America Unearthed: Ancient Mayans Secrets in Georgia (S1,E1) | Full Episode | History

Video Statistics and Information

Video
Captions Word Cloud
Reddit Comments
Captions
[dramatic orchestral music] ♪ ♪ [insects buzzing, frogs croaking] [electronic chiming] - [sighs] [phone beeping] [line ringing] [engine revving] [line ringing] - HELLO. THIS IS JON. - JON, THIS IS SCOTT WOLTER. - HEY, SCOTT, HOW ARE YOU? - WELL, NOT THAT GREAT. I JUST CAME FROM THE SITE, AND THE GOVERNMENT WON'T LET ME IN. IT'S BULL[bleep]. - INTERESTING. WELL, I'D BE HAPPY TO SHOW YOU THE VIDEOS FROM TRACK ROCK THAT I SHOT LAST YEAR. - WELL, I'D LOVE TO SEE IT. I MEAN, THAT'S THE NEXT BEST THING, BUT...[sighs] GOD [bleep]. I'M HEADING BACK TO MINNEAPOLIS RIGHT NOW. COULD YOU MEET ME AT MY LAB AND BRING THE FOOTAGE? - ABSOLUTELY. - ALL RIGHT. LET'S PLAN ON MEETING TOMORROW. I'LL SEE YOU THEN. THE HISTORY THAT WE WERE ALL TAUGHT GROWING UP IS WRONG. MY NAME IS SCOTT WOLTER, AND I'M A FORENSIC GEOLOGIST. THERE'S A HIDDEN HISTORY IN THIS COUNTRY THAT NOBODY KNOWS ABOUT. THERE ARE PYRAMIDS HERE-- CHAMBERS, TOMBS, INSCRIPTIONS. THEY'RE ALL OVER THIS COUNTRY. WE'RE GOING TO INVESTIGATE THESE ARTIFACTS AND SITES, AND WE'RE GOING TO GET TO THE TRUTH. SOMETIMES HISTORY ISN'T WHAT WE'VE BEEN TOLD. [percussive music] I'M DYING TO SEE THIS VIDEO HERE. - OH, I'M GLAD TO SHOW IT TO YOU. - YEAH, SO, YOU KNOW, I GOT TO TELL YOU. THE GOVERNMENT WOULDN'T LET ME IN. HOW THE HELL DID YOU GET IN AND TAKE THESE VIDEOS? - WELL, I HAD A PERMIT BACK IN 2011 AND SPENT A DAY AT THIS SITE. IT'S A HUGE SITE. I GOT CLIPS OF A NUMBER OF ROCK WALLS THAT FORMED TERRACES GOING UP THIS MOUNTAIN SLOPE, MAYBE OVER 100 OF THESE. THEY'RE JUST ALL OVER THE PLACE. - NOW, YOU SAID OVER 100? - YEAH, IT'S AMAZING. YOU KNOW, YOU'LL WALK ALONG. ALL OF A SUDDEN, THERE'S A ROCK WALL AND THEN A RELATIVELY FLAT AREA. NOW, THIS IS A SHOT FROM UP AT THE UPPER ELEVATION. SEE HOW NICELY CONSTRUCTED THAT WALL IS? AND THEN THERE WERE SOME WATER FEATURES. SOME OF THESE DAMS THAT WERE-- - RESERVOIRS OR SOMETHING. - YEAH, TO CONTROL WATER. - REALLY? - AND THERE WERE SOME ROCK CAIRNS UP THERE, SOME TYPE OF CEREMONIAL STRUCTURES, AND I EVEN FOUND A RECTANGULAR STONE FOUNDATION. - FOR A STRUCTURE OF SOME TYPE? PYRAMIDS PERHAPS? - YEAH. - OKAY. SO WE HAVE ROCK FORMATIONS, EXTENSIVE TERRACES TO CONTROL WATER, AND STONE FOUNDATIONS. IS IT BIG? - YOU COULD GET LOST UP THERE. THE ONLY DIRECTION THAT YOU WOULD KNOW TO GET OUT IS TO GO DOWN. I TELL YOU, IF YOU WANT TO KNOW MORE ABOUT THIS-- AND THIS IS HOW I FOUND OUT ABOUT THE SITE-- YOU NEED TO CONTACT RICHARD THORNTON. HE'S A NATIVE AMERICAN ARCHITECT DOWN IN GEORGIA, AND HE'S SPENT A DECADE STUDYING THIS. - DOES HE THINK THERE COULD BE A MAYA-GEORGIA CONNECTION AT THIS SITE? - YEAH, AND THAT'S WHAT CAUGHT MY ATTENTION. - I'LL TELL YOU WHAT, JON. IF THE MAYANS CAME TO GEORGIA, THIS COULD REWRITE HISTORY. [dogs barking] - HEY, HOW YOU DOING? - I'M DOING GOOD. SCOTT WOLTER. - RICHARD THORNTON. GLAD TO MEET YOU. - I WAS VISITING DOWN AT CHATTAHOOCHEE NATIONAL FOREST. - YES. - TRIED TO LOOK AT SOME MOUND STRUCTURES. I'M INVESTIGATING A POSSIBLE CONNECTION BETWEEN THE MAYANS AND GEORGIA. AND I TRIED TO GO LOOK AT THESE MOUNDS, AND I WAS DENIED. - YOU'RE KIDDING. - NO, I WAS DENIED. FIRST OF ALL, I TAKE IT YOU SUPPORT THIS WHOLE MAYAN-GEORGIA CONNECTION? - WELL, I MEAN, IT'S NOT EVEN A THEORY. IT'S A FACT. THE MAYANS ARE ONE OF THE MEXICAN NATIVE AMERICAN ETHNIC GROUPS THAT BECAME THE CREEK INDIANS. - WHAT ARE SOME OF THE THINGS THAT, TO YOU, PROVIDE EVIDENCE OF THIS ASSIMILATION, REALLY, OR THIS COMING TOGETHER HERE IN GEORGIA FROM MEXICO? - WE HAVE THE ARCHITECTURE. WE HAVE THE CULTURAL TRADITIONS. THE ART ARE VERY SIMILAR. - OKAY. - APPROXIMATELY 1/3 TO 1/2 OF THE WORDS IN THE ITSATE-CREEK LANGUAGE ARE EITHER MAYA OR TOTONAC. - OKAY, LINGUISTICS? - LINGUISTICS. - SO WHAT ABOUT THE ARCHAEOASTRONOMY? I MEAN, LIKE THE MAYANS USED WITH THESE AMAZING STRUCTURES THAT ALIGN WITH THE SUN, THE MOON, THE PLANETS FOR PRACTICAL AND RELIGIOUS REASONS. IS ANY OF THAT GOING ON AROUND HERE? - YES, VERY MUCH SO, AND THAT'S ONE AREA I'M-- I'M A CITY PLANNER, SO, YEAH, I'M PRETTY STRONG AT-- SO I CAN HELP YOU THERE. - DO YOU HAVE ANY OF THIS ARCHITECTURE? - I HAVE DRAWINGS AND PHOTOGRAPHS, YES. - IS THAT WHAT THEY DON'T WANT ME TO SEE? - I DON'T KNOW WHAT THEY DON'T-- WHY? IT'S A MASSIVE SITE. WANT TO KEEP IN MIND-- THIS PLACE IS A 1/2 MILE SQUARE AT LEAST. IT'S A TOWN. - OKAY. - IT HAS OVER 300 STONE STRUCTURES. IT'S LIKE NOTHING ELSE IN AMERICA, REALLY. IT'S BEEN RADIOCARBON-DATED TO AT LEAST 1000 A.D. - WHAT DO THE ARCHAEOLOGISTS THINK ABOUT THIS? - I THOUGHT THE ARCHAEOLOGICAL COMMUNITY WOULD GO GAGA. YOU KNOW, THEY'D BE FIGHTING OVER THE CHANCE TO BE THE ONE-- TO BE THE GREAT DISCOVERY OF ALL THEIR LIVES. WOULD YOU BELIEVE THAT SOME PROFESSORS WHO HAD NEVER SEEN THIS TRACK ROCK SITE, THEY FORMED A POLITICAL ACTION GROUP TO OPPOSE ANYTHING-- DISCUSSION OF THE TRACK ROCK SITE AND IT BEING MAYAN? NOW, WHY, I DON'T KNOW, 'CAUSE THEY'RE, LIKE, 600 MILES AWAY. - SO YOU'RE ASKING ME IF I WOULD BELIEVE THAT THE ACADEMIC COMMUNITY MIGHT TRY TO SHUT DOWN AN INVESTIGATION LIKE THIS? UH, YES, I WOULD. - [laughs] OKAY. - LOOK, PAL, I'VE LIVED IT, OKAY? I WAS HIRED TO INVESTIGATE AN ARTIFACT CALLED THE KENSINGTON RUNE STONE. - YEAH, YES, YES, I'VE HEARD OF IT. - WHEN I CAME OUT WITH THESE RESULTS, I WAS BLASTED, AND IT REALLY PUZZLED ME AT FIRST. AND THEN IT PISSED ME OFF. WELL, I'VE SPENT THE LAST 12 YEARS INVESTIGATING THESE HISTORICAL MYSTERIES, AND WHEN YOU TELL ME THAT THERE'S PUSH-BACK FROM THE PROFESSIONAL-- OR THE ACADEMIC COMMUNITY, I'M INTERESTED. THAT'S A SURE SIGN THAT THERE'S PROBABLY SOMETHING GOING ON HERE. THESE ARE SOME OF JON'S VIDEOS. YOU CAN SEE THE ROCKS. - MM-HMM. THAT'S A RUIN OF A BUILDING. - IT LOOKS LIKE AN OFFERING ALTAR WITH THE LITTLE HOLE HERE. - I WAS THINKING THAT, ALSO, THIS WOULD HAVE BEEN COVERED WITH CLAY AND THEN PLASTERED WITH LIME STUCCO. - YOU KNOW, RICHARD, I HAVE TO SAY, WHEN I LOOK AT SOMETHING LIKE THIS, I'M NOT IMPRESSED. YOU KNOW, I THOUGHT I'D BE SEEING THESE CUT, BEAUTIFULLY CLEAVED, WORKED STONES AND THESE BIG TEMPLES THAT YOU THINK OF WHEN YOU THINK OF PEOPLE LIKE THE MAYA. I MEAN, WHY DON'T WE HAVE THAT HERE? - THIS IS WHAT MOST MAYA SITES LOOK LIKE BEFORE THE ARCHAEOLOGISTS GO TO WORK AND THE ARCHITECTS LIKE ME RESTORE THE RUINS. THAT'S WHAT THEY LOOK-- THEY'RE JUST PILES OF ROCKS. EVEN GREAT CITIES THAT HAD A 100,000 PEOPLE WILL BE PILES OF STONES IN THE JUNGLE. - WHAT DOES THIS SITE LOOK LIKE? CAN YOU GIVE ME A VISUAL? - THIS IS A COMPUTER VIRTUAL REALITY MODEL. - OBVIOUSLY, THERE'S SOME ELEVATION HERE. IT'D BE NICE TO SEE SOME TOPOGRAPHIC LINES, MAYBE A TOPO MAP. - WELL, NOW, I HAVE TOPO MAPS ON MY COMPUTER. - OKAY, I WAS GONNA ASK-- - THIS IS A 3-D MODEL, BUT IF YOU'D LIKE TO SEE THE ACTUAL ELEVATIONS... - I WOULD LIKE TO SEE THAT. - DO YOU SEE THE ACROPOLIS? YOU SEE THAT IT'S TERRACED JUST LIKE THE FIVE-SIDED MOUND? AND IT'S FACING THE SUNSET OF THE WINTER SOLSTICE. - THESE ASTRONOMICALLY ALIGNED STRUCTURES-- THE WHOLE VILLAGE-- THE WAY THEY'RE ORIENTED IS VERY IMPORTANT. - THERE ARE MANY MONUMENTS, PERHAPS 50 STONE CAIRNS, THAT SEEM TO BE MARKERS HAVING TO DO WITH ASTRONOMY. - SO WHAT IS THIS? - THAT'S ONE OF THE THINGS WHEN I KNEW THAT IT'S A MAYA. WHEN I SAW THAT, I SAID, "OH, MY GOSH." ACTUALLY, I SAID SOME OTHER THINGS. BUT I CAN'T TELL YOU. - TELL ME WHAT IT IS. - IT IS A DEVICE THAT TAKES THE WATER FROM THE SPRING TO DROP THE WATER TO THE APPROPRIATE TERRACE. IT'S A CONTROL DEVICE FOR DISTRIBUTING WATER. WHAT I'M TRYING TO EXPERIMENT WITH HERE IS, WHY DID THEY DO IT? WHY DID THEY BUILD THE TERRACES? I AM MIMICKING THE ENVIRONMENTAL SITUATION AT TRACK ROCK GAP. THE MAYA CIVILIZATION GREW THESE CROPS ON TERRACES. - SO DO YOU THINK WHAT WE HAVE AT TRACK ROCK IS CONNECTED TO THE MAYANS SOMEHOW? - YES, THERE'S A DIRECT CONNECTION. - OKAY, WHY WOULD THEY NOT LET ME IN TO SEE THIS? I MEAN, IT'S JUST TERRACING. IT LEADS ME TO BELIEVE THAT THERE'S MORE GOING ON HERE. DO YOU THINK THERE'S A CONSPIRACY MAYBE GOING ON? - THERE'S SOMETHING FISHY GOING ON UP THERE. - I'M THINKING THERE'S SOMETHING FISHY TOO, BUT I'LL TELL YOU WHAT. IF THEY WON'T LET ME HIKE IN, MAYBE I'LL FLY IN. HAVE YOU EVER HEARD OF LIDAR? [engine revving] [mechanical whirring] ♪ ♪ - WE'RE--WE'RE GONNA DO THE NORTH-SOUTH LINES. - ALL RIGHT, SOUNDS GOOD. TAKE IT SOUTH, THOUGH, 'CAUSE I THINK I'M GONNA BE COMING UP OVER-- - YOU WANT TO GO UP AND AROUND, THEN. - YEAH, UP AND AROUND. - ALL RIGHT. - THIS IS A VIRTUAL IMAGE OF THE AREA THAT WE'RE CURIOUS ABOUT. THE MAIN THING IS, IF THERE'S SOMETHING HERE, WE'RE HOPEFUL THAT YOUR EQUIPMENT WILL PICK UP THESE TERRACES. WE'RE INVESTIGATING THE POSSIBILITY OF A MAYAN-GEORGIA CONNECTION. SOME RESEARCHERS THINK THAT THERE MIGHT BE MAYAN RUINS ON THIS SITE, AND IF SO, I MEAN, WE'RE TALKING ABOUT A HUGE NEW CHAPTER OF AMERICAN HISTORY BEING OPENED UP. - YEAH, I CAN FLY IT LOWER. - THAT'S FINE. WELL, YOU'RE NOT THAT MUCH LOWER, RIGHT? 500 FEET? - YEAH, 500 FEET RIGHT NOW. I CAN MAYBE PULL UP ANOTHER 100. - THE MAYANS IN MEXICO DISAPPEARED AROUND 900 A.D. MANY PEOPLE BELIEVE THAT THEY CAME TO GEORGIA. YOU KNOW, I WOULD LOVE TO HAVE IT COME TRUE, BUT YOU HAVE TO HAVE THE EVIDENCE. I TRIED TO GET TO THIS SITE, AND THE GOVERNMENT WOULD NOT LET ME DO IT. THAT'S WHY THIS WAS PLAN "B." HOW DOES THIS LIDAR WORK? - WELL, WHAT YOU HAVE IN BETWEEN THESE TWO PIECES OF THE SYSTEM IS A LASER HEAD AND A SCANNER AND A GPS RECEIVER, AND THEY'RE USING TIME STAMPS. WE'RE ABLE TO CREATE A POINT CLOUD, WHICH IS A SET OF POINTS ACCURATELY MAPPING GEOREFERENCE WITHIN A FEW CENTIMETERS. - WITHIN A FEW CENTIMETERS? - ABSOLUTELY. - IT LOOKS LIKE YOU'VE SET UP A GRID SYSTEM, SO BASICALLY, YOU'RE JUST REPRODUCING THAT GRID. - WE KIND OF THINK OF IT AS MOWING THE LAWN WHEN WE'RE UP HERE, BECAUSE IT'S DOWN AND BACK, AND WE USE SOME OVERLAP TO MAKE SURE THAT WE DON'T MISS ANY GRASS. SO HOPEFULLY ANYTHING THAT SHOWS LIKE THERE WAS A SHELF OR ANY ANOMALIES IN THE BARE EARTH SURFACE WILL HOPEFULLY SHOW UP THEN. - THAT TYPE OF SCALE, WE SHOULD BE ABLE TO GET SOME DATA. - YEAH, SOME STUFF MAY LOOK LIKE IT BLENDS INTO THE GROUND, BUT ANY KIND OF IRREGULAR FEATURES STILL STAND OUT. - IF WE'RE ABLE TO USE YOUR TECHNOLOGY AND FIND EVIDENCE OF SOME OF THE THINGS WE SEE HERE, THERE COULD BE A MAYAN PRESENCE HERE. - THAT WOULD BE AMAZING TO FIND THAT OUT. - IT WOULD BE. [dramatic orchestral music] ♪ ♪ - HERE IS THE INITIAL LOOK AT THE ACTUAL LIDAR DATA ITSELF, SO THE POINTS THEMSELVES, SO YOU CAN SEE THE FLIGHT LINES THAT WE FLEW RIGHT HERE. AND THEN DOWN HERE IS A PROFILE OF THE GROUND. YOU CAN SEE THE TREES. - OKAY, AND I SEE THE CHANGE IN TOPOGRAPHY HERE. THIS LOOKS LIKE SOMETHING INTERESTING. WHAT WOULD THAT BE, THE BUMP THERE? - MAYBE A MAN-MADE FEATURE. IT LOOKS LIKE IT MIGHT BE ONE OF THE FEATURES THAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR. - OKAY. POSSIBLY A TERRACE, MAYBE? - CORRECT. THIS IS PRELIMINARY, AND SO WHAT WE'LL DO IS, WE'LL TAKE-- AND HAVE TO PROCESS THE DATA, AND THAT WILL PROBABLY TAKE A COUPLE WEEKS TO GET THE FINAL DATA SET SO THAT WE CAN VERIFY IF THAT IS ACTUALLY A MAN-MADE FEATURE OR NOT. - A 3-D MAP-- ABOUT TWO WEEKS THEN. - YEP. - GREAT. YOU KNOW, JAMIE, WHEN I STARTED THIS INVESTIGATION, I WAS PRETTY SKEPTICAL. I MEAN, THE NOTION THAT THE MAYANS CAME TO GEORGIA SEEMED PRETTY FAR-FETCHED TO ME, BUT AS I'VE GONE ALONG HERE, THINGS ARE STARTING TO LOOK MORE INTERESTING. IF YOU CAN GENERATE A 3-D MAP THAT LOOKS EVEN REMOTELY LIKE THIS, I TELL YOU WHAT, WE COULD POTENTIALLY HAVE SOMETHING THAT'S BIG. - IF THOSE FEATURES ARE THERE, WE'RE DEFINITELY GONNA SEE THEM IN THE DATA. - IT'LL TAKE TWO WEEKS FOR AEROMETRIC TO COMPILE ALL THE LIDAR DATA, WHICH COULD HELP PROVE A MAYAN CONNECTION TO GEORGIA. IF THE MAYANS DID COME HERE, I WONDER IF IT'S CONNECTED TO THEIR PROPHECY. THE MAYAN CIVILIZATION BEGAN IN 2000 B.C. AND STARTED TO COLLAPSE AROUND 750 A.D. WHEN THEY BEGAN TO ABANDON THEIR CITIES EN MASSE. THEY HAD TO GO SOMEWHERE, AND THIS STONE NEARBY COULD BE A CLUE THEY CAME TO THE U.S. - ARE YOU SCOTT? - YES. GARY DANIELS, I PRESUME. - THAT'S CORRECT. - ALL RIGHT. GREAT WEATHER. A LITTLE WET TODAY. BUT I GOT TO TELL YOU, I THINK THE ROCK LOOKS BETTER WET THAN IF IT WAS DRY. - I AGREE. - WHAT MAKES THIS ROCK SPECIFICALLY TIED TO THE MAYA-GEORGIA CONNECTION, IN YOUR MIND? - BOTH CULTURES-- THE MAYA AND THE CREEK INDIANS-- USED THE EXACT SAME SYMBOLS TO RECORD THE EXACT SAME EVENT. - WELL, YOU KNOW, GARY, I CLEARLY SEE THESE SPIRAL SYMBOLS HERE. WE GOT AN INDENTATION IN THE MIDDLE. THIS ONE HAS A COUPLE OF DIFFERENT RINGS WITH AN INDENTATION, AND THEN WE HAVE THESE CUPULES ALONG THE TOP. I KNOW WHAT I THINK IT IS, BUT WHAT DO YOU SEE? - MY FIRST IMPRESSION WAS THAT IT'S A STAR MAP. I BELIEVE THAT THIS RECORDS AN EVENT WHICH HAPPENED IN 536 A.D., WHICH WAS A COMET IMPACT EVENT, AND THAT WOULD EXPLAIN WHY THEY WENT THROUGH THE EFFORT TO CARVE THIS INTO THIS BOULDER. THIS WAS NO EASY TASK. - NO, IT WASN'T. AND I HAVE TO SAY, GARY, THAT I AGREE WITH YOU. I'M PRETTY CONVINCED THIS IS A STAR MAP AS WELL. IT'S AN INTERESTING CONNECTION WITH THE IMPACT AND THE SYMBOLS TYING THE CREEK WITH THE MAYA. I THINK THAT'S PLAUSIBLE. BUT THIS MIGHT NOT BE THE ONLY GEOLOGIC CLUE THAT MAKES THE CONNECTION. TELL ME WHAT YOU KNOW ABOUT MAYA BLUE. - THE MAYA BLUE WAS A PIGMENT THAT THE MAYA USED IN THEIR MURALS, AND IT LASTS A VERY LONG TIME WITHOUT FADING. - AND I THINK I UNDERSTAND THE REASON FOR THAT. MAYA BLUE IS A VERY INTERESTING COMBINATION OF A CLAY MINERAL CALLED PALYGORSKITE THAT THEY MIX WITH AN INDIGO PIGMENT MADE FROM AN ANIL PLANT, AND THERE'S LOTS OF PALYGORSKITE IN GEORGIA BUT RELATIVELY LITTLE OF IT IN MEXICO. GARY, I THINK THAT THE MAYA BLUE IN MEXICO COULD HAVE BEEN MADE WITH THE PALYGORSKITE CLAY IN GEORGIA. - THERE ARE STILL SITES IN MEXICO WHERE THEY HAVEN'T FOUND THE ACTUAL SOURCE FOR THE MAYA BLUE, SO THAT'S DEFINITELY A GOOD THING TO LOOK INTO. - SO WE'VE GOT THE MAYA BLUE PIGMENT MYSTERY AS WELL AS STAR MAPS, BOTH THERE AND IN GEORGIA. THAT'S INTERESTING. - AND THOSE ARE NOT THE ONLY CONNECTIONS. IT GOES MUCH DEEPER THAN THAT. NOW, CHECK THESE OUT. THIS COPPER PLATE WAS UNEARTHED IN NORTH GEORGIA. WHAT'S INTERESTING ABOUT THIS IS THAT ALMOST AN IDENTICAL IMAGE AS THIS WAS FOUND AT CHICHEN ITZA IN THE YUCATAN. - WOW. THIS LOOKS LIKE SOME TYPE OF SHAMAN OR SOMEBODY IN THE MIDDLE OF A RITUAL. IS THAT A SEVERED HEAD? - YEP. - AND YOU HAVE THIS IN CHICHEN ITZA AS WELL? - EXACTLY. - WOW. ARE THERE ANY OTHER SITES THAT MIGHT TIE INTO WHAT WE'RE LOOKING AT HERE? - ABSOLUTELY. JUST A FEW HOURS FROM HERE, THERE'S A SITE CALLED OCMULGEE. THEY FOUND AN ELITE BURIAL THAT SHOWED CRANIAL DEFORMATION, A KNOWN TECHNIQUE IN THE MAYA WORLD THAT THEY ALSO USED ON THEIR ELITES. CRANIAL DEFORMATION IS A PROCEDURE THEY DID AT BIRTH WHERE THEY PLACED THE CHILD ON A FLATTENED BOARD, PLACED ANOTHER BOARD ON HIS HEAD, WHICH FORCED THE SKULL TO GROW IN A CERTAIN SHAPE, WHICH GAVE THEM SORT OF A FLATTENED APPEARANCE TO THE FOREHEAD. - WITH EVERYTHING I'VE SEEN SO FAR, HOW COME NOBODY KNOWS ABOUT THIS? - PEOPLE HAVE BEEN WRITING IN THE LITERATURE-- THE ARCHAEOLOGICAL LITERATURE-- ABOUT THIS CONNECTION FOR 150 YEARS, BUT IT HAS BECOME A TABOO SUBJECT. - I AM CONTINUALLY AMAZED EVERY TIME I SEE SOMETHING NEW THAT IS-- CHANGES HISTORY IN A PROFOUND WAY, AND IT GETS IGNORED, SWEPT UNDER THE RUG, AND PEOPLE THAT EVEN DARE TO INVESTIGATE IT GET CRITICIZED. I'VE BEEN THROUGH THAT MYSELF. GOT TO FIGURE OUT A WAY TO MAKE IT STOP. - THEY SAY SCIENCE CHANGES ONE DEATH AT A TIME, AND I THINK THAT'S WHAT IT'S GONNA TAKE. - YOU KNOW WHAT, I'M NOT GONNA WAIT FOR THESE PEOPLE TO DIE. SORRY. I'M GONNA GET ANSWERS. LET'S GO TO OCMULGEE. SO HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN STUDYING THIS MAYA-GEORGIA CONNECTION? - WELL, I'VE BEEN RESEARCHING THE GEORGIA-MEXICO CONNECTION FOR ABOUT TEN YEARS, BUT IT'S ONLY WITHIN THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS THAT I REALLY STUMBLED ON THE MAYAN PRESENCE IN BOTH FLORIDA AND GEORGIA. - OKAY. WHAT DO YOU THINK OF RICHARD THORNTON'S RESEARCH? - YOU KNOW, MR. THORNTON HAS PRESENTED A HYPOTHESIS, AND THAT HYPOTHESIS NEEDS TO BE TESTED. IS THE TRACK ROCK SITE A MAYAN SITE? YOU KNOW, I DON'T KNOW. COULD IT BE? ABSOLUTELY, IT COULD BE, BUT WE'RE NEVER GOING TO KNOW THAT AS LONG AS THE ACADEMICS ARE INSISTING THAT IT CAN'T BE. - SO INSTEAD OF SITTING IN YOUR CHAIR, TALKING ABOUT IT, ACTUALLY GETTING OUT THERE AND DOING SOMETHING. - ABSOLUTELY. MAKING PROCLAMATIONS ABOUT WHAT IT ISN'T SERVES NO PURPOSE. - I AGREE. [laughs] WOW. MAN... - TAKE A LOOK AT THIS. THIS IS THAT MOUND. - IT'S A SPIRAL MOUND, ISN'T IT? THAT'S WITHOUT THE VEGETATION. OH, NOW I CAN KIND OF SEE IT. CAN WE TAKE A CLOSER LOOK? - LET'S GO. - ALL RIGHT. WE GOT MOUNDS IN MINNESOTA, BUT I HAVEN'T SEEN ANY THIS BIG. - ABOUT ONE, TWO, THREE, FOUR... - YEAH, I SEE AT LEAST ONE, TWO, THREE... - FOUR OR FIVE LEVELS. - MAYBE EVEN A FIFTH ONE UP THERE. THIS IS COOL AS HELL. - THERE'S A SITE CALLED XOCHITECATL IN MEXICO. AND IT'S THE ONLY OTHER PLACE IN NORTH AMERICA OR CENTRAL AMERICA THAT HAS A SPIRAL MOUND EXACTLY LIKE THIS, WHERE YOU FOLLOW THE SPIRAL TO THE TOP. NOT ONLY THAT-- IT'S LAID OUT EXACTLY LIKE THE MOUND SITE HERE WITH A SPIRAL MOUND ON ONE END AND THE SQUARE MOUND ON THE OTHER. THIS MOUND, THE CREEK INDIANS SAID, THIS IS WHERE THEY PERFORMED THEIR SNAKE DANCE, AND SO THEY MARCHED IN PROCESSION AROUND THE MOUND UNTIL THEY REACHED THE TOP FOR THEIR CEREMONY. THERE WAS ALSO LAKE OKEECHOBEE. NOW, WHEN THE SPANISH CAME TO LAKE OKEECHOBEE, THEY FOUND THREE PEOPLE LIVING AROUND THAT LAKE: THE MAYAIMI, THE MAYAKA, AND THE MAYAUACI. SO YOU HAVE THREE PEOPLE CALLING THEMSELVES "MAYA." - IS THERE ALSO MAYBE A CONNECTION TO MIAMI? - ABSOLUTELY. - THIS IS REALLY INCREDIBLE. I HAD NO IDEA THAT THERE WOULD BE A SPIRAL MOUND HERE. WE HAVE SPIRAL MOUNDS IN MEXICO. THIS MAYA-GEORGIA CONNECTION IS REALLY STARTING TO COME TOGETHER. AND I'M FEELING IT. [percussive music] ♪ ♪ - WELL, GARY, YOU PROMISED ME SOME ARCHAEOASTRONOMY. I SEE A BEAUTIFUL MOUND STRUCTURE HERE WITH A LONG DOORWAY THAT'S FACING PRETTY CLOSE TO DUE EAST. - ACCORDING TO THE CREEK MIGRATION LEGEND, THE VERY FIRST STRUCTURE THEY BUILT WHEN THEY ARRIVED HERE WAS A MOUND WITH A CENTRAL CHAMBER. THE DOORWAY OF THIS EARTH LODGE ALIGNED WITH THE SUNRISE. - THERE'S NO QUESTION THAT THE MAYANS ALSO ALIGNED THEIR TEMPLES AND THEIR STRUCTURES ACCORDING TO ARCHAEOASTRONOMY. - SO IS THIS PURELY A COINCIDENCE? CLEARLY THERE WAS SOMETHING GOING ON. - THIS IS FASCINATING. I MEAN, WE'VE GOT TWO LARGE MOUNDS. WE'VE GOT THIS ONE HERE THAT HAS AN OBVIOUS ALIGNMENT BOTH TO THE SUN AND TO THE STARS. WE'VE GOT THAT AMAZING SPIRAL STRUCTURE, THE CRANIAL DEFORMATION. I'M DYING TO GO TO MEXICO. IF I CAN FIND SOME OF THE THINGS THAT ARE HERE OVER THERE, WE'VE GOT SOMETHING THAT'S HUGE. - PLEASURE. WELCOME TO THE SITE OF CHICHEN ITZA. EVERYTHING YOU SEE IS ARCHAEOLOGICAL EVIDENCE. - EVERYTHING? - EVERYTHING. - OKAY. HOW BIG IS THIS SITE? - IT'S REALLY HARD TO TELL. WE DON'T HAVE A FULL MAP OF THE SITE. - I KNOW IT TOOK THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE TO BUILD SITES LIKE CHICHEN ITZA. THE MAYA EMPIRE WAS MASSIVE, ENCOMPASSING PARTS OF SOUTHERN MEXICO, GUATEMALA, BELIZE, AND THE YUCATAN. MANY PEOPLE THINK THE MAYANS DIED OUT COMPLETELY, BUT THEY DIDN'T. EVEN SO, SOMETHING FORCED THEM TO ABANDON THEIR MAJOR CITIES BEGINNING AROUND 750 A.D. AND SPREAD THROUGHOUT THE REGION OR BEYOND, TO THE UNITED STATES. OH, WOW. YOU KNOW, FROM THIS PERSPECTIVE, IT'S JUST, LIKE, SYMMETRIC. IT'S PERFECT. THE LINES ARE PERFECT. THAT'S AMAZING. - THEY WERE COPYING THE SHAPES OF THE MOUNTAINS. - SO WHAT WE'RE LOOKING AT HERE IS REALLY A MAN-MADE MOUNTAIN. IT WAS INTENTIONALLY MADE TO MIMIC THE MOUNTAINS. I'VE RECENTLY BEEN TO A SITE IN NORTH AMERICA IN THE STATE OF GEORGIA. AND ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE DID THAT WAS AMAZING-- AND I HAVEN'T SEEN THE FINAL RESULTS YET, BUT I SAW SOME PRELIMINARY DATA-- WAS SOME TECHNOLOGY CALLED LIDAR, WHERE, BASICALLY, YOU FLY OVER AN AREA, AND IT WILL COLLECT THREE-DIMENSIONAL DATA OF THE TOPOGRAPHY OF THE AREA. AND WHAT WE THINK WE SEE ARE REMNANTS OF MAN-MADE STRUCTURES AT THIS SITE THAT ARE SOMEWHAT REMINISCENT OF WHAT WE SEE HERE. I'M WONDERING WHAT YOUR THOUGHTS ARE ON THE POSSIBILITY OF CONTACT WITH THE MAYANS HERE POSSIBLY WITH THE NATIVE CULTURES IN WHAT IS NOW THE UNITED STATES. - I THINK IT'S VERY POSSIBLE. - OH, YOU'RE SAYING THAT FLAT OUT, OKAY. WELL, YOU AGREE WITH THE SPECULATION. IF WE REALLY UNDERSTAND WHAT THE MAYA DID HERE AND IF WE REALLY THINK THERE WAS CONTACT, THEN WHAT WE DO IS TAKE EVERYTHING THAT WE LEARN HERE AND THEN USE THAT AS A GUIDE TO LOOK FOR EVIDENCE OVER THERE. - YES, I WILL AGREE. YOU CAN MAYBE FIND MAYA THERE, OR YOU CAN FIND GEORGIA DOWN HERE. WELL, THIS BUILDING THAT WE HAVE IN FRONT OF US IS THE OBSERVATORY, AND IT'S BEEN PROVEN BY ASTRONOMERS THAT IT'S A STRUCTURE THAT ALIGNS WITH DIFFERENT POSITIONS OF VENUS AND POSITIONS OF THE SUN. - SO THOSE SMALL LITTLE WINDOWS UP THERE, THEY WERE USED TO TRACK THESE PLANETS, TRACK VENUS. - YOU KNOW THAT THIS WINDOW ALIGN TO THIS PART OF THE YEAR, AND THIS ONE ALIGNS TO THIS TIME OF THE YEAR. THERE'S A CONNECTION BETWEEN ARCHITECTURE, ASTRONOMY, AND THE CALENDAR. - WELL, THIS IS PART OF A SCIENCE WE CALL ARCHAEOASTRONOMY. - RIGHT. THE OTHER THING THAT WE BELIEVE IS THAT CREATING THE BUILDING THAT HAS ALIGNMENTS WITH THE PLANETS AND THE SUN, YOU ARE CREATING A LINK BETWEEN HEAVEN AND EARTH, SO THE BUILDING IS THE LINK BETWEEN THE TWO. - IN GEORGIA, I SAW A SPIRAL MOUND. I ALSO SAW A BOULDER THAT HAD SPIRALS CARVED INTO IT. SO THE SPIRAL IS VERY IMPORTANT ACROSS GEORGIA, AND IT SEEMS TO CONNECT OVER HERE WITH THE MAYANS. SO MAYBE THAT'S ANOTHER CONNECTION OR PIECE OF EVIDENCE WE CAN TIE TOGETHER BETWEEN THE TWO CULTURES. - YEAH, I THINK IT'S A VERY STRONG ELEMENT, AND I THINK IT'S VERY IMPORTANT FOR THE MAYA. IT'S IN EVERYTHING. - THIS IS CALLED A NAUTILUS SHELL. IT'S THE SPIRAL DESIGN. WE HAVE SOMETHING HERE CALLED THE FIBONACCI SEQUENCE. AND IT'S JUST SIMPLY A MATHEMATICAL CALCULATION WHERE YOU ADD NUMBERS SEQUENTIALLY, AND IT WILL GROW EXPONENTIALLY, CREATING, IN THIS CASE, A SPIRAL. MANY ANCIENT CULTURES SAW THIS DESIGN, FIGURED OUT THE MATHEMATICS OF IT IN NATURE, AND THEN INCORPORATED IT INTO THE ARCHITECTURE AND INTO THEIR ARTWORK. - OH, YES, IT'S VERY IMPORTANT FOR THE MAYA. BUILDINGS ARE DESIGNED IN GEOMETRIC PROPORTIONS, AND THEY'RE PLEASING TO THE EYE OF THE HUMAN. - WE'RE GETTING VERY CLOSE TO THE END OF THE MAYAN CALENDAR, WHICH IS DECEMBER 21ST, WHICH, IRONICALLY, HAPPENS TO BE MY BIRTHDAY, SO... AND MANY PEOPLE THINK THIS IS GOING TO BE THE END OF THE WORLD BECAUSE OF THE MAYANS. - WE'RE ENDING THE 12 BAKTUN. THAT MEANS WE'RE GOING TO START THE 13TH BAKTUN DURING YOUR BIRTHDAY, AND THEN WE'RE GOING TO SPEND 400 YEARS MORE COUNTING DAYS UNTIL WE GET TO THE 14TH BAKTUN. IT'S A MARKER FOR A NEW BEGINNING. IF THE MAYANS WERE HERE, IT WOULD BE THE BIGGEST CELEBRATION YOU CAN THINK ABOUT. THERE WOULD BE OFFERINGS. THERE WOULD BE SACRIFICES. THERE WOULD BE CEREMONIES, BECAUSE IT'S NOT THE END, JUST THE BEGINNING OF SOMETHING NEW. WELL, I THINK IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT THAT THE MAYANS ARE GETTING SOME ATTENTION. - I COULDN'T AGREE MORE, AND I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO SEEING SOME OF THE CARVINGS AT YOUR SITE HERE. THERE WAS SOMETHING THAT WAS FOUND IN GEORGIA. - I HAVE SEEN SIMILAR CARVINGS OF THIS-- THE HEAD OF THE CAPTIVE ON THIS SIDE. YES, I THINK I CAN SHOW YOU SOMETHING SIMILAR AT THE SITE. YOU CAN TELL THAT THE PERSON HAS SOME SORT OF A WAR INSTRUMENT IN HIS HAND, LIKE THIS ONE RIGHT HERE. HE HAS ALSO FEATHERS IN THE BACK, LIKE HE HAS COMING THIS WAY. BUT THE MOST STRIKING PART IS THAT-- THIS LITTLE HEAD HANGING FROM HIS LEFT HAND WHERE THE SPEARS ARE. YOU CAN SEE THAT THE HEAD IS ALMOST IDENTICAL TO THE ONE HE HAS. IT MAY BE A CAPTIVE, MAYBE SOMEBODY WHO DOES THE WORK. - REALLY, EVERYTHING THAT YOU TALKED ABOUT I SEE HERE. THIS IS PRETTY COMPELLING, IS IT NOT? - YEAH, I CAN SEE A RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE TWO SITES. - I SEE A HUGE PIECE TO A BIG PUZZLE OF MANY CULTURES COMING TO NORTH AMERICA PRIOR TO COLUMBUS. AND I THINK WE CAN PUT THE MAYANS INTO THAT PUZZLE, AND IT JUST COMPLETELY REWRITES THE HISTORY OF NORTH AMERICA AS WE KNOW IT. - OKAY, ALFONSO, LET'S TALK ABOUT WHAT WE HAVE SO FAR. WE'VE GOT THE TEMPLES HERE. WE'VE GOT SIMILAR STONE STRUCTURES IN GEORGIA. WE'VE GOT THE LINGUISTIC CONNECTIONS. WE'VE GOT THE ICONOGRAPHY OF THE MURAL THAT'S SO FANTASTIC. IT'S VIRTUALLY IDENTICAL. WE'VE GOT THE ARCHAEOASTRONOMY. I TELL YOU, WE'RE STARTING TO BUILD A PRETTY STRONG CASE HERE. WHAT CAN YOU TELL ME ABOUT MAYA BLUE? - LET ME SHOW YOU. THIS IS THE SACRED CENOTE OF CHICHEN ITZA. - IT'S HUGE. THIS IS A GIANT SINKHOLE. IT'S JUST INCREDIBLE. - WELL, THIS IS THE MOST SPECIAL PLACE IN CHICHEN ITZA. THIS IS WHERE IT GETS ITS NAME. <i> "CHICHEN"</i> MEANS "THE MOUTH OF THE SINKHOLE." THAT MEANS THE CENOTE. AND NOT ONLY IT'S A WATER PLACE, BUT IT'S ALSO A SACRED PLACE TO BRING OFFERINGS. - WHAT DO WE KNOW ABOUT THE BOTTOM? WHAT'S ON THE BOTTOM? - THEY FOUND MAYA BLUE. THEY FOUND REMAINS OF CHILDREN BETWEEN NINE AND TEN. - THIS IS CRAZY. WHY WOULD THEY THROW CHILDREN IN HERE? - THE BELIEF IS THAT CHILDREN ARE THE IDEAL MESSENGER TO THE RAIN GOD, SO WHEN YOU WANT TO PLEASE THE RAIN GOD, YOU USE CHILDREN AS OFFERING, SO YOU SACRIFICE THEM. - OKAY, WOW. GEOLOGICALLY, I'VE READ THAT DOWN AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS CENOTE, THERE IS A 4-METER-- OR ABOUT 14-FOOT-THICK LAYER THAT IS HEAVILY LADEN WITH MAYA BLUE CLAY. THAT REPRESENTS A LOT OF MATERIAL. HOW WOULD THAT MUCH MAYA BLUE GET IN THE BOTTOM? - ONE GOOD POSSIBILITY WILL BE THAT THE CHILDREN WERE PAINTED BLUE BEFORE BEING THROWN INTO THE CENOTE. THE OTHER THING IS THAT WE HAVE OTHER TYPE OF SACRIFICES, SACRIFICES THAT WE KNOW THAT HAPPENED IN CHICHEN BECAUSE WE HAVE A CARVING AND THE PAINTINGS THAT SHOWS A PERSON PINNED AGAINST A TRAPEZOID STONE SO THEY CAN PUT PRESSURE ON THE BACK, AND THEY CAN USE A KNIFE AND SLICE THE CHEST OPEN AND PULL THE HEART OUT AND THEN OFFER IT TO THE GODS. - SO THEY PLACED THEM ON A ROCK TO ARCH THEIR BODIES SO WHEN THEY MADE THE INCISION, IT WOULD NATURALLY OPEN, AND THEN THEY WOULD GO IN... [groans] YOU KNOW, I KNEW THAT THEY USED THE MAYA BLUE IN THE MURALS AND IN SOME OF THE ARTIFACTS-- THE VESSELS AND VARIOUS THINGS-- BUT I HAD NO IDEA THAT THEY WERE USING IT TO PAINT THE PEOPLE FOR SACRIFICE. THAT'S--THAT'S-- - THAT'S WHAT WE ASSUME BY THE AMOUNT OF MAYA BLUE IN THE BOTTOM OF THE CENOTE. - IS THERE ANY MAYA BLUE, THE ORIGINAL MAYA BLUE, STILL ON SITE HERE ANYWHERE? - OH, YES, THERE'S STILL SOME THAT WE CAN SEE, AND THERE'S STILL SOME ON INSIDE OF THE BUILDING. - I THINK THE MAYA BLUE COULD BE THE HARD LINK BETWEEN THE MAYANS AND GEORGIA. AS A GEOLOGIST, IT JUST MIGHT BE THE SCIENTIFIC PROOF I'VE BEEN LOOKING FOR. - THIS IS A GOOD EXAMPLE OF MAYA BLUE. YOU CAN TELL, IT IS AROUND THE SQUARE. MAYA BLUE WAS USED FOR PAINTING BUILDINGS AND PAINTING OFFERINGS AND SOMETIMES SACRIFICIAL VICTIMS. - MY UNDERSTANDING IS THAT THE LONGEVITY OF THIS MATERIAL, WHY IT LASTS SO LONG, IS BECAUSE IT'S MADE OF A VERY SPECIAL CLAY CALLED PALYGORSKITE COMBINED WITH A BLUE DYE OR AN INDIGO DYE MADE FROM ANIL LEAVES AROUND HERE. IT RESISTS ACIDS, AND IT'S VERY DURABLE. NOW, THIS TYPE OF CLAY WE COMMONLY SEE IN CAT LITTER. IT CAUSES CLUMPING. WE ALSO SEE IT IN ANTI-DIARRHEA MEDICINE BECAUSE IT ABSORBS THE TOXINS. SO THIS CLAY MATERIAL IS VERY UNIQUE. IT CREATES A DYE THAT LASTS A VERY LONG TIME. HOW LONG HAS THIS PIGMENT BEEN SITTING ON THIS WALL? - WELL, THE DATES WE HAVE IS ABOUT 900 A.D. THAT WOULD BE ABOUT 1,100 YEARS AGO. - 1,100 YEARS AGO. - INDEED. - SO THIS UNIQUE CLAY, WHERE WOULD THEY GET THIS SOURCE MATERIAL? - I DON'T KNOW. I HAVEN'T FOUND A SINGLE SOURCE. - YES, AND THAT'S ANOTHER IMPORTANT PIECE TO THIS PUZZLE THAT WE'RE TRYING TO FIGURE OUT, AS WE DO HAVE A VERY GOOD SOURCE OF PALYGORSKITE IN GEORGIA. AND THIS COULD BE THE SOURCE FOR THE MAYANS, AND I DO HAVE A WAY I THINK WE MIGHT BE ABLE TO TEST THIS, SO WE CAN COMPARE IT TO SEE IF THIS IS THE SAME SOURCE MATERIAL AS GEORGIA FOUND HERE. I'M GETTING REALLY EXCITED ABOUT THIS CASE. WE HAVE THE CRANIAL DEFORMATION. WE HAVE EVIDENCE IN GEORGIA OF THAT PRACTICE. WE KNOW WE HAVE IT HERE. WE HAVE THE WONDERFUL MURAL THAT YOU SHOWED US THAT HAD THE ICONOGRAPHY THAT WAS VIRTUALLY IDENTICAL TO THAT COPPER PLATE THAT WE TALKED ABOUT. WE HAVE STONE STRUCTURES IN GEORGIA THAT HAVE A SIMILAR LAYOUT. AT LEAST, IT APPEARS TO BE A SIMILAR LAYOUT TO WHAT WE HAVE HERE. AND LASTLY, WE HAVE ARCHAEOASTRONOMY, WHICH TIES ALL PEOPLE TOGETHER, BUT CERTAINLY THE CULTURE IN GEORGIA THAT WE'RE LOOKING AT AND THE MAYA PEOPLE HERE. WE STILL HAVE THE LIDAR DATA THAT WE NEED TO LOOK AT, BUT I TELL YOU WHAT, THIS IS LOOKING REALLY GOOD. - ALL RIGHT, JAMIE, SHOW ME WHAT YOU GOT HERE. - SO THIS IS THE LIDAR DATA OF THE TRACK ROCK SITE. - AND SO WHAT WE'RE LOOKING AT HERE-- THIS IS THE SIDE OF THE MOUNTAIN THAT WE WERE FLYING AROUND WITH YOUR PLANE AND SHOOTING WITH THE LIDAR. WE'VE TAKEN THE TREES AWAY. - I PUT MARKERS IN HERE TO KIND OF INDICATE IN RELATIONSHIP TO THE PICTURE THAT YOU GAVE ME OF THE SITE ITSELF. - ARE YOU SAYING THAT RICHARD THORNTON'S RE-CREATION OF WHAT HE THINKS IS THERE CORRELATES WITH WHAT YOU FOUND ON THE LIDAR? - IN TERMS OF MY LIDAR EXPERIENCE, YES. - REALLY? - I THINK THAT THERE'S VERY STRONG INDICATION THAT THIS CORRELATES VERY WELL. YOU CAN SEE IT HERE, HERE. YOU CAN SEE SOMETHING HERE, AND THEN YOU CAN SEE ALL THE LITTLE TERRACES DOWN HERE. - THIS IS AMAZING. WHAT ABOUT THE OCMULGEE SITE? WERE YOU ABLE TO FLY OVER THERE? - YEAH, WE ACTUALLY DID GET DOWN THERE, AND WE WERE ABLE TO FLY IT. RIGHT HERE, WHAT WE'RE LOOKING AT IS THE ACTUAL LIDAR DATA, SO HOW IT'S REPRESENTED. THIS IS THE SPIRAL SITE. - I THINK I CAN SEE WHAT LOOK TO BE THE TERRACES THAT WE SAW AT THE SITE. THERE'S NO MISTAKING WHEN YOU LOOK AT THAT IMAGE THAT IT'S DEFINITELY A MOUND. THE SPIRALS APPEAR TO BE THERE. AND IT LOOKS VIRTUALLY IDENTICAL TO SPIRAL MOUNDS THAT ARE DOWN IN MEXICO. I TELL YOU WHAT-- THIS IS REALLY COMING TOGETHER. I JUST--I CAN'T BELIEVE IT. I MEAN, WE'VE GOT SPIRAL MOUNDS THAT THE MAYANS BUILT. WE'VE GOT THEM IN GEORGIA. WE'VE GOT ARCHAEOASTRONOMY, BOTH THE MAYANS AND IN GEORGIA. WE'VE GOT CULTURAL ICONOGRAPHY. WE'VE GOT CRANIAL DEFORMATION. WE'VE GOT LINGUISTICS. IT'S REALLY COMING TOGETHER. ALL THE PIECES ARE BEGINNING TO FIT, BUT THERE'S ONE MORE THING THAT I WANT TO DO: A QUICK TEST THAT I THINK MIGHT BE THE FINAL PIECE THAT PULLS THIS ALL TOGETHER TO PROVE THAT MAYAN-GEORGIA CONNECTION. HEY, ADAM... - MM-HMM? - CHECK THIS OUT. - WHAT DO WE HAVE? - WE'RE GONNA MAKE SOME MAYA BLUE. IT'S A PAINT THAT THE MAYANS MADE. IT WAS VERY SACRED TO THEM. THEY USED IT IN MURALS. THEY ALSO USED IT IN SACRIFICE, RITUAL SACRIFICES. PAINT THE VICTIM HEAD TO TOE IN THIS MAYA BLUE PAINT, RIP THEIR HEARTS OUT, AND THEN THROW THE BODY IN A HUGE SINKHOLE THEY CALLED THE CENOTE. BUT I THINK GEOLOGY IS GOING TO SOLVE THE QUESTION THAT WE'RE TRYING TO ANSWER HERE, WHICH IS, DID THE MAYANS USE GEORGIA CLAY, SPECIFICALLY PALYGORSKITE CLAY? [percussive music] USING INDIGO FROM ANIL LEAVES AND PALYGORSKITE CLAY FROM GEORGIA, I'M GOING TO MAKE MAYA BLUE. ♪ ♪ IF THE GEORGIA CLAY IN MY SAMPLE MATCHES X-RAY TEST RESULTS OF CLAY USED IN REAL MAYA BLUE, THEN WE HAVE A HARD GEOLOGICAL LINK BETWEEN THE MAYANS AND GEORGIA. ♪ ♪ WELL, BASICALLY WHAT I'M TRYING TO DO IS TO FIGURE OUT IF THERE'S A MATCH BETWEEN MAYA BLUE IN MEXICO AND A SAMPLE OF PALYGORSKITE FROM GEORGIA. THEY DID FIND SOME SOURCES IN MEXICO, BUT THERE'S JUST NOT ENOUGH SOURCES TO EXPLAIN THE AMOUNT OF PALYGORSKITE THAT THEY FOUND. - WELL, I DEFINITELY THINK WE CAN HELP YOU WITH THIS. SO LET'S HAVE A LOOK. - IF YOU'RE ABLE TO MAKE A DEFINITIVE CONNECTION, IT WILL PROVE TO ME BEYOND A SHADOW OF A DOUBT THAT WE DEFINITELY HAVE THIS CONNECTION BETWEEN THE MAYANS IN MEXICO AND GEORGIA. - HERE WE'VE GOT THE SCAN THAT WE DID. THE ONES LABELED "PA" ARE THE PEAKS WE WOULD EXPECT FOR THE PALYGORSKITE CLAY STRUCTURE. AND THESE ONES LABELED "QU," THESE ARE ONE OF THE IMPURITIES PRESENT, AND THIS IS THE MINERAL QUARTZ. - SO THESE ARE YOUR SIGNATURE ELEMENTS. NOW THE QUESTION IS: HOW DID IT COMPARE WITH THE ACTUAL MAYA BLUE SAMPLE? - IT ACTUALLY MATCHES ALMOST PERFECTLY. - SO WE HAVE A MATCH, DON'T WE? - YES, WE DO. - [laughs] YOU KNOW WHAT? I'M SURPRISED, BUT YET I'M NOT SURPRISED. GIVEN EVERYTHING THAT I'VE SEEN, THIS WAS THE FINAL PIECE TO TIE THIS TOGETHER. THERE'S A WHOLE HOST OF ACADEMICS THAT REFUSE TO BELIEVE THAT THERE WERE CULTURES THAT CAME TO NORTH AMERICA PRIOR TO COLUMBUS, AND IT'S BULL[bleep]. THIS IS SCIENTIFIC PROOF OF A CONNECTION. IT'S IMPOSSIBLE TO DENY. IT'S GOING TO MAKE A LOT OF PEOPLE VERY EXCITED. RICHARD THORNTON, ONE OF THEM, WHO'S A RESEARCHER THAT WAS ADAMANT THAT THERE WAS ABSOLUTELY A CONNECTION BETWEEN THE MAYANS AND THE PEOPLE IN GEORGIA. THIS TESTING HERE NOT ONLY FORCES US TO REEXAMINE THIS CHAPTER OF AMERICAN HISTORY, BUT IT DEMANDS THAT WE OPEN UP THE WHOLE BOOK TO GET TO THE TRUTH OF WHAT REALLY HAPPENED. ♪ ♪ MAYAN PROPHECY DOES DECLARE 2012 IS A TURNING POINT, MAYBE NOT THE END BUT THE START OF A NEW BAKTUN, A NEW BEGINNING. A NEW BEGINNING MIGHT HAVE BEEN WHAT THE MAYANS WERE LOOKING FOR IN GEORGIA. WHATEVER IT WAS, IT MUST HAVE INVOLVED ARCHAEOASTRONOMY, SOME SORT OF ALIGNMENT TO THE STARS. THERE ARE SO MANY UNANSWERED QUESTIONS STILL OUT THERE. WHAT I'VE LEARNED ABOUT WHERE THEY WENT AND WHAT THEY BELIEVED IS JUST THE BEGINNING. THERE'S MORE TO AMERICA THAN WE REALIZE. WE HAVE THE RIGHT TO QUESTION THE HISTORY WE'VE BEEN TAUGHT, TO EXAMINE THINGS WITH OUR OWN EYES. MY JOB IS TO EXPLAIN THE UNEXPLAINABLE, TO FIND THE ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS ABOUT OUR PAST WHEN NO ONE ELSE WILL.
Info
Channel: HISTORY
Views: 1,213,904
Rating: 4.7595444 out of 5
Keywords: history channel, history shows, history channel shows, america unearthed, history america unearthed, america unearthed show, america unearthed full episodes, america unearthed clips, full episodes, America Unearthed season 1 episode 1, America Unearthed s1 e1, America Unearthed s01 e01, America Unearthed 1X1, watch America Unearthed, watch America Unearthed full episodes, America Unearthed full episodes, America Unearthed season 1 clips, American Maya Secret, Scott Wolter
Id: C2w-WSl3NN8
Channel Id: undefined
Length: 43min 38sec (2618 seconds)
Published: Sun Jun 28 2020
Related Videos
Note
Please note that this website is currently a work in progress! Lots of interesting data and statistics to come.