All language subtitles for The UnXplained Special Presentation S01E01 1080p WEB h264-EDITH_track3_[eng]

WILLIAM SHATNER:
Massive stone heads

with mysterious
magnetic properties.

A miraculous staircase,

designed by a divine architect.

And a subterranean chamber

where ancient priests
could speak...

with the dead.

Since the dawn of civilization,

mankind has built
countless structures

for a myriad
of different purposes.

But there are some that--

for one reason or another--

are considered to be special,

and may be imbued
with mystical powers.

For instance, can a formation
of standing stones

really harness
the energy of the Earth?

Or can a magnificent cathedral

actually bring people
in touch with God?

Well, that's what
we'll try and find out.

♪ ♪

Here, sitting atop
a grassy clearing

in the English countryside,

about 80 miles west
of the city of Plymouth,

is a set of three monoliths

that stand out
from the natural landscape.

In the language
of ancient Britain,

the site was named Mên-an-Tol,

which translates to

the Stone of the Hole.

RONALD HUTTON:
There's nothing else on Earth
quite like the Mên-an-Tol.

It consists of
a big, round stone

with a big, round hole
in the middle of it.

It's a couple of feet across.

You can crawl through it
quite comfortably.

And there's a straight stone
on either side.

It's highly visible
in the landscape

and bafflingly mysterious.

SHATNER:
Archaeologists believe
that Mên-an-Tol

was constructed around
the year 2000 BC.

It is also thought
that there were once

additional monoliths
that encircled the center stone,

which have been lost to time.

There's something
very melodramatic

about the Mên-an-Tol.

There has to be a reason

why ancient people
had put up a big stone

with a big hole in it.

And the real thing to do
with a stone with a hole

is crawl through it.

So, there must be
a good reason for that.

Local folklore says

that crawling through
the center of the Mên-an-Tol

is really good for you.

Diseased children
can get better,

especially
if they've got rickets.

And if you put
a couple of brass pins

on the top of the holed stone,

the way in which they fall off

can predict your future.

HUGH NEWMAN:
When it comes to
Mên-an-Tol in Cornwall,

we have to question
what is going on here.

Is this really a magical place?

Is it just ancient traditions?

Or is there some reality

to the power
of these ancient stones?

SHATNER:
Mên-an-Tol is just one

of approximately
1,300 ancient monoliths

that are scattered
throughout the British Isles.

It may sound outlandish to think

that Mên-an-Tol
and other standing stone sites

can have a mystical effect
on people, but...

who can say for sure
that they don't?

Because even after
centuries of study,

these remarkable structures

remain shrouded in mystery.

HUTTON:
Stonehenge gets all the fame
and the recognition,

but there are thousands
and thousands

of other prehistoric monuments
that are worth attention

up and down the British Isles.

For example, Avebury
is absolutely stunning

because it's a very big place.

What you're looking at there

is an enormous bank
with a ditch inside it,

and inside this enormous
circular enclosure

was originally a hundred
stones in a circle.

And inside this enormous
circle of stones

are the remnants of two other
enormous stone circles.

I mean, the place is so big

that about half of the village

was built inside it.

It was an entire community.

ANDREW COLLINS:
The largest standing stone
in Britain

is known as
the Rudston Monolith.

It's around
25 to 26 feet in height,

but there is just as much
of it under the ground,

creating this huge,
great monolith

almost 60 feet in length.

The significant thing about this

is that the type of stone

that it's made from
can only be sourced

about 30 miles to the north.

That meant that it was dragged

in some way to its position

in the village of Rudston.

And we have to ask ourselves,

is there a greater purpose
behind all of this?

And if so,
what is that greater purpose?

ED BARNHART:
In the UK, right now, we have
thousands of known monuments,

but there were probably
thousands more originally.

We do know that the people
who built the megaliths

in the UK were early farmers.

They were from 4000
to about 2000 BCE.

But we really don't know
what language they spoke,

we don't really know how they
socially organized themselves

or their politics.

So, it's still
very much a question

exactly why they built them.

SHATNER:
Why would pre-historic people
go to the trouble

of erecting heavy
standing stones that weighed,

in some cases,
as much as 40 tons?

Well, one theory suggests
that these monoliths

served as a connection
to a higher plane of existence.

In many cases,
these standing stones

seem to be orientated
towards celestial events...

...such as the rising
and setting of the Sun

at the equinoxes
and the solstices.

And so, these monoliths
are very clearly

a reflection of this belief

of contact with higher forces

that would have taken place
through the ceremonies

and the rituals that would go on
once, maybe twice a year.

SHATNER:
Were these monolithic sites
built for ceremonial purposes?

It's an intriguing theory,

and some researchers suggest

that England's standing stones

were also connected
to each other.

Because, as it turns out,
many of these monoliths

appear to be
geographically aligned

on what are commonly
referred to as ley lines.

Ley lines or leys
were first visualized

by a thinker and visionary

called Alfred Watkins
in the 1920s.

He wrote a book called
The Old Straight Track,

which said that a whole range
of prehistoric monuments

are connected
by extremely long lines,

even corridors,
that stretch across

the length and breadth
of Britain.

SHATNER:
Alfred Watkins theorized

that the straight lines

which connect
Britain's monoliths

were ancient trade routes.

But some researchers disagree,

and claim that
the massive stones

were placed along ley lines

to serve a more
energetic purpose.

COLLINS:
It would seem that the whole
long lines of monuments

are connected with

the geomagnetic fields
of the Earth...

and that the peoples of Britain

created these stone circles
and standing stones

to enhance this natural energy
of the landscape.

SHATNER:
Is it possible
that ancient people,

who did not even
have written language,

figured out how to use monoliths

to harness
the energy of the Earth?

And if so, for what purpose?

If pre-historic people

believed that there were

currents of Earth energy,
then pre-historic monuments

may have been put where
they were in the landscape

because they would
have amplified prayers,

invocations, chants,
drumming, singing,

and that would have considerably
enhanced ceremonies.

It's going to create
a very impressive effect

for religious purposes.

(intense drumming)

SHATNER:
Although numerous intriguing
theories have been put forward,

ultimately, no one has been
able to explain

the purpose, placement,
and construction

of Britain's
remarkable monoliths.

There's a lot of things
we don't know

about these
megalithic structures.

We really don't know
how they did it,

why they did it.

These are important questions

and we have certain hints,

but most of it is still
pretty much a mystery.

What we can say is that
there was a unified effort

around building these monoliths.

And that they are certainly
cornerstone and symbolic

of ancient Britain's culture.

SHATNER:
Archeologist Matthew Stirling

is excavating an ancient site

once occupied
by the Olmec people...

...a lost
Mesoamerican civilization

dating as far back as 1200 BC.

As Stirling's team unearths
and catalogs numerous artifacts,

they notice a number
of unusually large,

rounded boulders buried nearby.

What emerges from the ground
are, quite literally,

some of the largest
archaeological finds

of the 20th century.

Over the next several decades,

17 colossal heads

carved from solid basalt

were ultimately discovered
in the area--

the largest measuring
a staggering 11 feet tall

and weighing 50 tons.

When you walk up
to these imposing,

you know, stone monuments,

you see these things are huge,

with these just amazing
lifelike features.

It would have taken
thousands of people

to drag these stones
through the rainforest,

through mud and swamps

onto the tops of their sites.

SHATNER:
But perhaps what's
most striking about

these giant heads
is not their size,

or how they were brought
to the middle of the jungle,

but rather, who they seem
to be depicting.

The colossal heads have
an African appearance,

but also, equally,
they've been seen to have

a Polynesian appearance as well.

Is it possible that the Olmec

were the result
of trans-Pacific,

or even trans-Atlantic
migrations

of peoples
from other continents?

SHATNER:
Although mainstream historians
dismiss the notion

that the Olmec originated
in Asia or Africa,

the appearance
of the Olmec heads

suggests that it is possible.

But not only do we not know

where the Olmec came from,

we also don't know
where they went.

One of the real frustrations

to archeologists
who study the Olmec

is that we don't have
a single Olmec skeleton

that we can look at and analyze.

For over a thousand years,

the Olmec were the culture
in the middle of Mesoamerica.

But then they faded away.

And why, exactly, they stopped

is something we're not sure of.

SHATNER:
The Olmec disappeared
so completely,

all that's left of them
are scattered remains.

Some sculptures and figurines.

Which means if we're to answer

the riddle
of the Olmec's disappearance,

there's only one place to look:

those huge,
imposing stone heads,

staring back at us through time

with their odd,
Sphinx-like gazes.

One of the most
remarkable discoveries,

uh, in connection
with the art of the Olmec

is the presence of magnetism.

In a number
of different statues,

when a compass
is brought up to them,

the needles move.

Archeologists in
the late 1960s and early 1970s

used magnetometers to find many

of the most remarkable
colossal heads.

The Olmec heads probably
gave off magnetic signatures

because they're made of basalt,

a dense volcanic rock

that becomes magnetic
as it cools.

So, by making
the heads of basalt

that came
from the volcano itself,

that same energy

was inherited
by those colossal heads.

What all of this suggests

is the Olmec went out
and deliberately chose rocks

that had this magnetic effect.

SHATNER:
Magnetic stones?

If the Olmec were
harnessing magnetism,

what were they using it for?

There are many theories
about how the Olmecs

may have used magnetism.

One interesting speculation

is whether they could've moved
some of the large stones

using magnetic levitation.

It's very simple to get magnets

to either attract
or repel each other

if their poles are opposing.

It's difficult to imagine

even using modern
moving technology

to move very large stones,
yet they were moved.

SHATNER:
Levitation?
It's a fascinating theory,

although one
that's hard to prove.

Not unlike another theory

that suggests that the Olmec
may have been using

the magnetic properties
in their giant stone heads

for healing purposes.

Colossal head 10
from San Lorenzo,

uh, has what appears to be

these little
multiperforated beads

all over all the head
in his headdress.

In a recent excavation,

the lead archeologists
found thousands,

144,000 of these
little magnetic cubes

and they could have been then
strung together in mats

and possibly, in this case,
the headdress.

And it's leading
some archeologists to say,

"Well, what about
the magnetic qualities

that might've been used
in possible healing?"

We know the importance
of magnets

used in certain therapies

and did the Olmec,
did they already discover

the important health benefits
of magnetic therapy?

SHATNER:
If the Olmec leaders were
using the power of magnetism

for some type of healing,

it may have had
the opposite effect.

Magnetic fields can
be healing or harmful.

In some cases,
people who have been exposed

to very strong magnetic fields
have lapsed into comas,

had seizures.

Some people have even died

after being exposed
to very strong magnetic fields.

COLLINS:
So, could the presence
of magnetism

in the art objects that were
fashioned by the Olmecs

have had something to do

with why they
deliberately buried

many of their statues
and figurines?

We do not have
any definitive answers.

But what we do know

is that the Olmec culture
dissolved.

It disappeared,
almost into oblivion.

SHATERN: Investigative
journalist and radio host

David Whitehead travels
to the Loretto Chapel

in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

DAVID WHITEHEAD:
I'm here to investigate
a really mysterious structure,

the famous Loretto staircase.

We don't know who built it.

We don't understand
the physics behind it.

And we don't even have
a good indication

as to what it's made of.

(door creaking)

Oh, wow.

This place is beautiful.

SHATNER:
Meeting with David is
chapel curator Richard Lindsley.

WHITEHEAD:
So, this is it.

RICHARD LINDSLEY:
Absolutely.

Our miraculous staircase.

I've heard so much about it.

I've read so many
theories about it.

And it's amazing to
actually be here to see it.

SHATNER:
In 1873,
the Sisters of Loretto

commissioned the construction
of the chapel

for their new girls' school.

Officially consecrated
five years later,

the Loretto Chapel is a triumph
of Gothic Revival design

with its high spires,
soaring buttresses,

and enormous
stained-glass windows.

But as construction
was nearing completion,

the project's architect
suddenly died

before he could build
what was considered

the most ambitious
part of the job:

the staircase leading up
to the choir loft.

The mystery of the staircase
actually begins

with this mysterious carpenter.

The sisters asked the local
carpenters to build one.

But they failed.
They didn't know how to do it.

The sisters,
they decided to turn to prayer

and said a nine-day novena
asking St. Joseph,

the patron of carpenters,

to help them with their problem.

At the last day of their prayer,

it's said that a knock
came at these doors.

This elderly man was standing
there with a donkey by his side.

And he told the sister
that he had come

to build their staircase.

Was it St. Joseph
like the sisters believed?

Some pious people think
it was an angel.

But he was very reclusive

and insisted upon working inside

this chapel by himself,

never allowing anyone to see him

work on the staircase.

Throughout the Christian
and Catholic world,

we have a tremendous amount
of these stories

of miraculous, uh,
help from saints,

and just a part
of the Catholic belief system

you can pray to saints and
they're supposed to try to help.

So, it's a built-in part
of the package,

this idea of an intercessory,

closer to people
and yet closer to God.

After three months,

the sisters came into the chapel

and the man was gone.

And when they could not find him

to even pay him for his labor,

they went to the only
lumberyard in town

and asked them how much
they owed for the materials.

And the lumberyard
told the sisters

that the man never got
any materials from them at all.

So, what material
is this staircase made of?

I gave a core sample of the wood

from the inner stringer
to a US Naval scientist.

And he determined right away

that it was a form
of Picea Spruce.

WHITEHEAD:
Is this from of spruce
local to Santa Fe?

LINDSLEY:
The wood in this staircase
did not match up

with any other
Picea Spruce known to science.

This wood does not
match up with any other

quite like it on Earth.

The staircase at
Loretto Chapel is amazing.

It's a double spiral system.

There's no glue,
there's no nails,

there's no screws.

It's put together in a way

that how it's just
sitting on itself

is holding it together.

WHITEHEAD:
So, Richard,
an interesting thing

about this design
is the double helix.

LINDSLEY:
Mm-hmm.

WHITEHEAD:
The double helix
or the double spiral

is that it's
an incredibly unique design.

LINDSLEY:
Well, we had
a world-renowned physicist

come visit us
and he was convinced

that the double-helix design

was integral
to its inner strength.

-Mind if I go up?
-Please, be my guest.

This is a very
special privilege.

I definitely
feel very privileged.

I've waited for
this moment for so long.

(creaking)

Oh, wow.
Yeah, it's a unique feeling

just right on that first step.

I almost feel like a vibration.

Feeling like I'm floating,

like there's nothing
underneath my feet.

It's truly a remarkable feeling.

Now, how many stairs
have we got here?

LINDSLEY:
There are 33 steps
to the staircase.

Which reminded
the sisters of our Lord

because he lived 33 years.

WHITEHEAD:
Well, I find it very interesting

that here we are
in this chapel in Santa Fe

and we're seeing the motif
of the sacred number 33

and this number is important
to the Templars.

SHATNER:
33 steps?

One of the most sacred numbers

to the fraternal order
of builders

known as Freemasons,
who, in turn,

are thought to be
the spiritual descendants

of the Knights Templar.

Could this number of steps

really provide an important clue

as to who built
the stairway, and how?

So, the number 33

is a sacred number
in Templarism.

So, they would have
encoded that number,

whether it be in staircases

or artwork in
the stained-glass windows,

or even
the mathematical dimensions

of some of these structures.

To the Templars,
they don't just see a staircase

or a stained-glass window
or a layout of a church design.

They see an esoteric number,
the number of a master builder,

the manifestation
of the divine on Earth,

and it's very deeply rooted
in the entire Templar tradition.

STEVE BURROWS:
I think the quality of
construction and detailing

show that somebody who did it
was highly skilled

and they must have learned that.

So, the person
who built that staircase

apprenticed with somebody,
they learned some things.

They applied those things
later in Santa Fe.

So, there's no doubt they could
have been working with a Mason.

Uh, but they were
way too skilled

to have been the first time
they did something like that.

The construction
of this staircase

defies all conventional
construction practices.

Any kind of rational,
conventional explanation.

Where did
the materials come from?

Who built it?

It seems like we just have more
questions than we do answers.

-Yes.
-But we do know
that it's a mystery

and hopefully one day
we'll be able to solve it.

Is the stairway
of the Loretto Chapel

merely the work
of a gifted builder?

Or was its construction
a miracle

performed by the hand of God?

Perhaps further clues

about the power
of religious structures

can be found by exploring
the mystical nature

of one of the most famous
cathedrals in the world.

SHATNER:
For centuries,
many have remarked

on the strange power
that Notre-Dame--

the historic cathedral that sits
at the center of Paris--

has on people.

But what exactly is this power?

And could it actually
be the presence of God?

DELL UPTON:
What's extraordinary to me

is that you've got a building

that has been there
for almost 1,000 years,

in one form or another.

And even though it's important

from an architectural
historian's point of view

in various ways,

it also has this life
in popular culture

which many buildings don't.

Its role in the public view

has to do with
its subsequent reputation.

AMIR HUSSAIN:
You walk into Notre-Dame,

and all of a sudden you realize

the one human being
is very small.

And you're literally
humbled by this.

And almost falling
to the ground because

it's such an impressive
sort of structure there.

YOUNG:
The light coming
through the windows,

especially the rose windows,

has an effect
on our consciousness.

This is something beyond words.

This is the power
of ritual and aesthetics

to touch us
on a spiritual level.

It can't entirely be explained.

PICKNETT:
It's like there is
a presence there.

People go silent,

you know, talking in whispers.

And you say,
"Well, of course they would be,

it's a Christian cathedral."

So, that's what Christians
take from it.

It reinforces their belief.

But millions upon millions
of visitors have felt it,

whether they have
any religion or not.

SHATNER:
In 1163 AD,
Bishop Maurice de Sully

authorized the construction
of Notre-Dame Cathedral.

The bishop wanted
the majesty and splendor

of Notre-Dame to show
France's devotion to God.

The massive building took
over 180 years to complete

and features
a 115-foot-high roof,

and two towers
that stand 223 feet tall.

The value system of a collective

is reflected in the shrines
and monuments they build.

Notre-Dame was
the tallest building in Paris

for a very long time.

The common people
on the street would look up

and see the cathedral
towering above

all other human activity.

That was the message.

1,000 years ago,
when architects were building

bigger and bigger
stone cathedrals,

the problem was sometimes
they would collapse.

So, before they had steel,

they had to use stone
with weight on the outside

called the flying buttress
to support the roof.

That's the reason
why Notre- Dame,

built 1,000 years ago,

can have thin walls
and stained glass.

BURROWS:
Notre-Dame's builders
wanted to inspire awe

when people came and looked
at the cathedral.

So, how did they do that?

One of the main tricks
is to allow light

into the space so that you get
this huge sense of height.

You don't see the massive walls,

and the building seems
to be floating on air.

SHATNER:
Historians and architects
have also suggested

that the power
of Notre-Dame may come,

not just from how it looks,

but also how it sounds.

HUSSAIN:
So, one of the amazing things
about Notre-Dame Cathedral

is the sound,
the acoustical properties,

and the acoustics in there
are just marvelous.

(echoing singing)

And that affects us.

It physically,
literally affects us.

And our heart beats
in a different kind of way,

you know, we can feel it
in our bodies.

BURROWS:
The great acoustics
of Notre-Dame Cathedral

came from practice
and understanding geometry.

So, the people who did that,

they understood
that if you emit noise,

say, singing at one location,

through the shape
of the ceiling,

you can bounce that noise
down to another location,

like a congregation
inside the cathedral.

SHATNER:
The medieval builders
of Notre-Dame

clearly understood how to create

a spiritual or holy experience
in the cathedral.

And a recent catastrophic event

proves the immense power this
1,000-year-old sacred structure

continues to hold.

(sirens wailing)

A fire breaks out at Notre-Dame.

400 firefighters launch
a valiant effort

to fight the blaze,

using water pumped
directly from the Seine River.

Parisians watch in horror

as the flames and smoke

envelop the upper reaches
of the cathedral

and its 315-foot-tall spire...

...collapses.

COLLINS:
A fire began in its timber roof

that spread quickly, causing
the collapse of its spire

and hundreds of tons
of lead melted

and poured down into
the interior of the structure.

And as much as a tragedy
as this actually was,

the response to it across
the globe was remarkable.

SHATNER:
The reaction
to the disastrous fire

transcended
national borders and faiths.

In only two days,
people around the world

contributed nearly
a billion dollars

to rebuild and restore
this beloved landmark.

YOUNG:
The outpouring of donations
from within France

and from all over the world
tells us what a cathedral means.

It's not just a tourist spot.

If you enter a cathedral,
something happens to you.

People know they felt something,

they're attached
to that building.

HUSSAIN:
So, when you had the fire
in Notre-Dame Cathedral

and the rebuilding of that,

that was extraordinary.

The rebuilding
of Notre-Dame Cathedral

shows the attachment
that people have

to the divine is infinite,

and I think
there's a power there.

(bell tolls)

SHATNER:
While excavating an area
for a new housing development

just off the eastern coast of
this tiny Mediterranean island,

construction workers encounter
something unexpected--

and quite unusual--

beneath their work site:

A prehistoric structure

hewn from solid limestone,

dating back more
than 5,000 years.

Upon further inspection,

archaeologists soon realize

that what the unwitting
workers have unearthed

isn't merely a lost
underground temple

or ancient sanctuary,

but a massive
subterranean necropolis.

The Hypogeum of Hal Saflieni.

The Malta Hypogeum is
an architectural wonder

of the ancient world.

It was carved using primarily
stone and bone tools

by an ancient population
that lived on Malta

thousands of years ago.

So, it's actually older
than the pyramids of Egypt

or Stonehenge.

Hypogeum is basically a word

that comes from the Greek terms
for cavity or space underground.

It extends on three
different stories

about seven point some meters
below ground.

It covers an area
of about 5,400 square feet.

Malta's Hypogeum is, you know,

one of those great examples

of beautiful geometry
underground.

So, the geometry
isn't by accident.

It was done by somebody
who knows what they were doing.

And it looks to me
like, you know,

this was done for a purpose.

SHATNER:
A purpose?

Although no one
knows for certain

who originally built
the Malta Hypogeum, or why,

the bones of more
than 7,000 souls

line its intricate labyrinth
of corridors and alcoves.

So, according to logic,

it is exactly
what it appears to be:

an ancient burial site.

But logic alone

may not be at play, here.

There is a very intriguing
room in the Hypogeum,

which is in the middle level,
that is called the Oracle Room.

And this Oracle Room is
basically a resonance chamber.

And it's designed,
so it would seem,

to amplify
any acoustic sound waves.

So, even by whispering,
for example,

the design of the room
amplifies this

and-and makes it into
a very loud baritone sound.

SHATNER:
In 2014, while conducting
a series of experiments

in an attempt to understand
the design elements

behind the Hypogeum's
unusual acoustics,

scientists discovered
an unexpected--

and hair-raising-- phenomenon.

KREISBERG:
We set up microphones
and we used recording devices

that were very sensitive,

and we carried out experiments

using the human voice

in that 110 to 112 hertz range.

So, these are very low,
guttural, bass sounds,

and they reverberate in a very
strong way within these temples.

(bass-heavy humming)

(humming continues)

(humming continues)

ENEIX: It's extraordinary.

It's like being
inside of a bell.

Those vibrations are
felt inside your body.

You feel it in your tissue.
You feel it in your bones.

It can raise the hair
off the back of your neck.

Imagine going there to this dark

and spooky underground place
5,000 years ago

with this weird, eerie sound
going on around you

a-and knowing that
there are bones and...

The whole thing is creepy now.

PAUL DEVEREUX:
Clearly was, some sort of
ritual activity went on there.

There is a niche
in the Oracle Room,

that if you spoke into it,

it could resonate
throughout the whole structure.

And so, some thought
it was significant

that a priest
might've intoned into it

and a voice,
that his booming voice,

would go through
the whole Hypogeum.

Uh, like a god.

SHATNER:
The voice of a god?

Those who have visited
the Malta Hypogeum

describe it as feeling
like a descent...

into the underworld.

As a result,
some experts believe

this subterranean nightmare

was intentionally constructed

to enable its visitors to speak

with the dead.

STEAVU:
Overtone chanting
is a common practice

in many cultures in East Asia,

and North Asia
and South Asia as well.

You do have this strong
connection between chanting

and communication
with the divine

or with the deceased.

And I believe at the Hypogeum,

we may have a similar situation

in which there seems
to have been

an active ritual function

of not only placing
the deceased or remains there,

but where people would attempt

to establish communication
with the dead.

So, it stands
to reason that potentially

people could attain a different
level of consciousness,

in which they would be
susceptible to have experiences

with people who had passed away.

SHATNER:
Was the Malta Hypogeum
designed to be

not just
a subterranean necropolis

but also a place
where the living

could connect with the deceased?

Perhaps further investigation
of this mysterious site

will one day reveal the answer.

But there's a structure
located in Mexico

that reportedly possessed
an even more dramatic

kind of mystical power.

It's a 160-ton statue

that was built to honor

a god of thunder and lightning.

(thunder crashes)

SHATNER:
Crowds gather as workers
prepare to transport

one of the largest
monolithic statues in the world.

23 feet tall
and weighing 160 tons,

the massive idol
dates back over 1,000 years.

And although workers
are extremely careful

with their preparations
as they load it

onto the trucks
that will carry it,

there is palpable tension
in the air.

Because this is
no ordinary statue,

but one of the mighty
Aztec god Tlaloc.

The Aztec religious system
had a vast number of gods.

There were water gods
and goddesses,

there were sky gods
and goddesses,

fire divinities
and earth divinities.

One particularly important
sacred god was Tlaloc,

a fertility divinity
associated with weather,

and thunder and lightning,

so it is feared
but it is also greatly revered

because life comes from this,

the life-giving waters
of the rain come from Tlaloc.

SHATNER:
More than 25,000 people

eagerly wait into the night
to welcome Tlaloc

to his new home in Mexico City

after his long journey.

But as the trucks
carrying the hulking statue

finally arrive,
the crowd isn't expecting

what would arrive
along with him.

COLLINS:
As this statue was erected...

(thunder crashes)

...suddenly
the heavens opened up

and for several days

there was intense rain
and thunderstorms.

(thunder crashes)

Now, this was done
in the summer months

when, in theory, there should
be very little rain at all.

This was so uncharacteristic
of this time of year.

SHATNER:
Rain, during the dry season?

Most people would see
such an occurrence

as nothing more
than a coincidence.

But some believe the rain
was actually a good omen

sent by Tlaloc in response

to the warm welcome he received

from the Mexican people.

THOMPSON:
Certainly a lot of people
believe that these events--

for example,
the downpour following

the arrival of Tlaloc--
are connected.

And perhaps they're connected
because of the divine force,

or perhaps it's actually
the believer's belief

and their faith that is helping
to shape these events.

(thunder crashes)

So, certainly faith is powerful.

They're coming in contact
with the divine, perhaps.

The fact is
that it doesn't really matter,

because it's about belief.

If people believe
strongly enough

in an object,
that can create a reality.

Was the torrential downpour

that took place in Mexico

just a coincidence?

Or was there a more
mysterious force at play?

Well, I guess the answer
depends on whether you believe

that a massive stone statue can
possess extraordinary powers.

In any case,
it's clear that there are

mystical structures
around the globe

which hold secrets,

whether they're etched
in stone or carved in wood,

that will remain UnXplained.

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