1 00:00:01,958 --> 00:00:04,375 - Tonight, one of the most puzzling 2 00:00:04,375 --> 00:00:07,042 archeological sites on Earth. 3 00:00:07,042 --> 00:00:10,125 - Machu Picchu is a very mysterious place. 4 00:00:10,125 --> 00:00:12,292 Why build a city here? 5 00:00:12,292 --> 00:00:14,417 - People keep digging for answers, 6 00:00:14,417 --> 00:00:17,375 and for some it's even become an obsession. 7 00:00:17,375 --> 00:00:21,958 - 500-year-old secrets hidden in skeletons and stone. 8 00:00:21,958 --> 00:00:25,542 - Some of the skulls that were found didn't even look human. 9 00:00:25,542 --> 00:00:29,042 - It could be the most important archeological find on Earth. 10 00:00:29,042 --> 00:00:30,875 - You look at these single stones 11 00:00:30,875 --> 00:00:32,917 and see how perfectly they're fit. 12 00:00:32,917 --> 00:00:35,375 There's not a good explanation 13 00:00:35,375 --> 00:00:38,333 for how people were able to do that. 14 00:00:38,333 --> 00:00:40,542 - Now, we explore the top theories surrounding one 15 00:00:40,542 --> 00:00:44,208 of the ancient world's most enduring riddles. 16 00:00:44,208 --> 00:00:45,792 - How did they develop 17 00:00:45,792 --> 00:00:49,292 such an accurate understanding of time and space? 18 00:00:49,292 --> 00:00:52,333 - Some people think that there's a much more ancient history 19 00:00:52,333 --> 00:00:54,500 to Machu Picchu we're unaware of. 20 00:00:54,500 --> 00:00:58,958 - Who built this astonishing complex and why? 21 00:00:58,958 --> 00:01:01,292 [mysterious music] 22 00:01:12,667 --> 00:01:16,375 - [Laurence] It's the morning of July 24th, 1911. 23 00:01:16,375 --> 00:01:18,208 Deep in the jungles of Peru, 24 00:01:18,208 --> 00:01:21,000 Yale University Professor Hiram Bingham is 25 00:01:21,000 --> 00:01:24,292 on a quest to find an infamous lost city. 26 00:01:25,375 --> 00:01:28,542 - There's a story from 400 years ago 27 00:01:28,542 --> 00:01:31,625 about the end of the Inca Empire, 28 00:01:31,625 --> 00:01:34,000 when the Spanish came in and took them over, 29 00:01:34,000 --> 00:01:37,625 that they took all of the king's gold 30 00:01:37,625 --> 00:01:42,542 and hid it in a place that is called Vilcabamba. 31 00:01:44,125 --> 00:01:46,875 And that has become a myth called 32 00:01:46,875 --> 00:01:49,875 the lost city of Inca gold. 33 00:01:49,875 --> 00:01:51,250 - By the turn of the century, 34 00:01:51,250 --> 00:01:53,417 as far as historians were concerned, 35 00:01:53,417 --> 00:01:56,042 Vilcabamba was like Atlantis. 36 00:01:56,042 --> 00:01:57,750 It was a fairytale. 37 00:01:57,750 --> 00:01:59,625 Hiram Bingham disagreed. 38 00:01:59,625 --> 00:02:01,500 He wasn't a trained archeologist. 39 00:02:01,500 --> 00:02:04,875 He was a professor at Yale, but he believed very deeply 40 00:02:04,875 --> 00:02:08,083 that Vilcabamba existed and that it could be found. 41 00:02:09,000 --> 00:02:11,083 - There was still persistent talk 42 00:02:11,083 --> 00:02:14,000 by the time Bingham made his first journeys 43 00:02:14,000 --> 00:02:16,167 to Peru, about this lost city, 44 00:02:16,167 --> 00:02:19,250 where there was a huge stash of Inca gold. 45 00:02:20,208 --> 00:02:22,542 - When Bingham arrives to Peru in 1911, 46 00:02:22,542 --> 00:02:25,417 he meets with a Peruvian scholar who suggests 47 00:02:25,417 --> 00:02:27,875 that he's seen in maps, information 48 00:02:27,875 --> 00:02:31,000 that there are a series of very impressive Inca sites 49 00:02:31,000 --> 00:02:34,208 along the Urubamba River. 50 00:02:34,208 --> 00:02:36,875 - [Laurence] Beginning on July 19th, 1911, 51 00:02:36,875 --> 00:02:38,833 Bingham's team bushwhacks its way 52 00:02:38,833 --> 00:02:40,875 through perilous jungle terrain, 53 00:02:40,875 --> 00:02:43,375 determined to find the lost city. 54 00:02:44,208 --> 00:02:46,750 - He has to this deadly river, 55 00:02:46,750 --> 00:02:50,500 and then up this steep, jungle-covered hillside 56 00:02:50,500 --> 00:02:53,125 that's infested with poisonous snakes. 57 00:02:54,458 --> 00:02:57,375 - When he finally reaches the top elevation, 58 00:02:57,375 --> 00:03:01,083 he's expecting something that would be striking immediately. 59 00:03:01,083 --> 00:03:03,833 And it's just essentially a farm. 60 00:03:03,833 --> 00:03:07,167 It doesn't have the immediate gut punch 61 00:03:07,167 --> 00:03:09,250 that he was looking for. 62 00:03:09,250 --> 00:03:11,833 - [Laurence] That is, until he turns a corner 63 00:03:11,833 --> 00:03:14,292 and takes in a shocking sight. 64 00:03:14,292 --> 00:03:15,583 - He can tell that 65 00:03:15,583 --> 00:03:18,667 there's approximately 200 stone structures 66 00:03:18,667 --> 00:03:20,708 that are buried underneath the foliage. 67 00:03:21,708 --> 00:03:24,250 - Bingham is somewhat impressed by the site 68 00:03:24,250 --> 00:03:26,708 that is nevertheless still covered by the forest. 69 00:03:26,708 --> 00:03:29,083 It's unclear to him what is it exactly, 70 00:03:30,042 --> 00:03:34,875 but he senses that this might be the lost city of the Inca. 71 00:03:34,875 --> 00:03:38,208 - It could be the most important archeological find on Earth. 72 00:03:39,500 --> 00:03:40,875 - [Laurence] Bingham and his team go on 73 00:03:40,875 --> 00:03:44,542 to uncover five square miles of what are Inca ruins, 74 00:03:44,542 --> 00:03:46,917 dating back several centuries. 75 00:03:46,917 --> 00:03:51,667 Locals tell Bingham the site is called Machu Picchu. 76 00:03:51,667 --> 00:03:55,542 - The Inca are really well known for their incredible stonework, 77 00:03:55,542 --> 00:03:57,708 which is called ashlar masonry, 78 00:03:57,708 --> 00:04:01,708 and the stones fit together perfectly without any mortar. 79 00:04:01,708 --> 00:04:03,542 It's almost like a jigsaw puzzle. 80 00:04:03,542 --> 00:04:06,458 They did not have the advanced technology 81 00:04:06,458 --> 00:04:09,708 that we have today, so it's really a marvel. 82 00:04:09,708 --> 00:04:14,208 - You cannot fit a dollar bill or a razor blade between them. 83 00:04:14,208 --> 00:04:18,208 The technique of fitting these blocks together 84 00:04:18,208 --> 00:04:21,708 baffles archeologists and engineers today. 85 00:04:23,250 --> 00:04:24,750 - [Laurence] Bingham marvels at the structures 86 00:04:24,750 --> 00:04:27,667 that kept Machu Picchu standing for so long, 87 00:04:27,667 --> 00:04:30,792 and wonders if these ruins could be Vilcabamba. 88 00:04:32,208 --> 00:04:35,208 He also notices that a grand plaza separates 89 00:04:35,208 --> 00:04:37,542 the agricultural terraces on one side 90 00:04:37,542 --> 00:04:41,500 and a grid of closely-packed buildings on the other. 91 00:04:41,500 --> 00:04:44,542 - There's a lot of different kinds of architecture 92 00:04:44,542 --> 00:04:47,333 on the site, which suggests that it was used 93 00:04:47,333 --> 00:04:49,583 for a lot of different purposes. 94 00:04:49,583 --> 00:04:53,042 - Machu Picchu is a very mysterious place. 95 00:04:53,042 --> 00:04:55,417 Why build a city here? 96 00:04:55,417 --> 00:04:57,792 Was it an outpost? 97 00:04:57,792 --> 00:05:01,583 Was it a secret agricultural place? 98 00:05:01,583 --> 00:05:04,250 - Because the Incan people had no written language, 99 00:05:04,250 --> 00:05:07,250 we have to rely on what record keeping was kept 100 00:05:07,250 --> 00:05:09,500 by the Spanish conquistadors. 101 00:05:09,500 --> 00:05:11,708 So what took place in Machu Picchu, 102 00:05:11,708 --> 00:05:14,792 what it was used for, remains a mystery to us. 103 00:05:14,792 --> 00:05:18,042 However, Hiram Bingham does have some ideas. 104 00:05:18,042 --> 00:05:20,417 [tense music] 105 00:05:22,500 --> 00:05:24,208 - [Laurence] The Inca Empire was founded 106 00:05:24,208 --> 00:05:25,917 in the early 15th century 107 00:05:25,917 --> 00:05:28,500 by a king named Pachacuti. 108 00:05:28,500 --> 00:05:30,458 - Pachacuti is known 109 00:05:30,458 --> 00:05:32,542 as the Alexander the Great of the Inca Empire. 110 00:05:32,542 --> 00:05:35,333 He's the one that started to expand the Inca state 111 00:05:35,333 --> 00:05:38,083 from being a very small state centered in Cusco, 112 00:05:38,083 --> 00:05:41,000 just suddenly exploding like a supernova across the Andes. 113 00:05:42,375 --> 00:05:44,125 - [Laurence] What started as a tribe 114 00:05:44,125 --> 00:05:46,042 of around 100,000 people 115 00:05:46,042 --> 00:05:49,292 grew over the next a hundred years into an empire 116 00:05:49,292 --> 00:05:51,000 of more than 10 million, 117 00:05:51,000 --> 00:05:54,875 stretching over 2,500 miles from north to south. 118 00:05:55,875 --> 00:05:58,917 - The Incan Empire excels at government, 119 00:05:58,917 --> 00:06:01,417 architecture, agriculture. 120 00:06:01,417 --> 00:06:03,292 And the Incan Empire was celebrated 121 00:06:03,292 --> 00:06:06,583 for the rumored abundance of gold. 122 00:06:06,583 --> 00:06:08,583 - [Laurence] Inspired by rumors of treasure, 123 00:06:08,583 --> 00:06:13,500 Spanish conquistadors arrive in Peru in 1532. 124 00:06:13,500 --> 00:06:16,292 - The Inca Empire will never be the same. 125 00:06:16,292 --> 00:06:18,708 There's no competing with the horses, 126 00:06:18,708 --> 00:06:21,083 with the guns, and the disease. 127 00:06:22,042 --> 00:06:25,458 Smallpox ended up killing 90% of the native population 128 00:06:25,458 --> 00:06:27,042 in all of the Americas. 129 00:06:28,083 --> 00:06:29,625 From the Spanish records, 130 00:06:29,625 --> 00:06:33,042 we know that the last Inca king retreated to Vilcabamba 131 00:06:33,042 --> 00:06:35,042 with about 100 people, 132 00:06:35,042 --> 00:06:40,542 and they evaded Spanish invasion for nearly 40 years. 133 00:06:40,542 --> 00:06:42,125 - [Laurence] Based on Machu Picchu's 134 00:06:42,125 --> 00:06:44,042 nearly inaccessible locale, 135 00:06:44,042 --> 00:06:45,792 this seems like the perfect spot 136 00:06:45,792 --> 00:06:48,167 to hide treasure and people. 137 00:06:50,375 --> 00:06:52,917 - The longer Hiram Bingham studied this site, 138 00:06:52,917 --> 00:06:55,042 the more apparent it became that a large number 139 00:06:55,042 --> 00:06:58,042 of people lived and died at Machu Picchu. 140 00:06:59,208 --> 00:07:00,542 - During Bingham's first expedition, 141 00:07:00,542 --> 00:07:02,458 he only spent a day up at Machu Picchu. 142 00:07:02,458 --> 00:07:03,875 He didn't know what to make of it, 143 00:07:03,875 --> 00:07:05,958 but he came back for two more expeditions 144 00:07:05,958 --> 00:07:08,042 and started doing excavations at Machu Picchu 145 00:07:08,042 --> 00:07:09,208 for the first time. 146 00:07:09,208 --> 00:07:10,542 What is this? 147 00:07:10,542 --> 00:07:12,917 Could this possibly be Vilcabamba? 148 00:07:12,917 --> 00:07:16,042 - [Laurence] Bingham unearths large burial sites. 149 00:07:16,042 --> 00:07:18,542 What he finds appears to confirm his theory 150 00:07:18,542 --> 00:07:21,750 that he's found the lost Inca city. 151 00:07:21,750 --> 00:07:24,250 - Upon examining these graves, 152 00:07:24,250 --> 00:07:25,542 Hiram's team determines 153 00:07:25,542 --> 00:07:28,792 that over 80% of them must be female. 154 00:07:28,792 --> 00:07:31,708 - Through that, he hypothesized 155 00:07:31,708 --> 00:07:35,083 that this was one of the cloisters of chosen women. 156 00:07:36,375 --> 00:07:38,375 - The Incas had a group of women called 157 00:07:38,375 --> 00:07:39,833 the Virgins of the Sun. 158 00:07:40,833 --> 00:07:43,708 They'd find a girl who was pretty and perfectly formed, 159 00:07:43,708 --> 00:07:46,375 and they would take her to this kind of a convent 160 00:07:46,375 --> 00:07:48,542 when they were about 10 years old. 161 00:07:48,542 --> 00:07:51,042 - Bingham believed that this was Vilcabamba 162 00:07:51,042 --> 00:07:53,917 and that the last emperor retreated there 163 00:07:53,917 --> 00:07:56,375 with these Virgins of the Sun. 164 00:07:56,375 --> 00:07:59,458 And in 1913, "National Geographic" devotes 165 00:07:59,458 --> 00:08:02,792 an entire issue to this incredible find. 166 00:08:02,792 --> 00:08:05,125 - But Bingham's crew does not find 167 00:08:05,125 --> 00:08:08,500 the legendary stores of gold that they were looking for. 168 00:08:08,500 --> 00:08:09,625 - [Laurence] Despite his disappointment 169 00:08:09,625 --> 00:08:11,375 at the lack of treasure, 170 00:08:11,375 --> 00:08:15,958 Bingham is convinced that Machu Picchu is indeed Vilcabamba. 171 00:08:15,958 --> 00:08:19,792 He even writes the 1948 memoir about the lost city 172 00:08:19,792 --> 00:08:22,542 that becomes an international bestseller. 173 00:08:23,583 --> 00:08:26,292 - Until his death in 1956, he continued 174 00:08:26,292 --> 00:08:28,833 to argue Machu Picchu must have been 175 00:08:28,833 --> 00:08:31,458 the last lost city of the Inca. 176 00:08:31,458 --> 00:08:33,042 And it's said that he may have been one 177 00:08:33,042 --> 00:08:36,000 of the inspirations for Indiana Jones. 178 00:08:36,000 --> 00:08:38,792 - [Laurence] But by that time, a growing number of historians 179 00:08:38,792 --> 00:08:41,750 and archeologists believe Bingham's wrong. 180 00:08:42,875 --> 00:08:45,833 - Bingham's expert took a look at the skeletons, 181 00:08:45,833 --> 00:08:48,042 and they looked thin and small 182 00:08:48,042 --> 00:08:51,042 and he concluded that they were women. 183 00:08:51,042 --> 00:08:54,167 But these were indigenous Quechua people 184 00:08:54,167 --> 00:08:56,333 who are slight of build. 185 00:08:56,333 --> 00:09:00,000 - More recent studies have shown that there was, in fact, 186 00:09:00,000 --> 00:09:02,250 a fair balance between men and women. 187 00:09:03,333 --> 00:09:04,500 - Even more importantly, 188 00:09:04,500 --> 00:09:06,292 the Spaniards had sacked Vilcabamba 189 00:09:06,292 --> 00:09:08,750 and they burned the whole city. 190 00:09:08,750 --> 00:09:10,208 But Machu Picchu was pristine. 191 00:09:10,208 --> 00:09:12,708 There was no ash, there was no burned anything there, 192 00:09:12,708 --> 00:09:14,333 so it didn't seem to fit. 193 00:09:15,375 --> 00:09:17,875 - [Laurence] Bingham's theory seems to hit a dead end 194 00:09:17,875 --> 00:09:22,125 in 1964, when American explorer Gene Savoy 195 00:09:22,125 --> 00:09:26,708 reveals the true location of the lost city of Inca gold. 196 00:09:26,708 --> 00:09:30,875 - Gene Savoy excavates a site called Espiritu Pampa, 197 00:09:30,875 --> 00:09:34,542 which was a site that Bingham had actually traveled to, 198 00:09:34,542 --> 00:09:35,917 but Bingham dismissed it. 199 00:09:36,875 --> 00:09:38,792 In fact, he did not go far enough 200 00:09:38,792 --> 00:09:42,208 into the ruins to realize how large it was. 201 00:09:42,208 --> 00:09:44,708 Gene Savoy was able to do enough research 202 00:09:44,708 --> 00:09:48,875 to realize that the Espiritu Pampa was Vilcabamba, 203 00:09:48,875 --> 00:09:51,375 the actual lost city of the Inca. 204 00:09:51,375 --> 00:09:54,625 - [Laurence] Savoy has found the true Vilcabamba, 205 00:09:54,625 --> 00:09:58,375 but alas, no gold is found there either. 206 00:09:58,375 --> 00:10:00,875 - According to the Spanish records, 207 00:10:00,875 --> 00:10:03,875 when they did finally find Vilcabamba, 208 00:10:03,875 --> 00:10:05,833 they melted down every gold 209 00:10:05,833 --> 00:10:07,708 and silver thing they could find. 210 00:10:08,917 --> 00:10:10,625 - [Laurence] If Machu Picchu isn't 211 00:10:10,625 --> 00:10:13,250 the lost city of Inca gold, 212 00:10:13,250 --> 00:10:15,208 then what could it be? 213 00:10:15,208 --> 00:10:18,667 - You can't deny the strategic location of the site. 214 00:10:18,667 --> 00:10:21,000 It's very high up on the mountains, 215 00:10:21,000 --> 00:10:25,375 surrounded by the river on basically three sides. 216 00:10:25,375 --> 00:10:27,625 [tense music] 217 00:10:29,417 --> 00:10:32,500 - [Laurence] For almost all of its 100-year existence, 218 00:10:32,500 --> 00:10:34,792 the Inca Empire is at war 219 00:10:34,792 --> 00:10:39,708 either with neighboring tribes, Spanish invaders, or both. 220 00:10:39,708 --> 00:10:42,125 - The Inca Empire was a patchwork 221 00:10:42,125 --> 00:10:45,250 of other cultures that they absorbed. 222 00:10:45,250 --> 00:10:48,875 Some of them were in an almost constant state of rebellion. 223 00:10:50,042 --> 00:10:51,917 - [Laurence] Machu Picchu's remote location 224 00:10:51,917 --> 00:10:53,917 makes it easily defendable. 225 00:10:55,042 --> 00:10:58,667 - The access to Machu Picchu is very limited. 226 00:10:58,667 --> 00:11:00,500 There's a formal entrance 227 00:11:00,500 --> 00:11:03,417 where there was a very narrow path cut 228 00:11:03,417 --> 00:11:05,333 into the side of a cliff. 229 00:11:05,333 --> 00:11:07,958 At one point, there's a bridge. 230 00:11:07,958 --> 00:11:10,417 Below is thousands of feet, 231 00:11:10,417 --> 00:11:12,375 so if you fall, you die. 232 00:11:12,375 --> 00:11:16,042 - And once the planks are removed off this bridge, 233 00:11:16,042 --> 00:11:20,167 the access to Machu Picchu is completely cut off. 234 00:11:20,167 --> 00:11:23,333 - And attempting to scale the cliffs below 235 00:11:23,333 --> 00:11:26,875 would present an incredible disadvantage against 236 00:11:26,875 --> 00:11:29,208 anybody who wanted to siege the city. 237 00:11:31,208 --> 00:11:35,042 - Machu Picchu has such a unique strategic position, 238 00:11:35,042 --> 00:11:38,125 located on the edge of the mountains in the rainforest, 239 00:11:38,125 --> 00:11:41,667 which means it can watch three boundaries at the same time. 240 00:11:41,667 --> 00:11:45,208 - So if you wanted a first line of defense, 241 00:11:45,208 --> 00:11:47,875 that's where you'd put your citadel. 242 00:11:47,875 --> 00:11:50,042 - [Laurence] Even so, some historians note 243 00:11:50,042 --> 00:11:53,042 that Machu Picchu architecture isn't typical 244 00:11:53,042 --> 00:11:55,083 of Inca military outposts. 245 00:11:56,417 --> 00:12:00,167 What's inside the many grave sites raises further question. 246 00:12:01,125 --> 00:12:03,875 - The Inca were known for burying their dead 247 00:12:03,875 --> 00:12:06,208 with implements that were important to the person 248 00:12:06,208 --> 00:12:07,375 during their life. 249 00:12:07,375 --> 00:12:11,208 But we don't see anybody buried with implements of war 250 00:12:11,208 --> 00:12:15,375 or skeletal injuries that would be related to war. 251 00:12:15,375 --> 00:12:18,750 And so a military fortress probably was not 252 00:12:18,750 --> 00:12:20,958 the main purpose of the site. 253 00:12:24,750 --> 00:12:26,583 - [Laurence] Ever since Hiram Bingham introduced 254 00:12:26,583 --> 00:12:28,375 the modern world to Machu Picchu, 255 00:12:28,375 --> 00:12:30,875 scholars have puzzled over its purpose. 256 00:12:32,708 --> 00:12:34,625 - Because the site is so interesting 257 00:12:34,625 --> 00:12:36,875 and still so well preserved, 258 00:12:36,875 --> 00:12:39,083 people keep digging for answers 259 00:12:39,083 --> 00:12:42,083 and for some it's even become an obsession. 260 00:12:42,083 --> 00:12:45,042 - [Laurence] In 1987, one expert searching 261 00:12:45,042 --> 00:12:47,042 through historical archives 262 00:12:47,042 --> 00:12:50,625 in the former Inca capital of Cusco, Peru 263 00:12:50,625 --> 00:12:52,875 makes an amazing discovery. 264 00:12:52,875 --> 00:12:55,333 - The Inca did not leave a written record, 265 00:12:55,333 --> 00:12:59,583 but in the 1500s, Spanish began to interview some 266 00:12:59,583 --> 00:13:01,083 of the descendants of the Inca 267 00:13:01,083 --> 00:13:03,792 to write down these oral histories 268 00:13:03,792 --> 00:13:07,500 and leave somewhat of a record of the Inca past. 269 00:13:07,500 --> 00:13:09,333 An anthropologist was in Cusco, 270 00:13:09,333 --> 00:13:12,583 poring over some of the records that were in the archives, 271 00:13:12,583 --> 00:13:16,042 and came across a letter from 1568 272 00:13:16,042 --> 00:13:20,542 that said that there was a royal palace. 273 00:13:20,542 --> 00:13:22,042 - It outlines a court case 274 00:13:22,042 --> 00:13:26,292 in which an Inca family was demanding the return 275 00:13:26,292 --> 00:13:31,458 of their lands that included a mountaintop palace 276 00:13:31,458 --> 00:13:33,833 that was named Picchu. 277 00:13:33,833 --> 00:13:35,875 - Not only does it describe generally 278 00:13:35,875 --> 00:13:38,000 where Machu Picchu is located, 279 00:13:38,000 --> 00:13:40,375 but the Peruvian descendants who bring this claim 280 00:13:40,375 --> 00:13:42,833 to the Spanish conquistadors claim themselves 281 00:13:42,833 --> 00:13:45,000 to be descendants of Pachacuti. 282 00:13:46,292 --> 00:13:48,667 - [Laurence] Suddenly, there's a brand new explanation 283 00:13:48,667 --> 00:13:50,792 for this settlement in the sky. 284 00:13:50,792 --> 00:13:53,083 [tense music] 285 00:13:54,750 --> 00:13:56,375 - After he spent the first part 286 00:13:56,375 --> 00:13:59,750 of his time as Inca king expanding the empire, 287 00:13:59,750 --> 00:14:01,958 Pachacuti spent the second half 288 00:14:01,958 --> 00:14:04,292 of his life building these royal retreats 289 00:14:04,292 --> 00:14:07,042 that were on the outskirts of Cusco. 290 00:14:07,042 --> 00:14:10,792 Many of these palaces are very similar architecturally 291 00:14:10,792 --> 00:14:13,000 to what we see at Machu Picchu. 292 00:14:13,000 --> 00:14:14,875 - [Laurence] Based on Spanish records, 293 00:14:14,875 --> 00:14:16,042 many historians agree 294 00:14:16,042 --> 00:14:18,708 that Pachacuti was probably involved 295 00:14:18,708 --> 00:14:20,500 in Machu Picchu's construction. 296 00:14:21,875 --> 00:14:23,792 - The Inca royalty itself was divided 297 00:14:23,792 --> 00:14:26,542 into a series of royal lineages. 298 00:14:26,542 --> 00:14:29,208 Each of them had royal estates. 299 00:14:29,208 --> 00:14:31,542 It's possible Pachacuti's descendants 300 00:14:31,542 --> 00:14:36,208 would spend time in Machu Picchu, probably relaxing. 301 00:14:36,208 --> 00:14:39,083 - Machu Picchu was at a elevation of 8,000 feet. 302 00:14:39,083 --> 00:14:42,333 That's 3,200 feet lower than the elevation of Cusco. 303 00:14:42,333 --> 00:14:44,458 So during the nights, it was much warmer 304 00:14:45,500 --> 00:14:47,167 and it was a much more pleasant atmosphere 305 00:14:47,167 --> 00:14:48,542 in the middle of winter. 306 00:14:48,542 --> 00:14:53,667 - If we look at Machu Picchu as a palatial residence, 307 00:14:53,667 --> 00:14:56,042 the layout makes sense. 308 00:14:56,042 --> 00:15:00,083 There are clearly sectors that are the most private, 309 00:15:00,083 --> 00:15:03,625 the largest and most elaborate rooms. 310 00:15:03,625 --> 00:15:05,625 - There's one dwelling at Machu Picchu believed 311 00:15:05,625 --> 00:15:08,167 to have been the residence of the Emperor Pachacuti. 312 00:15:08,167 --> 00:15:10,958 That residence is the only one that had its own bathroom 313 00:15:10,958 --> 00:15:13,042 with flowing water through it. 314 00:15:13,042 --> 00:15:15,667 - [Laurence] A reexamination of Machu Picchu's dead 315 00:15:15,667 --> 00:15:19,875 reveals new information about who else lived here. 316 00:15:19,875 --> 00:15:21,833 - They're just buried in the ground 317 00:15:21,833 --> 00:15:23,667 and though they have objects, 318 00:15:23,667 --> 00:15:26,167 they seem like everyday wares. 319 00:15:27,250 --> 00:15:29,625 - The lack of treasures indicates 320 00:15:29,625 --> 00:15:32,208 that these bodies were not necessarily royalty, 321 00:15:32,208 --> 00:15:34,375 but they also don't have the same kind of injuries 322 00:15:34,375 --> 00:15:36,083 and arthritis that would indicate 323 00:15:36,083 --> 00:15:38,125 that they were laborers either. 324 00:15:38,125 --> 00:15:40,542 - Those graves that Bingham dug 325 00:15:40,542 --> 00:15:44,500 are really the servants and staff of the city. 326 00:15:44,500 --> 00:15:47,542 - [Laurence] A technique called isotopic analysis tells us 327 00:15:47,542 --> 00:15:51,042 even more about Machu Picchu's residents. 328 00:15:51,042 --> 00:15:54,208 - Archeologists can take a small sample of bone 329 00:15:54,208 --> 00:15:56,208 and vaporize it, essentially, 330 00:15:56,208 --> 00:16:00,625 examining the DNA for traces of the diet 331 00:16:00,625 --> 00:16:02,458 of the person while they lived. 332 00:16:02,458 --> 00:16:05,542 And they found that these individuals ate a lot of corn. 333 00:16:07,375 --> 00:16:10,542 - Corn was, in fact, a symbol of status among the Inca. 334 00:16:10,542 --> 00:16:14,125 And what they find is these people ate mainly corn 335 00:16:14,125 --> 00:16:15,750 because of their privileged status 336 00:16:15,750 --> 00:16:18,208 as retainers and servants of royalty. 337 00:16:18,208 --> 00:16:20,125 - [Laurence] There are more clues to be found 338 00:16:20,125 --> 00:16:22,583 by studying the skulls. 339 00:16:22,583 --> 00:16:25,833 - Some of the skulls that were found were very bizarre 340 00:16:25,833 --> 00:16:28,208 and they didn't even look human. 341 00:16:28,208 --> 00:16:32,500 - Some of the skulls have cranial deformation 342 00:16:32,500 --> 00:16:36,750 and seem to be squished to a higher point at the top. 343 00:16:36,750 --> 00:16:39,583 - It's really well known in the history of the Andes 344 00:16:39,583 --> 00:16:43,875 that the people would bind their heads into different shapes 345 00:16:43,875 --> 00:16:47,042 that had to do with an ethnic identity. 346 00:16:47,042 --> 00:16:49,792 This was often done when an individual was born 347 00:16:49,792 --> 00:16:51,417 and their head was very malleable. 348 00:16:53,042 --> 00:16:56,042 - [Laurence] Modified skulls are not the only clues 349 00:16:56,042 --> 00:16:58,125 that Machu Picchu was a royal hub. 350 00:16:59,208 --> 00:17:01,208 - From the ceramics that were left in the burials, 351 00:17:01,208 --> 00:17:02,958 they could determine this was a real heterogeneous 352 00:17:02,958 --> 00:17:05,042 accumulation of people throughout the empire 353 00:17:05,042 --> 00:17:07,167 who were actually at Machu Picchu working 354 00:17:07,167 --> 00:17:10,875 as metallurgists, attendants, and staff. 355 00:17:11,875 --> 00:17:14,667 - [Laurence] Leading researchers suspect Machu Picchu 356 00:17:14,667 --> 00:17:16,375 was a place for Pachacuti 357 00:17:16,375 --> 00:17:19,375 to entertain a vast array of guests. 358 00:17:20,625 --> 00:17:24,083 - We can think of it as a 16th-century Camp David. 359 00:17:24,083 --> 00:17:26,333 In addition to the varied visitors 360 00:17:26,333 --> 00:17:27,583 that may have come to the site, 361 00:17:27,583 --> 00:17:29,458 there were people that had to work there 362 00:17:29,458 --> 00:17:32,458 to grow the crops, tend to the fields, to cook the food, 363 00:17:32,458 --> 00:17:35,042 to make the crafts and the goods that were used. 364 00:17:35,042 --> 00:17:36,708 So these discoveries have led to the idea 365 00:17:36,708 --> 00:17:38,458 that this could have been a royal retreat 366 00:17:38,458 --> 00:17:40,333 where people were coming from a variety 367 00:17:40,333 --> 00:17:43,375 of different locations from around the empire. 368 00:17:48,042 --> 00:17:49,375 - [Laurence] Many scholars speculate 369 00:17:49,375 --> 00:17:52,042 that Machu Picchu was built in the mid-15th century 370 00:17:52,042 --> 00:17:55,292 as a winter getaway for Inca Emperor Pachacuti 371 00:17:55,292 --> 00:17:57,292 and his entourage. 372 00:17:57,292 --> 00:18:01,208 But could the site have a more serious purpose? 373 00:18:01,208 --> 00:18:03,000 - If political entertainment 374 00:18:03,000 --> 00:18:06,125 and relaxation are the primary activities 375 00:18:06,125 --> 00:18:07,542 that are being done at Machu Picchu, 376 00:18:07,542 --> 00:18:11,292 then why all of these spaces that seem to be devoted 377 00:18:11,292 --> 00:18:12,833 to religious ceremonies? 378 00:18:14,208 --> 00:18:15,750 - Parts of the architecture 379 00:18:15,750 --> 00:18:18,833 and the landscape where the site was built really suggest 380 00:18:18,833 --> 00:18:22,708 that there is a sacred purpose behind Machu Picchu, 381 00:18:22,708 --> 00:18:24,708 which is really significant when we think 382 00:18:24,708 --> 00:18:26,458 about Inca worldview 383 00:18:26,458 --> 00:18:30,708 and how they worshiped both their ancestors and the gods. 384 00:18:30,708 --> 00:18:32,833 [tense music] 385 00:18:34,875 --> 00:18:37,708 - In terms of the way in which the Inca worshiped, 386 00:18:37,708 --> 00:18:39,375 we can't be entirely sure, 387 00:18:39,375 --> 00:18:42,250 but we do know that they worshiped a number of gods. 388 00:18:42,250 --> 00:18:43,708 [thunder rumbles] 389 00:18:43,708 --> 00:18:46,500 - Illapa's the god of thunder, god of the weather, 390 00:18:46,500 --> 00:18:47,667 god of rain. 391 00:18:47,667 --> 00:18:50,875 Beneath that, it was a vast assortment of gods 392 00:18:50,875 --> 00:18:52,542 and a host of spirits. 393 00:18:52,542 --> 00:18:55,042 - Viracocha was the creator god 394 00:18:55,042 --> 00:18:57,375 and one of the most prominent and important, 395 00:18:57,375 --> 00:19:01,250 but Inti, the sun, was also very important to the Inca. 396 00:19:03,167 --> 00:19:04,208 - During his first visit, 397 00:19:04,208 --> 00:19:08,042 Bingham came across this curved wall 398 00:19:08,042 --> 00:19:09,583 that caught his attention. 399 00:19:09,583 --> 00:19:11,875 He famously called it the Torreon, 400 00:19:11,875 --> 00:19:13,625 right, the turret or tower. 401 00:19:13,625 --> 00:19:16,458 It really resembles the Temple of the Sun found in Cusco, 402 00:19:16,458 --> 00:19:18,333 which has led scholars to believe 403 00:19:18,333 --> 00:19:21,167 that this was another Temple of the Sun. 404 00:19:21,167 --> 00:19:23,375 - Hiram Bingham was fascinated by this, 405 00:19:23,375 --> 00:19:27,250 not only because of the rare curved architecture on top, 406 00:19:27,250 --> 00:19:29,375 but it was built on top of a cave 407 00:19:29,375 --> 00:19:33,125 that had itself very intricately carved stone. 408 00:19:33,125 --> 00:19:34,708 - It's also very close 409 00:19:34,708 --> 00:19:37,625 to what we believe to be the king's quarters. 410 00:19:37,625 --> 00:19:41,250 There were places where it was the king's obligation 411 00:19:41,250 --> 00:19:45,125 to honor and remember the deeds of Viracocha. 412 00:19:45,125 --> 00:19:47,458 So he, as the son of the sun, 413 00:19:47,458 --> 00:19:50,833 was probably stationed quite close to the Temple of the Sun. 414 00:19:51,875 --> 00:19:54,333 - [Laurence] But the Inca didn't just worship gods 415 00:19:54,333 --> 00:19:58,583 in the sky, they also worshiped water. 416 00:19:58,583 --> 00:20:00,500 - The Inca are world renowned 417 00:20:00,500 --> 00:20:04,542 as some of the most amazing hydraulic engineers 418 00:20:04,542 --> 00:20:05,875 the ancient world ever knew, 419 00:20:05,875 --> 00:20:08,958 and Machu Picchu is an incredible showcase 420 00:20:08,958 --> 00:20:10,792 of their abilities. 421 00:20:10,792 --> 00:20:13,250 - Not only did the Incan people believe 422 00:20:13,250 --> 00:20:15,833 that it was access to water that gave you power, 423 00:20:15,833 --> 00:20:19,917 but also that their ability to control that flow of water 424 00:20:19,917 --> 00:20:22,458 was something that was given to them by the gods. 425 00:20:23,458 --> 00:20:26,208 - For the Inca, everything is alive. 426 00:20:26,208 --> 00:20:28,917 Pachamama, or Mother Earth, was very important 427 00:20:28,917 --> 00:20:30,875 to this Inca spirituality. 428 00:20:30,875 --> 00:20:34,042 And Pachamama had to be nourished through 429 00:20:34,042 --> 00:20:36,583 different kinds of water rituals. 430 00:20:38,417 --> 00:20:40,042 - [Laurence] Archeological studies suggest 431 00:20:40,042 --> 00:20:41,542 that a site on the perimeter 432 00:20:41,542 --> 00:20:44,417 of Machu Picchu called Chachabamba 433 00:20:44,417 --> 00:20:47,250 was built specifically for the worship of water. 434 00:20:48,333 --> 00:20:50,875 - Chachabamba was discovered in 1940, 435 00:20:50,875 --> 00:20:53,333 a series of 14 sacred baths 436 00:20:53,333 --> 00:20:55,583 that are believed to be a very key part 437 00:20:55,583 --> 00:20:57,500 of their ceremonial services. 438 00:20:58,458 --> 00:21:01,083 - Recently, some researchers went in 439 00:21:01,083 --> 00:21:03,542 and did drone LIDAR work, 440 00:21:03,542 --> 00:21:07,375 using lasers to map the ground, 441 00:21:07,375 --> 00:21:11,083 and then you can remove that canopy of trees 442 00:21:11,083 --> 00:21:12,542 and see what's below it. 443 00:21:14,042 --> 00:21:15,083 And they were able to see 444 00:21:15,083 --> 00:21:16,875 that there were a lot more conduits 445 00:21:16,875 --> 00:21:19,000 that were diverting water from waterfalls 446 00:21:19,000 --> 00:21:21,042 that were further away. 447 00:21:21,042 --> 00:21:22,583 - [Laurence] But why here, 448 00:21:22,583 --> 00:21:25,458 just two miles down the road from Machu Picchu? 449 00:21:26,500 --> 00:21:28,750 - Some archeologists believe that Chachabamba 450 00:21:28,750 --> 00:21:33,208 was a place where a traveler would stop to purify their body 451 00:21:33,208 --> 00:21:36,333 and their soul on their way to Machu Picchu. 452 00:21:37,542 --> 00:21:41,042 In 2009, a theory emerged that Machu Picchu 453 00:21:41,042 --> 00:21:44,917 was, in fact, a destination for a spiritual pilgrimage, 454 00:21:44,917 --> 00:21:48,458 a way to celebrate their origin story. 455 00:21:48,458 --> 00:21:52,708 - The creator deity Viracocha called up the sun 456 00:21:52,708 --> 00:21:55,292 and the moon first from the Island of the Sun 457 00:21:55,292 --> 00:21:57,417 in Lake Titicaca. 458 00:21:57,417 --> 00:22:01,083 He then used clay from the sides of the lake 459 00:22:01,083 --> 00:22:03,542 and created the first people, 460 00:22:03,542 --> 00:22:07,458 and they take the journey to establish Cusco 461 00:22:07,458 --> 00:22:09,542 as the capital of the Inca Empire. 462 00:22:10,458 --> 00:22:12,292 - The idea is that the baths 463 00:22:12,292 --> 00:22:15,542 of Chachabamba are like Lake Titicaca. 464 00:22:15,542 --> 00:22:17,417 One immersed themselves in this water. 465 00:22:18,792 --> 00:22:23,542 Then the two-mile walk up to Machu Picchu represents 466 00:22:23,542 --> 00:22:25,917 this walk across the land. 467 00:22:25,917 --> 00:22:29,375 - If Machu Picchu was indeed a pilgrimage site, 468 00:22:29,375 --> 00:22:32,417 we can picture people approaching the city 469 00:22:32,417 --> 00:22:34,375 and conducting cleansing rituals 470 00:22:34,375 --> 00:22:36,667 in places like Chachabamba and other sites. 471 00:22:37,875 --> 00:22:40,375 - [Laurence] Pilgrimage or not, scholars believe 472 00:22:40,375 --> 00:22:42,625 that many of the structures within Machu Picchu 473 00:22:42,625 --> 00:22:44,750 served a religious function. 474 00:22:45,875 --> 00:22:49,417 Among them, the Temple of the Three Windows. 475 00:22:50,542 --> 00:22:53,708 - When Viracocha sends the people to Cusco, 476 00:22:53,708 --> 00:22:58,167 he sends them in a cave entrance near Lake Titicaca. 477 00:22:58,167 --> 00:23:02,375 And there are three cave exits, 478 00:23:02,375 --> 00:23:06,917 so three windows symbolizing those three exits. 479 00:23:08,333 --> 00:23:10,375 - [Laurence] Another feature of Machu Picchu 480 00:23:10,375 --> 00:23:12,417 seemingly built for religious use 481 00:23:12,417 --> 00:23:15,167 is the Temple of the Condor. 482 00:23:15,167 --> 00:23:16,667 (condor shrieks] 483 00:23:16,667 --> 00:23:18,500 - The condor was a sacred creature among the Inca. 484 00:23:18,500 --> 00:23:20,333 They thought that the mountain gods could transform 485 00:23:20,333 --> 00:23:22,708 themselves into condors and vice versa. 486 00:23:22,708 --> 00:23:24,458 So not surprisingly, at Machu Picchu, 487 00:23:24,458 --> 00:23:25,792 there's this big temple, 488 00:23:25,792 --> 00:23:27,542 and they actually carved out of the bedrock 489 00:23:27,542 --> 00:23:30,583 two wing-like structures and the head of a condor. 490 00:23:30,583 --> 00:23:33,583 That's a place where they could offer sacrifices. 491 00:23:33,583 --> 00:23:37,042 - [Laurence] Some of those sacrifices may have been animal. 492 00:23:37,042 --> 00:23:38,500 - Some archeologists believe 493 00:23:38,500 --> 00:23:40,667 that the Temple of the Condor was used 494 00:23:40,667 --> 00:23:43,875 for sacrificing guinea pigs and llamas 495 00:23:43,875 --> 00:23:47,042 as a symbol of power and fertility. 496 00:23:47,042 --> 00:23:49,917 - [Laurence] And some offerings may have been human. 497 00:23:49,917 --> 00:23:53,250 - There's a specific Inca ceremony called the Capacocha, 498 00:23:53,250 --> 00:23:57,917 and it's very well known that young children were chosen 499 00:23:57,917 --> 00:24:02,208 to be sacrificial victims when there were times of trouble. 500 00:24:02,208 --> 00:24:05,875 - That seems very barbaric from Western society, 501 00:24:05,875 --> 00:24:09,500 but if you are in an environment where you believe 502 00:24:09,500 --> 00:24:12,583 that the gods need your sacrifices, 503 00:24:12,583 --> 00:24:16,042 children are the absolute most precious thing 504 00:24:16,042 --> 00:24:17,917 we could sacrifice. 505 00:24:17,917 --> 00:24:20,208 - Machu Picchu may have been the place 506 00:24:20,208 --> 00:24:22,042 for the ultimate sacrifice. 507 00:24:23,042 --> 00:24:24,958 - Because the Incas were dependent upon all 508 00:24:24,958 --> 00:24:28,250 of these spirits and gods around them, 509 00:24:28,250 --> 00:24:29,500 it was very important 510 00:24:29,500 --> 00:24:30,875 to maintain a good relationship with them. 511 00:24:30,875 --> 00:24:32,917 And the way they felt they could best do that was 512 00:24:32,917 --> 00:24:36,042 to offer offerings to them on a regular basis. 513 00:24:36,042 --> 00:24:39,458 - We see this in various parts of the empire. 514 00:24:39,458 --> 00:24:41,958 Children that were sacrificed have been found, 515 00:24:41,958 --> 00:24:45,375 but there's no evidence of the Capacocha ceremony ever 516 00:24:45,375 --> 00:24:47,208 to have took place at Machu Picchu. 517 00:24:47,208 --> 00:24:50,250 We have not found any remains that relate to that. 518 00:24:50,250 --> 00:24:53,083 - But you really can't deny that there would've been 519 00:24:53,083 --> 00:24:55,750 some religious and spiritual use for these buildings 520 00:24:55,750 --> 00:24:58,208 when the population itself was so tied 521 00:24:58,208 --> 00:25:00,042 to their spiritual recognition 522 00:25:00,042 --> 00:25:02,500 of these places and these entities. 523 00:25:05,042 --> 00:25:06,667 to their spiritual recogn thany 524 00:25:06,667 --> 00:25:10,417 since Hiram Bingham introduced Machu Picchu to the world, 525 00:25:10,417 --> 00:25:13,042 and even after decades of scrutiny, 526 00:25:13,042 --> 00:25:15,958 the site is reluctant to give up its secrets. 527 00:25:15,958 --> 00:25:18,708 But the Inca did leave clues behind, 528 00:25:18,708 --> 00:25:20,375 including ones that suggest 529 00:25:20,375 --> 00:25:23,875 the site filled a very practical purpose. 530 00:25:24,917 --> 00:25:28,042 - The Inca really had a phenomenal understanding 531 00:25:28,042 --> 00:25:30,667 of the movement of the celestial bodies. 532 00:25:30,667 --> 00:25:31,958 They were very spiritual 533 00:25:31,958 --> 00:25:35,875 and they very much revered the sun and the moon. 534 00:25:35,875 --> 00:25:38,417 - Incas obviously didn't have clocks and watches, 535 00:25:38,417 --> 00:25:40,625 so they used passage of the sun 536 00:25:40,625 --> 00:25:42,792 to determine their clock, so to speak. 537 00:25:42,792 --> 00:25:45,542 The rocks themselves were like little sundials 538 00:25:45,542 --> 00:25:47,125 so they could tell by the shadows on the rocks 539 00:25:47,125 --> 00:25:50,167 what time of year it was, what time of day it was. 540 00:25:50,167 --> 00:25:52,792 - Tracking the movement of the sun is very difficult 541 00:25:52,792 --> 00:25:56,750 in itself, but they accomplish this with a lot of precision. 542 00:25:56,750 --> 00:25:58,708 So the Temple of the Sun especially noteworthy 543 00:25:58,708 --> 00:26:00,208 because, although it might seem 544 00:26:00,208 --> 00:26:03,208 that it's just a beam of light projecting into the wall, 545 00:26:03,208 --> 00:26:05,000 there's much more to it. 546 00:26:05,000 --> 00:26:08,208 - The architecture reflects and encompasses 547 00:26:08,208 --> 00:26:11,708 how they could have had such a precise understanding 548 00:26:11,708 --> 00:26:14,500 of the movements of the cosmos. 549 00:26:14,500 --> 00:26:16,792 [tense music] 550 00:26:18,625 --> 00:26:20,417 - [Laurence] The Temple of the Sun 551 00:26:20,417 --> 00:26:22,458 isn't the only building in Machu Picchu 552 00:26:22,458 --> 00:26:25,708 that marks the sun's movement. 553 00:26:25,708 --> 00:26:28,333 - There's at least two observatories in Machu Picchu. 554 00:26:28,333 --> 00:26:30,500 One marking the summer solstice, 555 00:26:30,500 --> 00:26:32,375 the other one, the winter solstice. 556 00:26:32,375 --> 00:26:35,542 Beneath the Sun Temple, there's this cavity there 557 00:26:35,542 --> 00:26:38,250 and is exquisitely cut stones, like stairways. 558 00:26:38,250 --> 00:26:41,083 And the name of that carved area underneath the Sun Temple 559 00:26:41,083 --> 00:26:45,750 is called Intimachay, which means cave of the sun. 560 00:26:45,750 --> 00:26:48,333 - The sun enters the cave in June 561 00:26:48,333 --> 00:26:50,375 for a certain window of time. 562 00:26:50,375 --> 00:26:53,708 And in 2012, there was a team of researchers 563 00:26:53,708 --> 00:26:57,792 that went and mapped the inside of this cave using LIDAR 564 00:26:57,792 --> 00:27:00,375 and 3D technologies to really understand the details 565 00:27:00,375 --> 00:27:02,000 inside the cave. 566 00:27:02,000 --> 00:27:04,417 - [Laurence] They discover that this structure 567 00:27:04,417 --> 00:27:07,792 is even more complex than it appears. 568 00:27:07,792 --> 00:27:09,667 - The cave may not have only 569 00:27:09,667 --> 00:27:12,042 had some of these solar alignments, 570 00:27:12,042 --> 00:27:14,875 there's probably some lunar alignments as well 571 00:27:14,875 --> 00:27:19,083 that show that there's much more in-depth understanding 572 00:27:19,083 --> 00:27:21,625 of the movement of the heavenly bodies 573 00:27:21,625 --> 00:27:23,875 than we may even understand 574 00:27:23,875 --> 00:27:26,958 was actually happening at the site. 575 00:27:26,958 --> 00:27:28,708 - [Laurence] While the Intimachay acts 576 00:27:28,708 --> 00:27:31,000 like a solar calendar underground, 577 00:27:31,000 --> 00:27:34,792 another carving tracks the sun from above. 578 00:27:34,792 --> 00:27:37,083 - One of the very prominent features of Machu Picchu is 579 00:27:37,083 --> 00:27:39,000 you go up on this precipice there, 580 00:27:39,000 --> 00:27:42,167 and there's a rock carved right out of bedrock 581 00:27:42,167 --> 00:27:46,667 and it's called the Intihuatana, the Hitching Post of the Sun. 582 00:27:46,667 --> 00:27:47,958 It marks the four points, 583 00:27:47,958 --> 00:27:50,333 north, east, south, and west, 584 00:27:50,333 --> 00:27:53,375 and also it's thought to mimic the nearby sacred mountain 585 00:27:53,375 --> 00:27:54,708 of Huayna Picchu, 586 00:27:54,708 --> 00:27:57,750 which is the famous backdrop of Machu Picchu 587 00:27:57,750 --> 00:28:00,500 because it models the shading of that mountain there. 588 00:28:00,500 --> 00:28:04,250 - So the Intihuatana is this extraordinary measuring device. 589 00:28:04,250 --> 00:28:06,958 And during the equinoxes when the sun is right above it, 590 00:28:06,958 --> 00:28:09,083 it projects no shadow at all. 591 00:28:09,083 --> 00:28:11,750 - It was a place for the Inca priests 592 00:28:11,750 --> 00:28:15,292 to watch the equinox and the solstice, 593 00:28:15,292 --> 00:28:19,208 and they would then ceremoniously tie the sun 594 00:28:19,208 --> 00:28:20,667 to the hitching post 595 00:28:20,667 --> 00:28:24,458 so that it didn't go farther north or south. 596 00:28:24,458 --> 00:28:26,708 - [Laurence] Keeping time by observing the skies 597 00:28:26,708 --> 00:28:28,917 was critical to the Inca. 598 00:28:30,042 --> 00:28:32,458 - The way they're tracking the winter solstice 599 00:28:32,458 --> 00:28:33,833 and the summer solstice 600 00:28:33,833 --> 00:28:36,167 through these buildings becomes extremely important 601 00:28:36,167 --> 00:28:40,083 for the planting and harvesting season. 602 00:28:40,083 --> 00:28:45,000 - The Inca spirituality really was so much about nature, 603 00:28:45,000 --> 00:28:47,667 so being in this location that's high up in the clouds, 604 00:28:47,667 --> 00:28:52,042 you are really immersed in this environment of the gods. 605 00:28:52,042 --> 00:28:54,333 You're close to that celestial movement, 606 00:28:54,333 --> 00:28:56,750 which is so important to the understanding 607 00:28:56,750 --> 00:28:59,458 of when to perform certain ceremonies, 608 00:28:59,458 --> 00:29:01,958 when to harvest plants. 609 00:29:01,958 --> 00:29:04,917 - Without being able to so accurately predict the seasons, 610 00:29:04,917 --> 00:29:06,708 it would've been virtually impossible 611 00:29:06,708 --> 00:29:09,250 for their terraced gardens to have been able 612 00:29:09,250 --> 00:29:12,042 to support the people that were living there. 613 00:29:12,042 --> 00:29:15,208 - So a variety of different kinds of architecture 614 00:29:15,208 --> 00:29:19,292 at the site may have been used for astronomical observations. 615 00:29:20,542 --> 00:29:22,042 - People might think of the Incas 616 00:29:22,042 --> 00:29:23,375 as being a primitive culture, 617 00:29:23,375 --> 00:29:25,917 but they created the largest empire in the New World. 618 00:29:25,917 --> 00:29:27,375 However, on the other hand, 619 00:29:27,375 --> 00:29:30,958 we'll probably never know the extent of Inca cosmology. 620 00:29:30,958 --> 00:29:33,042 - It leaves us absolutely mystified 621 00:29:33,042 --> 00:29:35,542 as to how they could have made these calculations. 622 00:29:35,542 --> 00:29:38,875 How did they develop such an accurate understanding 623 00:29:38,875 --> 00:29:40,417 of time and space? 624 00:29:45,875 --> 00:29:47,125 - [Laurence] Whatever the driving force was 625 00:29:47,125 --> 00:29:48,875 behind Machu Picchu's construction, 626 00:29:48,875 --> 00:29:51,750 it's a testament to the ancient Inca's sophistication 627 00:29:51,750 --> 00:29:55,750 as builders, engineers, and even astronomers. 628 00:29:55,750 --> 00:30:00,333 But not everyone thinks the Inca created this place alone. 629 00:30:00,333 --> 00:30:03,583 - In the 1960s, theories emerged regarding a lot 630 00:30:03,583 --> 00:30:05,208 of structures around the Earth, 631 00:30:05,208 --> 00:30:08,458 Stonehenge, Easter Island, the pyramids, 632 00:30:08,458 --> 00:30:12,042 that suggested that it was impossible for human beings 633 00:30:12,042 --> 00:30:15,250 to have created these architectural feats. 634 00:30:15,250 --> 00:30:19,167 - When you look at a wall on Easter Island called Vinapu, 635 00:30:20,125 --> 00:30:22,625 this building technique is identical 636 00:30:22,625 --> 00:30:24,875 to what you see in Peru. 637 00:30:24,875 --> 00:30:27,875 Perfectly-fitted granite blocks, 638 00:30:27,875 --> 00:30:30,417 would seem they're using power tools 639 00:30:30,417 --> 00:30:34,750 to cut very hard rocks, granite and basalt. 640 00:30:34,750 --> 00:30:36,167 - It was believed that 641 00:30:36,167 --> 00:30:38,042 for human beings to construct anything like this, 642 00:30:38,042 --> 00:30:39,625 we would've had to have been aided 643 00:30:39,625 --> 00:30:43,125 by a far more advanced technology 644 00:30:43,125 --> 00:30:45,167 than was available on Earth at the time. 645 00:30:45,167 --> 00:30:49,583 And according to proponents of the ancient astronaut theory, 646 00:30:49,583 --> 00:30:51,542 we got help from other worlds. 647 00:30:51,542 --> 00:30:53,833 [tense music] 648 00:30:55,708 --> 00:30:58,708 - [Laurence] It may sound like the plot of a sci-fi movie, 649 00:30:58,708 --> 00:31:02,333 but there are some things about Machu Picchu's construction 650 00:31:02,333 --> 00:31:04,292 that defy logic. 651 00:31:04,292 --> 00:31:07,458 - A few stones in the center of Machu Picchu 652 00:31:07,458 --> 00:31:11,083 are over 50 tons. 653 00:31:11,083 --> 00:31:13,042 And you look at these single stones 654 00:31:13,042 --> 00:31:15,083 and see how perfectly they're fit, 655 00:31:15,083 --> 00:31:19,083 there's not a good explanation, to this day, 656 00:31:19,083 --> 00:31:21,958 how people with rudimentary technologies 657 00:31:21,958 --> 00:31:23,792 were able to do that. 658 00:31:23,792 --> 00:31:25,708 It seems impossible. 659 00:31:25,708 --> 00:31:29,042 - The feet of engineering does seem otherworldly at times, 660 00:31:29,042 --> 00:31:31,833 because even though the ashlar technique 661 00:31:31,833 --> 00:31:33,500 was used throughout the Incan Empire, 662 00:31:33,500 --> 00:31:36,000 which was a way that the stones were carved 663 00:31:36,000 --> 00:31:39,000 and they fit together in a sort of puzzle piece, 664 00:31:39,000 --> 00:31:41,542 how do you do it at the top of a mountain? 665 00:31:44,875 --> 00:31:46,375 A closer examination 666 00:31:46,375 --> 00:31:49,333 of the foundations underneath Machu Picchu show 667 00:31:49,333 --> 00:31:52,625 such a significantly different architectural style 668 00:31:52,625 --> 00:31:55,083 that it's possible that the foundations were built 669 00:31:55,083 --> 00:31:57,125 by an entirely different civilization. 670 00:31:58,083 --> 00:31:59,542 - Whether it's extraterrestrials 671 00:31:59,542 --> 00:32:02,583 or some other sophisticated civilization, 672 00:32:02,583 --> 00:32:04,458 who can do these things 673 00:32:04,458 --> 00:32:08,208 and perfectly fit giant blocks of stone together? 674 00:32:08,208 --> 00:32:11,042 - The ancient astronaut theory is considered by many 675 00:32:11,042 --> 00:32:12,875 to be pseudoscience. 676 00:32:12,875 --> 00:32:15,375 However, there is new evidence 677 00:32:15,375 --> 00:32:19,208 that the history of Machu Picchu may be much, much older 678 00:32:19,208 --> 00:32:21,208 than anyone has anticipated. 679 00:32:23,208 --> 00:32:27,083 - There's a long history of civilization in the Andes, 680 00:32:27,083 --> 00:32:31,667 going back to the first cities being built, 3000 BCE, 681 00:32:31,667 --> 00:32:34,667 throughout what eventually became the Inca Empire. 682 00:32:34,667 --> 00:32:38,583 - Some of these carved rocks are as big as box cars, 683 00:32:38,583 --> 00:32:42,750 and archeologists believe that they predate the Incans 684 00:32:42,750 --> 00:32:44,333 by hundreds of years. 685 00:32:45,500 --> 00:32:47,417 - [Laurence] Just a short walk from the center 686 00:32:47,417 --> 00:32:51,042 of Machu Picchu in an area named after Pachamama, 687 00:32:51,042 --> 00:32:54,458 the Earth Mother, stands a large granite outcrop 688 00:32:54,458 --> 00:32:58,500 that's been hiding a secret for over 1,000 years. 689 00:32:58,500 --> 00:33:01,917 - In 2016, one of the Machu Picchu archeologists 690 00:33:01,917 --> 00:33:07,208 discovered a faint symbol that raised some new questions. 691 00:33:07,208 --> 00:33:11,542 - What's found on that panel is a man, a llama, 692 00:33:11,542 --> 00:33:14,958 and some black-and-white geometric shapes. 693 00:33:14,958 --> 00:33:17,042 Some people think that it's an indicator 694 00:33:17,042 --> 00:33:19,417 that there's a much more ancient history 695 00:33:19,417 --> 00:33:22,000 to Machu Picchu we're unaware of. 696 00:33:22,000 --> 00:33:23,375 - Whatever it means, 697 00:33:23,375 --> 00:33:25,792 it has no specific ties to the Incan population 698 00:33:25,792 --> 00:33:28,083 in the 15th or 16th centuries. 699 00:33:29,500 --> 00:33:31,375 - [Laurence] Further exploration of Pachamama 700 00:33:31,375 --> 00:33:34,208 reveals even more puzzling cave paintings, 701 00:33:34,208 --> 00:33:38,083 estimated to have been made as early as 800 AD. 702 00:33:39,042 --> 00:33:40,792 - Perhaps the greatest indication 703 00:33:40,792 --> 00:33:42,500 that there was some association 704 00:33:42,500 --> 00:33:47,083 with ancient aliens comes from the Incan religion itself. 705 00:33:47,083 --> 00:33:49,833 - [Laurence] And there's one Inca legend in particular 706 00:33:49,833 --> 00:33:53,167 that can certainly be interpreted as supernatural. 707 00:33:54,500 --> 00:33:57,083 - There's a legend that the Emperor Pachacuti, 708 00:33:57,083 --> 00:33:58,833 on the eve of a great battle, 709 00:33:58,833 --> 00:34:02,417 went to a lake and is reflecting on what to do next. 710 00:34:03,417 --> 00:34:06,875 And that in this moment, a disc fell from the sky 711 00:34:06,875 --> 00:34:09,292 from which emerged a face. 712 00:34:09,292 --> 00:34:11,750 And the supernatural creature tells Pachachuti 713 00:34:11,750 --> 00:34:16,208 that he's going to win the upcoming battle and many more. 714 00:34:17,250 --> 00:34:21,708 The story is then that these huge monolithic stones 715 00:34:21,708 --> 00:34:26,000 come to life and assist Pachacuti in his battle. 716 00:34:26,000 --> 00:34:27,708 And these levitating rocks 717 00:34:27,708 --> 00:34:31,542 are what helped build Machu Picchu in the first place. 718 00:34:32,750 --> 00:34:35,458 There is no evidence to support any of these stories, 719 00:34:35,458 --> 00:34:38,042 but there are many stories that indicate that the skies 720 00:34:38,042 --> 00:34:40,958 above Machu Picchu today still remain a hotspot 721 00:34:40,958 --> 00:34:43,042 for paranormal activity. 722 00:34:43,042 --> 00:34:46,875 - UFO activity in Peru is quite considerable. 723 00:34:46,875 --> 00:34:48,708 And, in fact, when you're in Peru, 724 00:34:48,708 --> 00:34:52,083 the subject of UFOs is a very common one. 725 00:34:52,083 --> 00:34:54,375 Most people do not doubt the existence 726 00:34:54,375 --> 00:34:57,167 of extraterrestrial sky gods 727 00:34:57,167 --> 00:35:00,333 who had the technology to fly through the sky, 728 00:35:00,333 --> 00:35:03,667 to levitate stones and magically move them. 729 00:35:03,667 --> 00:35:07,167 Is it possible that these same sky gods are the ones 730 00:35:07,167 --> 00:35:09,417 who built Machu Picchu? 731 00:35:09,417 --> 00:35:13,250 It's a common belief there that that is what was happening. 732 00:35:18,708 --> 00:35:20,375 [tense music] 733 00:35:20,375 --> 00:35:23,917 - [Laurence] Nearly 600 years after Machu Picchu was founded, 734 00:35:23,917 --> 00:35:25,708 research teams aren't certain 735 00:35:25,708 --> 00:35:29,333 how Machu Picchu was made, or why. 736 00:35:30,875 --> 00:35:33,792 - It's estimated that potentially up to 60% 737 00:35:33,792 --> 00:35:36,708 of the construction of Machu Picchu is underground, 738 00:35:36,708 --> 00:35:39,833 and these deep foundations were necessary 739 00:35:39,833 --> 00:35:43,708 to help with seismic movements and terrace drainage, 740 00:35:43,708 --> 00:35:46,750 to make sure things would filter properly. 741 00:35:46,750 --> 00:35:50,250 - To keep a place like Machu Picchu securely 742 00:35:50,250 --> 00:35:52,167 on the mountaintop, 743 00:35:52,167 --> 00:35:55,875 it takes under-the-earth infrastructure. 744 00:35:55,875 --> 00:35:57,417 It's entirely possible 745 00:35:57,417 --> 00:36:00,542 that there are subterranean chambers we've yet to contact. 746 00:36:02,250 --> 00:36:06,750 In 2010, an engineer named David Crespy 747 00:36:06,750 --> 00:36:10,792 came to Machu Picchu, looking specifically at those caves 748 00:36:10,792 --> 00:36:12,792 under the Temple of the Three Windows, 749 00:36:12,792 --> 00:36:16,833 and said that structurally, the wall that was in the back 750 00:36:16,833 --> 00:36:18,958 looked like it might be hiding 751 00:36:18,958 --> 00:36:21,708 an entrance into deeper chambers. 752 00:36:21,708 --> 00:36:24,875 - He immediately alerts the other archeological teams 753 00:36:24,875 --> 00:36:27,875 to his discovery, but gets no response. 754 00:36:27,875 --> 00:36:29,708 After enough time goes by, 755 00:36:29,708 --> 00:36:33,208 he reaches out to a French archeologist named Thierry Jamin 756 00:36:33,208 --> 00:36:36,833 to see if he can help see what might be underground. 757 00:36:38,375 --> 00:36:40,333 - [Laurence] Jamin gets approval to search the area 758 00:36:40,333 --> 00:36:42,417 with ground-penetrating radar. 759 00:36:43,667 --> 00:36:47,417 In April 2012, along with a team of archeologists, 760 00:36:47,417 --> 00:36:50,125 he makes a stunning discovery. 761 00:36:50,125 --> 00:36:54,042 - They did some geophysical investigations at the site. 762 00:36:54,042 --> 00:36:56,125 And what he thinks he found 763 00:36:56,125 --> 00:36:59,958 is some kind of a chamber below this door 764 00:36:59,958 --> 00:37:03,333 that may have had a staircase leading into it. 765 00:37:03,333 --> 00:37:06,708 - The radar also indicates a huge amount 766 00:37:06,708 --> 00:37:08,292 of metal down there, 767 00:37:08,292 --> 00:37:10,625 which could indicate silver and gold, 768 00:37:10,625 --> 00:37:13,375 exactly the kind of riches that one would expect 769 00:37:13,375 --> 00:37:15,292 to be buried with royalty. 770 00:37:15,292 --> 00:37:17,625 [tense music] 771 00:37:19,292 --> 00:37:21,208 - [Laurence] Like the ancient Egyptians, 772 00:37:21,208 --> 00:37:23,958 the Incas mummified their great leaders, 773 00:37:23,958 --> 00:37:28,542 not to memorialize their power, but to preserve it. 774 00:37:28,542 --> 00:37:31,333 - They were not fancy burials, and they believed 775 00:37:31,333 --> 00:37:33,542 that their ancestors did not die when they died. 776 00:37:33,542 --> 00:37:35,542 They would go into the afterworld, but their spirit 777 00:37:35,542 --> 00:37:37,750 would remain and would look over their descendants. 778 00:37:37,750 --> 00:37:40,292 - In the chronicles that the Spanish left behind, 779 00:37:40,292 --> 00:37:43,583 they describe instances of them eating 780 00:37:43,583 --> 00:37:45,625 and drinking with these remains, 781 00:37:45,625 --> 00:37:50,500 even building vast palaces as if they were still alive. 782 00:37:50,500 --> 00:37:53,333 So the Spanish Conquistadors were horrified 783 00:37:53,333 --> 00:37:54,625 with the amount of power 784 00:37:54,625 --> 00:37:57,708 that these mummies had over the living. 785 00:37:57,708 --> 00:38:01,583 Maybe this whole place was dedicated to the afterlife. 786 00:38:01,583 --> 00:38:03,667 Hiram Bingham's crew is believed 787 00:38:03,667 --> 00:38:06,750 to have excavated all of the graves on Machu Picchu, 788 00:38:06,750 --> 00:38:09,833 but they perhaps missed the most important one. 789 00:38:11,208 --> 00:38:12,583 - [Laurence] The Peruvian government 790 00:38:12,583 --> 00:38:16,208 denies Jamin's request to excavate further, 791 00:38:16,208 --> 00:38:19,042 but he has a hunch about what or who 792 00:38:19,042 --> 00:38:20,708 may be lying within the chamber. 793 00:38:22,667 --> 00:38:25,083 - Thierry Jamin believes that Pachacuti, 794 00:38:25,083 --> 00:38:28,542 who is one of the legendary builders of Machu Picchu, 795 00:38:28,542 --> 00:38:31,000 would be buried there too. 796 00:38:31,000 --> 00:38:35,708 And his gold mummy was somehow interred inside this wall. 797 00:38:36,875 --> 00:38:40,083 - It's possible that Pachacuti's mummified remains 798 00:38:40,083 --> 00:38:41,750 were once located in the cave 799 00:38:41,750 --> 00:38:43,917 underneath the Temple of the Sun 800 00:38:43,917 --> 00:38:47,708 that Bingham had originally believed was a burial chamber. 801 00:38:49,417 --> 00:38:52,583 - [Laurence] Pachacuti dies in 1471. 802 00:38:52,583 --> 00:38:53,917 According to his wishes, 803 00:38:53,917 --> 00:38:58,417 the whole of the Inca Empire mourns for a year 804 00:38:58,417 --> 00:39:02,542 and then spends a month celebrating his life. 805 00:39:02,542 --> 00:39:05,542 - Although his remains were originally installed 806 00:39:05,542 --> 00:39:07,375 in the capital city of Cusco, 807 00:39:07,375 --> 00:39:09,375 according to the Spanish chronicles, 808 00:39:09,375 --> 00:39:11,042 a person of his stature 809 00:39:11,042 --> 00:39:14,625 would have made regular outings, even as a mummy. 810 00:39:15,708 --> 00:39:17,375 - [Laurence] But after the Spanish conquest 811 00:39:17,375 --> 00:39:19,708 starting in 1532, 812 00:39:19,708 --> 00:39:22,333 just when his people need him most, 813 00:39:22,333 --> 00:39:26,375 Pachacuti's mummy mysteriously disappears. 814 00:39:26,375 --> 00:39:28,958 - In 1559, a Spanish magistrate claims 815 00:39:28,958 --> 00:39:32,042 to have collected, by order of the viceroy, 816 00:39:32,042 --> 00:39:35,500 the deceased bodies of Inca kings and queens, 817 00:39:35,500 --> 00:39:37,792 and then shipped them to Lima. 818 00:39:37,792 --> 00:39:40,542 The bodies were deposited in a hospital 819 00:39:40,542 --> 00:39:41,792 in the city of Lima, 820 00:39:41,792 --> 00:39:44,000 and they were eventually buried there 821 00:39:44,000 --> 00:39:46,500 where we believe they can still be found. 822 00:39:46,500 --> 00:39:48,000 - [Laurence] None of those human remains 823 00:39:48,000 --> 00:39:51,042 have been positively identified as Pachacuti. 824 00:39:52,292 --> 00:39:54,292 - Unofficially, the question remains 825 00:39:54,292 --> 00:39:56,417 were Pachacuti's mummified remains 826 00:39:56,417 --> 00:40:00,667 instead brought to Machu Picchu for reburial? 827 00:40:00,667 --> 00:40:05,042 Is Machu Picchu a location for the life and afterlife 828 00:40:05,042 --> 00:40:06,833 of the Inca's greatest leader? 829 00:40:08,000 --> 00:40:10,708 - [Laurence] Thierry Jamin and his crew are keen to know 830 00:40:10,708 --> 00:40:12,708 if what they've seen on that radar 831 00:40:12,708 --> 00:40:15,583 could really be Pachacuti's tomb. 832 00:40:15,583 --> 00:40:19,500 For now, the truth is staying buried. 833 00:40:19,500 --> 00:40:20,875 - Today, we can't help 834 00:40:20,875 --> 00:40:24,583 but look at Machu Picchu through our Western eyes. 835 00:40:24,583 --> 00:40:26,542 But, of course, it was made by people 836 00:40:26,542 --> 00:40:31,333 who had a very different cosmovision than we do. 837 00:40:31,333 --> 00:40:35,375 Part of the mystery of Machu Picchu is we just don't know 838 00:40:35,375 --> 00:40:37,417 how to look at it the right way. 839 00:40:40,708 --> 00:40:43,708 - Whether Machu Picchu was built for war or peace, 840 00:40:43,708 --> 00:40:46,875 as a place of worship or a place to unwind, 841 00:40:46,875 --> 00:40:50,292 an astronomical wonder or a tomb for the dead, 842 00:40:50,292 --> 00:40:51,833 the search for more answers 843 00:40:51,833 --> 00:40:54,875 about this astonishing site continues. 844 00:40:54,875 --> 00:40:58,250 As top archeologists employ new technologies, 845 00:40:58,250 --> 00:41:01,542 perhaps they will one day decipher the true purpose 846 00:41:01,542 --> 00:41:03,333 of Machu Picchu. 847 00:41:03,333 --> 00:41:04,875 I'm Laurence Fishburne. 848 00:41:04,875 --> 00:41:09,208 Thank you for watching "History's Greatest Mysteries." 849 00:41:09,208 --> 00:41:11,208 [mysterious music]