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00:02In the parched desert of western Peru, extraordinary images emerge from the dust.
00:11Today, technology may be about to solve an iconic mystery that has baffled across the ages
00:19and finally reveal the true purpose of the iconic Nazca Lines.
00:27There's really nothing else like the Nazca Lines anywhere on this planet.
00:31For over a thousand years, these bizarre ancient symbols have been hidden in plain sight,
00:39visible only from the sky.
00:42What are these extraordinary structures?
00:46And what happens to the people who build them?
00:49This was a society that was becoming more violent.
00:54Today, investigators use pioneering drone technology and 3D analysis
01:00to solve the riddle of why the lines were built.
01:05Look at here, there is another one.
01:08They trace the connection to these mysterious pyramids.
01:13When we excavated, we found that he did not have a head.
01:16Now, to solve the puzzle of the purpose of the Nazca Lines,
01:21we'll deconstruct these remarkable images.
01:25We'll dive deep into the hearts of these mighty pyramids
01:28and pull back the desert sands
01:31to unearth the astonishing secrets of a civilization lost in time.
01:43The renowned Nazca Lines.
01:46A timeless mystery that remains unsolved through the centuries.
01:52Formed with beautiful precision,
01:55their purpose baffles archaeologists.
01:58On the ground, the lines are hard to make out, unintelligible.
02:04Their true form can only be seen from hundreds of feet above.
02:10How do ancient people create images that only make sense from the air?
02:17There's outlandish theories about the Nazca Lines,
02:21including ancient hot air balloons, ancient aliens, the racetrack.
02:25And I think the reason why we keep having these ideas come up
02:30is that the lines remain an enigma.
02:33The Nazca Lines are an enduring mystery.
02:38Hundreds of alien-looking drawings in the Peruvian Pampa.
02:43Some over 2,000 years old.
02:49Geometric shapes that stretch across entire landscapes.
02:54Arrow-straight lines
02:56that criss-cross through the sand for hundreds of miles.
03:02Detailed images.
03:04Dozens of them.
03:06Stretching hundreds of feet across.
03:19Archaeologist Christie Conley has been investigating
03:22this desolate landscape for two decades.
03:26But in the last two years,
03:29pioneering satellite and drone technology
03:32unearthed 30 new lines.
03:37Christie's on her way to examine one of them.
03:41It's a great time to be working
03:43to help solve this puzzle of, you know,
03:46what were these geoglyphs about.
03:48The lines are known as geoglyphs,
03:51or land drawings.
03:53And she's traveling with the man
03:55who knows them better than anyone on the planet.
04:00Archaeologist Johnny Isla.
04:10Whenever a new geoglyph is reported,
04:13it's Johnny's job to investigate.
04:17Okay, here we are.
04:20The new line is a spectacular find.
04:25A monstrous figure 200 feet across
04:28with a mouth full of giant teeth.
04:31A massive pile of stones
04:34forms a huge eye
04:36popping out of the creature's head.
04:39The jagged lines that form its shape
04:42are fins and a tail.
04:46This is a hunting killer whale,
04:48an orca.
04:50Soil analysis shows that this glyph
04:53is the oldest ever found.
04:56It's been sitting in this hillside
04:59for over 2,000 years.
05:06The discovery of a new line
05:09allows Christy to explore
05:11exactly how these designs are constructed.
05:15This ancient work is extremely fragile.
05:20Before exploring the new line,
05:23Christy and Johnny must wear
05:24specialized footwear,
05:26huge flip-flops,
05:27to avoid damaging the surface.
05:32Across the centuries,
05:34desert debris hides
05:35some of the designs.
05:39These stones
05:48have been oxidized
05:50and weathered
05:51to a dark brown.
05:51But underneath,
05:53there is a lighter layer
05:55of sand
05:55and white clay.
05:57What they did basically
05:58was to remove
05:59these dark stones
06:01to expose
06:02the subyacent surface.
06:05Yeah, the contrast
06:07really brings out
06:08the image.
06:09So it's more
06:11of a moving the stone.
06:12They're not carving
06:13the earth.
06:15They're basically
06:15just removing the stone.
06:17It's beautiful.
06:19It's really amazing
06:20to see this geoclip
06:21up close and personal.
06:24Johnny has been cataloging
06:26the geoglyphs
06:26for 20 years.
06:29The extraordinary images
06:31of plants and animals
06:32make up only a minority
06:34of the Nazca lines.
06:36Pero la mayorĂa
06:37son geolifos
06:39geométricos.
06:41Podemos
06:41puede ver aquĂ
06:45que estos representan
06:46mayormente
06:47lĂneas, trapecios.
06:50A maze
06:51of aerostraight lines
06:52and geometric shapes
06:54form the vast majority
06:55of the designs.
06:57They are complex
06:58and baffling.
07:00It's just like
07:01some kind of chaotic map.
07:02I want to see a pattern
07:04and understand
07:04what they mean.
07:06The purpose
07:08of these lines
07:08is one of archaeology's
07:10most enduring mysteries.
07:12Could the answer
07:13lie in the sky?
07:19When an American researcher
07:20comes across the Nazca lines
07:22in 1939,
07:24people think
07:25they might be canals
07:26to irrigate
07:27the dry pampas.
07:30But one day,
07:31he stands on a line
07:32just after the winter solstice
07:34and he sees that it points
07:36directly at the setting sun.
07:40Later,
07:41a straight line
07:42is found running
07:43from the beak
07:44of the hummingbird
07:44right into the sunrise
07:46on the summer solstice.
07:51The lines seem
07:52to have links
07:53to the seasons
07:54and the heavens.
07:57Could they be
07:58the world's largest
07:59astronomical calendar?
08:03Johnny and Christy
08:04examine a 3D model
08:06of the lines
08:07in the landscape.
08:08It's a model
08:09that helps archaeologists
08:11and astronomers
08:11put the celestial
08:12calendar theory
08:13to the test.
08:17Where we've been able
08:20to see if there's
08:22a pattern of alignment
08:23and it seems like
08:26the majority of lines
08:27are pointing
08:28in different directions.
08:31Most of the lines
08:32bear little relationship
08:34to the position
08:35of the stars.
08:37So,
08:39if they're not
08:39astronomical,
08:41there must be
08:41another explanation.
08:51Perhaps the clearest clue
08:53to the purpose
08:54of the geoglyphs
08:55lies not in the stars,
08:57but in the images
08:59themselves.
09:00they depict monkeys,
09:02birds,
09:03and even plants.
09:07So,
09:08where do they come from?
09:10Could the answer
09:12lie with these
09:12mysterious pyramids
09:14in the valley below?
09:28The Nazca Lines,
09:31giant drawings in the landscape
09:33from over a thousand years ago.
09:36Who are the people
09:37that create images
09:39of animals and plants
09:40in the world's
09:41driest desert?
09:45Italian archaeologist
09:47Giuseppe Orefici
09:48works in a valley
09:50just 30 miles
09:51from the lines.
09:53Here,
09:54he uncovers
09:55an architectural wonder,
09:58the lost pyramids
09:59of Kowatchi.
10:07When I arrived
10:08for the first time
10:09in Kowatchi,
10:11there were only
10:11a river,
10:13and nothing else.
10:14There were only
10:15a wall of all this.
10:19In its day,
10:21Kowatchi is bigger
10:22than Rome,
10:23with temples,
10:24plazas,
10:25and a huge
10:26central pyramid.
10:30Hidden deep
10:31in the abandoned ruins
10:32are clues
10:33to the people
10:34who come here.
10:37Blowing away the walls
10:38reveals hidden cavities.
10:42Inside them,
10:43archaeologists
10:44find rich offerings.
10:46Giant seeds,
10:48stuffed with
10:49rodent head sacrifices.
10:52A human skull
10:54cradling
10:55a guinea pig carcass.
10:57And mummified
10:58human trophy heads,
11:00the ultimate gift
11:01to the gods.
11:04Scattered around them,
11:05shards of pottery.
11:07They too depict
11:08animals
11:09and the natural world.
11:12Do the same people
11:13who draw the lines
11:14also create
11:15these pyramids?
11:24Could pottery
11:25and textiles
11:26reveal who creates
11:27the lines
11:27on the Peruvian desert?
11:31Items at the
11:32Regional Museum
11:33of Ica
11:33match those
11:35found at the
11:35pyramids of Kowatchi.
11:37Oh, wow.
11:39Christy Conley
11:40examines the pieces.
11:42This is really
11:43a fantastic textile.
11:46The fabric
11:47survives
11:47for more than
11:481,500 years.
11:49We're here
11:51in the desert
11:51and there's
11:52no water,
11:53there's no rain,
11:53and so these
11:55organic materials
11:56do not rot.
11:58Some of the themes
11:59are instantly
12:00recognizable.
12:02What you have here
12:04are a series
12:04of hummingbirds.
12:05You have these
12:06beaks of the
12:07hummingbirds
12:08that are going
12:08into these
12:09amazingly constructed
12:10flowers,
12:11and just one
12:11after another.
12:13The symbolism
12:14is so reminiscent
12:15of the hummingbird
12:16geoglyph.
12:18Just as revealing
12:20as the textiles
12:21are the ceramics.
12:23So we have
12:24a monkey,
12:25this spiral pot,
12:27and this is
12:28an amazing example
12:29of an orca,
12:30of a killer whale.
12:31There's actually
12:32blood being represented
12:33here in its mouth,
12:35its tail.
12:37The orca
12:38has curious motifs
12:40of heads
12:41that it has swallowed.
12:43For me,
12:44there's absolutely
12:44no doubt
12:45that the same
12:45culture that
12:46made this pottery
12:48also made
12:49the geoglyphs.
12:52The same images
12:53from the desert
12:54appear again
12:56and again.
13:00The similarity
13:01of the spiral
13:02of the bowl
13:02and the spiral
13:04geoglyph,
13:06the monkey
13:07with its curling
13:08tail,
13:09its jug ears,
13:10and the hands
13:12that reach around
13:12and clasp together.
13:15The orca
13:17with its jaws,
13:18its round eyes,
13:20and its distinctive
13:22tail,
13:23even down
13:24to the symbolism
13:25of the swallowed head.
13:29Radiocarbon dating
13:30confirms
13:31that the pottery
13:32and most of the lines
13:33are made
13:35by a people
13:35who lived here
13:362,000 years ago.
13:38The Nazca.
13:43Forensic anthropologist
13:45Elsa Tomasto
13:46investigates skeletons
13:47buried in the region.
13:51She thinks
13:52they hold hidden clues
13:53to the mysterious
13:54Nazca people.
13:56Elsa starts
13:58by looking
13:58at their teeth.
14:00When you have
14:01some health problem
14:03and your teeth
14:03are growing
14:04and the enamel
14:05is forming,
14:07the enamel
14:07can stop growing
14:08and it kind
14:09of scar forms.
14:12How often
14:13these telltale lines
14:14appear
14:15can indicate
14:15the relative
14:16health of a people.
14:18We found
14:19that the Nazcas
14:20had lower frequency
14:22of these scars
14:24compared to
14:24other populations.
14:26It's not just
14:28the teeth
14:28that reveal
14:29the good health
14:30of the Nazca.
14:31longer than average
14:33femurs
14:33show they're well-built.
14:36The Nazca
14:37have to survive
14:38in the Atacama Desert.
14:41It's one of the most
14:42extreme environments
14:43on Earth.
14:45Less than an inch
14:46of rainfall
14:47a year.
14:48But the evidence
14:50from the skeletons
14:51reveals that the Nazca
14:52not only survive,
14:54they thrive.
14:56The Nazcas
14:58were healthier
14:58than their ancestors
15:00or descendants.
15:02At Kowachi,
15:04there is evidence
15:05that the Nazca
15:06build a complex
15:07civilization.
15:14Outside Kowachi,
15:16archaeologists
15:17find ancient settlements
15:19stretching for many miles
15:20across the desert plain.
15:24They unearthed shards
15:25of intricate ceramics
15:27in many of the villages.
15:30Remarkably similar
15:31to the pottery
15:32at Kowachi itself.
15:35Analysis of the clay
15:37reveals it is all
15:38created at the same site.
15:40The crafting,
15:41painting,
15:42and firing
15:43may all happen
15:44at the temples
15:44of Kowachi.
15:46The Nazca
15:47gather at the temples
15:48and pyramids
15:49for their rituals.
15:52And take home
15:52the pottery
15:53as tokens
15:54of their pilgrimage.
15:58Giuseppe Orofici
16:00is now convinced
16:01that Kowachi
16:02is one of the most
16:03important ceremonial centers
16:05in the Americas.
16:22The sheer scale
16:24reveals the might
16:26of the Nazca culture,
16:27as notable
16:28in its day
16:29as the Maya,
16:30the Inca,
16:31the Aztecs.
16:33Like these civilizations,
16:35they build pyramids.
16:38But why do the Nazca
16:39stamp their artworks
16:40onto the desert hills?
16:43And how do they create them
16:44when they have no way
16:46of seeing them
16:46from the air?
17:04The Nazca Lines.
17:06An unparalleled set
17:08of geometric shapes
17:09and giant images
17:10preserved for over
17:12a thousand years
17:13in the Peruvian desert.
17:16But how are they made?
17:20It's an enduring puzzle
17:22how the Nazca
17:23create huge images
17:24that only make sense
17:26from the air.
17:30Some believe
17:32that they use
17:32ancient hot air balloons.
17:35Or,
17:36even more extraordinarily,
17:37have help
17:39from extraterrestrial visitors.
17:42But any explanation
17:44must account
17:45for some curious inconsistencies
17:47in the designs.
17:51The spider
17:52is pure symmetry.
17:56Its abdomen
17:57is a near-perfect circle,
17:59and its limbs
18:00are precisely mirrored
18:02parallel lines.
18:05Right next to it
18:06is the Condor.
18:08It's just as complex,
18:10with razor-sharp
18:11connecting lines.
18:13But it contains
18:14curious mistakes.
18:17The wings
18:18aren't the same size.
18:20One claw
18:21is bigger than the other.
18:25Could these errors
18:28be a clue
18:29to how the Nazca
18:30build the lines?
18:39Archaeologists
18:40Christy Conley
18:41and Johnny Isla
18:42investigate
18:43how the lines
18:44are made.
18:48They've come
18:49to the edge
18:50of the desert,
18:51just outside
18:52the protected zone,
18:53to experiment.
18:56Many of the Nazca lines
18:57are incredibly long.
19:00Some sort of
19:01stretch per miles,
19:02aero-straight.
19:04And then pace out
19:05about 10 meters.
19:06Okay.
19:07The first thing
19:08Christy and Johnny
19:09want to work out
19:10is how the Nazca
19:11make straight lines
19:12with basic equipment.
19:15First,
19:16they put two stakes
19:16in the ground
19:17at a distance
19:18from each other.
19:19Yeah,
19:20that looks good.
19:22The next task
19:23is to put in
19:24a third stake
19:25that lines up
19:26with the first two.
19:27It's done by eye,
19:28creating a sight line.
19:30A little bit
19:30to the left.
19:31Perfect.
19:32This can be repeated
19:34any number of times
19:35to create as long
19:36a line as you need.
19:38Okay, next.
19:40Rope can be used
19:41to create a precise line
19:43guide between the stakes.
19:46They could have done this
19:47in the past
19:48with materials they had,
19:49cotton or llama fiber yarn
19:53or cordage,
19:54and they could have used
19:55rocks as a hammer
19:56and wooden stakes.
19:58But many of the Nazca lines
19:59are more complex
20:01than a simple straight line.
20:03How are these made?
20:06One theory
20:07is that they use
20:08an ingenious technique
20:10to upscale the images.
20:14You start with a small drawing
20:16on a piece of cloth.
20:18Then you divide it
20:19with a grid.
20:25You draw a huge grid
20:27on the desert floor,
20:30copying each cell,
20:32carving the design
20:33into the earth.
20:36Once you dig the lines
20:37into the ground,
20:39you wipe away the grid
20:42and have a perfect Nazca line.
20:46But in this technique,
20:48errors mainly show up
20:50in single boxes,
20:52which does not explain
20:53the asymmetry in the condor.
20:58Christy believes
20:59she can explain
21:00the asymmetry in the lines.
21:04But it involves a coordinate system
21:06rather than a grid.
21:09Okay, well, let's do an experiment.
21:11Let's try and make
21:11our own geoglyph.
21:13So I sketched out
21:14a somewhat simple one,
21:15a star.
21:16And we can try,
21:18and you can do one side
21:19and I'll do the other
21:20and see if we can make
21:21a symmetrical image.
21:22A coordinate system
21:24involves working out
21:26the distance of key points
21:27on the design
21:28from the central dissecting line
21:30and then scaling up
21:32these distances.
21:34And we'll pace down
21:36five and a half paces
21:37to here
21:38and then over two
21:39for our first points
21:40of the star
21:41and we'll continue from there.
21:42Let's give it a try.
21:47Johnny and Christy
21:48do not have identical strides.
21:53Will this introduce
21:55some asymmetry
21:56into their star?
22:00They move on
22:01to higher ground
22:02to see their work
22:03from above.
22:08So from up here,
22:09it doesn't look
22:10really distorted.
22:12I mean, I can see
22:12a little bit on my side
22:14to the right
22:14is maybe smaller,
22:15but it's,
22:16I think it looks good.
22:19The star is not bad,
22:20but it's not perfect.
22:23The differences
22:24in pacing warp its shape.
22:27And explains
22:28the apparent errors
22:29in some of the Nazca lines.
22:38Do the Nazca themselves
22:40see the mistakes
22:42in their huge designs?
22:44No mountains surround
22:45the desert plateau.
22:55They have no clear way
22:57of viewing their lines
22:59from above.
23:01Some archaeologists question
23:03whether the lines
23:04are even meant
23:04to be viewed at all.
23:06It's a new
23:07and radical idea.
23:10Maybe they aren't
23:10giant artworks
23:11after all.
23:13And could new
23:14grisly discoveries
23:15reveal
23:16why the lines
23:18are ultimately
23:19abandoned?
23:33The Nazca lines.
23:35They lie neglected
23:36for more than
23:37a thousand years
23:38and aren't rediscovered
23:40until the era
23:41of the airplane.
23:45They look like
23:46giant artworks.
23:48But are they?
23:50Why do the Nazca
23:52construct
23:52300 foot wide images
23:54and mile long lines
23:57that they have
23:58no way of viewing?
24:01There are clues
24:03scattered around
24:03the geometrical shapes.
24:06protruding from
24:07the ends
24:08of the trapezoids
24:09there are
24:10mysterious mounds
24:11of rocks.
24:13Hidden inside
24:15are slabs
24:16that look like
24:17altars.
24:20Wrapped around
24:21them are stone walls
24:22littered with
24:23crayfish claws,
24:25crab skeletons
24:26and fragments
24:28of mollusk shells.
24:31What are all
24:32these dead
24:32sea creatures
24:33doing?
24:34cemented onto
24:35altars nearly
24:364,000 feet
24:38above sea level
24:39in a dry
24:41barren desert.
24:49Wow.
24:51Esto es un
24:52una
24:53concha de
24:54espondilus.
24:56These mollusks
24:57symbolize
24:58life-giving water.
25:00Johnny believes
25:01that they're
25:02brought to the
25:02glyphs
25:03as an offering
25:04for rain.
25:06And there's
25:07another clue
25:07to the rituals
25:08conducted here.
25:12AquĂ tenemos
25:14un fragmento
25:15de cerámica
25:16que usualmente
25:17se encuentran
25:18en muchas partes
25:19en los geoblifos.
25:21the concentration
25:22of shards
25:23of Nazca
25:24pottery
25:24suggests
25:24that they
25:25are smashed
25:26on purpose.
25:31Desert weathering
25:32could not have
25:33caused
25:33this fragmentation.
25:37Look at here,
25:38there is another one.
25:40And ceramics
25:41are in every place
25:43in different parts
25:44of the geoglyphs.
25:47Johnny's excavations
25:48suggest
25:49the Nazca
25:49lines
25:50are sacred
25:50sites
25:51where people
25:52smash pots
25:53and make
25:53offerings
25:54for rain.
25:57He believes
25:59the way
25:59to understand
26:00their purpose
26:02is not
26:02to view
26:03them
26:03from above,
26:04but to look
26:05at them
26:05as the Nazca
26:06would have
26:06seen them
26:07at ground level.
26:20Johnny has spent
26:22countless months
26:23up on the plateau
26:24documenting
26:25and restoring
26:26newly discovered
26:27Nazca lines.
26:29It's given him
26:30a unique insight.
26:32Many are made up
26:34of a single
26:34unbroken line
26:35like a maze
26:37with a way in
26:38and a way out.
26:47Johnny believes
26:48that these lines
26:50are pathways.
27:00If he's right,
27:02the Nazca lines
27:03are not to be viewed
27:04as giant pieces
27:05of art,
27:06but pathways
27:08to be walked.
27:26Johnny's exciting
27:27insight
27:28puts the Nazca
27:29lines
27:29in a radical
27:30new light.
27:40different communities
27:41walking the lines
27:42would bring
27:43the designs
27:43to life.
27:45Could we finally
27:46be discovering
27:47the true purpose
27:48of the Nazca lines?
27:55each Nazca community
27:56in the valley
27:57has their own line
27:58which they build
27:59and look after.
28:01It's part of their
28:02social identity.
28:04On key dates,
28:06they gather
28:06on the plateau
28:07to walk and dance
28:09along their lines.
28:10Each community
28:11visible to the others
28:13across many miles.
28:16A shaman leads
28:17the ceremony
28:18surrounded by music.
28:21He may even
28:22drink a hallucinogenic
28:23brew to connect
28:24with the gods.
28:26Finally,
28:27the precious pottery
28:28is smashed
28:29onto the line.
28:31An offering
28:32to the gods
28:33in return
28:34for rain
28:35and fertile land.
28:38This new way
28:39of looking
28:39at the lines
28:40reveals that
28:41they're not
28:41giant artworks
28:42but huge
28:44outdoor cathedrals.
28:46But there's
28:47a mystery.
28:48Around 400
28:50to 450 AD
28:51there's a sudden
28:52increase
28:53in ritual offerings
28:54and pottery smashing.
28:56What terrible event
28:57has made the people
28:58so desperate
28:59to appease
29:00their gods?
29:01And is this
29:02connected to
29:03the ultimate
29:04disappearance
29:04of the Nazca people?
29:19The iconic lines
29:21of the Nazca.
29:24Huge outdoor cathedrals
29:26where ancient communities
29:27gather to perform rituals
29:29and pray for rain.
29:32People walk these lines
29:34and smash pottery
29:35as an offering.
29:38But there's a puzzle.
29:40Why do these ceremonies
29:41dramatically increase
29:42around 450 AD?
29:46Could this be linked
29:47to the fate
29:48of the Nazca?
29:50In the ceremonial heart
29:52of Kawachi,
29:53clues to a dark chapter
29:55in the Nazca story
29:56lie hidden
29:57in its grand central pyramid.
30:01The mud plaster
30:03conceals evidence
30:04from an earthquake
30:06that rips through
30:08Kawachi around
30:091600 years ago.
30:11Stuffed inside
30:12the crack
30:13are 27
30:14pottery pan pipes
30:16smashed
30:17as ritual offerings.
30:19The ruined
30:21ceremonial enclosure
30:22holds the bones
30:23of llamas.
30:2464 of them
30:26lined up
30:26like soldiers
30:28and two mummified
30:30human heads
30:31suspended from rope
30:33drilled into the bone.
30:35These are sacrifices
30:36to placate
30:37the angry gods.
30:39A plea for help.
31:03Giuseppe's team
31:04radiocarbon dates
31:05the reeds
31:06and the repair
31:07plaster of the walls.
31:09They find
31:10that the quake
31:11strikes Kawachi
31:12around 400 A.D.
31:15Just when
31:16ceremonial activity
31:17out on the desert hills
31:19is increasing.
31:21Are the Nazca
31:23trying to appease
31:24the anger
31:24of their gods?
31:27Forensic anthropologist
31:29Elsa Tomasto
31:30examines
31:31Nazca skeletons.
31:33She finds evidence
31:35that it's not just
31:36Kawachi
31:36but Nazca society
31:38itself
31:39that is beginning
31:40to crumble.
31:45This individual
31:46died with this fracture.
31:47It was produced
31:48by the blonde
31:50trauma.
31:51Okay?
31:52You can see
31:53this kind of
31:54relations
31:55probably were
31:56related to
31:57violence.
31:59This person
32:00suffers several
32:01injuries
32:02in their lifetime.
32:03It's just
32:04one of many
32:05cases.
32:07The frequency
32:07increases.
32:09Society was
32:10becoming
32:10more violent.
32:14And also
32:15we found
32:16a couple
32:17of cases
32:17of child abuse.
32:20Elsa discovers
32:21other injuries
32:22in the bones
32:23of a child
32:23less than
32:24a year old.
32:27It's very
32:28hard to break
32:29the bones
32:30of children
32:30so young
32:31because they
32:32are flexible.
32:33She finds
32:35that these
32:35tiny bones
32:36heal more
32:37than once.
32:38This reveals
32:39that the child
32:40has repeated
32:41fractures.
32:42Today when
32:43you find
32:44this kind
32:44of fractures
32:45in ribs
32:46you can
32:47suspect
32:48of abuse.
32:49It occurs
32:50frequently
32:50when the
32:51child is
32:52shaken
32:52this way.
32:54This case
32:55reveals
32:55a wider
32:56problem.
32:58And it's
32:58not frequent
32:59to find
32:59child abuse
33:00in archaeological
33:01context.
33:02So it
33:03tells that
33:04probably
33:05the society
33:05was breaking.
33:08What causes
33:09the gradual
33:10breakdown
33:10of Nazca
33:11society?
33:13There's
33:14evidence
33:15of a
33:15prolonged
33:15drought
33:16and that
33:17their success
33:18as farmers
33:18is the
33:19very reason
33:20for their
33:20undoing.
33:24the Nazca
33:25decimate
33:25the 1,000
33:26year old
33:27forests
33:27in the
33:27valley
33:28when they
33:28cultivate
33:29the land
33:29with maize
33:30and cotton.
33:34Instead
33:35of powerful
33:36warango
33:36tree roots
33:37reaching over
33:38100 feet
33:39deep
33:39into the
33:39soil
33:41there are
33:41now only
33:42shallow roots
33:43just a few
33:44feet down.
33:45If those
33:46crops wither
33:47and die
33:47in a drought
33:48there is
33:49nothing
33:49to hold
33:50the soil
33:50in place
33:51when the
33:52rains
33:53finally
33:53return.
33:57Instead
33:58of giving
33:58life
33:58the rain
34:00rips away
34:00the fertile
34:01earth
34:01and turns
34:02it into
34:03a deadly
34:04mudslide.
34:09Giuseppe
34:09finds evidence
34:10that
34:10Kowatchi
34:11is hit
34:11by a
34:12double
34:12hammer
34:12blow.
34:14First
34:15the earthquake
34:15and then
34:17two devastating
34:18flash floods.
34:21Cada
34:22una de estas
34:22lĂneas
34:23nos indica
34:24exactamente
34:25que estamos
34:26adelante
34:26de un momento
34:28de depĂłsito
34:29de arena
34:31traĂda
34:31por el agua.
34:33It isn't
34:34just a river
34:35of water
34:35it's a
34:37deluge
34:37of mud.
34:39Even
34:43the temples
34:44are buried.
34:45this
34:47is
34:47a
34:47phenomenon
34:48that
34:48is
34:50for the
34:51people.
34:51to
34:54the
34:55Nazca
34:55mastery
34:56of
34:56farming
34:56allows
34:57them
34:57to
34:57flourish
34:58in
34:58the
34:58arid
34:58landscape.
35:01But as
35:02their lands
35:03dry up
35:04and flash floods
35:05strip the
35:05valleys of
35:06soil
35:06this
35:07extraordinary
35:08civilization
35:08begins to
35:09disintegrate.
35:11In a
35:12desperate
35:12attempt
35:12to
35:13appease
35:13their
35:13gods
35:14the
35:14people
35:15increase
35:15their
35:16offerings
35:16at the
35:16lines.
35:19Yet a
35:20mere
35:20200
35:20years
35:21later
35:21the
35:22lines
35:22are
35:23abandoned.
35:26Is this
35:26the end
35:27for the
35:28Nazca
35:28people?
35:43The
35:43iconic
35:44Nazca
35:44lines.
35:46About
35:471600
35:47years ago
35:48a
35:49series
35:49of
35:49natural
35:50disasters
35:50devastates
35:51the
35:51Nazca
35:52civilization
35:52that
35:52creates
35:53them.
35:55the
35:55people
35:56increase
35:56their
35:57offerings
35:57at
35:57the
35:57lines
35:58in
35:58an
35:58attempt
35:58to
35:59placate
35:59their
35:59gods.
36:01What
36:02happens
36:02to
36:02them?
36:05Archaeologist
36:06Christy
36:06Conley
36:07scours
36:07the
36:07ancient
36:08Nazca
36:08sites.
36:10She's
36:10at
36:11Latissa
36:11just
36:1220
36:12miles
36:13up
36:13river
36:13from
36:14the
36:14old
36:14Nazca
36:14pyramids
36:15of
36:15Kowatchi.
36:17So
36:18it
36:18looks
36:18just
36:19like
36:19an
36:19empty
36:19hillside
36:20right
36:20now
36:20but
36:20in
36:21the
36:21past
36:21it
36:21would
36:21have
36:21been
36:22teeming
36:22with
36:22people.
36:25Traces
36:25of
36:26the
36:26ancient
36:26Nazca
36:27can
36:27be
36:27seen
36:27here
36:28today.
36:29All
36:30over
36:30the
36:30place
36:30you
36:30find
36:31pottery
36:31ancient
36:31pottery
36:32very
36:33typical
36:33of
36:33Nazca.
36:34The
36:35pottery
36:35confirms
36:36that
36:36the
36:36Nazca
36:37are
36:37here
36:37long
36:38after
36:38they
36:38stop
36:39using
36:39the
36:39lines
36:39on
36:40the
36:40desert
36:40hills.
36:42They
36:43don't
36:43die
36:43out
36:44they
36:44just
36:45abandon
36:45their
36:46sacred
36:46cathedrals
36:46in
36:47the
36:47sands.
36:48But
36:49why?
36:52Christi
36:53believes
36:54that
36:54the
36:54answer
36:54lies
36:55in
36:55their
36:55tombs.
36:57They
36:58reveal
36:58the
36:58influence
36:59of
36:59a
36:59new
36:59people
37:00the
37:01warry.
37:03The
37:03typical
37:03Nazca
37:04tomb
37:04is very
37:04small
37:05and
37:05often
37:05times
37:06it's
37:06just
37:06a
37:06single
37:06individual
37:07in
37:07a
37:07pit.
37:08This
37:08tomb
37:09is
37:09very
37:09different
37:10it's
37:10much
37:10larger
37:11and
37:11we
37:11found
37:11several
37:12individuals
37:12buried
37:13inside.
37:13We
37:14see
37:14nothing
37:14of
37:15this
37:15in
37:15the
37:15Nazca
37:16culture
37:16instead
37:17we
37:17see
37:18it
37:18in
37:18the
37:18warry
37:18culture.
37:21The
37:22warry
37:22civilization
37:23emerges
37:24in the
37:24Andes
37:25mountains
37:25to the
37:25east
37:26of
37:26the
37:26Nazca.
37:29Their
37:29impact
37:30on the
37:30Nazca
37:31way
37:31of
37:31life
37:31reveals
37:33itself
37:33in
37:34the
37:34remains
37:34of
37:34around
37:3540
37:35Nazca
37:36men
37:36women
37:37and
37:37children
37:38excavated
37:39from
37:39the
37:39tombs.
37:42Christi's
37:42team
37:43discovers
37:43evidence
37:44of
37:44shocking
37:44violence.
37:46Are
37:47the
37:47Nazca
37:48at
37:48war
37:48with
37:49the
37:49warry?
37:51So
37:52this
37:52man
37:52was
37:53found
37:53in
37:54an
37:54unlooted
37:54tomb
37:55at
37:55Latissa
37:56in
37:57a
37:57seated
37:57position
37:58and
37:59when
37:59we
38:00excavated
38:00we
38:01found
38:01that
38:01he
38:01did
38:01not
38:02have
38:02a
38:02head
38:02his
38:02head
38:03was
38:03missing.
38:06Forensic
38:06anthropologist
38:07Elsa
38:08Tomasto
38:08examines
38:09the
38:09vertebrae.
38:13They
38:14are
38:14cut
38:14marks.
38:15There
38:15are
38:15cut
38:15marks.
38:15You
38:16can
38:16see
38:16clearly
38:17at
38:18least
38:18three
38:18marks
38:19that
38:19go
38:19in
38:19this
38:20direction.
38:21Okay.
38:21So you
38:22can
38:22see
38:22this
38:23is
38:23one
38:23around
38:23here
38:24and
38:25one
38:25around
38:25here
38:26and
38:26one
38:27more
38:27around
38:27here.
38:28So you
38:29almost
38:30can
38:30see
38:30the
38:30movement
38:31of
38:32something
38:32going
38:33this
38:33way.
38:34And
38:35it's
38:35something
38:35that
38:36happened
38:38at
38:38a time
38:39very
38:39close
38:39to
38:39death.
38:40For
38:41me
38:41it
38:41is
38:41clear
38:41that
38:42this
38:42individual
38:42was
38:43the
38:43head
38:43was
38:44severe.
38:44very
38:46very
38:46good
38:47evidence.
38:51This
38:52man
38:52seems to
38:53suffer
38:53a
38:54grisly
38:54death.
38:55But
38:56Christy
38:56doesn't
38:57think
38:57that he
38:57dies
38:57in
38:58battle.
39:00so
39:00this
39:01decapitated
39:01man
39:02he
39:02was
39:02buried
39:03so
39:03nicely
39:03with
39:04care
39:05and
39:06he
39:06had
39:06this
39:06beautiful
39:07head
39:07jar
39:07that
39:08was
39:08buried
39:08with
39:08him
39:08probably
39:09as a
39:10head
39:10replacement
39:10object
39:12maybe
39:12to help
39:12him go
39:13into
39:13the
39:13afterlife.
39:15This
39:15all
39:16suggests
39:16that there
39:16was a
39:17real
39:17ritual
39:17focus
39:18to
39:18what
39:19happened
39:19to
39:19him.
39:22none of
39:23the bodies
39:23from the
39:23Latissa
39:24tombs
39:24show
39:25any
39:25battle
39:25injuries.
39:28So if
39:29the
39:29Nazca
39:29aren't
39:30conquered
39:30by
39:30violence
39:31why do
39:32they start
39:32burying
39:33their dead
39:33like the
39:34warry?
39:37one
39:38set
39:38of
39:38remains
39:38provides
39:39an
39:39intriguing
39:40clue.
39:43This
39:44is a
39:44woman
39:44and
39:44this
39:45is
39:45her
39:45skull
39:46and
39:46this
39:46is
39:46another
39:47one
39:47more
39:47fragmentary
39:48pieces
39:48of
39:49the
39:49skull
39:49and
39:49some
39:49of
39:50the
39:50teeth.
39:51Christy
39:52can
39:52tell
39:52where
39:52these
39:53people
39:53grew
39:53up
39:54by
39:54analyzing
39:55their
39:55teeth.
39:57When
39:57you're
39:57growing
39:58up
39:58and
39:58your
39:58teeth
39:59are
39:59forming
39:59the
39:59enamel
40:00forms
40:00and
40:01the
40:02isotopes
40:03that
40:03are
40:03in
40:03the
40:03soil
40:04and
40:04the
40:04water
40:05get
40:05absorbed
40:06into
40:06the
40:06teeth
40:07from
40:07the
40:07food
40:08that
40:08you
40:08eat
40:08and
40:09the
40:09water
40:09that
40:09you
40:09drink.
40:10The
40:11chemical
40:11markers
40:12in
40:12the
40:12teeth
40:12reveal
40:13that
40:13these
40:13women
40:14are
40:14not
40:14Nazca
40:15but
40:15Wari.
40:16This
40:17is
40:17the
40:17isotopic
40:18signature
40:18of
40:19the
40:19teeth.
40:20Most
40:20people
40:21fall
40:21within
40:21the
40:22middle
40:22of
40:22this
40:22range
40:23which
40:23is
40:23the
40:23local
40:24range
40:24but
40:24we
40:24have
40:25two
40:25clear
40:25outliers
40:26here
40:26and
40:27here.
40:28Their
40:29signatures
40:29come
40:30from
40:30areas
40:31east
40:31of
40:31Nazca
40:31up
40:32in
40:32the
40:32highlands
40:32that
40:32Wari
40:33controlled.
40:34Their
40:35presence
40:35reveals
40:36the
40:36surprising
40:37relationship
40:38between
40:38the
40:38two
40:38peoples.
40:40We
40:40have
40:41little
40:41evidence
40:41that
40:42they
40:42conquered
40:42people
40:43by
40:43force.
40:44Instead
40:45it
40:45appears
40:45as
40:46in
40:46many
40:46places
40:46they
40:47made
40:47alliances
40:47with
40:48local
40:48people
40:49and
40:50in
40:50that
40:50case
40:51these
40:51two
40:51women
40:51may
40:52have
40:52married
40:52into
40:53that
40:54Nazca
40:54community
40:55in
40:55order
40:55to
40:56establish
40:56close
40:57ties
40:57between
40:57Nazca
40:58and
40:58Wari.
40:59Confronted
41:00by
41:00extreme
41:01weather
41:01and
41:02natural
41:02disasters
41:03the
41:04Nazca
41:04abandoned
41:05their
41:05desert
41:06lines
41:07their
41:08prayers
41:09and
41:09rituals
41:09failed
41:10them
41:11a
41:12once
41:12thriving
41:13civilization
41:14fragments
41:16So
41:17the
41:17Nazca
41:17didn't
41:17disappear
41:18you could
41:18say
41:19that
41:19they
41:19lost
41:19their
41:20faith
41:20they
41:20no
41:21longer
41:21practiced
41:21ceremonies
41:22out
41:22on
41:23the
41:23geoglyphs
41:24and
41:24those
41:24people
41:25that
41:25remained
41:25they
41:26embraced
41:26a new
41:26culture
41:27and new
41:27beliefs
41:28scientists
41:29are finally
41:30beginning
41:30to explain
41:31one of
41:32archaeology's
41:33greatest
41:33enigmas
41:35not
41:35built
41:36by
41:36aliens
41:36or
41:37with
41:37hot
41:37air
41:37balloons
41:39not
41:40even
41:40meant
41:40to
41:40be
41:40viewed
41:41from
41:41above
41:42the
41:43Nazca
41:44lines
41:44are
41:44open
41:45air
41:45cathedrals
41:46dedicated
41:46to
41:47ceremony
41:49the
41:50Nazca
41:50culture
41:50may
41:51collapse
41:52but
41:53the
41:53desert
41:54preserves
41:54their
41:55incredible
41:56Nazca
41:57lines
41:57after
42:012erie
42:034
42:27Transcription by CastingWords
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