[music playing] JOSH BERNSTEIN
(VOICEOVER): This week, join me on a quest to learn the
truth about a 3,000 year old temple of doom, complete with
sacred idols secret rituals. The ruins of the ancient
civilization of Chavin have stood for 2,500 years. But we're the first to make a
full length documentary here. How did this empire endure
without the use of weapons and warfare? Was it a utopian society or was
it a warped experiment in mind control? My search for answers will
take me through secret tunnels deep within the Amazon jungle
and into the hallucinogenic rituals of a modern day shaman. And one other thing, there
really is a temple of doom. We're "Digging for the Truth",
and we're going to extremes to do it. It's kinda eerie. [music playing] JOSH BERNSTEIN (VOICEOVER):
I've come to South America to investigate a mysterious
relic that's thousands of years old. Some think it holds the
key to understanding a mysterious underground temple
and its bizarre mind warping cult. They were a crucial part
of one of the most unusual civilizations in history. JOSH BERNSTEIN: Hi. I'm Josh Bernstein. And I'm on a quest
to explore what might be a real-life temple of doom. My journey begins
here in Lima, Peru. I've come here to see an ancient
sacred idol, perhaps the most important artifact in a country
rich with archaeological treasures. It's called the Tello Obelisk. JOSH BERNSTEIN (VOICEOVER):
The centerpiece of the National
Museum of Archaeology, the obelisk is a huge granite
sculpture with images woven together like a tapestry. Professor Guillermo
Cock, a leading expert on Peru's archaeological past
explains the crucial role the relic played in the
ancient civilization of Chavin. GUILLERMO COCK: It
contains the main elements that were the basis of
the Chavin ideology-- the Chavin religion. Is this obelisk
considered a god? Is there-- is this the
reason that it's sacred? The people of Chavin
would actually pray to? It may have well been. Now, some people believe that
this was a sort of a god. And that they came and pray
and make offerings to them. It's a very important piece
in the Chavin culture. [music playing] JOSH BERNSTEIN (VOICEOVER):
The first great Peruvian archaeologist, Julio C.
Tello discovered the artifact in the ruins of a massive
temple complex 250 miles north of Lima. He called the civilization
Chavin after the nearby town, Chavin de Huantar. Reigning from 1,000
to 200 BC, Chavin is one of the oldest and most
mysterious cultures in Peru. The obelisk sat in the exact
center of the circular plaza at the heart of the complex. A position of supreme
religious significance. Tello thought it
contained the key to solving the mysteries of
Chavin and what went on there. The principal image
on the obelisk is it caiman, a South American
relative of the alligator. Engraved within the
caiman are many snakes. And a feline figure that's
thought to be a Jaguar. And plants, manioc,
peanuts, and chili peppers. GUILLERMO COCK: I do believe
that because the complexity of the elements, it is
a stone with a message. It's like a bible. Like an ancient bible
for these people. So we know it's important,
but we don't know what it says? GUILLERMO COCK: There is a code
that we have to break in order to understand what
it really means. [music playing] JOSH BERNSTEIN (VOICEOVER): The
strangest part of this code, according to Guillermo, is
that the images on the obelisk don't come from the high
Andes where it was found, but rather from
the Amazon jungle. But the jungle is
far from Chavin. In the days of Chavin's glory,
it was a punishing six day trek by foot and llama train through
towering mountains falling steeply to dense
impenetrable jungle. Why would a people who live
12,000 feet above the Amazon make jungle animals and
plants the main characters in their bible? Guillermo tells me,
if there's an answer within the obelisks code,
I'll have to go to the jungle to find it. My starting point is Iquitos. A market town on the Amazon, 500
miles from Chavin de Huantar. Iquitos is bustling. Goods from all over the
world arrive by boat. I've arranged to meet up with
local legend, Richard Fowler. He's a naturalist and
jungle adventurer. A lot of artworks at Chavin
looks like jungle animals, jungle plants. So I've come here because I
want to explore the jungle and hopefully,
see some of these. I want to know if
that's possible. When you wanna leave? I'm ready to leave right now. I'm a naturalist
and that's what I do, plants, animals, Amazon. Let's go. RICHARD FOWLER: Let's go. [music playing] JOSH BERNSTEIN (VOICEOVER):
As we travel up the Amazon, I think back to what
Guillermo told me. Many archaeologists,
including Julio C. Tello interpreted the obelisk
as an origin myth. The caiman gave birth
to Chavin's universe. The animals, the
people, and the plants. But why did they pick these
particular plants and animals to put on the obelisk? Near the river, we visit
a garden cultivated by the Bora, an indigenous
people of the region. The plants they're growing
here appear prominently on the obelisk. Yucca, or manioc as it
is sometimes called, and chili peppers. JOSH BERNSTEIN: Will
any of these plants grow in the highlands? Or are they strictly
in the Amazon basin? They're-- these are all
tropical plants that grow well in poor soil. They're coming, yeah. JOSH BERNSTEIN (VOICEOVER):
So if they don't do well in highland soil, what are
they doing as central images on the Tello obelisk? JOSH BERNSTEIN: This
the right color to eat? RICHARD FOWLER: Yeah, that's--
that'll be just right. OK. Holy [bleep]. Spicy. That's really hot. JOSH BERNSTEIN
(VOICEOVER): I can see now how chilies are impressive
to the people of the Amazon. That's a powerful flavor. And Yucca is their
staple food source. These plants were of
vital importance here. RICHARD FOWLER: It's a-- It's a starchy product
from the Amazon. JOSH BERNSTEIN
(VOICEOVER): Yet, they don't grow in the
highlands around Chavin. Why are they on the obelisk? It's very strange. Sweet. Thank you. [music playing] JOSH BERNSTEIN (VOICEOVER):
The mystery deepens. Julio C. Tello and generations
of archaeologists after him thought there was a
simple explanation. The civilization of Chavin came
from people who migrated up from the Amazon. They brought with them the
cultural memory of the things that were important
to them in the jungle, like the caiman, the central
image on the obelisk. Richard is taking
me to meet one. RICHARD FOWLER: There's supposed
to be about an eight-footer in here. And that's the one I'd like
to try to catch for you. - OK.
- There's a lot of small ones. I'm sure it won't be a
problem of catching a small. But I want to try to catch
that big one for you. JOSH BERNSTEIN (VOICEOVER):
This is how Richard has caught big caiman in the past. And he says there are some
huge ones in this murky water. But so far, the ones I
see are like something you'd buy at a pet store. JOSH BERNSTEIN: And
was-- there was one over there just a minute ago. JOSH BERNSTEIN (VOICEOVER):
Looks like a muddy exercise in futility to me. This takes sensitivity. JOSH BERNSTEIN: I
don't see anything. Feel anything? JOSH BERNSTEIN (VOICEOVER):
So far, all Richard has found are some leaves,
mud, and a lot of aggravation. [music playing] Their elusive creatures. Always one step ahead of us. And then, he gets one. I'm getting the
big one next time. JOSH BERNSTEIN (VOICEOVER):
But he seems a little small. It's not much of
a father figure. I got you a brown caiman. One of three species
found here in Peru. JOSH BERNSTEIN: Can I hold him?
RICHARD FOWLER: Yeah. Yeah.
JOSH BERNSTEIN: Hold him? RICHARD FOWLER:
Hold him, please. JOSH BERNSTEIN:
Now, what do I do? RICHARD FOWLER: Grab
him by the head. Firm-- grab him firmly
behind the-- behind the head. JOSH BERNSTEIN: OK. RICHARD FOWLER: And firmly
at the base of the tail. Don't get your face
close to his mouth. JOSH BERNSTEIN (VOICEOVER):
This caiman's sort of cute. Although, not the
friendliest personality. RICHARD FOWLER: Yeah,
don't get your face-- JOSH BERNSTEIN (VOICEOVER):
It's hard for me to imagine this little
guy as the main figure in any culture's bible. But Richard assures me that
his brothers and sisters can be a lot larger
and more dangerous. RICHARD FOWLER: In the
Amazon and in almost all tropical areas
where crocodiles are-- are found, there's a-- they're
a powerful animal symbol. You know, like, danger. They mean an aggressiveness. They mean strength. And people are afraid them. Why would they be
afraid of them, though? Where they-- were they
killing and eating people? RICHARD FOWLER: They've
seen them grab other animals and they're-- they're afraid
it's going to get bigger and eat them up. And this is a small one? RICHARD FOWLER:
Now, that's a baby. A baby? RICHARD FOWLER: Only about,
like, 2 and 1/2 years old. So one that was nine feet. And some of them you
said get 18 feet. RICHARD FOWLER: Well,
the black caiman gets-- JOSH BERNSTEIN: Black caiman?
RICHARD FOWLER: --up to 18 foot. They have a very
powerful force on them. And of course, some of the
animals that you're looking for are these power symbols. Power plants, power
symbols, power animals. OK. So I'd imagine that an
18-foot black caiman would be a scary sight. [music playing] JOSH BERNSTEIN (VOICEOVER):
Richard takes me deeper into the jungle in
search of other power animals. It grows thicker and
more impenetrable. RICHARD FOWLER: Hey,
Josh, check this out. JOSH BERNSTEIN (VOICEOVER):
Then Richard surprises me. I got something for you. JOSH BERNSTEIN (VOICEOVER): This
is definitely a power animal. A symbol worthy of
immense respect. Anaconda. Anaconda. JOSH BERNSTEIN
(VOICEOVER): The Anaconda is the biggest
snake in the world. Up to 28 feet long
and 3 feet around. This one's a 15-footer
and very heavy. RICHARD FOWLER: --going to
bit you and then they bite. JOSH BERNSTEIN: Aggressive? They're defensive. JOSH BERNSTEIN:
Defensively aggressive. Defensive. Yeah, they-- you get one in
close quarters, they bite. They just strike at you. JOSH BERNSTEIN: And then in
terms of, again, local fear, would this have
been hunting people? Is there a reason why
they'd fear the anaconda? RICHARD FOWLER: Yeah, they'd
fear because it gets bigger and there are actual accounts
of them eating people, like small children
and small women. JOSH BERNSTEIN: So again, going
back to the time of Chavin, any jungle dweller would
have feared an anaconda? Sure. It's one of the-- the greatest
symbolic animals here. The whole legend
of the Amazon is like the Amazon is
one big anaconda and all the little tributaries
are baby anacondas. JOSH BERNSTEIN (VOICEOVER):
Now I see what Richard means by power animals. A really big snake makes a
powerful symbol, strong enough to stand in for the life
giving Amazon, the biggest river in the world. The snake must have held
some equally powerful meaning for the people of Chavin to
have such a place of honor on the obelisk. Julio C. Tello thought
the jungle images proved that people moved up from
the Amazon and created Chavin. But Richard tells me of
another competing theory. That it wasn't the people
who moved, but the ideas. The jungle symbols were
so powerful and exotic, they were adopted by a people
to whom they were completely alien. To find out the truth
about Chavin's origins, I know where I've gotta go
next, Chavin de Huantar itself. I'm trying to discover what made
the mysterious Chavin empire tick. I trace the origins of images
on a sacred relic to the Amazon. And now, I'm in the northern
Andes mountains approaching the town of Chavin de Huantar. It's seldom visited
because of its isolation. Over 100 miles up steep
winding roads from the coast to the west. And to the east, it's hemmed
in by some of the highest mountains in the Andes,
many over 20,000 feet high. Here in Chavin de
Huantar, the influence of the people's Incan
ancestors is still apparent. They speak the old language,
Quechua, and practice traditional agriculture. But it's still very different
from the jungle world I've just visited in search of the
images on a Tello obelisk. From the town, it's a
short walk to the site. The 2,500 year old
ruins are beautiful. Centered around a sprawling
temple made of massive stone blocks, it rises 53-feet
high and looks down on 15 acres of sweeping plazas. To explore Chavin, I've
arranged to meet Dr. Rosa Rick, co-director of the
Stanford University project here. All over the site, we see
the images from the jungle, jaguars and snakes. What are they doing up
here in the highlands? But the connection between
the Amazon and Chavin is just one of many
mysteries that surround this ancient civilization. Chavin is complex
and impressive, but I notice a strange absence. Rosa, I'm amazed at-- at the beauty and the power-- I mean, the wealth that
was put into Chavin. Everything here. Yet, what I don't see
are fortifications. Do they have any here? No. Did they have a military? No. So how is it that
they're able to, like-- to protect all these assets if
they didn't have a military. That's a very good question. JOSH BERNSTEIN (VOICEOVER):
After years of excavation and research, the story
is beginning to emerge. And it has to do with the
special nature of Chavin itself. Chavin was a major
ceremonial center. This is where population from
all around in Andean area will converge. And how far would people
travel to come here? Hundreds of
kilometers to get here. So this was a major
pilgrimage site the way Jerusalem or Mecca
may have been. That's right. It's a religious center. [music playing] JOSH BERNSTEIN
(VOICEOVER): But what brought pilgrims to
this inaccessible valley high in the mountains? Archaeologists speculate it
was hypnotic mass rituals on the main plaza with hundreds,
maybe thousands of worshipers. The staging of the rituals
was like a multimedia event. The priests had
thought of every way to impress and amaze
their followers. Traded from hundreds
of miles away, special conch shells
were blown like trumpets. And their music reverberated
off the walls of the temple. Five years ago,
the Stanford team found 20 of these instruments
beautifully decorated with carvings. But the power of the ceremonies
came from more than just music and dance. Rosa takes me to the circular
plaza at the top of the complex to explain a brilliant special
effect created by the priests. According to Rosa, they
harnessed a nearby river and diverted its water into
canals throughout Chavin. This canal comes from
up underneath the steps. It keeps flowing and it opens
up to a series of canals that will go all to the
ceremonial center. It's like a big speaker. Loud sounds coming through this. Wow.
Sounds everywhere. [interposing voices] [water crashing] JOSH BERNSTEIN (VOICEOVER):
It was a remarkable feat of engineering. Over two miles of
underground canals traversing the entire temple complex. All to heighten the
effect of the ceremonies. The sound must have
been overwhelming. That's incredible. So did this-- this whole
space, I mean, with the temple behind us and the water
rushing through underground and then coming back here, it's
just this whole area was again, a ceremonial center. This reinforces that something
significant is going on here. That's it. [music playing] JOSH BERNSTEIN (VOICEOVER): This
was why Chavin had no military. It was on sacred ground. It ruled by the
power of its rituals. Its protected cult status
shielded it from attack. Archaeologists have
found offerings that were brought by devotees
from as far away as the coast. The accumulated wealth supported
a huge settlement for its time and place, over 3,000 people. A thriving community of
artisans served the needs of the priests. Chavin pottery, gold
work, and textiles have been found hundreds
of miles away to the south and to the north. The Chavin style of intricate
design and strong animal imagery dominated
the entire region. It was a cultural empire
in Peru for 800 years, ruling through the persuasive
force of its ideas. And Rosa tells me, the
priests used a unique method to help maintain
their dominance. What's this? ROSA RICK: You have a
priest representation here. You can see the headdress
with the snake designs. Look at the mouse
with the fangs. And the hands with the claws. And we observe that he's
holding a San Pedro cactus. JOSH BERNSTEIN
(VOICEOVER): Rosa explains, that when correctly prepared,
San Pedro cactus is a potent hallucinogen. Clutched
in the priest's hand, it's a symbol of tremendous
importance to his religion. It's the key to his power
and his control of thousands of devoted pilgrims. I've been exploring
Peru trying to unlock the secrets of the mysterious
civilization of Chavin. Manipulating powerful
symbols from the jungle, priests controlled
a religious state based on elaborate rituals
involving music, dance, and psychoactive plants. JOSH BERNSTEIN: Christian,
what's your specialty? JOSH BERNSTEIN (VOICEOVER):
Christian Mesia, co-director of the Stanford
project at Chavin, tells me more about the priest's
use of hallucinogenic drugs 2,500 years ago. And the archaeological
evidence is startling. JOSH BERNSTEIN: Wow. Oh, my God. Look at all this stuff. JOSH BERNSTEIN (VOICEOVER):
Sitting in a shed, protected from the weather, are many
of the stone heads which once lined the temple complex. Yeah, there's
one in particular, I wanted to show you. Yeah. Yeah, which is this one. JOSH BERNSTEIN:
This one here, huh? CHRISTIAN MESIA: Exactly. So what's so special
about this one? I mean, you see that? Oh, yeah, this. CHRISTIAN MESIA: Mm-hmm. That's mucus. JOSH BERNSTEIN: Mucus? CHRISTIAN MESIA: Exactly. JOSH BERNSTEIN: OK.
Wow. That's a bit weird. Why do they represent
this person with mucus? Well, when you consume
psychoactive substances through the nose, you
get, like, mucus flowing. JOSH BERNSTEIN: And they
actually captured the mucus coming out of his nose in stone? CHRISTIAN MESIA: Exactly. JOSH BERNSTEIN: So what
role did these hallucinogens play in the society? CHRISTIAN MESIA: Well, what
I-- what we believe here in the project is that it was
a very-- a real important part. It's so important it was
depicted on the facade on the main temple. On the most sacred place
of Chavin de Huantan. [music playing] JOSH BERNSTEIN (VOICEOVER):
I've never seen anything quite like this
collection of stone heads. I asked Christian
to show me where they were 2,500 years ago. --evidence, which is that
Tello head is the only-- JOSH BERNSTEIN
(VOICEOVER): Now, only one is left in its
original position. It was part of the whole wall. It was inserted in those holes
that we see along the wall. And this-- this Tello
head-- particular Tello head is representing some
form of transition between a human
being and a jaguar. So this-- yeah, half feline. I can see it. It's got the teeth and
the mouth of the feline. But I guess the head,
the eyes are human. Yep.
CHRISTIAN MESIA: Exactly. JOSH BERNSTEIN:
OK, but what is it? Well, we assume that
the divinity was living in another word. So in order to
get to that world, you have to consume some sort
of substances that will lead to you-- that will put you in
a state of mind that will lead you to that world in order
to enter to that world. Actually, this
represents a transformation from human to feline? CHRISTIAN MESIA: Exactly. And that was done
through taking a substance? Some sort of hallucinogen. Mm-hmm. JOSH BERNSTEIN: Wow. JOSH BERNSTEIN
(VOICEOVER): A society that surrounds its most
holy center with sculptures of hallucinating jaguar
people with mucus coming out of their noses is truly bizarre. And Christian has
more to show me. We have fun just, like, two
days ago this snuff tubes. You have to be very
careful-- extra careful. They are very delicate. OK. CHRISTIAN MESIA: That
we found in a canal. JOSH BERNSTEIN: Snuff tube? CHRISTIAN MESIA: Yeah. Wow. This is a bone, yeah? Probably it's a beer bone. [music playing] JOSH BERNSTEIN
(VOICEOVER): Dozens of these bone snuff tubes
have been found in Chavin. Sometimes, intricately
carved, they were used to inhale
powdered hallucinogens. Tiny mortars and pestles
were used to grind up the psychoactive ingredients. Some were from
the Amazon jungle, like the seeds of the yopo and
the resin of the virola tree. What Rosa and
Christian have shown me changes my perception
of Chavin and its rituals completely. And the story becomes
stranger and stranger. This is the saga of a cult built
around hallucinogenic plants, the cult of Chavin. The ceremonies on the outside
were just the beginning. From the circular
plaza, Rosa takes me up enormous steps which created
the thundering noise of water flowing through canals. Up until 2,200 years ago,
priests used the same stairway to lead a chosen few initiates
into an actual temple of doom. And of course, in every
proper temple of doom, there has to be a terrifying
idol hidden inside. The temple above ground
is just an entrance way into this massive labyrinth. Huge stones were used to build
over two miles of tunnels. Would there have been
candles in this passageway? We don't have evidence of
candles use at that time. There is no signs of
the smoke on the walls. It's kinda eerie. JOSH BERNSTEIN (VOICEOVER):
I'm surprised by what Rosa just told me. I've been in tunnels like
this in Mexico and in Egypt. But there was almost always
evidence of the use of fire to light the way. How did they see where they
were going without torches? They would have been
in complete darkness. So is there any sense of what
was going on in rooms like this or down here in the quarters? This may have been to bring
some of these initiated people and to bring them down. So more of like
the cult of Chavin? The initiates we're down
here in the darkness being reprogrammed
by the priest? That's right. JOSH BERNSTEIN
(VOICEOVER): For Rosa, it's a classic psychological
technique. Disorient people in
order to brainwash them and to prepare them for
what they were about to see. Wow. Yes. And there it is. JOSH BERNSTEIN (VOICEOVER): It
is the supreme deity of Chavin. A god in stone illuminated
by a single beam of light from a tiny ventilation shaft. Archaeologists call it
el Lanzon, the lance, because of its shape. It's unlike anything
I've ever seen. An intricately carved
massive face with its lips curled in a perpetual snarl. [music playing] So these initiates would
come down this dark corridor? Then altered states of
mind due to some drugs. And they come in here
and they're standing face to face with this really
psychotic look god. As to this, this is just this
is a very powerful figure. Quite an experience. Overwhelming. [music playing] JOSH BERNSTEIN
(VOICEOVER): It must have been a psychedelic
blur of fear and awe. In the dark, the
sound of water rushing past through acoustic canals
would have added an element of heart pumping dread. [water rushing] This sort of stormy sound. On top of everything
that they're going through, they're hearing is thundering
noise in front of this god. ROSA RICK: That's is one
other reason for them to be fearful of this figure. The god is talking to them. I can only imagine what they
must have been experiencing. JOSH BERNSTEIN (VOICEOVER):
It all seems so bizarre. Pervasive use of hallucinogens,
ritual ceremonies in dark, underground
tunnels, brainwashing. How would such
techniques enable Chavin to become a cultural empire? Rosa tells me I may be able
to see that for myself, since some of the methods
of the Chavin priests are still in use today
on the Pacific coast. Images carved into
a sacred relic took me first to
the Amazon jungle. Then into the depths of the
2,500 year old temple of doom. I've learned that Chavin's
existence depended on religious ceremonies
fueled by a variety of mind altering botanicals. But how? JOSH BERNSTEIN: My
best lead at this point is a hallucinogenic plant
called the San Pedro cactus. [music playing] JOSH BERNSTEIN (VOICEOVER): I
travel 140 miles from Chavin to the old colonial city of
Trujillo near the Pacific Ocean. Trujillo is a bustling and
prosperous city, seemingly very modern in everything
but architecture. But could it be possible that
religious traditions, which began in Chavin 2,500 years
ago still flourish here today? In the city square, I meet
Doug Shoran from the University of California, Berkeley. If you're ready, we can go and
meet a curandera in the market. Yeah.
I'm all for it. JOSH BERNSTEIN
(VOICEOVER): Doug is taking me to meet Julia Calderon. She's a curandera,
a modern shaman. Some people know
them as folk healers. Julia's father was
a famous curandero. And she carries on
the family tradition. She leads us into the
main market of Trujillo, where people buy vegetables,
clothes, electronic gear, and practically anything else. We come to a stand
that specializes in goods for curanderos,
like San Pedro cactus. But buying San
Pedro is not simple. It's like a fine wine,
it must be mature and come from a good region. JOSH BERNSTEIN: So
is this a good one? DOUG SHORAN: This
is a good, yeah. One with the scar tissue is one
of the best ones, because it's mature. Because it's firm? JOSH BERNSTEIN (VOICEOVER): We
end up with four cactus buds. But that's just the beginning. We also need perfume. Lots of it. And special strong tobacco. DOUG SHORAN: That's
tobacco from the jungle. Whoa. Yeah, it's good strong stuff. [speaking spanish] Gracias. [speaking spanish] JOSH BERNSTEIN (VOICEOVER):
By late afternoon, we're walking through
a quiet neighborhood. The sea is just a
few blocks away. Everything seems very normal. Preparations for the evening
ahead begin immediately with the ingredients
we just purchased. The San Pedro is cooking away. It's the juice that you take-- that you drink-- JOSH BERNSTEIN: OK. DOUG SHORAN:
--during the session. [music playing] JOSH BERNSTEIN (VOICEOVER):
Julia sets up her mesa. A table which contains
everything she'll need for the ceremony. Images of Jesus are
next to ancient healers. There's tobacco
mixed with water. Perfume, corn flour,
and healing staffs. Each with a special power to
cure a particular ailment. And a magic circle with a
six pointed star inside it, where the patient stands
while being healed. This man believes
he's been cursed. It upsets his balance, and
he has difficulty staying upright and focused. The ceremony always
takes place at night. Julia purifies the four
corners of the ritual space with lime juice and perfume. After cleansing the patient,
she invokes the staves, searching for the proper one. Then it's time to
drink the San Pedro. It's part of a group experience
dedicated to healing. First, Julia. Then her assistant. The patients. Doug. And finally, me. It tastes like a
bitter, earthy tea. Why the glass three
times around the head? I have no idea. But when in Peru-- the San Pedro is meant
to open the patient up to what's hidden inside. And to allow Julio to understand
what's causing his problems. With the San Pedro
taking effect, Julia goes into a trance. And she sees a plot to
bewitch her patients. [speaking spanish] DOUG SHORAN: She sees a woman. She's a woman who combs
her hair to the left. JULIA CALDERON:
[speaking spanish] She's very close to this
leader, I think she said. [speaking spanish] DOUG SHORAN: There's also a man. JULIA CALDERON:
[speaking spanish] JOSH BERNSTEIN: So most the
people who are coming here are coming not for necessarily
physical ailments-- - No.
- --they're more spiritual? Not at all. Spirit-- not at all? Psychological. JOSH BERNSTEIN: This is a
much more spiritual cleansing? DOUG SHORAN: Exactly. JOSH BERNSTEIN
(VOICEOVER): Julia's skill is treating ailments
typically unacknowledged by Western medicine. Curses, charms, and
negative energies. Julia has given the
patient the proper staff to help restore his power
and his balance in the world. She then prescribes a treatment. JULIA CALDERON:
[speaking spanish] DOUG SHORAN: Be very careful. JULIA CALDERON:
[speaking spanish] Don't accept
food from anybody. JULIA CALDERON:
[speaking spanish] DOUG SHORAN: It was
all for vengeance that they did this to him. That's a very common type
of curse here in the north. JULIA CALDERON:
[speaking spanish] [music playing] JOSH BERNSTEIN (VOICEOVER):
As part of the ceremony, all the participants,
except Doug and me, pour liquid tobacco
into their noses. It reminds me of the startling
jaguar heads I saw in Chavin. The ones with mucus
running out of their noses. DOUG SHORAN: In Chavin, they
were taking substances that caused this mucus-- the mucous
membranes to erupt, basically. Well, we-- we're-- here,
we're taking tobacco through the nose. We don't know if they're
doing that in Chavin, but we know that tobacco
is not Christian. It is definitely
Native American. And the major origin of
tobacco in the new world is the eastern
side of the Andes, right in this general area. I didn't know that. Yep. JOSH BERNSTEIN (VOICEOVER):
Doug is sure these rituals have something important to
tell us about Chavin. DOUG SHORAN: Now, you look
at these ceremonies here, and in spite of the
persecution, the inquisition, 500 years of colonial rule,
these curanderos and curanderas have a great deal of
prestige at grassroots level. People come from all over the
place to come to these healers. I think that's
evidence of the fact that there is a continuity
around the San Pedro that goes right back to Chavin. And I think the reason Chavin
was so successful as a cult center was because it was built
on a grassroots tradition, just like this is today. Building on that very
powerful grassroots tradition, they were able to then build a
political superstructure on top of that. And then that-- that's a big
part of what Chavin is all about. And a large part of that
has to do with the San Pedro cactus, huh? Right. [music playing] JOSH BERNSTEIN (VOICEOVER): This
evening, the persuasive power of these rituals has been
made very clear to me. The same shamanic tradition
that Julia uses for healing was exploited by the
priests of Chavin to gain absolute political
and social power. Participating in a
religious ceremony under the guidance of a
prominent anthropologist, I had a unique opportunity
to experience something of what the initiates
in Chavin experienced. JOSH BERNSTEIN: About
three hours or four hours after I drank that glass
of San Pedro, the effect reached its peak. I started to get very
sensitive to light. I started seeing a halo on
all the lights around me. And I was here back in my
room, and I thought, well, what would it have been
like for these people at Chavin to be feeling
this way in the darkness? It's kind of weird, but here's
what I-- here's what I did. Is I went into the
bathroom here in my room and I turned out the lights. Because I was thinking at
Chavin, so much of that world is based on darkness. And I put a towel under the
door to block as much light as possible. And then thinking about el
Lanzon and a thundering, resonating water chambers around
it, I turned on the shower. And so now, I had this
water hitting the tub making this noise, complete darkness. I could see-- because my
pupils were so dilated, I could see everything. I mean, everything in this room,
despite there being almost no light. And it made me realize
that relative to Chavin, their world of darkness was
not one way they couldn't see. Under the effects of San Pedro,
that whole underground world became visible. You could see everything. JOSH BERNSTEIN (VOICEOVER):
Now, I finally understand how the priests of Chavin
could have an elaborate world of ritual in the dark. In 500 BC, the power of these
mysterious hallucinatory ceremonies was strong enough
to control a spiritual empire without the use of a military. I've been decoding the
symbols on a sacred relic to understand how the ancient
Andean civilization of Chavin flourished for 800 years without
a military, without city walls. In Chavin, I learned how
the ruling priests conducted elaborate rituals fueled
by hallucinogenic drugs to control an entire culture. I participated in a
modern day version of one of these ancient
ceremonies and came away with a deeper understanding
of the priest's power. But was Chavin systematic
use of mind control unique? To answer this question, I'm
traveling 230 miles south to the little known site of
Caral in the Supe Valley. [music playing] I meet up again with Guillermo
Cock, who explains that Caral was discovered in 1985 when
an archaeologist noticed huge mounds in the desert. Like Chavin, Caral has a
circular plaza, but much, much larger. Caral is also a great
deal older than Chavin. What's really
exciting to think about is that at the time of
the Great Pyramids of Egypt, this city was thriving. And what has archaeologists
really excited, is that carbon dates to 2,600
BC, 1600 years before Chavin. JOSH BERNSTEIN
(VOICEOVER): Caral is like Chavin in many ways. Like Chavin. This vast complex was an
important ceremonial center. Caral appears to have
no fortifications. Archaeologists have also
discovered snuff tubes, clear signs of ritual
use of hallucinogens like that at Chavin. These similarities suggest
that a culture like Caral might have spread to Chavin. But there's one big difference. Unlike Chavin, which is
high in the mountains, the sea is only one
day's walk from Caral. That gave Carol an economic
resource that Chavin lacked, fish. During a time of
Caral, the Pacific Ocean here was teeming with fish. The humble current
coming up from the bottom made these waters
frigid and rich. This coastline had some of the
greatest fishing in the world. JOSH BERNSTEIN (VOICEOVER):
The bountiful ocean, combined with improved fishing techniques
like these reed boats, triggered a population boom. It led to the development of
complex societies like Caral. These boats maybe the
technological innovation that fueled the rise of
Peruvian civilization. This is going to be my-- my paddle. JOSH BERNSTEIN (VOICEOVER): It's
amazing that fishermen today still use the same techniques. I'm going to try it out myself. I'll tell you, Pacific
Ocean, wintertime, cold water. JOSH BERNSTEIN
(VOICEOVER): The boats are kind of like big kayaks. Very maneuverable. Today, we're going out
just to play around a bit. But the working fishermen
would place his catch in the back of the boat and
spend all day out on the water. [music playing] These little boats are perfectly
adapted for riding the swells. And they allowed fishermen,
thousands of years ago, to harvest the ocean. The real fun is getting back in. Instead of just going over
a wave, you have to ride it. JOSH BERNSTEIN:
Yeah, a great time. Gracias. Gracias. [speaking spanish] OK. JOSH BERNSTEIN (VOICEOVER):
All along the coast, there are fishing communities. And all along the
coast, archaeologists are finding the ruins of
civilizations like Caral that exploited the sea. From these roots,
the origin of Chavin and all Andean civilization
is becoming more clear. 80 miles up the
coast from Caral, Guillermo shows me and
even older site, Las Aldas. Here, too, I can see
similarities with Chavin. JOSH BERNSTEIN: OK. And this is the circular plaza
which I've seen in other sites? Exactly. And this is a very complex one. And it looks
fairly unexcavated. Yeah. it has been barely
excavated some 40 years ago. So they've made some
sample cuts, and that's it? Exactly. OK. JOSH BERNSTEIN (VOICEOVER): Is
there evidence of a connection between Chavin and Los Aldas? Was there a use
of hallucinogens? Did crowds gather at
the circular plaza here for mass rituals? The simple answer is,
we don't know yet. JOSH BERNSTEIN: This is
from fires that were here? GUILLERMO COCK: From cooking.
JOSH BERNSTEIN: Cooking? It's the cooking area? GUILLERMO COCK: Thousands
of years of cooking. JOSH BERNSTEIN: Things just
waiting to be explored. As an archaeologist,
doesn't that make you crazy? It makes my
mouth watering, no? JOSH BERNSTEIN (VOICEOVER):
There's still so much to uncover here. Who knows what secrets
lie buried under the sand. Finally, we get to the
top of the temple complex. On one side, a sheer cliff drops
hundreds of feet to the ocean. And on the other,
the massive building extends into the desert
for almost half a mile. To create a structure
like this required a sophisticated civilization. Guillermo tells me
that the picture which is beginning to emerge ties
these ruins closely to Chavin. And this corroborates
the new hypothesis-- the new ideas about
the origin of Chavin. Remember, that Tello, for the
Chavin was the birth place of Andean civilization. And that the origin
was in the jungle. Civilization came from the
jungle into the highlands. Today, no, the hypothesis
are completely different. We think that, no, Andean
civilization grew from sea. So because they had the
food source here on the coast, this allowed civilization
to grow to the point where it could do and
build this, basically? The great richness,
no, of the Peruvian sea. And that civilization move from
the coast into the highlands. [music playing] JOSH BERNSTEIN (VOICEOVER):
From these Pacific settlements, fueled by a unique
maritime economy, civilization spread inland. Eventually, reaching Chavin. But one question still remains. Did Chavin import its
techniques of mind control from Las Aldas and Caral? Or were they developed
in the mountains? We don't know for sure. The answers may still lie
within the pyramids of Caral under the sands of Las Aldas. Or maybe even hidden in the code
of Chavin's mysterious obelisk. [music playing]
