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- [Narrator] Mexico City,
a teeming metropolis
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of intensity and innovation.
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And at its heart a museum
with secrets dark and strange.
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A grisly offering to the sun.
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An ancient extreme sport.
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The prophecy of a crystal skull.
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And a descent into a watery cave of souls.
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Secrets hidden in plain sight
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inside Mexico's National
Museum of Anthropology.
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(dramatic music)
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These ancient pyramids are made in Mexico.
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Remnants of cultures both
powerful and strange.
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And today Mexico City's
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National Museum of Anthropology
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is full of what they left behind.
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A brooding monument of the Olmecs,
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America's first great civilization.
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The relics of the Mayans, a
people of science and mystery.
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And here in the museum's
most popular gallery
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are the treasures of the Aztec Empire
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that dominated Mexico in the 15th Century.
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Most smaller nations submitted
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to the will of the Aztecs, but not all.
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For historian John Paul, this stone tells
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the tale of one man who refused to bow.
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- One of the most famous
accounts was written
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down both my the by the Spaniards
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and by the Aztec people
themselves after the conquest,
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was the use of this stone in
a very, very famous combat
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against an enemy warlord
whose name was Tlahuicole.
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- [Narrator] Tlahuicole was a warrior
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from the state of Tlaxcala.
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Known for cunning and ferocity,
Tlahuicole led an attack
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on Aztec imperial forces.
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But though the conflict was savage,
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few men died on either side.
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- We have to remember
that warfare to the Aztecs
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if very different from the way
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Europeans would have conceptualized it.
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Europeans were interested in
conquest on the battlefield,
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and in killing as much of the enemy
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as they possibly can in
order to declare a victory.
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Aztec armies actually went to war
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in order to capture enemy soldiers,
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and then bring them back
to ritually sacrifice them.
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- [Narrator] Important
captives were sacrificed
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on this stone before the Temple of War,
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which can still be seen in
the center of Mexico City.
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- They are not simply
thrown over the stone
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and have their hearts cut out.
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They actually engage in
a form of ritual combat.
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- [Narrator] An enemy prisoner
would be tied to the stone
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in front of a pumped up crowd.
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To enhance the spectacle,
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he was given a wooden sword
decorated with feathers.
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Then he was set upon
by elite Aztec warriors
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armed with battle swords.
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- The basic idea was to
actually bring to life
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the drama of the battlefield
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in all of its bloody glory.
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- [Narrator] After the captive was slain,
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his heart was cut out, and
offered to the Sun God.
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- And Tlahuicole was
captured in a great battle,
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and forced to perform in one
of these gladitorial combats.
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- [Narrator] But when Tlahuicole
was tied to the stone,
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something amazing happened.
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(man grunting)
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He fought and killed no
less than 20 warriors.
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Our museum secret is, how did he do it?
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John believes part of the answer
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is in the nature of the Aztec sword.
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So we begin our investigation here,
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in a sierra outside of Mexico City.
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These hills were mined
by Aztec swordmakers.
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They weren't looking for iron,
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but for a volcanic glass called obsidian.
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Obsidian shards are sharper
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than a finely honed blade of steel.
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(speaks foreign language)
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There are no surviving Aztec swords,
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so we asked archeologist historian
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Alejandro Pastrana to make one.
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On a piece of solid encino wood,
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he insets obsidian shards.
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To hold them in place, he
uses traditional Aztec glue.
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(speaks foreign language)
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- [Narrator] Alejandro has taken care
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to make the new sword
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according to the Aztecs'
precise specifications.
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All the elements should combine
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to produce a sword of similar power.
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(speaks foreign language)
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- [Narrator] Up against such a weapon,
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it's hard to imagine how Tlahuicole
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could have defended himself
with his sword of feathers.
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But John wants to see for himself
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how effectively the obsidian
sword cuts through flesh.
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To stand in for Tlahuicole,
he's purchased some meat
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from a local butcher.
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- The idea is that this
would be the first cut.
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The Jaguar warrior approaches Tlahuicole
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and lets him have it.
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Is there a particular place
that he would hit first?
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(speaks foreign language)
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- Whoa, man, look at that.
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- Okay.
- That is incredible!
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The blades came off, but not only that,
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but they stay in the flesh.
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So man, what painful, right?
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(speaks foreign language)
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- [Narrator] A few missing shards
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might not eliminate the sword's power,
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but as a second blow is struck,
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it loses the rest of them.
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This is not what Alejandro
or John expected,
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and it reveals something
new about swordplay
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in the Aztec world.
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(speaks foreign language)
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- Tlahuicole could
actually use solid wood,
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even without the blades,
to absorb the impact
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and defend himself, and
actually disarm the enemy.
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It's something that we'd really see
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out of a movie like Gladiator.
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We could imagine almost Tlahuicole
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as a Tlaxcalan Russell Crowe, right?
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Fighting for his life,
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and yet also standing up for his state.
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Tlaxcala is the primero.
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- [Narrator] So the secret of
defeating 20 Aztec warriors
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comes down to the fragility
of the Aztec sword,
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and the tenacity of a
man named Tlahuicole.
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Eventually, the Aztec emperor
ordered the carnage to stop.
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- He put an end to the fight,
and he offered Tlahuicole
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actually a position as a
commander in the Aztec Army,
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and Tlahuicole turned it down
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and said I would rather be sacrificed
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in honor of my own
nation, the Tlaxcalteca.
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So in a sense, he sacrifices himself,
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and in fact to die in a gladitorial combat
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was to be guaranteed that your soul
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would go to the House of the
Sun to live there for eternity.
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- [Narrator] He died,
unbowed, on this stone.
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(somber music)
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Up next, the secret of the sinking city.
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(dramatic music)
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Inside Mexico's National
Museum of Anthropology,
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there's no shortage of stone,
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because stone lasts.
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Wood tends to rot.
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And that's why this ancient canoe is rare.
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It's one of the largest Aztec
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wooden artifacts ever discovered.
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But there's a mystery
about where it was found.
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It wasn't discovered near a body of water,
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but here in the heart of Mexico City.
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A city that is 2,000
meters above sea level.
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In 1956, contractors
digging the foundation
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for a new expressway
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unearthed the ancient canoe
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perfectly preserved underground.
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To historian John Paul,
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this makes perfect sense.
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- We're overlooking the
center of Mexico City,
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which today is one of the largest,
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if not the largest cities in the world,
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but all of this that we're looking at
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is actually built on top of a more ancient
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Aztec capital called Tenochtitlan,
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and much of what we're
seeing actually was built
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on top of a lake.
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- [Narrator] 500 years ago,
Mexico City looked like this.
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So it's not a mysterious place
to find a canoe after all.
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But how do you turn a lake
that can float a canoe
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into a modern city?
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That is our museum secret.
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A tiny part of the
original lake still exists,
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preserved as a World Heritage Site.
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(pleasant music)
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- [John] You're looking
at an Aztec environment
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virtually as it would have
appeared 500 years ago.
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- [Narrator] Today this
man paddles a canoe
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that looks much like
the one in the museum.
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He's a farmer.
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As part of a farming cooperative,
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he harvests crops from the water
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and grows corn on one of
several small islands.
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These islands are called chinampas.
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- To create a chinampa, the
farmers first stake out an area
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in the lake the size of a football field.
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Then they dredge up the mud
from the base of the lake,
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it's quite shallow here, and just start
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to create this artificial island.
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- [Narrator] And the
Aztecs didn't stop there.
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As they built more chinampas,
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they also built islands for habitation.
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Instead of connecting them
with streets and bridges,
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they opted for canals.
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- Canals were used in such a way
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that with the canoes, they
could bring in tons of goods
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on a daily basis for
sale in the marketplaces,
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so that the canoes were the lifeline
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for how the entire city functioned.
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They had causeways that connected the city
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directly to the western end of the lake.
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They built an aqueduct and brought in
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fresh water on a daily basis.
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The composition of the
city was really ingenious.
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- [Narrator] As the population grew,
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the Aztecs created more chinampas
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to keep the extra people fed.
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- It really allowed them
to create a type of city
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that was part agricultural,
and part urban environment.
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We would be very lucky to have
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the centralized administration come up
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with something as ingenious as this today.
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(pleasant music)
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- [Narrator] It seems that the
Aztecs discovered the secret
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of turning a lake into a city,
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and not just any city,
but a sustainable one.
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Then, the secret was forgotten.
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- When the Spaniards first
arrived here in 1519,
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they looked down into the valley,
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into the basin of Mexico,
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and saw this fantastic
city of over 250,000 people
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sitting in the middle of
this lake, Lake Texcoco,
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and many asked the commander Cortes
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whether this wasn't a dream.
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- [Narrator] The conquerors
were so impressed
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that they drew this map,
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and then changed everything.
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They drained the lake
to create real estate
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for cathedrals and
imperial administration.
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The canals became streets,
and the growing fields
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became building sites.
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Their idea of progress was the basis
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of the vibrant metropolis we know today.
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But because the Spanish did it their way,
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modern Mexico City has a problem
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that plagues engineers
like Efrain Shelley.
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- Mexico City's sinking
much faster than Venice,
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at least 40 times faster.
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An example of the effects
of the sinking is here.
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The level of the plaza
and the level of the road
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used to be the same 300
years ago, more or less.
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You can see that the church is leaning
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towards one side, it's
inclined, it's crooked.
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There's many crooked things
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in Mexico City, including churches.
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- [Narrator] The city is
sinking because of a process
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that began when the Spanish
conquerors drained the lake.
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- It was a bad mistake, because it meant
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in the long term that the
lake system was destroyed.
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It was gradually depleted.
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- [Narrator] This process continues today,
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00:13:50,350 --> 00:13:53,163
as deep wells take water
from the old lake bed.
256
00:13:54,590 --> 00:13:55,840
- [Efrain] Why are we doing that?
257
00:13:55,840 --> 00:13:58,690
Because we need that water for drinking,
258
00:13:58,690 --> 00:14:01,170
for domestic consumption.
259
00:14:01,170 --> 00:14:04,593
2/3 of it come from the
wells installed underneath.
260
00:14:08,070 --> 00:14:09,930
- [Narrator] As the water is extracted,
261
00:14:09,930 --> 00:14:13,970
the soft subsoil compresses,
and the city sinks
262
00:14:13,970 --> 00:14:15,383
faster every day.
263
00:14:16,680 --> 00:14:19,363
- There's measures that
can be taken of course.
264
00:14:20,580 --> 00:14:22,380
Let's not drink water then.
265
00:14:22,380 --> 00:14:25,090
We could probably drink
tequila, for example.
266
00:14:25,090 --> 00:14:26,313
But that's not feasible.
267
00:14:28,450 --> 00:14:30,130
- [Narrator] Efrain doesn't
believe that the problem
268
00:14:30,130 --> 00:14:32,390
can be solved by relearning
269
00:14:32,390 --> 00:14:34,439
the secrets of the Aztecs either.
270
00:14:34,439 --> 00:14:37,022
(gentle music)
271
00:14:38,370 --> 00:14:41,620
- The Aztecs had the
answer to sustaining a city
272
00:14:41,620 --> 00:14:43,320
in the middle of a lake.
273
00:14:43,320 --> 00:14:45,479
Mind you, it was a very small city
274
00:14:45,479 --> 00:14:47,433
as compared to our standards.
275
00:14:50,110 --> 00:14:52,880
Now we have a huge urban development
276
00:14:52,880 --> 00:14:54,650
in the former lake bed,
277
00:14:54,650 --> 00:14:56,883
and there's no way we can revert that.
278
00:14:57,938 --> 00:14:59,280
What is the future?
279
00:14:59,280 --> 00:15:01,853
We will probably sink into oblivion.
280
00:15:02,957 --> 00:15:05,153
No, I'm not sure what will happen.
281
00:15:06,178 --> 00:15:11,178
But we have a bleak
situation in front of us.
282
00:15:11,610 --> 00:15:13,160
- [Narrator] And if seen in that light,
283
00:15:13,160 --> 00:15:16,400
this canoe is not just
a rare wooden artifact.
284
00:15:16,400 --> 00:15:20,280
It's a reminder that it's best
to learn the ancient secrets
285
00:15:20,280 --> 00:15:21,663
before it's too late.
286
00:15:23,780 --> 00:15:27,270
Next on Museum Secrets,
sacrificial victims
287
00:15:27,270 --> 00:15:28,723
in a watery grave.
288
00:15:30,338 --> 00:15:33,088
(dramatic music)
289
00:15:36,320 --> 00:15:39,540
- [Narrator] Inside Mexico's
National Museum of Anthropology
290
00:15:39,540 --> 00:15:41,883
the first thing you see is this.
291
00:15:44,390 --> 00:15:48,160
It's not an historic
monument, but a modern one.
292
00:15:48,160 --> 00:15:50,180
The cascade of water forms a bridge
293
00:15:50,180 --> 00:15:53,130
between ancient Mexicans and ourselves,
294
00:15:53,130 --> 00:15:56,620
because the need for water is
something all humans share.
295
00:15:56,620 --> 00:15:58,310
We only stop needing water
296
00:15:59,880 --> 00:16:00,713
when we're dead.
297
00:16:02,050 --> 00:16:04,210
While the museum displays
a few of the bones
298
00:16:04,210 --> 00:16:08,120
of the ancient dead,
there are thousands more
299
00:16:08,120 --> 00:16:11,920
in a vast storage area
beneath the public galleries.
300
00:16:11,920 --> 00:16:14,700
Many were collected by early explorers
301
00:16:14,700 --> 00:16:16,380
who didn't document their findings
302
00:16:16,380 --> 00:16:18,173
as a modern archeologist would.
303
00:16:19,210 --> 00:16:21,980
Today, archeologist Guillermo de Anda
304
00:16:21,980 --> 00:16:24,393
only knows what the bones can tell him.
305
00:16:26,400 --> 00:16:28,427
- We have found all these cut marks
306
00:16:28,427 --> 00:16:33,427
that are indicative of a
process of ritual violence.
307
00:16:34,350 --> 00:16:37,713
There were flaying, decapitation,
308
00:16:39,060 --> 00:16:41,920
disarticulation of limbs.
309
00:16:41,920 --> 00:16:45,070
We know that this was not accidents.
310
00:16:45,070 --> 00:16:47,470
There's a lot of traits on the bones
311
00:16:47,470 --> 00:16:49,143
that indicated it was a cult.
312
00:16:50,040 --> 00:16:52,820
They may have been sacrifices.
313
00:16:52,820 --> 00:16:54,140
- [Narrator] These bones were discovered
314
00:16:54,140 --> 00:16:55,840
in the south of Mexico,
315
00:16:55,840 --> 00:16:57,883
near the ancient city of Chichen Itza,
316
00:16:59,320 --> 00:17:01,913
in freshwater sinkholes called cenotes.
317
00:17:05,520 --> 00:17:07,500
More than 1,000 years ago,
318
00:17:07,500 --> 00:17:09,680
the Mayans built the city of Chichen Itza
319
00:17:10,950 --> 00:17:12,483
beside this large cenote.
320
00:17:14,540 --> 00:17:16,763
But why did human bones end up here?
321
00:17:19,090 --> 00:17:22,270
According to the Spanish
invaders who conquered Mexico,
322
00:17:22,270 --> 00:17:24,130
during times of drought,
323
00:17:24,130 --> 00:17:26,780
Mayan priests would
perform human sacrifices
324
00:17:26,780 --> 00:17:28,080
at the edge of the cenote.
325
00:17:30,400 --> 00:17:31,858
The Spaniards leave the impression
326
00:17:31,858 --> 00:17:33,810
that a cenote was simply a place
327
00:17:33,810 --> 00:17:37,243
the Mayans tossed bodies as
ritual offerings to Chaac,
328
00:17:37,243 --> 00:17:38,683
the god of rain.
329
00:17:40,590 --> 00:17:42,420
Guillermo believes there is much more
330
00:17:42,420 --> 00:17:44,970
to the cenote and the bones
that were found within,
331
00:17:45,930 --> 00:17:48,650
but all he has are skulls in a box,
332
00:17:48,650 --> 00:17:51,520
with no archeological context.
333
00:17:51,520 --> 00:17:53,800
- And as we say in archeology,
334
00:17:53,800 --> 00:17:55,720
the information of the context
335
00:17:55,720 --> 00:17:57,840
is sometimes much more important
336
00:17:57,840 --> 00:18:01,003
than bones or the artifacts themselves.
337
00:18:01,003 --> 00:18:04,003
(suspenseful music)
338
00:18:06,300 --> 00:18:08,240
- [Narrator] To discover
the cenote's secret,
339
00:18:08,240 --> 00:18:10,142
Guillermo is going to dive into one
340
00:18:10,142 --> 00:18:13,003
that he believes has never
been explored before.
341
00:18:15,860 --> 00:18:19,053
He hopes no amateur bone
collectors got here first.
342
00:18:21,242 --> 00:18:24,742
(speaks foreign language)
343
00:18:35,520 --> 00:18:37,804
The water level in a
cenote rises and falls
344
00:18:37,804 --> 00:18:40,290
with the changing water table.
345
00:18:40,290 --> 00:18:43,260
Currently, it's more than 10 meters down.
346
00:18:43,260 --> 00:18:46,610
(water trickling)
347
00:18:46,610 --> 00:18:48,130
So far, there's no evidence
348
00:18:48,130 --> 00:18:52,210
that anyone else has been
here, except for the bats.
349
00:18:53,762 --> 00:18:56,722
(water splashing)
350
00:18:56,722 --> 00:18:59,472
(bats squeaking)
351
00:19:04,190 --> 00:19:07,483
Beneath the surface, the
underwater world is pitch black,
352
00:19:09,410 --> 00:19:10,910
but in the light of a torch,
353
00:19:10,910 --> 00:19:12,810
Guillermo spots what he's looking for.
354
00:19:14,300 --> 00:19:15,670
- [Guillermo] One of the skulls
355
00:19:15,670 --> 00:19:18,213
has what looks like blunt force trauma.
356
00:19:19,170 --> 00:19:23,120
It's a strong indicator
that there's ritual violence
357
00:19:23,120 --> 00:19:26,423
and probably some human sacrifice.
358
00:19:27,920 --> 00:19:30,000
- [Narrator] Guillermo expected that,
359
00:19:30,000 --> 00:19:31,600
but he also finds human remains
360
00:19:31,600 --> 00:19:34,350
that show no signs of violence.
361
00:19:34,350 --> 00:19:37,910
That's a little puzzling, and
now that he sees the bones
362
00:19:37,910 --> 00:19:39,900
in their original context,
363
00:19:39,900 --> 00:19:41,603
he notices something else.
364
00:19:42,970 --> 00:19:44,370
- So what is very interesting
365
00:19:44,370 --> 00:19:47,003
is how this material get there.
366
00:19:48,570 --> 00:19:51,282
The disposition indicates
they were probably
367
00:19:51,282 --> 00:19:53,393
placed by the ancient Maya.
368
00:19:55,620 --> 00:19:58,270
- [Narrator] If bodies had
been tossed into this cenote,
369
00:19:58,270 --> 00:20:00,823
their bones would now be
scattered on the bottom,
370
00:20:00,823 --> 00:20:03,390
but since they were placed,
371
00:20:03,390 --> 00:20:05,990
then someone must have come
down here to place them.
372
00:20:06,920 --> 00:20:10,610
How could an ancient Mayan
do this without diving gear?
373
00:20:10,610 --> 00:20:13,830
Again, context provides a clue.
374
00:20:13,830 --> 00:20:16,773
- The water level was much
lower than what it is now.
375
00:20:17,730 --> 00:20:19,680
We believe that the
ancient Maya might have
376
00:20:19,680 --> 00:20:23,440
been able to go down just
the way we did on ropes
377
00:20:23,440 --> 00:20:24,890
and use a canoe in order
378
00:20:24,890 --> 00:20:28,350
to get to specific
places around the cenote.
379
00:20:28,350 --> 00:20:30,493
- [Narrator] This is the
secret of the cenote.
380
00:20:31,380 --> 00:20:32,790
It was a place where the Mayans
381
00:20:32,790 --> 00:20:35,143
respectfully laid their dead to rest.
382
00:20:37,020 --> 00:20:39,300
Those who had died by sacrifice,
383
00:20:39,300 --> 00:20:42,363
alongside those who died
from natural causes.
384
00:20:43,690 --> 00:20:45,330
- [Guillermo] They
believed that the cenotes
385
00:20:45,330 --> 00:20:47,140
were spiritual places.
386
00:20:47,140 --> 00:20:50,801
Places where the soul
of the dead might go.
387
00:20:50,801 --> 00:20:53,000
- [Narrator] By descending here,
388
00:20:53,000 --> 00:20:57,450
Guillermo has not only seen the
context, he has felt it too.
389
00:20:57,450 --> 00:20:59,321
- [Guillermo] When you
go down in this cenote,
390
00:20:59,321 --> 00:21:02,180
you can really feel how the ancient Maya
391
00:21:02,180 --> 00:21:03,773
might have felt as well.
392
00:21:05,063 --> 00:21:10,063
The silence, the humidity,
the beauty, the darkness
393
00:21:10,270 --> 00:21:12,878
play an important role on the decision
394
00:21:12,878 --> 00:21:16,403
of going there, and place offerings.
395
00:21:18,160 --> 00:21:20,610
They believed that the cenotes were places
396
00:21:20,610 --> 00:21:23,053
where the soul of the dead might go.
397
00:21:25,360 --> 00:21:27,600
- [Narrator] For us,
water is only necessary
398
00:21:27,600 --> 00:21:30,770
while we're alive, but for the Mayans,
399
00:21:30,770 --> 00:21:32,263
water was the sacred element
400
00:21:32,263 --> 00:21:34,953
that would transport
them to the hereafter.
401
00:21:38,263 --> 00:21:41,042
Next on Museum Secrets, an ancient sport
402
00:21:41,042 --> 00:21:43,763
that's played for keeps.
403
00:21:45,023 --> 00:21:47,773
(dramatic music)
404
00:21:49,860 --> 00:21:52,410
Inside the National Museum of Anthropology
405
00:21:52,410 --> 00:21:54,950
is an ancient Mayan artifact that will be
406
00:21:54,950 --> 00:21:57,693
of special interest to every sports fan.
407
00:21:59,620 --> 00:22:01,380
It shows one of ancient Mexico's
408
00:22:01,380 --> 00:22:04,748
most important inventions,
the rubber ball.
409
00:22:04,748 --> 00:22:07,110
(intense music)
410
00:22:07,110 --> 00:22:09,010
Today, the rubber ball is at the center
411
00:22:09,010 --> 00:22:10,748
of the world's favorite game.
412
00:22:10,748 --> 00:22:13,105
(speaks foreign language)
413
00:22:13,105 --> 00:22:15,855
(crowd cheering)
414
00:22:20,062 --> 00:22:21,801
You might think that a
Mayan would be surprised
415
00:22:21,801 --> 00:22:26,090
to see their game enthralling
thousands of screaming fans,
416
00:22:26,090 --> 00:22:27,063
but you'd be wrong.
417
00:22:28,942 --> 00:22:32,310
- At Chichen Itza, there
is the largest ball court
418
00:22:32,310 --> 00:22:33,961
in Mesoamerica that resembles
419
00:22:33,961 --> 00:22:38,483
the Yankee Stadium of the
Mayas or the Wembley Stadium.
420
00:22:40,130 --> 00:22:42,084
- [Narrator] Historian Manuel Aguilar
421
00:22:42,084 --> 00:22:44,573
is an expert in the Mayan ball game.
422
00:22:45,440 --> 00:22:49,600
- Let's go back to, let's
say seven or 800 AD,
423
00:22:49,600 --> 00:22:54,240
and try to feel the
ambiance of this ball court.
424
00:22:54,240 --> 00:22:58,460
What we will see what would
be two teams facing each other
425
00:22:58,460 --> 00:23:00,180
in each side of the court
426
00:23:00,180 --> 00:23:04,600
with knee pads, loincloth
to protector for the waist.
427
00:23:04,600 --> 00:23:06,793
And they wore pinachos,
so the headdresses.
428
00:23:08,670 --> 00:23:10,370
- [Narrator] Wearing padding
that would be familiar
429
00:23:10,370 --> 00:23:11,910
to modern athletes,
430
00:23:11,910 --> 00:23:14,467
the Mayans played a
game called pok-ta-pok.
431
00:23:15,460 --> 00:23:17,290
Players weren't allowed
to contact the ball
432
00:23:17,290 --> 00:23:20,143
with hands or feet, but
only with their hips.
433
00:23:21,040 --> 00:23:24,800
This alone might qualify
pok-ta-pok as an extreme sport,
434
00:23:24,800 --> 00:23:26,240
but one thing about pok-ta-pok
435
00:23:26,240 --> 00:23:29,483
makes our extreme sports
look like tiddly winks.
436
00:23:31,630 --> 00:23:34,360
Where today's stadiums
display advertising,
437
00:23:34,360 --> 00:23:38,303
some ancient stadiums advertised
a deadly post-game ritual.
438
00:23:40,720 --> 00:23:44,400
- One of the players is
decapitating a player,
439
00:23:44,400 --> 00:23:46,710
and with this hand is holding the head
440
00:23:47,685 --> 00:23:50,380
where the other is holding the knife.
441
00:23:50,380 --> 00:23:53,280
- [Narrator] Losers didn't
just hang their heads in shame,
442
00:23:54,360 --> 00:23:55,570
they lost them.
443
00:23:59,470 --> 00:24:02,603
This frieze shows how the
severed heads were displayed.
444
00:24:03,620 --> 00:24:07,040
- [Manuel] This was a
platform where they placed
445
00:24:07,040 --> 00:24:10,430
the heads of the sacrificed
people on the ball court.
446
00:24:10,430 --> 00:24:12,180
It is always attached to the ball court.
447
00:24:12,180 --> 00:24:14,223
It is like a set that comes together.
448
00:24:15,620 --> 00:24:16,880
- [Narrator] And a few of the heads
449
00:24:16,880 --> 00:24:19,043
may have ended up somewhere else.
450
00:24:20,120 --> 00:24:22,160
- Some scholars have proposed the idea
451
00:24:22,160 --> 00:24:25,640
that probably, they
played with actual skulls.
452
00:24:25,640 --> 00:24:27,340
That is really difficult to prove,
453
00:24:27,340 --> 00:24:28,400
because we don't have any
454
00:24:28,400 --> 00:24:30,623
archeological evidence up to this day.
455
00:24:32,910 --> 00:24:34,840
- [Narrator] Did the
Mayans really put skulls
456
00:24:34,840 --> 00:24:36,543
inside their rubber balls?
457
00:24:37,830 --> 00:24:39,539
Manuel hopes to put this museum secret
458
00:24:39,539 --> 00:24:40,973
to a practical test.
459
00:24:42,222 --> 00:24:45,139
(percussive music)
460
00:24:55,900 --> 00:24:58,360
Fortunately, there are
some modern Mexicans
461
00:24:58,360 --> 00:25:00,233
with a passion for the ancient game.
462
00:25:05,000 --> 00:25:08,870
Historians don't know exactly
how pok-ta-pok was played,
463
00:25:08,870 --> 00:25:10,530
but these men base their rules
464
00:25:10,530 --> 00:25:12,043
on the available research.
465
00:25:14,060 --> 00:25:16,770
Their rubber ball has no skull inside,
466
00:25:16,770 --> 00:25:18,723
but Manuel plans to change that.
467
00:25:24,700 --> 00:25:28,780
For starters, he needs to
recreate Mayan rubber technology,
468
00:25:28,780 --> 00:25:32,543
with the help of pok-ta-pok
enthusiast Roberto Rochin.
469
00:25:34,961 --> 00:25:36,873
- And this is the latex.
470
00:25:38,030 --> 00:25:39,550
It comes straight from the trees.
471
00:25:39,550 --> 00:25:42,463
It's collected in
several states of Mexico.
472
00:25:43,310 --> 00:25:44,750
- [Narrator] Left to dry on its own,
473
00:25:44,750 --> 00:25:48,380
latex becomes brittle,
with no bounce at all.
474
00:25:48,380 --> 00:25:51,980
But something magical happens
when latex is combined
475
00:25:51,980 --> 00:25:54,283
with the sap of certain native plants.
476
00:25:58,290 --> 00:25:59,730
The sap contains exactly
477
00:25:59,730 --> 00:26:03,193
what latex needs to become bouncy, sulfur.
478
00:26:04,970 --> 00:26:06,230
- [Roberto] And those juices are the ones
479
00:26:06,230 --> 00:26:08,790
we're going to transfer the sulfur
480
00:26:08,790 --> 00:26:10,563
into the mix with the latex.
481
00:26:12,510 --> 00:26:13,580
- [Narrator] The ancient process
482
00:26:13,580 --> 00:26:16,743
turns liquid latex into
strips of spongy rubber.
483
00:26:17,600 --> 00:26:19,563
And this is where the skull comes in.
484
00:26:21,000 --> 00:26:25,590
- We can see that we are
covering the first layer,
485
00:26:25,590 --> 00:26:28,060
forming the core with the skull.
486
00:26:28,060 --> 00:26:31,030
We need to cover completely the skull,
487
00:26:31,030 --> 00:26:35,500
and then later on we need
to add more regular layers.
488
00:26:35,500 --> 00:26:38,440
- [Narrator] By the way, this
isn't a real human skull.
489
00:26:38,440 --> 00:26:40,500
It would be ghoulish to use a real one,
490
00:26:40,500 --> 00:26:43,063
because for us, pok-ta-pok is just a game.
491
00:26:44,890 --> 00:26:47,351
But to the Mayans, it was much more.
492
00:26:47,351 --> 00:26:49,800
(thunder booms)
493
00:26:49,800 --> 00:26:52,253
One of the Mayan creation
myths, the Popol Vuh,
494
00:26:53,150 --> 00:26:55,030
takes place on a ball court,
495
00:26:55,030 --> 00:26:57,210
where twin heroes are
forced to lead a game
496
00:26:57,210 --> 00:26:59,103
against the lords of the underworld.
497
00:27:00,060 --> 00:27:02,113
- [Manuel] The ball game is the arena
498
00:27:02,113 --> 00:27:06,200
for the fight between life and death.
499
00:27:06,200 --> 00:27:08,260
- [Narrator] The dark lords
of the underworlds cheat
500
00:27:08,260 --> 00:27:11,703
by releasing a bat that
decapitates one of the twin heroes.
501
00:27:13,000 --> 00:27:15,013
The lords then play ball with his head.
502
00:27:16,990 --> 00:27:19,612
The twin's brother outwits the dark lords,
503
00:27:19,612 --> 00:27:22,820
managing to reattach his brother's head.
504
00:27:22,820 --> 00:27:25,463
In doing so, he brings him back to life.
505
00:27:26,500 --> 00:27:29,850
To the Maya, this creation
of life out of death
506
00:27:29,850 --> 00:27:32,543
brings about the beginning
of human existence.
507
00:27:35,100 --> 00:27:36,793
- We have been 13 hours, Roberto?
508
00:27:39,620 --> 00:27:43,110
Yeah about 13, 14 hours in this process.
509
00:27:43,110 --> 00:27:44,710
- [Roberto] That's it, finished.
510
00:27:48,257 --> 00:27:49,120
- [Narrator] Manuel is ready
511
00:27:49,120 --> 00:27:51,083
to put his creation to the test.
512
00:27:55,591 --> 00:27:59,091
(speaks foreign language)
513
00:28:19,320 --> 00:28:21,230
- [Narrator] The ball is the
right size to pass through
514
00:28:21,230 --> 00:28:24,050
the stone hoop, but how
will it perform in a game?
515
00:28:32,546 --> 00:28:36,046
(speaks foreign language)
516
00:29:31,393 --> 00:29:34,000
From our point of view as scientists,
517
00:29:34,000 --> 00:29:36,649
we can say that even
though the possibility
518
00:29:36,649 --> 00:29:40,080
to play with a skull is there,
519
00:29:40,080 --> 00:29:41,600
because they could have used that
520
00:29:41,600 --> 00:29:44,440
only for certain celebrations
or certain rituals
521
00:29:44,440 --> 00:29:47,700
to make a memory of the
history of the Popol Vuh,
522
00:29:47,700 --> 00:29:49,766
but in practical cases it would be
523
00:29:49,766 --> 00:29:53,793
very difficult that they
would use a ball with a skull.
524
00:29:55,120 --> 00:29:58,120
- [Narrator] Manuel might be
disappointed with the result,
525
00:29:58,120 --> 00:29:59,200
but that doesn't mean that
526
00:29:59,200 --> 00:30:01,610
this ancient carving has no meaning.
527
00:30:01,610 --> 00:30:03,484
Perhaps the carver was a sports fan
528
00:30:03,484 --> 00:30:07,200
who was trying to offer
some friendly advice.
529
00:30:07,200 --> 00:30:10,050
If you want to win on any playing field,
530
00:30:10,050 --> 00:30:12,613
you have to keep your head in the game.
531
00:30:16,550 --> 00:30:20,157
Next on Museum Secrets, the
dress that changed history
532
00:30:20,157 --> 00:30:22,363
and the enigmatic woman who wore it.
533
00:30:23,945 --> 00:30:26,695
(dramatic music)
534
00:30:28,830 --> 00:30:31,410
Inside the National
Museum of Anthropology,
535
00:30:31,410 --> 00:30:33,883
a glorious past is written in stone.
536
00:30:34,920 --> 00:30:37,370
These treasures are
known as pre-Colombian,
537
00:30:37,370 --> 00:30:39,890
as in pre Christopher Columbus,
538
00:30:39,890 --> 00:30:42,223
but really they should
be called pre-Cortes.
539
00:30:43,810 --> 00:30:45,910
In history books and popular movies,
540
00:30:45,910 --> 00:30:48,964
Cortes and his small army
get the credit and the blame
541
00:30:48,964 --> 00:30:52,360
for the Spanish conquest
that defeated the Aztecs,
542
00:30:52,360 --> 00:30:53,881
and brought a new boss,
543
00:30:53,881 --> 00:30:58,810
a new god, and a European
strain of smallpox
544
00:30:58,810 --> 00:31:01,453
that killed one out of every two Mexicans.
545
00:31:03,370 --> 00:31:07,310
But in the museum's library,
museum director Diana Magaloni
546
00:31:07,310 --> 00:31:09,330
reveals historic drawings that suggest
547
00:31:09,330 --> 00:31:11,783
that Cortes did not act alone.
548
00:31:12,880 --> 00:31:14,900
There is a woman at his side.
549
00:31:14,900 --> 00:31:17,930
- This is a very early
depiction of Malinche,
550
00:31:17,930 --> 00:31:20,960
and what is amazing of this
depiction of the conquest
551
00:31:20,960 --> 00:31:23,110
is that she appears in almost
552
00:31:23,110 --> 00:31:25,343
every single frame of the story.
553
00:31:26,460 --> 00:31:27,910
- [Narrator] Who is Malinche?
554
00:31:29,022 --> 00:31:30,722
And what is Cortes doing with her?
555
00:31:32,324 --> 00:31:35,950
She isn't Spanish, because
the dress she wears
556
00:31:35,950 --> 00:31:39,540
in these drawings is like this
one in the textile gallery.
557
00:31:39,540 --> 00:31:42,163
The native costume of a different culture.
558
00:31:43,290 --> 00:31:45,163
- It is called a huipil.
559
00:31:45,163 --> 00:31:47,490
A huipil is a Nahuatl word.
560
00:31:47,490 --> 00:31:50,244
The Nahuatl was the language
spoken in Central Mexico
561
00:31:50,244 --> 00:31:52,840
before the arrival of the Europeans,
562
00:31:52,840 --> 00:31:56,393
and it's the typical
dress of a noblewoman.
563
00:31:59,520 --> 00:32:02,500
- [Narrator] Born in a land
south of the Aztec Empire,
564
00:32:02,500 --> 00:32:05,780
Malinche was a princess
who had the misfortune
565
00:32:05,780 --> 00:32:07,963
to be captured by local slavers.
566
00:32:09,460 --> 00:32:12,370
When the Spanish landed,
she was among several women
567
00:32:12,370 --> 00:32:14,323
who were given as a tribute to Cortes.
568
00:32:15,630 --> 00:32:18,670
- And she was immediately noticed by him
569
00:32:18,670 --> 00:32:21,460
because she spoke Maya and spoke Nahuatl,
570
00:32:21,460 --> 00:32:24,580
the two main languages
in this early Mexico,
571
00:32:24,580 --> 00:32:27,080
and then quickly learned Spanish.
572
00:32:27,080 --> 00:32:30,483
So she was a translator for Hernan Cortes.
573
00:32:32,180 --> 00:32:35,510
- [Narrator] Malinche soon
became much more than that.
574
00:32:35,510 --> 00:32:37,120
- [Diana] We could
compare her a little bit
575
00:32:37,120 --> 00:32:39,940
to what Pocahontas is
for the North Americans.
576
00:32:39,940 --> 00:32:44,280
In a way, she finds new self in the other
577
00:32:44,280 --> 00:32:46,250
through a different relationship.
578
00:32:46,250 --> 00:32:51,250
Through love and through teaching
her culture to the enemy.
579
00:32:52,260 --> 00:32:53,460
- [Narrator] Until carbon dating
580
00:32:53,460 --> 00:32:56,330
placed this huipil in a later century,
581
00:32:56,330 --> 00:32:59,370
historians believed it
belonged to Malinche,
582
00:32:59,370 --> 00:33:00,710
because the pattern expresses
583
00:33:00,710 --> 00:33:02,793
her cross-cultural relationship.
584
00:33:04,040 --> 00:33:07,540
- [Diana] The huipil has a
double-headed eagle in the chest,
585
00:33:07,540 --> 00:33:09,960
and the king of Spain at the time
586
00:33:09,960 --> 00:33:13,080
was a Habsburg, and the
symbol for Habsburgs
587
00:33:13,080 --> 00:33:15,300
was a double-headed eagle.
588
00:33:15,300 --> 00:33:18,060
So it would be Malinche
becoming like sort of
589
00:33:18,060 --> 00:33:20,110
the indigenous princess of the Habsburgs.
590
00:33:21,190 --> 00:33:22,590
- [Narrator] Historians now believe
591
00:33:22,590 --> 00:33:25,100
Malinche's real dress was simpler,
592
00:33:25,100 --> 00:33:27,803
without the trappings of
Spanish imperial power.
593
00:33:29,660 --> 00:33:32,253
But her dress did have the
power to change history.
594
00:33:34,380 --> 00:33:36,810
To discover why, we have to travel
595
00:33:36,810 --> 00:33:38,973
to Cholula in Central Mexico.
596
00:33:41,060 --> 00:33:43,923
Today, it's a minor center
of trade and tourism.
597
00:33:44,862 --> 00:33:48,029
(marching band music)
598
00:33:50,220 --> 00:33:52,190
But when Cortes stopped here on his way
599
00:33:52,190 --> 00:33:54,720
to the capital of the Aztec Empire,
600
00:33:54,720 --> 00:33:57,100
it had strategic importance.
601
00:33:57,100 --> 00:33:59,870
- When Cortes arrived in 1519,
602
00:33:59,870 --> 00:34:02,448
Cholula was probably
the second largest city
603
00:34:02,448 --> 00:34:05,680
in Central Mexico, so it was a city
604
00:34:05,680 --> 00:34:07,963
with a population of
close to 50,000 people.
605
00:34:09,200 --> 00:34:10,690
There were people that came here
606
00:34:10,690 --> 00:34:12,331
from all over Mesoamerica.
607
00:34:12,331 --> 00:34:15,498
(marching band music)
608
00:34:24,110 --> 00:34:26,586
- [Narrator] Because of the
city's diverse population,
609
00:34:26,586 --> 00:34:28,980
Cortes was counting on
the people of Cholula
610
00:34:28,980 --> 00:34:31,853
to ally with him against the Aztec Empire.
611
00:34:33,450 --> 00:34:36,390
But then an elderly
woman approached Malinche
612
00:34:36,390 --> 00:34:38,250
to warn her of a secret plot
613
00:34:38,250 --> 00:34:40,573
to ambush Cortes and his troops.
614
00:34:42,370 --> 00:34:44,680
- The story is that they're
going to be ambushed,
615
00:34:44,680 --> 00:34:48,730
and attacked, perhaps by
an army of 50,000 Aztecs
616
00:34:48,730 --> 00:34:50,013
hiding outside of town.
617
00:34:50,930 --> 00:34:51,840
- [Narrator] In what would become
618
00:34:51,840 --> 00:34:53,810
Malinche's defining moment,
619
00:34:53,810 --> 00:34:56,093
she chose to reveal the plot to Cortes.
620
00:34:57,660 --> 00:35:00,603
He was furious that the
locals had failed to warn him.
621
00:35:01,440 --> 00:35:03,030
- So it was right here in the square,
622
00:35:03,030 --> 00:35:05,160
in front of the Pyramid
of the Feathered Serpent,
623
00:35:05,160 --> 00:35:07,870
that Cortes gathered all the nobles,
624
00:35:07,870 --> 00:35:11,060
and many of the townspeople,
sealed off the exits,
625
00:35:11,060 --> 00:35:13,503
and commenced the Cholula Massacre.
626
00:35:15,547 --> 00:35:16,690
(man groans)
627
00:35:16,690 --> 00:35:19,310
- [Narrator] This was
Cortes's defining moment.
628
00:35:19,310 --> 00:35:21,504
From this point on,
there would be less talk
629
00:35:21,504 --> 00:35:23,823
and much more blood and steel.
630
00:35:25,050 --> 00:35:28,160
Before the sun set,
several thousand lay dead.
631
00:35:28,160 --> 00:35:30,433
Men, women, and even children.
632
00:35:31,460 --> 00:35:34,460
- [Geoffrey] So this is the
plaza where Cortes initiated
633
00:35:34,460 --> 00:35:36,190
the Spanish Conquest.
634
00:35:36,190 --> 00:35:37,850
- [Narrator] In Cholula today,
635
00:35:37,850 --> 00:35:40,784
murals still commemorate
the murderous rampage.
636
00:35:40,784 --> 00:35:43,367
(somber music)
637
00:35:47,060 --> 00:35:50,363
And many would say Malinche
had blood on her hands.
638
00:35:51,350 --> 00:35:54,990
- In the 20th Century, Malinche
was related to traitor,
639
00:35:54,990 --> 00:35:58,347
and for instance when
a Mexican likes better
640
00:35:58,347 --> 00:36:01,510
foreign people than themselves,
641
00:36:01,510 --> 00:36:02,883
it's called Malinchismo.
642
00:36:03,800 --> 00:36:06,864
- The concept of Malinche
turning against her people
643
00:36:06,864 --> 00:36:09,490
is a gross simplification of what
644
00:36:09,490 --> 00:36:13,510
the complex mosaic of
culture was at the time.
645
00:36:13,510 --> 00:36:15,830
The Aztecs were one, but Malinche
646
00:36:15,830 --> 00:36:18,430
was not a member of the Aztec culture.
647
00:36:18,430 --> 00:36:22,050
In fact, she was a princess of
648
00:36:22,050 --> 00:36:24,313
a completely different ethnic group.
649
00:36:25,350 --> 00:36:28,100
- [Narrator] Traitor or
independent minded princess,
650
00:36:28,100 --> 00:36:32,250
we have yet to reveal how
Malinche's dress changed history,
651
00:36:32,250 --> 00:36:33,920
or why someone decided to tell her
652
00:36:33,920 --> 00:36:36,320
about the anti-Spanish plot.
653
00:36:36,320 --> 00:36:38,340
- There's a lot of debate over why
654
00:36:38,340 --> 00:36:40,720
the old noblewoman would
have approached Malinche
655
00:36:40,720 --> 00:36:42,950
to warn her about the attack.
656
00:36:42,950 --> 00:36:44,624
I believe that one of the important clues
657
00:36:44,624 --> 00:36:47,693
has to do with the dress
that Malinche was wearing.
658
00:36:49,670 --> 00:36:52,190
- [Narrator] Then as now, some townsfolk
659
00:36:52,190 --> 00:36:55,420
wore native costumes that
look much like Malinche's.
660
00:36:56,740 --> 00:36:58,600
- The costumes were very important
661
00:36:58,600 --> 00:37:00,123
elements of cultural identity.
662
00:37:03,070 --> 00:37:05,790
It's quite possible that
the old woman and Malinche
663
00:37:05,790 --> 00:37:08,180
were wearing virtually identical huipiles,
664
00:37:08,180 --> 00:37:10,883
indicating that they were
of the same community.
665
00:37:11,820 --> 00:37:15,430
And so, the old woman
recognized her as a kinswoman,
666
00:37:15,430 --> 00:37:17,830
and because of that, feels compelled
667
00:37:17,830 --> 00:37:20,423
to warn her about the possible attack.
668
00:37:21,500 --> 00:37:23,550
- [Narrator] The Cholula
Massacre and all the events
669
00:37:23,550 --> 00:37:25,960
that followed now seem written in stone,
670
00:37:25,960 --> 00:37:29,063
but in this case, history
hangs by a thread.
671
00:37:30,110 --> 00:37:32,150
In almost every image of Malinche,
672
00:37:32,150 --> 00:37:35,130
she is depicted wearing a different dress.
673
00:37:35,130 --> 00:37:36,770
What if Malinche hadn't been wearing
674
00:37:36,770 --> 00:37:38,910
her distinctive dress that day?
675
00:37:38,910 --> 00:37:41,930
She might have passed by
the old woman unnoticed,
676
00:37:41,930 --> 00:37:44,410
and if she had, an Aztec ambush
677
00:37:44,410 --> 00:37:48,283
may have ended the Spanish
Conquest before it began.
678
00:37:51,280 --> 00:37:54,384
Up next, the secret of the crystal skull.
679
00:37:54,384 --> 00:37:57,134
(dramatic music)
680
00:38:02,180 --> 00:38:05,700
For our final museum secret,
we loose the bonds of reason
681
00:38:05,700 --> 00:38:09,003
to enter a mesmerizing,
supernatural universe.
682
00:38:09,990 --> 00:38:12,200
This is a story of the spirit realm,
683
00:38:12,200 --> 00:38:15,253
and of the tools that true
believers use to reach it.
684
00:38:17,609 --> 00:38:21,109
(speaks foreign language)
685
00:38:43,500 --> 00:38:46,530
- [Narrator] To discover what
special qualities crystal has,
686
00:38:46,530 --> 00:38:49,687
we start with geologist Juan Carlos Cruz.
687
00:38:49,687 --> 00:38:53,187
(speaks foreign language)
688
00:39:06,308 --> 00:39:08,150
- [Narrator] Juan can
see why ancient shamans
689
00:39:08,150 --> 00:39:10,133
might find crystal fascinating.
690
00:39:11,508 --> 00:39:15,008
(speaks foreign language)
691
00:39:25,804 --> 00:39:28,090
- [Narrator] And if crystals
have supernatural power,
692
00:39:28,090 --> 00:39:31,120
perhaps a crystal skull has even more.
693
00:39:31,120 --> 00:39:33,730
This sparkling artifact of uncertain age
694
00:39:33,730 --> 00:39:35,710
is small enough to be jewelry,
695
00:39:35,710 --> 00:39:37,793
but Martha Carmona thinks it isn't.
696
00:39:38,848 --> 00:39:42,348
(speaks foreign language)
697
00:39:50,210 --> 00:39:53,220
- [Narrator] Does the crystal
skull have a mystical power?
698
00:39:53,220 --> 00:39:55,203
That is our museum secret.
699
00:39:57,500 --> 00:40:00,340
In the 19th Century, European clairvoyants
700
00:40:00,340 --> 00:40:02,070
divined that there existed several
701
00:40:02,070 --> 00:40:05,890
large and important crystal
skulls in Mesoamerica.
702
00:40:05,890 --> 00:40:09,936
A belief shared by modern
spiritualists like Star Moser.
703
00:40:09,936 --> 00:40:14,570
(chanting in foreign language)
704
00:40:14,570 --> 00:40:17,480
Several times a year,
Star travels to Mexico
705
00:40:17,480 --> 00:40:20,633
to take part in rituals
centered around crystal skulls.
706
00:40:22,320 --> 00:40:23,877
She believes that crystal skulls
707
00:40:23,877 --> 00:40:27,520
are a kind of ancient
information technology.
708
00:40:27,520 --> 00:40:31,020
- Crystal skulls are receivers,
709
00:40:31,020 --> 00:40:33,660
they are libraries, they store,
710
00:40:33,660 --> 00:40:37,133
and they also amplify and they transmit.
711
00:40:38,660 --> 00:40:40,800
- [Narrator] This may sound far-fetched,
712
00:40:40,800 --> 00:40:43,450
but in more familiar
information technology,
713
00:40:43,450 --> 00:40:44,723
crystals do play a part.
714
00:40:45,573 --> 00:40:49,210
Electronic devices rely on
oscillating quartz crystals
715
00:40:49,210 --> 00:40:51,113
to stay synchronized with the network.
716
00:40:52,590 --> 00:40:55,010
Of course, these crystals
aren't skull-shaped,
717
00:40:55,010 --> 00:40:58,740
but for mystical communication,
the shape is key.
718
00:40:58,740 --> 00:41:00,540
- [Star] My Mayan teachers have said
719
00:41:00,540 --> 00:41:02,480
that when we take a crystal,
720
00:41:02,480 --> 00:41:06,120
and carve it into the
template of a crystal skull,
721
00:41:06,120 --> 00:41:09,120
that it then is able
to release the energy,
722
00:41:09,120 --> 00:41:12,453
or the information that's
stored inside of it.
723
00:41:15,810 --> 00:41:18,180
- [Narrator] Star believes
all crystal skulls
724
00:41:18,180 --> 00:41:19,950
have this power,
725
00:41:19,950 --> 00:41:21,563
including the one in the museum.
726
00:41:22,840 --> 00:41:25,160
- [Star] The skull in the
Museum of Anthropology
727
00:41:25,160 --> 00:41:27,003
holds a lot of knowledge.
728
00:41:27,890 --> 00:41:29,450
- [Narrator] Martha Carmona agrees
729
00:41:29,450 --> 00:41:32,132
that the skull's shape is significant.
730
00:41:32,132 --> 00:41:35,632
(speaks foreign language)
731
00:41:44,750 --> 00:41:46,830
- [Narrator] But she doesn't
think that ancient shamans
732
00:41:46,830 --> 00:41:50,412
used crystal skulls to look into the past.
733
00:41:50,412 --> 00:41:53,912
(speaks foreign language)
734
00:41:58,120 --> 00:42:00,160
- [Narrator] Martha
believes that all skulls
735
00:42:00,160 --> 00:42:02,480
have the same significance
for the ancients,
736
00:42:02,480 --> 00:42:06,800
and to understand it, we should
look at skulls like this.
737
00:42:06,800 --> 00:42:09,320
The paper skulls you
see everywhere in Mexico
738
00:42:09,320 --> 00:42:11,060
on the Day of the Dead.
739
00:42:11,060 --> 00:42:13,510
A celebration rooted in Aztec culture
740
00:42:13,510 --> 00:42:15,723
that is still wildly popular today.
741
00:42:16,779 --> 00:42:20,279
(speaks foreign language)
742
00:42:48,830 --> 00:42:50,730
- [Narrator] So whether
or not a crystal skull
743
00:42:50,730 --> 00:42:53,400
can store information about the past,
744
00:42:53,400 --> 00:42:56,177
it has the power to
convey an age old secret
745
00:42:56,177 --> 00:42:58,770
that explains why ancient Mexicans
746
00:42:58,770 --> 00:43:00,870
faced sacrifice without fear,
747
00:43:00,870 --> 00:43:03,873
and modern Mexicans laugh
on the Day of the Dead.
748
00:43:05,230 --> 00:43:07,860
Since we must all face death someday,
749
00:43:07,860 --> 00:43:09,593
we might as well embrace it.
750
00:43:11,630 --> 00:43:14,420
In this museum of extraordinary cultures,
751
00:43:14,420 --> 00:43:16,340
for every secret we reveal,
752
00:43:16,340 --> 00:43:18,890
far more remain unspoken.
753
00:43:18,890 --> 00:43:20,870
Secrets waiting to be discovered
754
00:43:20,870 --> 00:43:24,140
in a watery cave, under a sinking city,
755
00:43:24,140 --> 00:43:25,831
or hidden in plain sight
756
00:43:25,831 --> 00:43:29,663
inside Mexico's National
Museum of Anthropology.
757
00:43:30,534 --> 00:43:33,117
(somber music)
59360
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