00:25:59,601 --> 00:26:00,667 This is us. 559 00:26:00,834 --> 00:26:02,100 -We're on foot from here. -That's it. 560 00:26:03,801 --> 00:26:07,000 [Josh] We grab our packs and get ready to sweat. 561 00:26:07,000 --> 00:26:10,067 Luckily, Josuhé has arranged for some four-legged backup. 562 00:26:11,167 --> 00:26:13,000 -Hola. -Buenos dias. 563 00:26:13,000 --> 00:26:14,767 -Abraham? Josh. -Como estan? 564 00:26:14,934 --> 00:26:15,934 -Mucho gusto. -Buenos dias. 565 00:26:15,934 --> 00:26:18,601 OK, so does this mean we get to ride there? 566 00:26:18,767 --> 00:26:19,968 -No, for the gear. -It's for the gear. 567 00:26:20,133 --> 00:26:22,100 A guy can dream. All right, we got a lot of gear. 568 00:26:22,267 --> 00:26:23,267 -Should we load it up? -Yeah. 569 00:26:23,434 --> 00:26:25,000 [Josh] OK, let's do it. Come on. 570 00:26:25,167 --> 00:26:28,367 The animals will haul supplies as far as they can and then 571 00:26:28,367 --> 00:26:31,300 leave depots for us to return to on the hike back out. 572 00:26:37,200 --> 00:26:41,067 The jungle immediately envelops us, and for the first time, 573 00:26:41,234 --> 00:26:43,767 I realize just how off the grid we're going to be. 574 00:26:47,767 --> 00:26:49,300 What else is out here with us? 575 00:26:49,467 --> 00:26:53,167 This is a biosphere reserve, so there's a lot of diversity 576 00:26:53,334 --> 00:26:57,267 of animals, anywhere from wild boar to jaguars. 577 00:26:57,267 --> 00:26:58,367 A lot of jaguars here? 578 00:26:58,367 --> 00:27:00,400 Yeah, there's a healthy population of jaguars. 579 00:27:00,567 --> 00:27:01,801 Wow. 580 00:27:01,801 --> 00:27:04,667 But what you really need to worry about is the nauyaca. 581 00:27:04,834 --> 00:27:07,667 It is a very venomous and aggressive snake. 582 00:27:07,667 --> 00:27:09,167 We would call that a fer-de-lance. 583 00:27:09,334 --> 00:27:10,367 -Yeah. -Yeah. 584 00:27:10,367 --> 00:27:11,767 One of them tried to kill me a few years ago. 585 00:27:11,934 --> 00:27:13,601 -Really? -Yeah, yeah, it was great. 586 00:27:13,767 --> 00:27:15,400 That's the only venomous snake here? 587 00:27:15,567 --> 00:27:17,167 -[Arcelia] No, there are others. -[Josuhé] There are more. 588 00:27:17,167 --> 00:27:18,501 There's always others. 589 00:27:18,667 --> 00:27:20,167 -All right, well, here we go. -[Arcelia] OK. Let's go. 590 00:27:20,167 --> 00:27:21,467 I'm always sorry I asked. 591 00:27:28,100 --> 00:27:30,567 [Josh] But here at the start of our hike, it's not the snakes 592 00:27:30,567 --> 00:27:31,601 I need to worry about. 593 00:27:37,601 --> 00:27:38,567 Oh, boy. 594 00:27:39,968 --> 00:27:41,868 [Josuhé] Oh, wow. 595 00:27:42,033 --> 00:27:44,300 Well, we can use the bridge to cross the river. 596 00:27:44,467 --> 00:27:46,100 Sure, yeah, the bridge from "Temple of Doom." 597 00:27:46,267 --> 00:27:49,367 That sounds like a great idea. OK, who's going first? 598 00:27:49,367 --> 00:27:51,467 The heaviest should go first. 599 00:27:51,467 --> 00:27:53,000 All right, move. Out of my way. 600 00:27:55,467 --> 00:27:56,801 Zoque wouldn't have used this bridge. 601 00:27:58,567 --> 00:28:00,434 Oh, boy. 602 00:28:02,901 --> 00:28:06,467 Oh, these boards are sketchy. They are just rotted out. 603 00:28:08,667 --> 00:28:09,868 Got a missing board here in the middle. 604 00:28:11,167 --> 00:28:12,868 Hoo-hoo. 605 00:28:13,033 --> 00:28:16,067 Please don't collapse and fall. Please don't collapse and fall. 606 00:28:22,167 --> 00:28:23,501 I was gonna say it's not the worst bridge 607 00:28:23,667 --> 00:28:25,767 I've ever been on, but it is. 608 00:28:25,767 --> 00:28:27,501 It is the worst bridge. 609 00:28:27,667 --> 00:28:29,267 [Josh] I've joined archaeologists Josuhé Lozada 610 00:28:29,267 --> 00:28:31,801 and Arcelia Garcia on a trek 611 00:28:31,968 --> 00:28:35,801 into sacred Mexican wilderness to find answers about 612 00:28:35,968 --> 00:28:40,100 the Zoque, a once powerful civilization that evacuated 613 00:28:40,100 --> 00:28:41,501 their mighty cities. 614 00:28:41,667 --> 00:28:44,267 Newly reported caves deep in the jungle 615 00:28:44,434 --> 00:28:46,267 may offer clues to their fate. 616 00:28:47,868 --> 00:28:49,701 Prepare to meet Kali. 617 00:28:49,868 --> 00:28:52,200 [Josh] It's a once-in-a-lifetime trip, but hopefully 618 00:28:52,367 --> 00:28:53,801 not because I'm going to die here. 619 00:28:55,767 --> 00:28:58,501 OK, I'm alive, I'm alive. Here we go, we got it. 620 00:29:04,067 --> 00:29:06,200 It turns out there's no shortage of jungle on 621 00:29:06,367 --> 00:29:08,300 the other side of the rickety bridge, 622 00:29:08,467 --> 00:29:10,367 and we trek on for hours, 623 00:29:10,534 --> 00:29:14,000 moving further and further into the possible last refuge 624 00:29:14,167 --> 00:29:15,634 of the Zoque. 625 00:29:18,100 --> 00:29:20,200 -Are we there yet? -[Arcelia] Not even close. 626 00:29:25,767 --> 00:29:27,267 [Josh] It takes the better part of a day, 627 00:29:27,434 --> 00:29:30,567 but we finally reach our first major landmark. 628 00:29:30,567 --> 00:29:32,300 And I do mean major. 629 00:29:34,767 --> 00:29:38,400 -What is that? -That's the Arch of Time. 630 00:29:38,567 --> 00:29:40,200 It is huge! 631 00:29:42,567 --> 00:29:45,801 [Josh] This is Arco del Tiempo, the Arch of Time, 632 00:29:45,968 --> 00:29:49,467 one of the largest rock arches on Earth. 633 00:29:49,467 --> 00:29:53,767 It towers 590 feet above the La Venta River -- 634 00:29:53,934 --> 00:29:56,767 a river we'll need to follow to reach the Zoque Caves 635 00:29:56,934 --> 00:29:58,567 deeper in the jungle. 636 00:29:58,567 --> 00:30:00,200 So, how are we getting down there? 637 00:30:00,367 --> 00:30:01,767 [Arcelia] We gotta rappel. 638 00:30:01,767 --> 00:30:03,667 So, how far is that, you think? 639 00:30:03,834 --> 00:30:06,000 -[Arcelia] Looks like 100 feet. -OK. 640 00:30:06,000 --> 00:30:08,000 Luckily, we have an expert climber. 641 00:30:08,000 --> 00:30:10,000 Oh, I don't know about expert. I do OK. 642 00:30:10,000 --> 00:30:11,801 -I mean, you know. -I mean her. 643 00:30:11,968 --> 00:30:13,100 [Josh] Oh, sure. Sorry. 644 00:30:13,267 --> 00:30:15,100 Sorry. Yes, of course. 645 00:30:15,100 --> 00:30:18,200 [Josh] Arcelia is, in fact, a world-class climber 646 00:30:18,367 --> 00:30:20,767 who's scaled El Capitan in Yosemite 647 00:30:20,767 --> 00:30:23,267 and the Cordillera Blanca in Peru. 648 00:30:23,267 --> 00:30:25,567 And now our lives are in her hands. 649 00:30:25,734 --> 00:30:27,000 -We got this -- we got this. -Sure. 650 00:30:27,167 --> 00:30:29,000 Me -- me too. This is easy. Here we go. 651 00:30:30,267 --> 00:30:32,367 [Josh] This is the end of the road for our horses, 652 00:30:32,534 --> 00:30:34,868 but fortunately, they're carrying rappelling gear. 653 00:30:36,868 --> 00:30:40,367 This is going to be a 100-foot drop off a crumbling ledge 654 00:30:40,367 --> 00:30:43,100 perched directly above the rocky riverbank. 655 00:30:43,267 --> 00:30:45,067 So, naturally, they put the harness 656 00:30:45,234 --> 00:30:46,367 on me first. 657 00:30:46,367 --> 00:30:47,767 Why am I going first again? 658 00:30:47,934 --> 00:30:49,167 Well, you wanted to. 659 00:30:49,334 --> 00:30:51,868 I do not remember it that way at all. 660 00:30:51,868 --> 00:30:53,200 OK, here goes nothing. 661 00:30:58,767 --> 00:30:59,801 [Arcelia] Take it nice and easy, Josh. 662 00:31:07,267 --> 00:31:08,367 Looks like a big overhang. 663 00:31:12,667 --> 00:31:14,100 Ah! [bleep] 664 00:31:14,267 --> 00:31:15,767 OK, huge drop! 665 00:31:18,000 --> 00:31:21,267 The walls of this canyon are wet and crumbling, and it goes 666 00:31:21,434 --> 00:31:23,267 without saying that any accident out here 667 00:31:23,434 --> 00:31:25,000 would be a disaster. 668 00:31:25,167 --> 00:31:29,067 We're a day's hike from a road, let alone a hospital. 669 00:31:29,234 --> 00:31:30,000 This is terrifying. 670 00:31:42,067 --> 00:31:46,567 -OK, off rappel. -[Arcelia] I'm coming down, Josh. 671 00:31:46,734 --> 00:31:47,567 OK. 672 00:31:53,367 --> 00:31:55,367 -Oh, you OK? -[Arcelia] Whoa! 673 00:31:55,534 --> 00:31:58,868 -[Josh] Are you OK? -Yeah, that was slippery. 674 00:31:58,868 --> 00:32:00,100 Whoo-hoo-hoo. 675 00:32:00,100 --> 00:32:01,767 -[Arcelia] Whoo! -You scared me there! 676 00:32:01,934 --> 00:32:05,367 [Josh] Arcelia recovers her footing and then, rather effortlessly, 677 00:32:05,367 --> 00:32:08,667 makes her way down into the limestone canyon carved by 678 00:32:08,667 --> 00:32:12,701 the La Venta River over 170 million years. 679 00:32:12,868 --> 00:32:16,467 That makes it over twice as old as the Grand Canyon. 680 00:32:16,467 --> 00:32:17,667 -Good job. -Good job. 681 00:32:17,667 --> 00:32:19,000 I thought you were gonna take the express route down 682 00:32:19,167 --> 00:32:20,467 for a second. -It was slippery. 683 00:32:20,467 --> 00:32:22,767 [Josh] Yeah, very slippery. OK. 684 00:32:22,934 --> 00:32:24,167 Let's walk Josuhé through it. 685 00:32:25,868 --> 00:32:28,100 That part's slippery, so be careful. 686 00:32:29,467 --> 00:32:31,267 You got it. 687 00:32:31,267 --> 00:32:32,367 [Arcelia] Watch out. 688 00:32:32,534 --> 00:32:33,567 [Josuhé] Ah! 689 00:32:33,734 --> 00:32:35,400 -Oh. -Oh [bleep]. 690 00:32:35,567 --> 00:32:36,567 Are you OK? 691 00:32:37,801 --> 00:32:38,801 Are you OK? 692 00:32:40,100 --> 00:32:41,467 -[Josuhé] Ugh, I am OK. -[Josh] OK. 693 00:32:41,467 --> 00:32:42,968 -[Arcelia] Don't let go of the rope. -That was scary. 694 00:32:44,868 --> 00:32:48,601 [Josh] Josuhé manages to make it down safely, and all three of us are 695 00:32:48,767 --> 00:32:53,267 reunited on the canyon floor to take in a bucket list view. 696 00:32:53,267 --> 00:32:54,767 Whoo! 697 00:32:54,934 --> 00:32:57,000 -Hey, great job. -Thank you. 698 00:32:57,167 --> 00:32:58,367 -Great job, yeah. -Amazing. 699 00:32:58,367 --> 00:33:00,067 I mean, can we talk about this? 700 00:33:00,067 --> 00:33:01,367 -[Arcelia] Look at this place. -[Josuhé] Yes, of course. 701 00:33:01,367 --> 00:33:04,367 [Josh] I have never seen anything like this in my life. 702 00:33:05,601 --> 00:33:08,701 -So this is the La Venta River? -[Arcelia] This is the La Venta River. 703 00:33:08,868 --> 00:33:10,901 Through the arch is the land of the Zoque. 704 00:33:11,067 --> 00:33:12,400 All right, into the land of the Zoque. 705 00:33:14,868 --> 00:33:17,367 [Josh] Beyond the arch is one of the most sacred regions of 706 00:33:17,534 --> 00:33:19,868 the ancient Zoque world, a world of 707 00:33:19,868 --> 00:33:22,767 jaguars, water, and the underworld, 708 00:33:22,767 --> 00:33:25,167 the holy caves that Josuhé hopes 709 00:33:25,334 --> 00:33:28,200 may hold the key to learning their fate. 710 00:33:30,667 --> 00:33:33,667 We follow the river and work further into the forest, 711 00:33:33,834 --> 00:33:37,667 trying to make as much distance before sunset as possible, 712 00:33:37,834 --> 00:33:39,701 until we stop and make camp for the night. 713 00:33:41,367 --> 00:33:44,167 Josh, what do you think about being here in La Venta Canyon? 714 00:33:44,167 --> 00:33:46,367 Oh, this is another world, right? 715 00:33:46,367 --> 00:33:48,667 I feel like I'm hanging out with the Zoque. 716 00:33:48,667 --> 00:33:51,400 You just imagine, so, them abandoning that city, 717 00:33:51,567 --> 00:33:54,901 they're walking a hundred or more miles through 718 00:33:55,067 --> 00:33:58,167 the jungle, all jungle, to get out to places like this. 719 00:33:58,334 --> 00:34:00,100 That means you're either really desperate, 720 00:34:00,100 --> 00:34:02,367 or this place is that important to you. 721 00:34:02,367 --> 00:34:04,801 All these elements, like the water, 722 00:34:04,968 --> 00:34:10,167 the mountain, the caves, are connected in one place that 723 00:34:10,334 --> 00:34:13,267 is into La Venta Canyon. -[Josh] Right. 724 00:34:13,267 --> 00:34:15,767 -So what's for dinner? -Wild boar, right? 725 00:34:15,934 --> 00:34:17,868 Are you gonna go hunting or what? 726 00:34:18,033 --> 00:34:20,167 Well, I have something for you. 727 00:34:20,334 --> 00:34:22,267 -A spiritual drink. -Oh, boy. 728 00:34:22,434 --> 00:34:24,367 -Oh, boy. -It's posh. 729 00:34:24,534 --> 00:34:25,567 -[Josh] Posh? -Posh. 730 00:34:25,567 --> 00:34:27,767 -Que es posh? -It's a medicine drink. 731 00:34:27,934 --> 00:34:29,868 I'm sure it is. It's used to treat sobriety. 732 00:34:31,501 --> 00:34:32,868 What is it made from? 733 00:34:32,868 --> 00:34:36,167 -It's made with corn. -[Josh] Oh, from corn. 734 00:34:36,167 --> 00:34:38,801 -Well, this is a very Zoque drink then, right? -Yeah. 735 00:34:38,968 --> 00:34:43,200 The local people use the posh to cure the illness 736 00:34:43,367 --> 00:34:44,901 of the soul. Do you want to try? 737 00:34:45,067 --> 00:34:46,167 -Yeah, of course. -[Josuhé] OK. 738 00:34:52,567 --> 00:34:54,968 Here's to our souls and to the Zoque. 739 00:34:55,133 --> 00:34:56,567 -To the Zoque. -To the Zoque. Salud. 740 00:34:56,567 --> 00:34:57,767 Salud. 741 00:35:01,467 --> 00:35:04,267 -Wha -- hoo. -[laughing] 742 00:35:04,434 --> 00:35:07,767 -What do you think? -It's um, it's good. 743 00:35:07,934 --> 00:35:09,000 -Mm. -It's really good. 744 00:35:09,167 --> 00:35:10,200 Do you want more? 745 00:35:10,200 --> 00:35:11,167 -Yeah. -Yes, I want more. Are you kidding? 746 00:35:13,567 --> 00:35:14,567 -Salud. -Salud. 747 00:35:14,567 --> 00:35:16,200 Salud. 748 00:35:16,367 --> 00:35:17,200 All the best. 749 00:35:21,567 --> 00:35:23,801 [Josh] We awaken to a day much like yesterday. 750 00:35:23,968 --> 00:35:27,267 A lot of jungle, a lot of heat, and a lot of one foot 751 00:35:27,434 --> 00:35:28,501 in front of the other. 752 00:35:32,000 --> 00:35:35,100 We spend hours following the river canyon until, 753 00:35:35,100 --> 00:35:37,200 finally, we approach our target zone. 754 00:35:39,667 --> 00:35:40,667 [Arcelia] Should be in the area. 755 00:35:41,968 --> 00:35:43,100 [Josuhé] I think so. 756 00:35:43,267 --> 00:35:45,367 [Arcelia] There's plenty of limestone here. 757 00:35:45,367 --> 00:35:48,734 [Josh] Oh, yeah, look at that. Huge outcropping all in here. 758 00:35:51,200 --> 00:35:54,000 To the Zoque, this was a place of magic. 759 00:35:54,000 --> 00:35:57,100 The cave systems in this region were formed by millennia of 760 00:35:57,100 --> 00:36:00,167 running water channeling through limestone rock. 761 00:36:00,334 --> 00:36:01,667 We've found the limestone. 762 00:36:01,834 --> 00:36:04,100 Now, we just need to find a cave. 763 00:36:04,100 --> 00:36:07,067 Yeah, I mean, there's little overhangs and crevices 764 00:36:07,234 --> 00:36:08,701 all throughout here. 765 00:36:08,868 --> 00:36:12,167 Yeah, I'm sure there's a cave system. 766 00:36:12,167 --> 00:36:13,367 Under all this? 767 00:36:13,534 --> 00:36:15,000 Yes, we just need to find the entrance. 768 00:36:16,167 --> 00:36:17,300 Look towards your left. 769 00:36:18,767 --> 00:36:20,868 [Josh] Yeah, follow this ridge, right? 770 00:36:21,033 --> 00:36:22,200 -[Arcelia] Right. -[Josuhé] Yes. 771 00:36:23,667 --> 00:36:25,701 -There is something here. -[Arcelia] What do you see? 772 00:36:25,868 --> 00:36:28,467 -[Josh] You see something? -I think it's a cave. 773 00:36:28,467 --> 00:36:30,501 -[Josh] You see a cave? -[Josuhé] Yes, for sure. 774 00:36:30,667 --> 00:36:31,567 [Josh] For sure? Where? 775 00:36:32,667 --> 00:36:34,400 -[Arcelia] Yes. -[indistinct] 776 00:36:34,567 --> 00:36:37,367 -[Josh] Oh-ho-ho! It's huge! -[Josuhé] Wow. 777 00:36:38,601 --> 00:36:42,701 -[Josuhé] Wow! Oh, my God. -[Josh] Oh, that is a cave! 778 00:36:49,667 --> 00:36:50,767 Amazing. Hey. 779 00:36:50,767 --> 00:36:52,400 -[Josuhé] It's amazing. -Amazing. 780 00:36:52,567 --> 00:36:54,000 That's a cave for sure. 781 00:36:54,167 --> 00:36:56,367 [Josh] After two days of hiking into the jungles of 782 00:36:56,534 --> 00:36:59,000 Chiapas, Mexico, we finally discovered 783 00:36:59,000 --> 00:37:02,601 the entrance to a cave in a remote and unexplored area 784 00:37:02,767 --> 00:37:05,000 sacred to the ancient Zoque, 785 00:37:05,167 --> 00:37:08,567 a once vibrant civilization that mysteriously abandoned 786 00:37:08,567 --> 00:37:11,868 their cities over 1,300 years ago. 787 00:37:11,868 --> 00:37:13,300 I was picturing some little thing 788 00:37:13,467 --> 00:37:14,400 we were gonna have to crawl into. 789 00:37:14,567 --> 00:37:15,701 That's like, a proper cave. 790 00:37:15,868 --> 00:37:18,467 The question is, is it a Zoque site? 791 00:37:18,467 --> 00:37:19,767 There's only one way to find out. 792 00:37:21,767 --> 00:37:23,868 [Josh] This is the moment of truth. 793 00:37:24,033 --> 00:37:25,901 Josuhé leads the way into the passage. 794 00:37:27,467 --> 00:37:31,667 Into the underworld. Whoa, look at this place! 795 00:37:31,667 --> 00:37:34,667 [Josh] And we fan out to search for signs of the Zoque. 796 00:37:37,868 --> 00:37:39,968 Anything yet? Anything? 797 00:37:40,133 --> 00:37:42,200 -[Josuhé] Not yet. -Nothing here either. 798 00:37:44,667 --> 00:37:46,167 [Josuhé] Oh, wow. Look at this. 799 00:37:46,334 --> 00:37:47,200 [Josh] See something? 800 00:37:48,267 --> 00:37:50,300 -[Josuhé] Wow! -[Josh] Oh, my God. 801 00:37:50,467 --> 00:37:52,167 Ho! 802 00:37:52,167 --> 00:37:53,367 -[Arcelia] Wow. -[Josh] Those are handprints. 803 00:37:53,534 --> 00:37:54,767 Is this Zoque? 804 00:37:54,934 --> 00:37:57,100 -Yes, it is Zoque. -How do we know that? 805 00:37:57,100 --> 00:37:59,767 We have seen other handprints in caves. 806 00:37:59,934 --> 00:38:03,267 This is very special, because the other ones were 807 00:38:03,434 --> 00:38:04,901 made in red color. 808 00:38:05,067 --> 00:38:06,868 Oh, like a red paint. And this is different. 809 00:38:07,033 --> 00:38:09,100 This is what, some like charcoal or something? 810 00:38:09,267 --> 00:38:11,067 Seems to be like charcoal. 811 00:38:11,234 --> 00:38:12,868 [Josh] So this has not been seen before? 812 00:38:12,868 --> 00:38:17,100 This is the very first time a black color painting related 813 00:38:17,100 --> 00:38:20,000 with a handprint. -Wow! 814 00:38:20,167 --> 00:38:22,367 [Josh] This is a major discovery. 815 00:38:22,534 --> 00:38:25,200 The imagery echoes the carved handprint we saw 816 00:38:25,367 --> 00:38:27,267 back in Iglesia Vieja. 817 00:38:27,267 --> 00:38:30,567 These, however, were created by the Zoque holding their hands to 818 00:38:30,734 --> 00:38:34,367 the cave surface and then blowing black carbon powder to 819 00:38:34,534 --> 00:38:35,801 create the outlines. 820 00:38:35,968 --> 00:38:37,367 It is a stunning connection 821 00:38:37,367 --> 00:38:40,567 to the past in a stunning state of preservation. 822 00:38:40,734 --> 00:38:43,300 -And look how clean each of the handprints are. -[Arcelia] Yeah. 823 00:38:43,467 --> 00:38:47,167 Like, if these were done one at a time, then you'd see paint 824 00:38:47,167 --> 00:38:48,667 kind of spilling into the other ones. -[Josuhé] Yes. 825 00:38:48,667 --> 00:38:52,000 -[Arcelia] Yeah. -So it seems like maybe this was all done at one time? 826 00:38:52,000 --> 00:38:54,467 Yes -- it could have been a ritual 827 00:38:54,634 --> 00:38:56,868 in which six people stood with 828 00:38:56,868 --> 00:39:00,167 their and then one person painted on top of them. 829 00:39:00,334 --> 00:39:02,267 -A millennium ago, right here. -[Josuhé] We are here. 830 00:39:02,434 --> 00:39:03,467 Right here. 831 00:39:05,868 --> 00:39:08,868 And so, any idea what the function of this is? 832 00:39:08,868 --> 00:39:11,167 I mean, is it art? Is it communication? 833 00:39:11,167 --> 00:39:14,567 It's a portal where the Zoques could communicate with 834 00:39:14,734 --> 00:39:17,601 the ancestors, with their world of spirits. 835 00:39:17,767 --> 00:39:20,467 These are people that wanted to connect to the powers that 836 00:39:20,634 --> 00:39:22,801 were held in this cave. -And is there more? 837 00:39:22,968 --> 00:39:24,567 Like, what else is even in here? 838 00:39:25,968 --> 00:39:28,667 Oh! Oh, look at this! 839 00:39:28,667 --> 00:39:30,767 -[Josuhé] It's a jaguar! -[Josh] That is a jaguar! 840 00:39:30,767 --> 00:39:33,767 -[Josuhé] Yes. -That is really, really clear. 841 00:39:33,934 --> 00:39:36,367 Like, you can absolutely see the animal's head. 842 00:39:36,534 --> 00:39:38,868 And there is another here. This is a snake. 843 00:39:38,868 --> 00:39:40,467 -[Josh] That's a snake? -[Josuhé] Yes. 844 00:39:40,467 --> 00:39:42,267 [Josh] Oh, is this like, an open mouth? 845 00:39:42,267 --> 00:39:44,100 -[Josuhé] Yes, that is. -[Josh] Aha! 846 00:39:44,267 --> 00:39:47,467 [Josh] Like the jaguar, the snake is an animal avatar of 847 00:39:47,467 --> 00:39:50,467 the Zoque spirits, to whom they prayed for favor in 848 00:39:50,634 --> 00:39:52,367 water and agriculture. 849 00:39:52,534 --> 00:39:55,367 If this is a snake, and I think that's definitely a jaguar, 850 00:39:55,367 --> 00:39:59,667 now we have, like, to, like, really important animals 851 00:39:59,834 --> 00:40:01,601 and symbols for them, right? -[Arcelia] Yes. 852 00:40:01,767 --> 00:40:04,200 And the jaguar has a very important symbolism 853 00:40:04,367 --> 00:40:06,000 throughout Mesoamerica. -Yeah. 854 00:40:06,167 --> 00:40:08,868 It is connected to the underworld, 855 00:40:09,033 --> 00:40:12,767 darkness, night, fertility, and water. 856 00:40:12,767 --> 00:40:13,767 And water. 857 00:40:15,200 --> 00:40:16,701 [Josh] Right. 858 00:40:16,868 --> 00:40:18,667 [Josuhé] Oh, look at that. 859 00:40:18,834 --> 00:40:20,467 -[Josh] It's pottery. -[Josuhé] Wow. 860 00:40:20,634 --> 00:40:21,868 Different colors here, too, right? 861 00:40:21,868 --> 00:40:24,167 -We've got this darker pottery here... -[Josuhé] Yes. 862 00:40:24,167 --> 00:40:27,868 ...and then this really bright orange. -[Josuhé] Yes. 863 00:40:28,033 --> 00:40:29,767 [Josh] And look, we have kind of a rim here. 864 00:40:29,934 --> 00:40:33,100 This is like that fine orange pottery we saw at 865 00:40:33,267 --> 00:40:35,601 Iglesia Vieja, yes? -Yes. 866 00:40:35,767 --> 00:40:41,467 So this kind of pottery is dated from 650 to 900 AD. 867 00:40:41,467 --> 00:40:43,601 So this is when they're leaving their cities or after 868 00:40:43,767 --> 00:40:45,467 they've left? -Yes, absolutely. 869 00:40:45,467 --> 00:40:46,634 Wow. 870 00:40:46,634 --> 00:40:49,567 OK, so the question is, why is this pottery here? 871 00:40:49,734 --> 00:40:51,868 Was this a ritual, an offering? 872 00:40:52,033 --> 00:40:54,701 Well, we have to see where it was placed, and it was placed 873 00:40:54,868 --> 00:40:58,167 just beneath the stalactite, where there's dripping water. 874 00:40:58,167 --> 00:40:59,667 Look at that, still dripping today. 875 00:40:59,667 --> 00:41:02,767 It was probably used to capture that dripping water, 876 00:41:02,934 --> 00:41:04,667 that sacred water. -[Josuhé] The sacred water. 877 00:41:04,834 --> 00:41:06,100 -[Josh] Wow. -And used for rituals. 878 00:41:06,100 --> 00:41:09,367 So here we are, like they've abandoned their cities 879 00:41:09,534 --> 00:41:11,167 and they're coming here. -Coming here. 880 00:41:11,334 --> 00:41:12,467 And they're doing these rituals. 881 00:41:12,634 --> 00:41:13,801 -Yes. -Yes. 882 00:41:13,801 --> 00:41:17,868 If we have a cave like this, there are probably more. 883 00:41:18,033 --> 00:41:19,000 -Right. -Yes. 884 00:41:19,167 --> 00:41:21,467 For sure. OK, well, let's keep looking 885 00:41:21,634 --> 00:41:22,901 around and see what else we see. 886 00:41:24,467 --> 00:41:27,200 [Josh] The cave has revealed the presence of the Zoque, 887 00:41:27,367 --> 00:41:31,267 but no answers to their decision to evacuate their cities. 888 00:41:31,267 --> 00:41:34,167 The reports we received suggested there were multiple 889 00:41:34,167 --> 00:41:37,767 caves here, so we head back to the surface to look for more. 890 00:41:41,968 --> 00:41:45,801 So this limestone ridge goes all along here, yeah? 891 00:41:45,968 --> 00:41:47,000 Yes, it does. 892 00:41:50,400 --> 00:41:52,300 -[Josh] Careful, slippery in here. -Yes. 893 00:41:52,467 --> 00:41:53,567 [Arcelia] Watch out for all the thorns. 894 00:41:58,467 --> 00:42:00,667 -Oh, over here? -Oh, there is something here. 895 00:42:00,667 --> 00:42:02,634 -Another cave. -[Josh] Is it? 896 00:42:05,100 --> 00:42:06,601 -[Josuhé] Wow. -[Josh] A huge drop. 897 00:42:06,767 --> 00:42:08,467 -Look at that. -[Josuhé] It's very deep. 898 00:42:08,467 --> 00:42:10,167 [Arcelia] Wow. 899 00:42:10,334 --> 00:42:13,167 Maybe like a 30-foot drop, 40-foot drop? 900 00:42:13,167 --> 00:42:15,501 [Arcelia] Yes. Definitely bigger than the other one. 901 00:42:15,667 --> 00:42:18,367 -[Josh] Yeah, much deeper. -We need ropes. 902 00:42:18,534 --> 00:42:19,801 Let's rig something. Come on. 903 00:42:21,267 --> 00:42:24,501 [Josh] We grab our gear and get ready for a new descent. 904 00:42:24,667 --> 00:42:27,267 This one not into a bright canyon, but into 905 00:42:27,267 --> 00:42:28,267 total darkness. 906 00:42:31,901 --> 00:42:33,267 All right, so what's the plan? 907 00:42:33,434 --> 00:42:37,000 The plan is I'm gonna go down, check it out, and you guys 908 00:42:37,000 --> 00:42:38,167 are right behind me. 909 00:42:38,334 --> 00:42:39,567 -I love this plan. -Sounds good. 910 00:42:39,734 --> 00:42:41,667 Make sure there's no jaguars living down there. 911 00:42:41,667 --> 00:42:43,567 -Oh, hopefully not. -Just let us know. 912 00:42:43,567 --> 00:42:45,400 Just scream if you see anything. 913 00:42:47,567 --> 00:42:49,367 OK, I'm setting my rappel. 914 00:42:50,968 --> 00:42:52,167 -See you there. -[Josh] See you down there. 915 00:42:57,567 --> 00:43:00,367 [Arcelia] Wow. It's big. 916 00:43:00,367 --> 00:43:02,767 -Yeah, it goes further back? -[Arcelia] It goes further back. 917 00:43:04,801 --> 00:43:06,400 It goes further back. OK, great. 918 00:43:07,667 --> 00:43:08,667 [Arcelia] You gotta watch your step. 919 00:43:16,501 --> 00:43:18,467 OK, I'm off belay. You can come down. 920 00:43:18,634 --> 00:43:20,000 OK, off rappel? I'm coming down. 921 00:43:20,000 --> 00:43:21,000 Here we go. 922 00:43:22,400 --> 00:43:23,434 OK. 923 00:43:24,767 --> 00:43:28,267 -OK, coming down. -OK, take it nice and slow. 924 00:43:28,434 --> 00:43:29,467 -Will do, coming down. -[Josuhé] OK. 925 00:43:29,634 --> 00:43:31,133 [Josh] Here we go. 926 00:43:32,300 --> 00:43:35,567 [Josh] From here, the goal is to get to the bottom, just not as fast 927 00:43:35,734 --> 00:43:36,767 as gravity wants me to. 928 00:43:40,367 --> 00:43:42,901 -Deep and dark, OK. -Nice and easy, Josh. 929 00:43:46,601 --> 00:43:48,767 These roots or vines or whatever they are are 930 00:43:48,767 --> 00:43:51,400 super slippery. -To the left now. 931 00:43:51,567 --> 00:43:53,601 -[Josh] To the left? -[Arcelia] You're doing good. 932 00:43:53,767 --> 00:43:54,701 Come over here. 933 00:43:55,901 --> 00:43:57,367 -Be careful on the left. -Hey! 934 00:43:57,534 --> 00:43:58,467 Ooh! Oh! 935 00:44:03,767 --> 00:44:05,667 OK, coming down. 936 00:44:05,834 --> 00:44:08,901 [Josh] I am currently dangling by a thread over 40 feet above 937 00:44:09,067 --> 00:44:13,400 the floor of an unexplored cave deep in the jungles of Mexico. 938 00:44:13,567 --> 00:44:14,834 Why? 939 00:44:14,834 --> 00:44:18,367 To find out what happened to the mysterious ancient Zoque. 940 00:44:18,534 --> 00:44:20,467 -Be careful on the left? -[Arcelia] Be careful on the left. 941 00:44:21,467 --> 00:44:23,567 Ooh! Oh! 942 00:44:23,567 --> 00:44:24,701 -Oh! -[Arcelia] Oh, oh! 943 00:44:24,868 --> 00:44:26,267 -[Josuhé] Are you OK? -I'm OK! 944 00:44:26,267 --> 00:44:27,467 Holy [bleep]. 945 00:44:27,634 --> 00:44:28,467 Sorry, I slipped. 946 00:44:32,267 --> 00:44:34,100 -OK. -[Arcelia] OK, we're here. 947 00:44:34,267 --> 00:44:35,801 -All right. -[Arcelia] All right. 948 00:44:35,968 --> 00:44:36,968 Well, that was exciting. 949 00:44:38,100 --> 00:44:39,400 [Josh] Two down, one to go. 950 00:44:41,400 --> 00:44:42,400 OK, nice and slow. 951 00:44:44,868 --> 00:44:46,334 Good, good, good. A little further. 952 00:44:48,801 --> 00:44:50,667 [Josuhé] Here we are. 953 00:44:50,834 --> 00:44:52,601 Good job. 954 00:44:52,767 --> 00:44:54,200 All right, we're down. 955 00:44:54,367 --> 00:44:55,868 Let's see what's down here with us. 956 00:44:56,033 --> 00:44:57,267 [Josuhé] Yeah. 957 00:45:00,567 --> 00:45:01,567 Oh, wow. 958 00:45:01,734 --> 00:45:03,167 [Josh] We're not alone in here, for sure. 959 00:45:03,167 --> 00:45:05,934 -Ah, you can see bats are roosting up there. -[Arcelia] Yeah. 960 00:45:08,400 --> 00:45:09,901 [Josh] Is that a chamber down there or what? 961 00:45:10,067 --> 00:45:13,100 [Josuhé] Oh, it's possible. Oh, wow, there's pottery. 962 00:45:13,267 --> 00:45:15,300 Oh! It's a complete pottery. 963 00:45:15,467 --> 00:45:17,601 -Is it actually complete? -[Josuhé] Yes. 964 00:45:17,767 --> 00:45:19,767 -[Josh] No! -[Josuhé] Oh, wow. 965 00:45:19,934 --> 00:45:22,267 -[Josh] Oh, my God. -[Josuhé] Yes. 966 00:45:22,434 --> 00:45:26,667 There's not a crack in it. That is perfectly preserved. 967 00:45:26,667 --> 00:45:29,267 It's that fine orange Zoque pottery, yes? 968 00:45:29,267 --> 00:45:31,100 Right -- and do you see the decorations? 969 00:45:31,100 --> 00:45:35,367 [Josh] Yes, so this is covered in these small ceramic spikes. 970 00:45:35,367 --> 00:45:38,868 Yes -- these are thorns of the ceiba tree. 971 00:45:38,868 --> 00:45:41,167 Oh, the trees that we saw at -- 972 00:45:41,167 --> 00:45:44,067 [Josuhé] Iglesia Vieja. Yes. 973 00:45:44,234 --> 00:45:46,767 [Arcelia] And there was probably here, a big stalactite, and it was 974 00:45:46,934 --> 00:45:49,067 dripping water inside the vessel. 975 00:45:49,234 --> 00:45:50,567 [Josh] Which it's doing still now. 976 00:45:50,567 --> 00:45:53,200 A thousand-plus years later, there's water in here. 977 00:45:53,367 --> 00:45:56,467 [Arcelia] Wow. The ceiba tree connected the three levels 978 00:45:56,634 --> 00:45:58,601 of the universe -- the heavens, 979 00:45:58,767 --> 00:46:00,100 Earth, and the underworld. 980 00:46:00,100 --> 00:46:03,701 And both the ceiba tree and the cave are pathways 981 00:46:03,868 --> 00:46:04,934 to the underworld. -Right. 982 00:46:04,934 --> 00:46:06,601 -And maybe literally, right? -[Arcelia] Maybe. 983 00:46:06,767 --> 00:46:08,067 Because look where we've come to. 984 00:46:08,234 --> 00:46:09,767 -[Arcelia] Yeah. -And where this sits. 985 00:46:09,934 --> 00:46:12,767 And by the way, this looks like it keeps going, like it 986 00:46:12,767 --> 00:46:14,767 is a pathway. Does that go down further? 987 00:46:16,367 --> 00:46:17,667 -[Josuhé] Oh, it continues. -It does? 988 00:46:17,834 --> 00:46:19,801 -Really? -[Josuhé] It's so much deeper. 989 00:46:19,968 --> 00:46:21,801 -[Josh] Is it a passage? -[Josuhé] Yeah, it looks like that. 990 00:46:21,968 --> 00:46:25,467 -[Arcelia] Wow. -[Josh] Oh, it goes way down. Look at that. 991 00:46:25,467 --> 00:46:28,300 And by the way, look at this natural formation here, right? 992 00:46:28,467 --> 00:46:31,167 -[Arcelia] Wow -- yeah. -These stalactites look like fangs. 993 00:46:31,167 --> 00:46:33,601 This looks like a mouth going down into the earth. 994 00:46:33,767 --> 00:46:36,501 [Arcelia] Yes. And the Zoque might have thought the same thing. 995 00:46:36,667 --> 00:46:37,968 [Josh] Right, exactly. Maybe that's why that vessel 996 00:46:38,133 --> 00:46:39,501 is right there. 997 00:46:39,501 --> 00:46:42,167 [Arcelia] Having this shape like the open mouth of the jaguar 998 00:46:42,167 --> 00:46:44,567 symbolizes the entrance to the underworld. 999 00:46:44,734 --> 00:46:47,000 And it really is imposing looking down there into 1000 00:46:47,000 --> 00:46:48,501 that darkness. 1001 00:46:48,667 --> 00:46:52,300 [Josh] The Zoque put great spiritual value on natural formations 1002 00:46:52,467 --> 00:46:54,267 with animalistic shapes. 1003 00:46:54,267 --> 00:46:56,200 These stalactites, which look like 1004 00:46:56,367 --> 00:46:59,300 open jaws, act as a terrifying portal 1005 00:46:59,467 --> 00:47:01,567 into complete darkness below. 1006 00:47:01,734 --> 00:47:04,667 The question is, how far does it go? 1007 00:47:04,834 --> 00:47:06,667 Should we go into the mouth of the jaguar here? 1008 00:47:06,834 --> 00:47:08,367 -[Arcelia] Yes, let's go. -[Josuhé] Let's go to the underworld. 1009 00:47:08,534 --> 00:47:09,734 [Josh] Let's go to the underworld. 1010 00:47:11,601 --> 00:47:14,200 I feel like I'm climbing into the jaws of death here. 1011 00:47:18,701 --> 00:47:19,868 Real muddy and slippery. 1012 00:47:21,000 --> 00:47:23,767 Oh, it really does go way down, doesn't it? 1013 00:47:23,934 --> 00:47:26,000 Oh [bleep]! Come here! 1014 00:47:26,167 --> 00:47:27,067 Hey, come here! Get a camera here! 1015 00:47:27,234 --> 00:47:28,667 Come here! Look at this! 1016 00:47:31,100 --> 00:47:34,367 -Ho-ho! Oh, my God! -[Arcelia] Wow! 1017 00:47:34,367 --> 00:47:35,467 What? 1018 00:47:35,467 --> 00:47:36,467 Oh! 1019 00:47:37,567 --> 00:47:39,467 -Oh, my! -Oh, wow -- it's a jaguar. 1020 00:47:39,467 --> 00:47:42,667 -It's literally a jaguar. -Wow. 1021 00:47:42,667 --> 00:47:45,767 [Josh] You can see the tail, and those are the claws. 1022 00:47:45,767 --> 00:47:47,667 -[Arcelia] Yeah. -[Josh] And look at his mouth. 1023 00:47:47,667 --> 00:47:49,567 -[Arcelia] You can see the fangs. -Absolutely. 1024 00:47:49,734 --> 00:47:51,067 I mean, it actually scared me. 1025 00:47:51,234 --> 00:47:52,801 Like, I looked over, and it was like this face... 1026 00:47:52,968 --> 00:47:54,767 -Yeah, from up close. -...jumping out of the darkness. 1027 00:47:54,767 --> 00:47:56,767 It's like he's pouncing out of the dark. 1028 00:47:56,934 --> 00:47:59,567 It's the first time that I see something like this. 1029 00:47:59,567 --> 00:48:02,000 [Josh] Here, in what the Zoque considered to be the literal 1030 00:48:02,000 --> 00:48:05,367 passage to the underworld, we've come face to face with 1031 00:48:05,534 --> 00:48:08,067 the avatar of its master, the jaguar. 1032 00:48:09,601 --> 00:48:12,167 Why is this on there? What is this for? 1033 00:48:19,000 --> 00:48:20,367 -Oh, this would be a funeral urn? -[Arcelia] Yeah. 1034 00:48:20,367 --> 00:48:22,100 -Yes, for funeral purposes. -It can be, yes. 1035 00:48:22,100 --> 00:48:23,534 Is there anything in there? 1036 00:48:24,667 --> 00:48:29,567 [Josh] Yes. It's like three-quarters filled with dark, dark soil. 1037 00:48:29,734 --> 00:48:31,400 So you think that's human remains? 1038 00:48:31,567 --> 00:48:34,000 Yes, it's possible. And there is something more. 1039 00:48:34,167 --> 00:48:35,868 Oh, behind it, there's another vessel. 1040 00:48:36,033 --> 00:48:36,968 Oh, wow. Yes. 1041 00:48:37,133 --> 00:48:39,067 -Is it another urn? -It's another urn. 1042 00:48:39,234 --> 00:48:40,667 Yes. It looks like it's tipped. 1043 00:48:40,667 --> 00:48:42,868 Does that also have an animal on it? 1044 00:48:43,033 --> 00:48:45,300 -Looks like a bird. -[Josh] Oh, it does look like a bird. 1045 00:48:45,467 --> 00:48:47,400 We can see the beak. We can see the feathers. 1046 00:48:47,567 --> 00:48:49,767 -[Josh] Is it an eagle? -[Josuhé] It's like, an owl. 1047 00:48:49,767 --> 00:48:51,033 Oh, an owl. 1048 00:48:51,033 --> 00:48:54,667 An owl is also associated with the cave, with the night, 1049 00:48:54,834 --> 00:48:56,367 and with the underworld. -Right. 1050 00:48:56,534 --> 00:48:58,868 Looking at these figures, they're animals, but they also 1051 00:48:59,033 --> 00:49:00,133 look sort of human. 1052 00:49:00,133 --> 00:49:02,300 Like with the jaguar, the way it's standing, 1053 00:49:02,467 --> 00:49:03,968 it's almost human. 1054 00:49:04,133 --> 00:49:07,167 Yes, because in sacred places like this cave, 1055 00:49:07,334 --> 00:49:10,067 the line between humans and animals 1056 00:49:10,234 --> 00:49:11,667 get blurred together. -[Josh] Right. 1057 00:49:11,667 --> 00:49:16,200 So it is possible for humans to harness the power of animals 1058 00:49:16,367 --> 00:49:18,267 like the owl and like the jaguar. 1059 00:49:18,434 --> 00:49:19,701 Right. Right. 1060 00:49:19,701 --> 00:49:22,868 So if this is a funerary urn, we have someone's remains in 1061 00:49:23,033 --> 00:49:26,767 there, and they are now, like, connected to the jaguar. 1062 00:49:26,767 --> 00:49:28,167 We're in this, like, nesting doll 1063 00:49:28,167 --> 00:49:29,367 of mythology now, right? 1064 00:49:29,534 --> 00:49:31,467 We've come into the cave, then into the mouth 1065 00:49:31,634 --> 00:49:32,567 of the jaguar. 1066 00:49:32,567 --> 00:49:34,767 Now we're looking at the jaguar. 1067 00:49:34,767 --> 00:49:37,567 Lord of the underworld. Nice to meet you. 1068 00:49:38,567 --> 00:49:40,200 -Should we keep going? -Let's keep going. 1069 00:49:40,367 --> 00:49:41,801 [Josuhé] Yeah. Let's see. 1070 00:49:41,801 --> 00:49:45,100 [Josh] The Zoque left these offerings here to some of the darkest, 1071 00:49:45,267 --> 00:49:47,701 most powerful forces in their world. 1072 00:49:47,868 --> 00:49:51,601 And now, 1,300 years later, we have rediscovered them. 1073 00:49:53,000 --> 00:49:56,567 But this cave system goes even deeper underground. 1074 00:49:56,734 --> 00:49:59,734 -And to find more, so must we. -[Arcelia] Wow. 1075 00:50:02,200 --> 00:50:03,801 Tight squeeze. Here we go. 1076 00:50:03,968 --> 00:50:05,100 Oh, it's muddy in here. 1077 00:50:06,200 --> 00:50:07,901 -[Arcelia] Wow. -[Josh] Look at this hole. 1078 00:50:08,067 --> 00:50:09,367 -What is that? -[Arcelia] I don't know. 1079 00:50:12,868 --> 00:50:15,567 -There's another chamber. -That looks miserable. 1080 00:50:15,567 --> 00:50:17,901 Oh, we're going to get really muddy. 1081 00:50:18,067 --> 00:50:18,968 OK, let's do this. 1082 00:50:21,367 --> 00:50:22,300 Oh, it's just... 1083 00:50:23,501 --> 00:50:24,701 a mud bath. 1084 00:50:27,167 --> 00:50:28,100 OK, here we go. 1085 00:50:29,367 --> 00:50:31,100 I'm gonna try to back into it. 1086 00:50:31,267 --> 00:50:34,167 It's a really low ceiling, and there's some 1087 00:50:34,167 --> 00:50:35,267 small stalactites hanging down. 1088 00:50:43,167 --> 00:50:44,367 -Oh. -[Arcelia] Watch your head. 1089 00:50:44,534 --> 00:50:45,667 [Josh] OK. 1090 00:50:48,901 --> 00:50:49,901 Great. 1091 00:50:50,968 --> 00:50:52,100 Oh, it's muddy. 1092 00:50:54,100 --> 00:50:55,267 [Josh] Let me see. 1093 00:50:57,567 --> 00:50:58,567 Oh, it's wet. 1094 00:51:00,901 --> 00:51:03,000 Ho -- oh, my God. 1095 00:51:07,467 --> 00:51:09,701 Oh, it's muddy and wet. 1096 00:51:13,100 --> 00:51:15,000 [Josh] Let me see. 1097 00:51:15,167 --> 00:51:18,567 [Josh] We're exploring a Mexican cave system to find artifacts of 1098 00:51:18,567 --> 00:51:21,501 the ancient Zoque, who mysteriously abandoned 1099 00:51:21,667 --> 00:51:23,968 their cities over 1,300 years ago. 1100 00:51:25,367 --> 00:51:26,767 [Josh] Oh, my God. 1101 00:51:26,934 --> 00:51:29,200 It's another chamber, but it's flooded. 1102 00:51:29,367 --> 00:51:32,167 -It's like a lake. -[Arcelia] Oh, no. 1103 00:51:32,334 --> 00:51:36,367 It is incredible in here. It's totally flooded, though. 1104 00:51:37,801 --> 00:51:39,667 Come on down. You're gonna love it. 1105 00:51:39,834 --> 00:51:40,901 OK, I'm coming down. 1106 00:51:46,367 --> 00:51:47,367 Oh. 1107 00:51:51,267 --> 00:51:52,901 -It's amazing. -It's amazing. 1108 00:51:55,367 --> 00:51:58,200 Arcelia joins me on the banks of a remarkable 1109 00:51:58,367 --> 00:51:59,601 underground lake. 1110 00:51:59,767 --> 00:52:02,501 But what's on the other side, we don't yet know, 1111 00:52:02,667 --> 00:52:05,567 until Josuhé manages to squeeze into the space with us. 1112 00:52:07,868 --> 00:52:09,767 [grunts] Oh, wow. 1113 00:52:11,167 --> 00:52:13,567 -Oh, my God, what is this? -[Josh] I know, right? 1114 00:52:13,734 --> 00:52:15,767 I think most of this is underwater 1115 00:52:15,934 --> 00:52:17,467 most of the time, right? -[Arcelia] Yeah. 1116 00:52:17,634 --> 00:52:19,367 And I think this is just what's left, the rain that 1117 00:52:19,367 --> 00:52:20,901 hasn't evaporated yet. 1118 00:52:21,067 --> 00:52:24,667 But it looks like there's kind of a beach up over here almost. 1119 00:52:26,801 --> 00:52:30,267 [Josh] The dry season here in Chiapas has been verging on drought. 1120 00:52:30,267 --> 00:52:33,100 This chamber, which might well be flooded to the ceiling 1121 00:52:33,267 --> 00:52:36,300 during the rainy months, may now be passable. 1122 00:52:36,467 --> 00:52:38,901 So we set out for the opposite shore. 1123 00:52:39,067 --> 00:52:40,367 -[Arcelia] OK. -[Josh] Watch your head! 1124 00:52:40,367 --> 00:52:42,467 -This is very sharp. -There's some rocks. 1125 00:52:44,667 --> 00:52:45,667 [sloshing] 1126 00:52:45,834 --> 00:52:47,000 OK. 1127 00:52:49,467 --> 00:52:51,501 Careful! It's very, very slippery. 1128 00:52:52,868 --> 00:52:54,567 -Oh. -[Josuhé] Oh, wow! 1129 00:52:54,567 --> 00:52:57,601 -[Arcelia] What a formation! -[Josh] It's a waterfall! 1130 00:52:57,767 --> 00:52:59,467 How "Goonies" is this? 1131 00:53:00,601 --> 00:53:02,167 Oh, it's amazing! 1132 00:53:02,334 --> 00:53:06,167 Just cascading down over this amazing formation. 1133 00:53:08,501 --> 00:53:10,267 It is so otherworldly looking. 1134 00:53:10,434 --> 00:53:13,167 Imagine being down here and seeing this by torchlight. 1135 00:53:13,334 --> 00:53:15,667 -Yeah. -It would be insane! 1136 00:53:15,834 --> 00:53:17,067 The question is, where is it coming from? 1137 00:53:18,501 --> 00:53:20,501 -Follow the water. -Follow the water. 1138 00:53:20,667 --> 00:53:21,601 Absolutely. Let's go! Come on! 1139 00:53:25,801 --> 00:53:26,801 Let's see where this leads. 1140 00:53:31,567 --> 00:53:33,667 [Josh] First an underground lake, and now 1141 00:53:33,834 --> 00:53:35,367 an underground waterfall. 1142 00:53:35,367 --> 00:53:37,701 It's like these caves are trying to fulfill every 1143 00:53:37,868 --> 00:53:40,100 "Goonies" fantasy I had as a kid. 1144 00:53:40,100 --> 00:53:43,367 We struggle up to the water's source to continue chasing 1145 00:53:43,534 --> 00:53:44,767 this ancient mystery. 1146 00:53:44,934 --> 00:53:45,901 Up, up, up. 1147 00:53:47,367 --> 00:53:49,200 Oh, there's an offering. 1148 00:53:49,367 --> 00:53:50,901 -There's an offering. -[Josuhé] Oh, my God. 1149 00:53:51,067 --> 00:53:52,167 -[Arcelia] Really? -Holy [bleep]. 1150 00:53:52,334 --> 00:53:53,567 Look at the size of this room! 1151 00:53:53,734 --> 00:53:55,367 -[Arcelia] It's incredible. -[Josuhé] It's huge. 1152 00:53:55,367 --> 00:53:57,968 [Josh] Oh, my God. This place is enormous. 1153 00:53:58,133 --> 00:53:59,133 Look at this. 1154 00:53:59,133 --> 00:54:01,367 Look at the size of this curtain formation. 1155 00:54:01,367 --> 00:54:04,367 [Arcelia] Wow. It's a beautiful formation. 1156 00:54:04,534 --> 00:54:06,467 And again, we have these offerings connected with 1157 00:54:06,634 --> 00:54:10,267 a new space that's also flooded and just keeps on going 1158 00:54:10,267 --> 00:54:13,100 and going in the darkness, right? -[Josuhé] Yes. 1159 00:54:13,267 --> 00:54:16,100 [Josh] Ahead of us is nothing but the purest night, 1160 00:54:16,267 --> 00:54:18,100 the underworld itself. 1161 00:54:18,100 --> 00:54:21,000 It makes us deeply uneasy to push forward. 1162 00:54:21,167 --> 00:54:22,367 How deep is this, is the question, is it -- 1163 00:54:22,534 --> 00:54:24,567 [Arcelia] Let's see. 1164 00:54:24,567 --> 00:54:26,501 -[Josh] Oh, boy. -[Josuhé] Can't see anything there. 1165 00:54:26,667 --> 00:54:28,868 -I know. -No, but I feel something. 1166 00:54:28,868 --> 00:54:30,667 -It's muddy -- oh. -It's muddy. 1167 00:54:30,834 --> 00:54:32,467 [Josuhé] Oh, oh... 1168 00:54:32,634 --> 00:54:33,567 It's really cold. 1169 00:54:35,267 --> 00:54:37,100 -OK. -You have to find your footing. 1170 00:54:37,267 --> 00:54:38,167 [Josh] I know. Be very careful. 1171 00:54:38,334 --> 00:54:41,067 It's like almost knee-deep mud. 1172 00:54:41,234 --> 00:54:42,701 So hard to move through this. 1173 00:54:45,167 --> 00:54:47,167 It's just like an underground river. 1174 00:54:47,167 --> 00:54:49,701 Let's just follow it along, see where it goes. 1175 00:54:52,167 --> 00:54:53,300 Careful, it gets deep over here. 1176 00:54:55,167 --> 00:54:56,267 Another pot here to the left. 1177 00:54:57,467 --> 00:54:59,767 [Josh] Greek myths tell of the river Styx, 1178 00:54:59,934 --> 00:55:02,567 which ran through their underworld of Hades. 1179 00:55:02,734 --> 00:55:06,400 And here is the Zoque's version, just as mythic in its scope, 1180 00:55:06,567 --> 00:55:08,100 but eerily real. 1181 00:55:08,100 --> 00:55:10,234 Just beckoning us forward. 1182 00:55:12,701 --> 00:55:15,601 I mean, just take this in for a second. 1183 00:55:17,000 --> 00:55:19,167 Have you ever seen anything like this? 1184 00:55:19,167 --> 00:55:20,467 [Josuhé] No, the first time. 1185 00:55:20,634 --> 00:55:23,167 [epic music playing] 1186 00:55:25,567 --> 00:55:27,901 -Wow. -[Josh] It's amazing, like a cathedral. 1187 00:55:28,067 --> 00:55:29,767 -[Josuhé] Spectacular. -[Josh] It is spectacular. 1188 00:55:31,067 --> 00:55:32,801 It is absolutely spectacular. 1189 00:55:35,000 --> 00:55:36,067 OK, here we go. 1190 00:55:45,067 --> 00:55:46,167 OK, it's getting shallower. 1191 00:55:47,801 --> 00:55:48,801 It goes up. 1192 00:55:52,167 --> 00:55:53,267 [Arcelia] Do you see anything? 1193 00:55:55,467 --> 00:55:57,667 I think there's another chamber up here. 1194 00:55:57,667 --> 00:55:59,567 -[Josuhé] Another chamber? -[Josh] Maybe the last chamber. 1195 00:55:59,734 --> 00:56:01,100 It looks like a dead end. It's a big room. 1196 00:56:07,467 --> 00:56:09,000 Careful, there's a drop-off here on the left. 1197 00:56:10,167 --> 00:56:13,300 -Oh, my Lord! -Wow, what is that? 1198 00:56:14,567 --> 00:56:17,100 -[gasps] -- what a masterpiece! -What on earth? 1199 00:56:17,267 --> 00:56:18,100 [Arcelia] Oh! 1200 00:56:22,200 --> 00:56:23,200 [Josh] What on earth? 1201 00:56:24,567 --> 00:56:26,367 [Josuhé speaking] 1202 00:56:26,367 --> 00:56:27,367 [Josh] Look at this. 1203 00:56:28,567 --> 00:56:30,901 This is absolutely incredible. 1204 00:56:32,167 --> 00:56:34,567 I never seen anything like this. 1205 00:56:34,567 --> 00:56:37,667 I don't think anybody has, because it's been hiding down 1206 00:56:37,834 --> 00:56:40,167 here for a thousand years. Wow. 1207 00:56:40,334 --> 00:56:43,367 Look at all the different types of ceramics here. 1208 00:56:43,534 --> 00:56:45,400 And by the way, they're all around us. 1209 00:56:45,567 --> 00:56:46,767 -They're behind us. -[Arcelia] They're here... 1210 00:56:46,767 --> 00:56:48,100 [Josh] There's pots over here. 1211 00:56:48,100 --> 00:56:50,567 There's literally a half a dozen pots behind me. 1212 00:56:50,567 --> 00:56:53,200 I mean, they are everywhere you look. 1213 00:56:53,367 --> 00:56:56,467 There must be a hundred individual vessels here. 1214 00:56:57,801 --> 00:57:01,367 [Josh] This cave is not a mere find, it's a career. 1215 00:57:01,367 --> 00:57:04,467 There's enough here to fill a museum, to study 1216 00:57:04,467 --> 00:57:05,868 for a lifetime. 1217 00:57:05,868 --> 00:57:08,501 The sheer volume of this cave is unlike anything 1218 00:57:08,667 --> 00:57:10,801 I have ever experienced. 1219 00:57:10,968 --> 00:57:14,100 But even surrounded by priceless relics, there's one 1220 00:57:14,100 --> 00:57:17,267 piece of pristine pottery that catches our eye. 1221 00:57:17,267 --> 00:57:19,601 Look at how fine the quality is of this. 1222 00:57:19,767 --> 00:57:20,968 [indistinct] 1223 00:57:21,133 --> 00:57:23,601 -Is it a snake? -[Josuhé] This is a snake. 1224 00:57:23,767 --> 00:57:25,400 [Arcelia] Has the fangs. 1225 00:57:25,567 --> 00:57:27,100 [Josh] Yes, there are fangs there and almost a horn 1226 00:57:27,100 --> 00:57:28,868 on top as well. 1227 00:57:28,868 --> 00:57:32,067 [Josh] This is an ancient ceramic incense burner used for 1228 00:57:32,234 --> 00:57:35,667 the ritual lighting of copal, the aromatic resin of 1229 00:57:35,834 --> 00:57:38,801 the sacred Ceiba tree we saw depicted in jars 1230 00:57:38,968 --> 00:57:40,100 near the entrance. 1231 00:57:40,100 --> 00:57:41,968 So when they lit this, smoke would have come out 1232 00:57:42,133 --> 00:57:43,367 of its mouth. 1233 00:57:43,534 --> 00:57:46,067 What's the significance, you think, of the snake? 1234 00:57:46,234 --> 00:57:50,000 -The snake is a very lethal animal, and the people -[Josh] Mm-hmm. 1235 00:57:50,167 --> 00:57:54,267 could transform into the snake in order to communicate with 1236 00:57:54,267 --> 00:57:56,567 the entities of this cave. 1237 00:57:56,734 --> 00:57:59,767 The snake is so powerful that it lets you talk to 1238 00:57:59,934 --> 00:58:02,000 this other realm. -[Josuhé] Yes, like the jaguar. 1239 00:58:02,167 --> 00:58:05,200 Like the jaguar. This belongs in a museum. 1240 00:58:05,367 --> 00:58:06,801 This is amazing. 1241 00:58:08,901 --> 00:58:11,100 That has to be one of the finest pieces of 1242 00:58:11,100 --> 00:58:13,267 Zoque culture I have ever seen. -[Arcelia] Yeah. 1243 00:58:13,434 --> 00:58:14,601 [Josuhé] Yes. 1244 00:58:14,601 --> 00:58:16,901 [Josh] This burner may be the best preserved example 1245 00:58:17,067 --> 00:58:19,567 of its kind ever found. 1246 00:58:19,567 --> 00:58:21,701 It will no doubt sit prominently in 1247 00:58:21,868 --> 00:58:23,167 a Mexican museum. 1248 00:58:23,167 --> 00:58:25,267 But we, and you, are the first people 1249 00:58:25,434 --> 00:58:28,467 in over 1,300 years to see it. 1250 00:58:28,634 --> 00:58:31,767 This and everything else in this cave of wonders. 1251 00:58:31,767 --> 00:58:33,267 Why is all of this here, do you think? 1252 00:58:33,434 --> 00:58:35,667 I think it has to do with water. 1253 00:58:35,667 --> 00:58:38,067 With water. Certainly, we have seen 1254 00:58:38,234 --> 00:58:39,901 connections with water all along the way. 1255 00:58:40,067 --> 00:58:41,968 We've seen vessels collecting water. 1256 00:58:42,133 --> 00:58:45,601 -We've seen this sacred tree that is connected to water. -Yeah. 1257 00:58:45,767 --> 00:58:48,267 -The jaguar connected to the underworld... -[Arcelia] Yes. 1258 00:58:48,434 --> 00:58:49,601 ...which is connected to water. 1259 00:58:49,767 --> 00:58:53,000 So it does seem like there's a link there. 1260 00:58:53,000 --> 00:58:55,601 And the thing I can't stop thinking about now 1261 00:58:55,767 --> 00:58:57,067 is where we are, right? -[Arcelia] Yeah. 1262 00:58:57,234 --> 00:59:00,501 Because that tunnel that we came through that was 1263 00:59:00,667 --> 00:59:04,467 flooded, we know that this whole part of the cavern 1264 00:59:04,467 --> 00:59:06,968 should be inaccessible. -Absolutely. 1265 00:59:07,133 --> 00:59:09,367 If there was any water at all, you would not be able to 1266 00:59:09,367 --> 00:59:10,767 get down here. -Yeah. 1267 00:59:10,934 --> 00:59:14,167 So the fact that the Zoque made it here, the fact that 1268 00:59:14,334 --> 00:59:18,167 they were standing in this room and all these other rooms, 1269 00:59:18,167 --> 00:59:20,968 means there was no water here. -Exactly. 1270 00:59:21,133 --> 00:59:23,567 -This place must have been bone-dry. -Yeah. 1271 00:59:23,734 --> 00:59:26,367 [Josh] This means that the pots we saw near the water line in 1272 00:59:26,534 --> 00:59:29,367 the underground river would have originally been placed 1273 00:59:29,367 --> 00:59:31,667 someplace dry, maybe at a time 1274 00:59:31,667 --> 00:59:34,000 when the river wasn't here at all. 1275 00:59:34,167 --> 00:59:36,567 It must have been so dry for them that they were able to 1276 00:59:36,734 --> 00:59:38,901 come down here again and again and make these offerings. 1277 00:59:39,067 --> 00:59:40,033 [Arcelia] Yes. 1278 00:59:40,200 --> 00:59:41,400 [Josuhé] There might have been a drought. 1279 00:59:41,567 --> 00:59:42,467 Right. 1280 00:59:47,400 --> 00:59:50,100 [Josh] To the Zoque, the caves we're walking through are 1281 00:59:50,100 --> 00:59:52,000 literally the underworld. 1282 00:59:52,167 --> 00:59:54,267 Josuhé believes the Zoque came here 1283 00:59:54,267 --> 00:59:57,167 from stricken cities like Iglesia Vieja 1284 00:59:57,334 --> 01:00:01,167 and crawled into death itself to beg for water. 1285 01:00:01,167 --> 01:00:03,267 So to come all that way and leave this 1286 01:00:03,267 --> 01:00:06,567 big an offering... -You must really need it. 1287 01:00:06,567 --> 01:00:08,901 [Josh] Yes, you must really need it. 1288 01:00:09,067 --> 01:00:11,667 Is this the evidence of what destroyed them right here 1289 01:00:11,834 --> 01:00:14,100 in front of us? A lack of water? 1290 01:00:14,100 --> 01:00:15,501 [Josuhé speaking] 1291 01:00:24,400 --> 01:00:26,567 That's right, and the minute you don't have that water, 1292 01:00:26,734 --> 01:00:29,467 forget your cities, right? -[Josuhé] Forget everything. 1293 01:00:29,634 --> 01:00:32,167 Maybe they need to go to the origins. 1294 01:00:32,334 --> 01:00:34,167 [Josh] Back to the jungle, back to the canyons, 1295 01:00:34,334 --> 01:00:35,601 the rivers, the caves. 1296 01:00:37,400 --> 01:00:39,100 [Josh] That's right. 1297 01:00:39,267 --> 01:00:43,167 And back to these powerful deities that can hopefully 1298 01:00:43,167 --> 01:00:44,667 provide for them. -[Arcelia] Yes. 1299 01:00:46,801 --> 01:00:48,067 [Josh] That's right. 1300 01:00:48,067 --> 01:00:50,567 You can take all your cities and your civilization and all 1301 01:00:50,567 --> 01:00:54,100 of it, and you can kiss it goodbye if Mother Nature 1302 01:00:54,100 --> 01:00:55,167 changes the plan. 1303 01:00:55,167 --> 01:00:56,334 -[Arcelia] Yes. -That's right. 1304 01:00:57,968 --> 01:01:00,667 [Josh] Josuhé, Arcelia, and their colleagues will be 1305 01:01:00,834 --> 01:01:04,567 spending years examining these caves to understand the story 1306 01:01:04,734 --> 01:01:08,000 they tell about the Zoque's rise and fall. 1307 01:01:08,167 --> 01:01:10,501 But here, now, this glimpse has 1308 01:01:10,667 --> 01:01:12,868 revealed more than we ever dreamed of. 1309 01:01:14,501 --> 01:01:18,901 The caves here in Chiapas are a distress call from the past, 1310 01:01:19,067 --> 01:01:22,200 a plea from the Zoque to their guardian spirits to 1311 01:01:22,367 --> 01:01:25,100 preserve them and their way of life. 1312 01:01:25,267 --> 01:01:27,968 It may seem as if those prayers went unanswered 1313 01:01:28,133 --> 01:01:31,801 and their way of life ended, but a funny thing happened on 1314 01:01:31,968 --> 01:01:33,400 the way to extinction. 1315 01:01:33,567 --> 01:01:36,567 During the drought that Josuhé believes forced the Zoque out 1316 01:01:36,567 --> 01:01:39,367 of their major cities, they moved further into 1317 01:01:39,367 --> 01:01:43,167 the mountains and adapted, surviving in much 1318 01:01:43,167 --> 01:01:44,667 smaller communities. 1319 01:01:44,834 --> 01:01:47,200 They endured through the rise of the Aztecs in 1320 01:01:47,367 --> 01:01:51,200 the 14th century and even after the arrival of the Spanish in 1321 01:01:51,367 --> 01:01:54,968 the 16th, never again becoming the urban powerhouse 1322 01:01:55,133 --> 01:01:59,501 they once were, but remaining a distinct people and culture. 1323 01:01:59,667 --> 01:02:03,868 Their modern descendants still reside here, the Zoque language 1324 01:02:03,868 --> 01:02:07,000 and many of their traditions intact today. 1325 01:02:07,000 --> 01:02:10,300 Somewhere, deep in the underworld, even the jaguar 1326 01:02:10,467 --> 01:02:11,567 must be smiling.