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00:03Palenque, a stunning city built by the ancient Maya, where mysterious temples emerge from the tropical jungle.
00:13Everything in front of us, everything was red.
00:17Ancient inscriptions reveal this place is once the heart of a powerful kingdom, ruled by legendary kings and queens.
00:30Lady Sakuk was the only link to this whole dynasty.
00:34Who are these queens, and why are they so important?
00:39What can investigations here reveal about the role of women in the magnificent Maya civilization?
00:47The blood from a queen was just great for feeding the god as the king.
00:53Today, experts have rare access to investigate this extraordinary city,
00:58to decode ancient clues, and hunt for answers to the ultimate question.
01:04Why was it abandoned?
01:06The Maya collapse is still one of the great unknowns in world archaeology.
01:12In the search for answers, we digitally deconstruct this spectacular Maya city.
01:17We tunnel inside tombs and temples, come face to face with long-dead royalty,
01:25and decipher cryptic inscriptions to unearth the truth about this mysterious lost city.
01:41This is the ancient city of Palenque, in southern Mexico.
01:47One of the most important cities in the Maya world 1,400 years ago.
01:53The Maya were a remarkable civilization.
01:56Probably the most sophisticated civilization found by archaeology so far in the Americas.
02:03Hidden in the dense jungle are mighty stone monuments.
02:09There's a grand palace with a 60-foot tower, aligned with the heavens.
02:15There are colossal pyramids up to 70 feet tall and 200 feet wide,
02:21built from limestone blocks weighing up to 15 tons each.
02:28In their prime, they're painted a glorious red.
02:32This ancient city covers more than 4,000 acres.
02:36It's a shining jewel of the Maya empire.
02:39But how and why do the Maya build these giant structures here, 14 centuries ago?
02:48Rodrigo Liendo has been studying the ancient Maya for more than three decades.
02:54He investigates why they build these extraordinary monuments.
02:59We're at the core of the beautiful city of Palenque.
03:02You can see the most outstanding examples of buildings ever constructed in the whole Maya region.
03:12Rodrigo searches for clues about the Maya in Palenque's main square.
03:18This is the biggest plaza in the whole city.
03:21So this was a place where people used to gather to see a spectacle,
03:25to have rituals in yearly cycle.
03:30Overlooking the plaza is a towering pyramid.
03:34It's the most impressive building in the city.
03:38Next to it stands a smaller version.
03:41Both are built entirely by hand.
03:44We have to consider that the Maya were Stone Age people.
03:47Very sophisticated by Stone Age people.
03:51The Mayas didn't have metal tools,
03:54so everything has to be done by human force.
03:57But they accomplished great things.
04:01These buildings are called pyramids, traditionally.
04:05Maya archaeologists used to think that this pyramid was just a device to put temples on the top
04:11for worship by the people who were looking at the temple.
04:16But the idea that these pyramids are simply built to hold up temples is soon challenged.
04:26When archaeologists tunnel into the smaller monument,
04:29they discover an entrance that leads into the heart of the pyramid.
04:35Behind a blocked doorway,
04:38they find a vaulted burial chamber with a limestone coffin at its center
04:42and two skeletons on either side.
04:47Inside the coffin, another skeleton,
04:50covered in a blood-red pigment
04:53and adorned with precious objects
04:56of jade and pearl reserved for Maya royalty.
05:03Who is the Red Ruler buried deep in this magnificent tomb?
05:11Rodrigo explores the scene.
05:14A dark tunnel leads deep into the temple's interior.
05:19At the first moment, we didn't know if this building holds a tomb inside.
05:25So it's quite exciting.
05:27At the end of the tunnel, Rodrigo locates the tomb.
05:31Inside, he finds the huge limestone sarcophagus
05:35carved from a single piece of rock.
05:39There were no inscriptions in the tomb.
05:43We didn't have any text that gave us clues
05:47about the identity of the person we found.
05:51In Maya society,
05:53only the highest of the elite
05:55are buried in a sarcophagus as lavish as this one.
05:58This person is clearly very important.
06:03Investigators carefully remove the skeleton
06:06and send it to a lab for testing.
06:09Rodrigo believes the results hold important clues.
06:15Anthropological analysis of the bones
06:18reveals this is the body of a woman.
06:24It's an astonishing discovery.
06:26This is the first time a Maya woman
06:29has ever been found in a sarcophagus
06:32inside a tomb befitting a king.
06:36Rodrigo searches for more clues to her identity.
06:41The nature of the bones tell us
06:43that she was a middle-aged woman
06:47about her 40s, 50s.
06:51Her teeth show that she had a very good diet
06:55during her whole life.
06:59Isotope analysis of her teeth reveals something else surprising.
07:04The woman is not from Palenque.
07:08For an outsider to be buried in a lavish tomb like this
07:12adds to the intrigue.
07:13A high-status woman born in another city
07:18means that she was part of a privileged family
07:22of another place.
07:25She came here to Palenque
07:28to marry an important political figure of the city.
07:33As well as being important
07:35this woman was clearly extremely wealthy.
07:39But what about the strange red powder
07:41that covers the bones?
07:43After lifting the lid from the burial
07:45a very strong, sour, sulfurous smell filled the air.
07:52Everything was red.
07:53The source of this red color.
07:55Cinnabar is a very toxic mineral.
08:00A derivative of mercury.
08:02Toxic and dangerous.
08:05The color represented life.
08:09Life itself represented the blood
08:11of people doing sacrifice
08:13in order to feed the gods.
08:16It was widely used to paint buildings,
08:20tombs in the Maya world.
08:23The blood-red Cinnabar
08:25is not the only evidence
08:26of religious rituals
08:28left inside the mystery woman's tomb.
08:32Investigators unearth
08:33two even more chilling offerings.
08:39On either side of the sarcophagus
08:43lie the skeletons of a 10-year-old boy
08:46and of a 30-year-old woman.
08:51Cut marks on the woman's chest
08:53are signs she is stabbed to death.
08:56Most likely in a ritual ceremony.
09:02And the boy, probably a servant,
09:05meets the same fate.
09:07Sacrificed by the priests of the temple.
09:13Their bodies are placed
09:15in the tomb of the mystery woman,
09:17an honor only reserved for royalty.
09:24Thanks to her status
09:25and the blood-red Cinnabar
09:27on her bones,
09:29archaeologists nicknamed her
09:30the Red Queen.
09:32But who is she?
09:35The stunning offerings
09:37found in her tomb
09:38are now preserved
09:39in Palenque's site museum.
09:41Experts date them
09:42to the 7th century AD.
09:45This means she dies
09:47during the reign
09:47of a great king of Palenque.
09:49All these lines of evidence,
09:52the isotopic analysis,
09:54the analysis of the materials
09:55found in the herborial,
09:58her health conditions,
10:01all this information
10:03guide us to know for certain
10:07the identity of this person.
10:11This was Sakabahao.
10:16Sakabahao is the mysterious Red Queen.
10:19Clever detective work
10:21helps archaeologists
10:22decipher her identity.
10:25But among all the rulers
10:27of this city,
10:28why is she so important?
10:31Could Palenque's other temples
10:33hide even more royal secrets?
10:48The spectacular Maya city
10:51of Palenque.
10:52Here experts unearth
10:54the lavish burial
10:56of the mysterious Red Queen.
10:58Why is she so important?
11:02A clue may lie inside
11:04the towering monument
11:05standing alongside her tomb.
11:11At the top of the temple,
11:12a secret 100-foot-long stairway
11:15winds down to the heart
11:16of the pyramid.
11:19At the bottom,
11:20a triangular stone
11:21blocks the access
11:23to a burial chamber.
11:27In its center,
11:29a 15-ton limestone sarcophagus.
11:34Under two heavy stone lids
11:38lies a skeleton of a man.
11:41Around him are small fragments
11:43of jade
11:44that form an eerie death mask.
11:49Who is the man
11:50behind the mask?
11:55Rodrigo searches for clues
11:57to the identity
11:58of the person buried inside.
12:00The fact that
12:02this temple
12:03and the temple
12:04belonging to the Red Queen
12:05are very close together,
12:07they suggest
12:08that they are related
12:09somehow.
12:11At the top of the temple,
12:12Rodrigo finds
12:14a narrow room,
12:15its walls covered
12:17with intricate designs.
12:19It's a very complex text
12:21combining imagery
12:22and textual information.
12:25The Maya glyphic system,
12:27probably the most complex
12:28script system
12:29in the Americas.
12:31Glyphs that don't have
12:32a direct translation.
12:36What do these glyphs say?
12:39Can they reveal
12:40who is the magnificent person
12:42buried inside the temple?
12:45The text
12:46in the descriptions
12:48is the story
12:49of an important ruler,
12:52an important man.
12:53His name was Pakal.
12:55It's the story
12:56of how this man
12:57became king.
12:59Pakal was the most
13:00important ruler
13:01of the city.
13:02He ruled the city
13:03for about 68 years,
13:05probably one of the longest
13:06reigns in Maya history.
13:10This monumental temple
13:12is built specifically
13:13as King Pakal's
13:14final resting place.
13:17The smaller one
13:18next door
13:19is for his esteemed wife,
13:21Zakbu Ahal,
13:24the Red Queen.
13:28Pakal is the most
13:30important king
13:31in the history
13:31of Palenque.
13:32That's why both
13:33he and his wife
13:35are buried
13:35in such lavish tombs.
13:38But the inscriptions
13:39reveal surprising details
13:41of this great ruler.
13:43It seems Pakal
13:44wasn't meant
13:45to become king.
13:48The glyphs show
13:49Pakal is not
13:50the son
13:51of the previous king.
13:53So how does he
13:54become the greatest king
13:55this city
13:56has ever known?
13:58Rodrigo heads
13:59to the royal palace complex
14:01to investigate.
14:03This is maybe
14:04one of the most
14:05complex building
14:06compounds
14:07in the city.
14:09It was the heart
14:09of the political,
14:11administrative,
14:11and ceremonial activity.
14:15In one of the rooms,
14:17Rodrigo finds
14:18a striking oval carving.
14:20On the right,
14:22it shows
14:23a very young Pakal,
14:26just 12 years old,
14:28on a throne
14:29in the form
14:31of two jaguars.
14:33There is a
14:34very finely dressed
14:37woman
14:38that is handing
14:39him
14:39a crown,
14:41a crown that
14:43we call
14:44the drum headdress.
14:46So that's
14:46the symbol
14:47of kings.
14:49It's the coronation
14:51of a new king,
14:52the king Pakal.
14:54Who is the woman
14:56handing the crown
14:57to Pakal?
14:58And what role
14:59does she play
15:00in his rise to power
15:01at such a young age?
15:05Rodrigo believes
15:06clues may lie
15:07in the thick jungle
15:08half a mile
15:09from the city center.
15:11He hunts
15:12for a building
15:13known as
15:14the Forgotten Temple.
15:16On the entrance
15:17to the temple,
15:18there used to be
15:19a stack of figures
15:21and gifts
15:22that mention
15:23the same woman
15:25that is mentioned
15:26in the oval tablet.
15:28inscriptions
15:29reveal this
15:30Forgotten Temple
15:31is built by
15:32Pakal himself.
15:34He dedicates it
15:35to two people,
15:36a woman named
15:37Lady Sakuk
15:38and a man
15:40called
15:40Kanmo Hish.
15:41Those glyphs
15:43suggested that
15:45this could be
15:46the resting place
15:47of Pakal parents.
15:50This important lady
15:51that is also
15:52present at the oval tablet,
15:55Lady Sakuk,
15:57she was the mother
15:58of King Pakal.
16:00As mother
16:01to the city's
16:02greatest king,
16:03Lady Sakuk
16:04is another important
16:06queen of Palenque.
16:07how does she
16:08help her son
16:09gain the crown?
16:14Sakuk becomes
16:16Palenque's ruler
16:17in 612 AD.
16:19But how she rises
16:21to power
16:21is unclear.
16:25There's a theory
16:26that when rival kings
16:28attack Palenque
16:29a year earlier,
16:30they kill off
16:32the male heirs
16:33to the throne.
16:36When Palenque's
16:37king dies,
16:38he leaves
16:39a power vacuum.
16:41Sakuk,
16:42who's possibly
16:42his niece,
16:43steps up
16:44and takes the throne.
16:47Three years
16:48into her reign,
16:49Sakuk cedes
16:50the throne
16:51to her 12-year-old son,
16:52Pakal,
16:53now old enough
16:54to become king.
16:57When Pakal
16:58comes to power,
17:00Palenque is still
17:01in disarray
17:02and vulnerable.
17:03He needs to quickly
17:04establish an unshakable
17:06claim to the throne.
17:08Usually in Maya kingdoms,
17:10the legitimacy
17:11for ruling
17:13came from
17:14the male line
17:16of the family.
17:17But in Palenque,
17:19the male line
17:20of the family
17:20disappeared during
17:21the war.
17:23Lady Sakuk
17:23was the only link
17:24to this whole
17:25dynasty line.
17:27The fact that
17:28Pakal's mother,
17:29Lady Sakuk,
17:30she was a direct
17:32descendant
17:33of all kings.
17:34That made her
17:36very strong
17:36and legitimate
17:38to pass over
17:39the rulership
17:41to her son.
17:45Pakal claims
17:46his legitimacy
17:47by belonging
17:48to this sacred bloodline.
17:50He may be
17:51Palenque's
17:52greatest king,
17:53but his success
17:55is thanks to
17:56two important women.
17:57his mother,
17:58Lady Sakuk,
17:59who restores
18:00the dynastic line.
18:03And his wife,
18:04the Red Queen,
18:05who rules beside him.
18:08But can inscriptions
18:09inside Pakal's tomb
18:11reveal clues
18:13to a third Maya queen?
18:15How does she
18:16pave the way
18:17for these women's
18:18rise to power?
18:32In Mexico,
18:34archaeologists
18:35investigate
18:35a magnificent
18:36Maya city,
18:38Palenque.
18:40It's home
18:41to two important
18:42queens
18:43whose influence
18:45changes
18:45the city's
18:46fortunes.
18:48How do they
18:49become so powerful
18:50in what's
18:51traditionally
18:52a man's world?
18:55In King Pakal's tomb,
18:58his elaborately
19:00engraved sarcophagus
19:01could hold
19:02an important clue.
19:05The 12-foot lid
19:06shows Pakal
19:07emerging up
19:08from the underworld,
19:10being reborn.
19:13He is carried
19:14by the sacred
19:15tree of life,
19:16that connects
19:18the worlds
19:18of the dead
19:19and the living
19:19with the heavens.
19:24The sides
19:25of the sarcophagus
19:26show his
19:27powerful ancestors.
19:30And remarkably,
19:31a mysterious woman
19:32is among them.
19:33But it's not
19:34his mother.
19:36So,
19:36who is she?
19:40Felix Kuprat
19:41is an expert
19:43in Maya hieroglyphs.
19:46He believes
19:47clues to this
19:48woman's identity
19:48lie in the
19:50inscriptions
19:50from King Pakal's
19:51temple.
19:53He takes a
19:54closer look
19:54at detailed
19:55drawings
19:56of the glyphic
19:56writing.
19:57It starts
19:58with this
19:59list of kings
20:00and some
20:01of the events
20:03that took
20:03place during
20:04the reign
20:05prior to the
20:06reign of King
20:06Pakal.
20:08One name
20:09catches Felix's
20:11attention.
20:12This is
20:13something
20:14exceptional here.
20:16We have the
20:16name of a
20:17queen, a woman
20:18that was queen
20:19of Palenque.
20:19And we see
20:20that because her
20:21name actually
20:22includes this
20:23Ish prefix,
20:25which is a
20:26woman's head.
20:28And it's part
20:29of her name.
20:30It's Ish-jol-Ignal.
20:31So there's
20:32very little
20:33doubt that
20:33she was a
20:34female ruler.
20:36And here
20:37it actually says
20:38that she came
20:38to power.
20:40Literally says
20:40that she was
20:41seated with
20:42a headband.
20:43So it's a
20:43coronation.
20:45The text
20:46is clear
20:46evidence that
20:47before Pakal's
20:48mother,
20:49Lady Sakuk,
20:50rises to
20:51prominence in
20:52the city,
20:53Palenque is
20:54ruled by an
20:55earlier queen,
20:57Lady Yol-Ignal.
21:00Lady Yol-Ignal,
21:02she was the
21:03first queen
21:04in this line
21:05of male rulers
21:06in Palenque
21:07history.
21:07So she was
21:08remembered as
21:09this full queen
21:10ruling the state
21:11in her own
21:12right.
21:15In Maya
21:16society,
21:17traditionally,
21:18only men
21:18can inherit
21:19the throne.
21:21But the
21:21previous king
21:22dies without
21:23a male heir.
21:25So in 583
21:27AD,
21:28Yol-Ignal
21:29becomes the
21:30first queen
21:31of Palenque.
21:33Maya queens
21:35had the
21:36same obligations
21:37as their
21:38male counterparts,
21:39so they
21:40were pretty
21:41impressive,
21:42I would say.
21:43And the
21:43fact that
21:44Ish Yol-Ignal
21:45is remembered
21:46in these
21:47later texts
21:48in Palenque,
21:49people really
21:49honored her
21:50for a long
21:51time after
21:52her death.
21:53Not only
21:54does she
21:55overturn
21:55tradition and
21:56become Palenque's
21:57first female
21:58ruler,
21:59she holds
22:00on to power
22:01for over
22:01two decades.
22:03How does
22:04she do it?
22:06Evidence of
22:07Lady Yol-Ignal's
22:08resilience appears
22:09on another
22:10inscription,
22:11from a staircase
22:12inside Palenque's
22:14palace.
22:14This inscription
22:16talks about
22:17a war that
22:18took place
22:19in Palenque
22:20in 599,
22:21so during
22:22the reign
22:23of Lady
22:23Yol-Ignal.
22:24And it
22:25says here
22:25that Palenque
22:26was destroyed
22:27under the
22:28command of
22:29the snake
22:30kings.
22:34In the
22:35time of
22:35Yol-Ignal,
22:37Palenque
22:37competes
22:38with rival
22:38city-states
22:39and their
22:40fearsome
22:41kings.
22:44Yol-Ignal
22:46transforms
22:47Palenque,
22:47building
22:48impressive
22:49monuments
22:49and expanding
22:50the city.
22:51But this
22:52also draws
22:53unwanted
22:53attention.
22:56The snake
22:57kings from
22:58nearby Calakmu
22:59attack Palenque
23:01in 599 AD
23:02to curb
23:04Yol-Ignal's
23:05power.
23:07They defeat
23:08Palenque,
23:09leaving the city
23:10largely intact,
23:11but taking
23:12scores of
23:13prisoners away.
23:18What happens
23:19to Yol-Ignal?
23:20And does
23:21Palenque
23:21survive this
23:22defeat?
23:25Back in the
23:27palace,
23:27Rodrigo Liendo
23:28investigates.
23:30In my studies,
23:31we have always
23:32discussed about
23:33the ultimate
23:34goal of
23:35warfare.
23:36And probably
23:38the ultimate
23:38sign of
23:40permanent defeat
23:41of a kingdom
23:41was the
23:42possibility of
23:43taking captive
23:44the king of
23:45that kingdom.
23:47When the
23:48snake kings
23:49attack Palenque
23:50in 599 AD,
23:52their ultimate
23:53goal is to
23:54capture and
23:55kill Queen
23:56Yol-Ignal.
23:58But remarkably,
24:00inscriptions reveal
24:01she reigns
24:02until 604 AD.
24:05She survives
24:06this war
24:07and continues
24:08ruling
24:09Palenque.
24:10An impressive
24:11feat.
24:14But Palenque
24:15is left
24:16weakened and
24:17vulnerable.
24:18And in
24:19611,
24:19the snake
24:20kings attack
24:21once again.
24:23The terrible
24:25defeat of the
24:25Palenque army
24:27and the
24:27attacking of
24:28the city,
24:28it had
24:29lingering
24:30effects in
24:31the lives
24:32of the
24:32ruling
24:33family.
24:35But from
24:36the ashes
24:36of this
24:37broken city,
24:38a phoenix
24:39is about
24:39to rise.
24:41In 612,
24:42Lady Sakuk
24:43takes power,
24:44marking a
24:45fresh start
24:45for Palenque
24:46before she
24:47hands the
24:48crown on
24:48to her
24:49son,
24:49Pakal.
24:51Two
24:51determined
24:52Maya queens
24:53overturned
24:53tradition and
24:54pave the
24:55way for
24:56Palenque's
24:56rise under
24:57King Pakal.
24:59What can
25:00a carving
25:01unearthed
25:01elsewhere in
25:02the city
25:02reveal about
25:04royal women?
25:06What other
25:06special role
25:07do queens
25:08play in
25:09Palenque's
25:09success?
25:22The
25:22magnificent
25:23Maya city
25:24of Palenque.
25:26Thanks to
25:27the influence
25:28of three
25:29important queens,
25:30this city
25:31grows in
25:31size and
25:32splendor.
25:35But the
25:36royal family
25:36has another
25:37important role
25:38to play in
25:39the city's
25:39success.
25:43Below the
25:45thick jungle
25:45canopy,
25:47among the
25:47ruins of a
25:48temple,
25:50archaeologists
25:51discover a
25:52broken stone
25:52panel.
25:55When they
25:56piece it
25:56together,
25:57they find a
25:58carving of a
25:58scene showing
25:59King Pakal
26:00performing a
26:02blood ritual.
26:07He's pulling a
26:08pointed object
26:09towards his
26:09face.
26:13It's a
26:14stingray
26:14spine,
26:16a naturally
26:17razor-sharp
26:18blade to
26:18pierce his
26:19tongue.
26:21Why would the
26:22king perform
26:23such an act
26:24of self-mutilation?
26:28Luis Núñez
26:29investigates why
26:31Palenque's royals
26:32perform this
26:33ritual.
26:35Clues may lie
26:37in bizarre
26:38artifacts found
26:39in nearby
26:39temples.
26:42These objects
26:43that we can see
26:44are incense
26:45burners, and
26:46they were found
26:47in the Temple
26:48of the Crosses
26:49complex.
26:51The Maya
26:52use incense
26:53burners during
26:54rituals to
26:55interact with
26:55the gods.
26:57The designs
26:58depict the
26:58different deities
26:59involved.
27:01But although
27:03they're used
27:03for burning
27:04incense,
27:05these beautiful
27:06sculpted
27:07creations also
27:08carry more
27:09gruesome
27:09offerings.
27:11Human blood.
27:13The blood
27:14offering was
27:14placed over
27:16here.
27:16Inside the
27:17bowl, they
27:18placed charcoal,
27:19they placed
27:20the incense,
27:21the smell of
27:22something delicious,
27:24and then it
27:25comes the
27:26blood.
27:26When the blood
27:27burns, it just
27:28immediately goes
27:30into the realm
27:31of heaven to
27:32nourish all
27:33the gods living
27:34over there.
27:36The blood
27:37must be given
27:38voluntarily to
27:39show the proper
27:40commitment.
27:41And not just
27:43by anyone.
27:43It has to be
27:45the top people
27:46in society.
27:47So the
27:48priests or the
27:49kings come out
27:50after having
27:51that blood
27:51letting ceremony
27:52and put his
27:54blood offering
27:55over the
27:56incense and
27:57in some cases
27:58that blood was
27:59considered divine
28:00in some of
28:01the very
28:01elite ruling
28:03families.
28:06The rulers
28:07of Palenque
28:08perform this
28:09self-sacrifice
28:10during private
28:10blood letting
28:11ceremonies.
28:12rituals.
28:13They use
28:14stingray spines
28:15or obsidian
28:16blades to draw
28:17blood from
28:18sensitive areas
28:19of their own
28:19bodies.
28:23It isn't only
28:25men who perform
28:26this important
28:26ritual.
28:27Carvings found
28:28at other Maya
28:29sites reveal
28:30that women have
28:31a vital role
28:32to play too.
28:33The blood letting
28:35ritual, in the
28:36case of women,
28:37they make their
28:37ponchers in their
28:39ears and also
28:40in the tongue.
28:42The queens
28:43participate of
28:44this ritual.
28:45The blood from
28:46a queen was
28:47just great for
28:48feeding the god
28:48as the king.
28:53Why are the
28:54people so
28:55determined to
28:55feed the gods?
28:57To find out,
28:59Luis investigates
29:00a group of
29:01temples on the
29:01edge of the
29:02city.
29:03This is an
29:04incredible holy
29:05place.
29:07Each one of
29:08the temples
29:08here is
29:09dedicated to
29:10one of the
29:10three patron
29:11gods of
29:12Palenque.
29:13Collectively,
29:14they are known
29:15as the
29:15Palenque Triad.
29:17So the
29:18Palenque Triad
29:19is at the end
29:20related with
29:22the past of
29:23the sun,
29:24fertility,
29:25and death.
29:27The citizens
29:28of Palenque
29:29believe their
29:30patron gods
29:30support and
29:31protect the
29:32city.
29:34These three
29:35gods are all
29:36born from
29:36the mother
29:37goddess.
29:38She is the
29:39creator and
29:40giver of
29:40life,
29:42the most
29:42important woman
29:43of all.
29:50Ischel is the
29:51Maya goddess of
29:52childbirth and
29:54mother to all
29:55Maya gods.
29:59Maya women
30:00seeking to bear
30:01children travel
30:0212 miles by
30:04canoe to her
30:06shrine on the
30:06sacred island of
30:07Cozumel.
30:10There they
30:11consult an
30:12oracle, a
30:13priest hidden in
30:14a large statue
30:15of Ischel, to
30:17seek out their
30:17prospects as
30:18mothers.
30:21The Maya believe
30:22that if they don't
30:23show the proper
30:24respect to the
30:25gods, they will
30:26become angry and
30:27could destroy their
30:28society.
30:30The most important
30:32thing to do was to
30:33give tribute to
30:35feed the gods so
30:37they would be like
30:38happy with you and
30:39you can survive and
30:41then prosper as a
30:42kingdom.
30:43That's why people
30:45it's like offering
30:46and being very
30:47devout and making
30:48this lot of
30:49ceremonies to make
30:51sure that the sun
30:53rises and sets
30:56every day so you
30:57can assure the
30:58continuity of life
31:00over the world.
31:02Does all this
31:03dedicated worship of
31:04its patron gods bring
31:06success to Palenque?
31:10And what can a
31:11structure just
31:12outside the palace
31:13reveal about life
31:15for its citizens?
31:31Palenque, three
31:32important queens set
31:34this city on the
31:35path to greatness.
31:36But how do
31:37Palenque's rulers
31:38profit from the
31:39city's location?
31:44Buried right next to
31:45the palace lies a
31:47mysterious structure,
31:50a limestone tunnel
31:52with a pyramid-shaped
31:54roof 13 feet tall.
32:00These are the remains
32:01of a sophisticated
32:02aqueduct that can
32:05hold 50,000 gallons
32:06of fresh water.
32:1014 centuries ago,
32:13it stretches 500 feet
32:17from one end of
32:18Palenque's palace to
32:20the temple complex in
32:21the south.
32:23it's a masterpiece of
32:25Maya engineering.
32:30Rodrigo Liendo
32:31investigates this
32:33intriguing water system.
32:34He wants to find out
32:36why the Maya build it.
32:38Behind the palace, he
32:40discovers an open water
32:41channel.
32:43The source of the water
32:44we see here in this
32:46channel comes from a
32:48natural spring, 500
32:51meters from here.
32:54The Maya build Palenque
32:56on this limestone
32:57outcrop to harness its
32:59year-round flow of
33:01spring water.
33:02Ancient Mayas, they
33:04thought mountains were
33:05the origin of all water.
33:07Water was the origin of
33:09all life.
33:09Without water, it was
33:10impossible to build big
33:12cities full of people.
33:15But in the tropics, the
33:17wet season rains fall for
33:19weeks without end.
33:21How do the Maya manage
33:22this annual deluge in
33:24Palenque and prevent
33:25catastrophic floods?
33:27During the rainy
33:29season, this is one of the
33:30wettest locations in the
33:32world.
33:33It pours.
33:34The whole place, this
33:36empty space is filled with
33:38water with a lot of
33:39pressure and with an
33:41incredible sound.
33:43The Maya construct these
33:45waterways to control the
33:46flow of water and to
33:49provide a better surface
33:51for building.
33:53This is one of the major
33:56aqueducts running through
33:57the city.
33:57It was constructed to make
33:59a flat surface, a big
34:00plaza, more space to build
34:03the palace on top of it.
34:06The aqueducts have also the
34:08function of pressurized
34:09water, and that's a major
34:11achievement.
34:12Maya were excellent water
34:14engineers.
34:18Nine freshwater streams flow
34:21down from the hills and
34:23spread across different parts
34:24of Palenque.
34:28The Maya build a sophisticated
34:30system of underground tunnels
34:32that feed the water from the
34:34streams into pools and
34:36reservoirs.
34:38They build tunnels on
34:40inclines that narrow towards
34:42the end to increase the water
34:44pressure and possibly form
34:47fountains across the city.
34:50With a ready supply of water to
34:52support the ever-growing
34:53population, Palenque really lives
34:56up to its ancient name of big
34:59water.
35:01But Rodrigo believes the people
35:03of Palenque use the underground
35:05aqueducts for more than just
35:07survival.
35:08He tracks one of the channels to a
35:10mysterious room in the palace.
35:13This sector of the palace is
35:15fascinating.
35:16It was framed by a system of pools
35:18with water up to here, with a
35:22very highly sophisticated drainage
35:25system.
35:26It's clear evidence of the
35:28existence of a plumbing system.
35:30It was used to supply water for
35:33different sectors in the palace.
35:36A strange chamber reveals another
35:39use for these pools.
35:41This curious structure here, this
35:44tiny one, is what we believe is a
35:46steam bath.
35:47You find steam baths in humble
35:49houses, in palaces like this.
35:53It was a very common practice
35:54along the whole society.
35:59The kings and queens of Palenque
36:02use these steam rooms for ritual
36:04cleansing, bloodletting ceremonies,
36:07or taking drugs to induce
36:09hallucinations, so they can
36:12communicate with the gods.
36:14Before going into ceremonies,
36:16ancient Maya people came into this
36:18steam baths in order to clean
36:19themselves mentally and physically.
36:25Water management helps the kings
36:28and queens of Palenque to create a
36:30modern, thriving city.
36:32But in a city that depends on water,
36:35could this precious commodity also be
36:38its undoing?
36:41What causes Palenque to fall?
36:56Palenque, a stunning Maya city
36:59whose destiny is shaped by three
37:01influential queens.
37:05But this great city does not last
37:08forever.
37:09How do Palenque's fortunes change?
37:14Maya inscriptions expert Felix Kuprat
37:17investigates.
37:19He believes a clue to what happens to
37:22Palenque lies in a remarkable set of
37:24hieroglyphs found in the royal palace.
37:29The tablet of the 96 glyph is
37:31definitely an exceptional example of
37:34Maya writing and or craftsmanship.
37:37It is spectacular to look at.
37:41Felix inspects the text to reveal a list of
37:45the kings of Palenque following after Pakal.
37:49In total, there are mentions of four kings.
37:52So first Pakal and then his son and the nephew
37:57of this son.
37:58And finally, the son of this nephew who dedicated
38:01this monument in 783.
38:04And this is basically the last firm date that we have in
38:08monumental inscriptions in Palenques.
38:11The sudden disappearance of rulers from Palenque's
38:14inscriptions is unprecedented.
38:16It suggests a terrible event befalls the city.
38:22What triggers the vanishing of Palenque's kings and queens?
38:27Felix believes the date aligns with the collapse of the entire
38:31Maya civilization, one of the biggest mysteries facing
38:35Maya scholars today.
38:37One theory is that climate change has a major impact on the
38:42Maya's agricultural system.
38:44Once that more and more droughts occurred, less food was available
38:49because people wouldn't produce as much crops as they did before.
38:55But Palenque is the city of big water.
38:58It's fed by mountain springs and is built around an advanced
39:02aqueduct system.
39:04Surely they have enough water to survive a drought.
39:09Rodrigo Liendo believes that even with its supply of water,
39:14Palenque is not safe from the destruction sweeping through the
39:18Maya world.
39:19The collapse was something like a kind of domino effect.
39:24The first kingdom to tumble down affected the neighbor and so on,
39:31so on, so on.
39:32The cities were completely erased.
39:35Kingdoms were destroyed by war.
39:40All across the Maya world, competition for dwindling resources
39:44leads to warfare and chaos.
39:47And Rodrigo believes Palenque's reputation may have been its undoing.
39:53Many of these people came to Palenque seeking asylum because of the
39:57conditions of Palenque.
39:59Plenty of water, a fertile region, probably a strong political system.
40:08But by the 9th century, Palenque is completely abandoned.
40:13After 600 years of domination, the city's glory days are over.
40:20The last recorded date we have for Palenque is 799.
40:26After the textual record, we got silent.
40:29The city is no longer home to kings and queens, only to birds and beasts.
40:36The Maya were able to accomplish marvelous things.
40:40Eventually, Palenque is swallowed by the forest, but not lost forever.
40:47The magnificent Maya city of Palenque, home to three powerful queens.
40:55In a man's world, they rise to the top.
40:59Their strength and determination put the city on the map and set the stage for the greatest
41:07Maya king ever known.
41:10Their self-sacrifice ensures success and keeps power in the family despite rival attacks.
41:20The result is one of the most advanced cities in the Maya world.
41:24And spectacular monuments that endure to this day.
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