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00:00This week, join me on a quest to learn the truth about a 3,000-year-old temple of doom,
00:06complete with sacred idols and secret rituals.
00:09The ruins of the ancient civilization of Chavin have stood for 2,500 years.
00:15But we're the first to make a full-length documentary here.
00:19How did this empire endure without the use of weapons and warfare?
00:24Was it a utopian society, or was it a warped experiment in mind control?
00:30My search for answers will take me through secret tunnels,
00:34deep within the Amazon jungle and into the hallucinogenic rituals of a modern-day shaman.
00:40And one other thing, there really is a temple of doom.
00:44We're digging for the truth, and we're going to extremes to do it.
00:48It's kind of eerie.
01:02I've come to South America to investigate a mysterious relic that's thousands of years old.
01:09Some think it holds the key to understanding a mysterious underground temple
01:14and its bizarre, mind-warping cult.
01:16They were a crucial part of one of the most unusual civilizations in history.
01:25Hi, I'm Josh Bernstein, and I'm on a quest to explore what might be a real-life Temple of Doom.
01:31My journey begins here in Lima, Peru.
01:34I've come here to see an ancient, sacred idol,
01:38perhaps the most important artifact in a country rich with archaeological treasures.
01:42It's called the Teo Obelisk.
01:46The centerpiece of the National Museum of Archaeology,
01:50the obelisk is a huge granite sculpture,
01:52with images woven together like a tapestry.
01:57Professor Guillermo Cocke, a leading expert on Peru's archaeological past,
02:02explains the crucial role the relic played in the ancient civilization of Chavin.
02:08It contains the main elements that were the basis of the Chavin ideology,
02:14the Chavin religion.
02:16Is this obelisk considered a god?
02:20Is this the reason that it's sacred,
02:22that people of Chavin would actually pray to?
02:23It may have well been.
02:25Some people believe that this was a sort of god,
02:28and that they came and prayed and made offerings to them.
02:31It's a very important piece in the Chavin culture.
02:36The first great Peruvian archaeologist, Julio C. Teo,
02:40discovered the artifact in the ruins of a massive temple complex
02:44250 miles north of Lima.
02:47He called the civilization Chavin after the nearby town Chavin de Huantar.
02:54Reigning from 1,000 to 200 B.C.,
02:57Chavin is one of the oldest and most mysterious cultures in Peru.
03:02The obelisk sat in the exact center of the circular plaza,
03:07at the heart of the complex,
03:09a position of supreme religious significance.
03:13Teo thought it contained the key to solving the mysteries of Chavin
03:17and what went on there.
03:21The principal image on the obelisk is a caiman,
03:24a South American relative of the alligator.
03:27Engraved within the caiman are many snakes
03:30and a feline figure that's thought to be a jaguar
03:33and plants,
03:36manioc,
03:38peanuts,
03:39and chili peppers.
03:42I do believe that because the complexity of the elements
03:46is a stone with a message.
03:48It's like a Bible,
03:49like an ancient Bible for these people.
03:51So we know it's important,
03:52but we don't know what it says.
03:53There is a code that we have to break
03:55in order to understand what it really means.
03:59The strangest part of this code,
04:01according to Guillermo,
04:02is that the images on the obelisk
04:04don't come from the high Andes where it was found,
04:08but rather from the Amazon jungle.
04:11But the jungle is far from Chavin.
04:13In the days of Chavin's glory,
04:15it was a punishing six-day trek
04:17by foot and llama train
04:19through towering mountains
04:20falling steeply to dense, impenetrable jungle.
04:24Why would a people who live 12,000 feet above the Amazon
04:28make jungle animals and plants
04:31the main characters in their Bible?
04:34Guillermo tells me if there's an answer
04:36within the obelisk's code,
04:37I'll have to go to the jungle to find it.
04:41My starting point is Iquitos,
04:44a market town on the Amazon,
04:46500 miles from Chavin de Huantar.
04:50Iquitos is bustling.
04:52Goods from all over the world arrive by boat.
04:56I've arranged to meet up
04:57with local legend Richard Fowler.
04:59He's a naturalist and jungle adventurer.
05:02A lot of the artwork at Chavin
05:04looks like jungle animals, jungle plants.
05:07So I've come here because I want to explore the jungle
05:09and hopefully see some of these.
05:10I want to know if that's possible.
05:11When are you ready to leave?
05:12I'm ready to leave right now.
05:13I'm a naturalist and that's what I do.
05:15Plants, animals, Amazon.
05:17Let's go.
05:18Let's go.
05:20As we travel up the Amazon,
05:22I think back to what Guillermo told me.
05:26Many archaeologists, including Julio C. Teo,
05:28interpreted the obelisk as an origin myth.
05:33The caiman gave birth to Chavin's universe,
05:36the animals, the people, and the plants.
05:41But why did they pick these particular plants and animals
05:44to put on the obelisk?
05:47Near the river,
05:48we visit a garden cultivated by the Bora,
05:51an indigenous people of the region.
05:54The plants they're growing here
05:56appear prominently on the obelisk.
05:59Yucca, or manioc, as it is sometimes called,
06:01and chili peppers.
06:04Will any of these plants grow in the highlands
06:06or are they strictly in the Amazon basis?
06:08These are all tropical plants
06:11that grow well in poor soil.
06:13So if they don't do well in highland soil,
06:16what are they doing as central images
06:18on the Teo obelisk?
06:20Is this the right color to eat?
06:21Yeah, that'll be just right.
06:23Okay.
06:28Spicy.
06:30That's really hot.
06:31I can see now how chilies are impressive
06:33to the people of the Amazon.
06:35That's a powerful flavor.
06:38And yucca is their staple food source.
06:40These plants were of vital importance here.
06:43It's a starchy product from the Amazon.
06:46Yet they don't grow in the highlands around Chavin.
06:49Why are they on the obelisk?
06:51It's very strange.
06:53Sweet.
06:55The mystery deepens.
07:00Julio C. Teo and generations of archaeologists after him
07:04thought there was a simple explanation.
07:06The civilization of Chavin came from people
07:09who migrated up from the Amazon.
07:13They brought with them the cultural memory
07:15of the things that were important to them in the jungle.
07:19Like the caiman, the central image on the obelisk.
07:23Richard is taking me to meet one.
07:27There's supposed to be about an eight-footer in here,
07:29and that's the one I'd like to try to catch for you.
07:31Okay.
07:31There's a lot of small ones,
07:32so I'm sure there won't be a problem
07:33catching the small ones,
07:34but we're going to try to catch that big one for you.
07:38This is how Richard has caught big caiman in the past.
07:41And he says there are some huge ones
07:43in this murky water.
07:45But so far, the ones I see
07:47are like something you'd buy at a pet store.
07:50There was one over there a minute ago.
07:58Looks like a muddy exercise in futility to me.
08:03This takes sensitivity.
08:09I don't see anything.
08:11Feel anything?
08:12I don't see anything.
08:16Nice.
08:17So far, all Richard has found
08:20are some leaves, mud, and a lot of aggravation.
08:24Mind sweeping.
08:30They're elusive creatures.
08:34Always one step ahead of us.
08:41And then he gets one.
08:43Get in the big one, by the way.
08:44But he seems a little small.
08:47Not much of a father figure.
08:49I got you a brown caiman.
08:51One of three species found here in Peru.
08:53Can I hold him?
08:54Yeah, yeah.
08:54Hold him, please.
08:56What do I do?
08:56Bring him by the head, firmly behind the head,
08:59and firmly at the base of the tail.
09:01Don't get your face close to his mouth.
09:03This came in sort of cute,
09:05although not the friendliest personality.
09:07Don't get your face close to his mouth.
09:07It's hard for me to imagine this little guy
09:09as the main figure in any culture's Bible.
09:13But Richard assures me that his brothers and sisters
09:15can be a lot larger and more dangerous.
09:19In the Amazon and in almost all tropical areas
09:22where crocodiles are found,
09:25there's a powerful animal symbol.
09:28Like danger, they mean aggressiveness.
09:31They mean strength.
09:32And people are afraid of them.
09:34Why would they be afraid of them, though?
09:35Were they killing and eating people?
09:37They've seen them grab other animals,
09:40and they're afraid it's going to get bigger than eat them all.
09:41And this is a small one.
09:43This is a baby.
09:44Baby.
09:44We were only about 2 and 1⁄2 years old.
09:46So one that was 9 feet,
09:47and some of them you said get 18 feet.
09:48Well, the black caiman gets up to 18 foot.
09:50They have a very powerful force on them.
09:52And, of course, some of the animals that you're looking for
09:55are these power symbols, power plants, power symbols, power animals.
10:01Okay, so I would imagine that an 18-foot black caiman
10:03would be a scary sight.
10:09Richard takes me deeper into the jungle
10:11in search of other power animals.
10:13It grows thicker and more impenetrable.
10:17Hey, Josh, check this out.
10:19Then, Richard surprises me.
10:21This is definitely a power animal,
10:23a symbol worthy of immense respect.
10:26Anaconda.
10:27Anaconda.
10:28The anaconda is the biggest snake in the world,
10:31up to 28 feet long and 3 feet around.
10:35This one's a 15-footer and very heavy.
10:38They bite heavy.
10:40Aggressive?
10:41They're defensive.
10:42Defensively aggressive.
10:43Defensive, yeah.
10:44You get one in close quarters, they bite.
10:46They just strike at you.
10:47And then in terms of, again, local fear,
10:49would this have been hunting people?
10:50Is there a reason why they'd fear the anaconda?
10:52Yeah, they'd fear it because it gets bigger,
10:53and there are actual accounts of them
10:56eating people, like small children and small women.
10:58So, again, going back to the time of Chavin,
11:01any jungle dweller would have feared an anaconda.
11:05Sure.
11:05It's one of the greatest symbolic animals here.
11:08The whole legend of the Amazon is like,
11:11the Amazon is one big anaconda,
11:13and all the little tributaries are baby anacondas.
11:16Now I see what Richard means by power animals.
11:19A really big snake makes a powerful symbol,
11:23strong enough to stand in for the life-giving Amazon,
11:26the biggest river in the world.
11:28The snake must have held some equally powerful meaning
11:31for the people of Chavin to have such a place of honor
11:34on the obelisk.
11:37Julio C. Teo thought the jungle images proved
11:40that people moved up from the Amazon and created Chavin.
11:44But Richard tells me of another competing theory,
11:48that it wasn't the people who moved, but the ideas.
11:51The jungle symbols were so powerful and exotic,
11:55they were adopted by a people to whom
11:57they were completely alien.
11:59To find out the truth about Chavin's origins,
12:01I know where I've got to go next.
12:04Chavin de Wontar itself.
12:10I'm trying to discover what made the mysterious Chavin Empire tick.
12:15I traced the origins of images on a sacred relic to the Amazon.
12:19And now, I'm in the northern Andes Mountains,
12:23approaching the town of Chavin de Wontar.
12:27It's seldom visited because of its isolation.
12:30Over 100 miles up steep winding roads from the coast to the west.
12:35And to the east, it's hemmed in by some of the highest mountains in the Andes,
12:39many over 20,000 feet high.
12:43Here in Chavin de Wontar,
12:45the influence of the people's Incan ancestors is still apparent.
12:49They speak the old language, Quechua,
12:52and practice traditional agriculture.
12:55But it's still very different from the jungle world I've just visited
12:58in search of the images on the Teo obelisk.
13:04From the town, it's a short walk to the site.
13:08The 2,500-year-old ruins are beautiful.
13:13Centered around a sprawling temple made of massive stone blocks.
13:18It rises 53 feet high and looks down on 15 acres of sweeping plazas.
13:25To explore Chavin, I've arranged to meet Dr. Rosa Rick,
13:29co-director of the Stanford University project here.
13:35All over the site, we see the images from the jungle,
13:39jaguars, and snakes.
13:42What are they doing up here in the highlands?
13:45But the connection between the Amazon and Chavin
13:48is just one of many mysteries that surround this ancient civilization.
13:53Chavin is complex and impressive,
13:56but I notice a strange absence.
13:59Rosa, I'm amazed at the beauty and the power and the wealth
14:03that was put into Chavin, everything here.
14:06And yet, what I don't see are fortifications.
14:08Do they have any here?
14:09No.
14:10Do they have a military?
14:11No.
14:12So how is it that they're able to protect all of these assets
14:16if they didn't have a military?
14:17That's a very good question.
14:20After years of excavation and research,
14:23the story is beginning to emerge,
14:25and it has to do with the special nature of Chavin itself.
14:29Chavin was a major ceremonial center.
14:32This is where populations from all around the Indian area
14:36will converge.
14:37How far would people travel to come here?
14:39Hundreds of kilometers to get here.
14:43So this was a major pilgrimage site
14:44the way Jerusalem or Mecca made it?
14:46That's right.
14:47It's a religious center.
14:49But what brought pilgrims to this inaccessible valley
14:52high in the mountains?
14:56Archaeologists speculate it was hypnotic mass rituals
14:59on the main plaza,
15:00with hundreds, maybe thousands of worshipers.
15:04The staging of the rituals was like a multimedia event.
15:09The priests had thought of every way
15:12to impress and amaze their followers.
15:17Traded from hundreds of miles away,
15:20special conch shells were blown like trumpets,
15:22and their music reverberated off the walls of the temple.
15:29Five years ago,
15:30the Stanford team found 20 of these instruments,
15:33beautifully decorated with carvings.
15:35But the power of the ceremonies came from more than just music and dance.
15:41Rosa takes me to the circular plaza at the top of the complex
15:45to explain a brilliant special effect created by the priests.
15:50According to Rosa,
15:51they harnessed a nearby river
15:53and diverted its water into canals throughout Chavin.
15:57This canal comes from up underneath the steps.
16:02It keeps flowing,
16:03and it opens up to a series of canals
16:06that will go all to the ceremonial center.
16:09It's like a big speaker,
16:10loud sounds coming through the center.
16:21It was a remarkable feat of engineering,
16:24over two miles of underground canals
16:27traversing the entire temple complex,
16:29all to heighten the effect of the ceremonies.
16:33The sound must have been overwhelming.
16:36That's incredible.
16:37So this whole space,
16:39with the temple behind us
16:40and the water rushing through underground
16:42and then coming back here,
16:43it's just this whole area
16:45was again a ceremonial center.
16:47This reinforces that something significant is going on here.
16:49That's it.
16:51This was why Chavin had no military.
16:55It was on sacred ground.
16:56It ruled by the power of its rituals.
17:00Its protected cult status shielded it from attack.
17:06Archaeologists have found offerings
17:07that were brought by devotees
17:09from as far away as the coast.
17:12The accumulated wealth
17:14supported a huge settlement
17:16for its time and place,
17:18over 3,000 people.
17:22A thriving community of artisans
17:24served the needs of the priests.
17:29Chavin pottery, gold work, and textiles
17:32have been found hundreds of miles away
17:34to the south and to the north.
17:37The Chavin style of intricate design
17:39and strong animal imagery
17:41dominated the entire region.
17:43It was a cultural empire in Peru
17:46for 800 years,
17:48ruling through the persuasive force
17:50of its ideas.
17:53And Rosa tells me
17:54the priests used a unique method
17:57to help maintain their dominance.
17:59Look at this.
18:00You have a priest representation here.
18:02You can see the headdress
18:04with the snake designs.
18:07Look at the mouse with the fangs
18:09and the hands with the clothes.
18:13And we observe
18:15that he's holding a San Pedro cactus.
18:17Rosa explains
18:19that when correctly prepared,
18:21San Pedro cactus
18:22is a potent hallucinogen.
18:23Clutched in the priest's hand,
18:25it's a symbol
18:26of tremendous importance
18:27to his religion.
18:29It's the key to his power
18:30and his control
18:32of thousands
18:32of devoted pilgrims.
18:37I've been exploring Peru,
18:39trying to unlock the secrets
18:41of the mysterious civilization
18:42of Chavin.
18:44Manipulating powerful symbols
18:46from the jungle,
18:47priests controlled
18:48a religious state
18:49based on elaborate rituals
18:51involving music, dance,
18:52and psychoactive plants.
18:57Christian, what's your specialty?
18:59Christian Messia,
19:00co-director of the Stanford Project
19:02at Chavin,
19:03tells me more
19:04about the priest's use
19:05of hallucinogenic drugs
19:062,500 years ago.
19:09And the archaeological evidence
19:10is startling.
19:12Wow.
19:13Oh, my God.
19:14Look at all this stuff.
19:16Sitting in a shed,
19:17protected from the weather,
19:19are many of the stone heads
19:21which once lined
19:22the temple complex.
19:23Yeah, there's one in particular
19:24I wanted to show you.
19:25Yeah?
19:25Yeah, which is this one.
19:27Oh, this one here, huh?
19:29Exactly.
19:30So what's so special
19:31about this one?
19:32Can you see that?
19:33Oh, yeah, this?
19:34Mm-hmm.
19:35That's mucus.
19:37Mucus?
19:37Exactly.
19:38Okay.
19:39Wow.
19:40That's a bit weird.
19:40Why do they represent
19:42this person with mucus?
19:43Well, when you consume
19:45psychiatric substances
19:48through the nose tears,
19:49you get that mucus flowing.
19:51Ah.
19:51And they actually captured
19:53the mucus coming out
19:53of his nose in stone.
19:55Exactly.
19:56So what role did
19:57these hallucinogens play
19:58in the society?
20:00Well, what we believe
20:01here in the project
20:02is that it was a really
20:04important part.
20:05It's so important
20:05that it was depicted
20:06on the facade
20:07of the main temple
20:09at the most sacred place
20:10in Chavinduanta.
20:12I've never seen anything
20:14quite like this collection
20:15of stone heads.
20:17I asked Christian
20:18to show me where they were
20:202,500 years ago.
20:21Which is the tenon head.
20:23Now, only one is left
20:25in its original position.
20:27It was part of the whole wall.
20:29It was inserted in those holes
20:30that we see along the wall.
20:32And this tenon head,
20:34particular tenon head,
20:35is representing
20:36some form of transition
20:37between a human being
20:39and a jaguar.
20:40So this is, yeah,
20:41half a feline.
20:42I can see it.
20:42It's got the teeth
20:43and the mouth
20:44and the feline.
20:45Mm-hmm.
20:45But I guess the head,
20:46the eyes are human.
20:47Exactly.
20:48Okay, but what is it?
20:49Well, we assumed
20:50that divinity
20:51was living in another world.
20:53So in order to get
20:53to that world,
20:54you have to consume
20:55some sort of substances
20:56that will lead you,
20:58that will put you
20:58in a state of mind,
20:59that will lead you
20:59to that world
21:00in order to enter
21:01to that world.
21:02Actually, this represents
21:03a transformation
21:04from human to feline.
21:06Exactly.
21:06And that was done
21:07through taking a substance,
21:08some sort of hallucinogen.
21:09Mm-hmm.
21:09Wow.
21:10A society
21:11that surrounds
21:12its most holy center
21:13with sculptures
21:14of hallucinating jaguar people
21:17with mucus coming
21:18out of their noses
21:18is truly bizarre.
21:21And Christian
21:22has more to show me.
21:23We have found
21:24just like two days ago
21:27these snuff tubes.
21:30You have to be very careful,
21:32extra careful.
21:32They're very delicate.
21:33Okay.
21:34That we found
21:35in a canal.
21:36A snuff tube?
21:38Yeah.
21:40Wow.
21:40This is a bone, yeah?
21:42Probably it's a bare bone.
21:45Dozens of these
21:46bone snuff tubes
21:47have been found
21:48in chavin.
21:49Sometimes intricately carved,
21:51they were used
21:52to inhale
21:52powdered hallucinogens.
21:55Tiny mortars
21:56and pestles
21:57were used to grind up
21:58the psychoactive ingredients.
22:00Some were from
22:02the Amazon jungle,
22:03like the seeds
22:03of the yopo
22:04and the resin
22:05of the virola tree.
22:08What Rosa
22:09and Christian
22:10have shown me
22:11changes my perception
22:12of chavin
22:13and its rituals
22:14completely.
22:15And the story
22:16becomes stranger
22:17and stranger.
22:18This is the saga
22:19of a cult
22:20built around
22:21hallucinogenic plants,
22:23the cult of chavin.
22:27The ceremonies
22:28on the outside
22:29were just the beginning.
22:31From the circular plaza,
22:33Rosa takes me
22:34up enormous steps
22:35which created
22:35the thundering noise
22:36of water
22:37flowing through canals.
22:39Up until 2,200 years ago,
22:41priests used
22:42the same stairway
22:44to lead a chosen
22:45few initiates
22:46into an actual
22:47temple of doom.
22:53And, of course,
22:55in every proper
22:56temple of doom,
22:57there has to be
22:58a terrifying idol
23:00hidden inside.
23:02Yes.
23:04The temple above ground
23:05is just an entranceway
23:07into this massive
23:08labyrinth.
23:11Huge stones
23:12were used
23:13to build
23:13over two miles
23:15of tunnels.
23:17Would there have been
23:18candles
23:19in this passageway?
23:21We don't have
23:21evidence of candles
23:23used at that time.
23:24There is no signs
23:26of the smoke
23:28on the walls.
23:30It's kind of eerie.
23:34I'm surprised
23:35by what Rosa
23:36just told me.
23:37I've been in tunnels
23:38like this in Mexico
23:39and in Egypt.
23:41But there was
23:42almost always
23:43evidence of the use
23:44of fire
23:45to light the way.
23:48How did they see
23:49where they were going
23:50without torches?
23:52They would have been
23:53in complete darkness.
23:54So is there any sense
23:55of what was going on
23:56in rooms like this
23:57or down here
23:58in the corridors?
23:58This may have been
24:00to bring some
24:01of these initiated
24:03people
24:03and to bring them down.
24:06So more of like
24:06the cult of Chavin.
24:08The initiates
24:08were down here
24:09in the darkness
24:09being reprogrammed
24:11by the priests?
24:12That's right.
24:15For Rosa,
24:16it's a classic
24:17psychological technique.
24:19Disorient people
24:20in order to brainwash them
24:22and to prepare them
24:24for what they were
24:25about to see.
24:27Wow.
24:28And there it is.
24:34It is the supreme deity
24:36of Chavin,
24:37a god in stone,
24:40illuminated by a single
24:42beam of light
24:43from a tiny ventilation shaft.
24:46Archaeologists call it
24:48El Lanzón,
24:49the lance,
24:50because of its shape.
24:52It's unlike anything
24:54I've ever seen,
24:56an intricately carved,
24:57massive face
24:58with its lips
24:59curled
25:00in a perpetual snarl.
25:05So these initiates
25:06would come down
25:07this dark corridor.
25:10They're in altered
25:10states of mind
25:11due to some drugs.
25:12And they come in here
25:13and they're standing
25:15face to face
25:15with this really
25:16psychotic-looking god.
25:17This is just,
25:19this is a very
25:20powerful figure.
25:21What are you experiencing?
25:22Overwhelming.
25:30It must have been
25:32a psychedelic blur
25:33of fear and awe.
25:37In the dark,
25:39the sound of water
25:40rushing past
25:41through acoustic canals
25:42would have added
25:43an element
25:44of heart-pumping dread.
25:50This sort of
25:51stormy sound.
25:52On top of everything
25:53that they're going through,
25:54they're hearing
25:55this thundering noise
25:56in front of the sky.
25:57This is one other reason
25:58for them
25:58to be fearsome
26:00of this figure.
26:01The god is talking to them.
26:03I can only imagine
26:04what they must have
26:04been experiencing.
26:06It all seems so bizarre.
26:08Pervasive use
26:09of hallucinogens.
26:11Ritual ceremonies
26:12in dark underground tunnels.
26:14Brainwashing.
26:15How would such techniques
26:17enable Shavin
26:18to become
26:18a cultural empire?
26:22Rosa tells me
26:23I may be able
26:24to see that for myself
26:25since some of the methods
26:26of the Shavin priests
26:28are still in use today
26:29on the Pacific coast.
26:33Images carved
26:35into a sacred relic
26:36took me first
26:37to the Amazon jungle.
26:39Then into the depths
26:40of a 2,500-year-old
26:42temple of doom.
26:43I've learned
26:44that Shavin's existence
26:46depended on religious
26:47ceremonies fueled
26:49by a variety
26:50of mind-altering botanicals.
26:52But how?
26:54My best lead
26:55at this point
26:55is a hallucinogenic plant
26:57called the San Pedro cactus.
27:01I travel 140 miles
27:04from Shavin
27:05to the old colonial city
27:07of Trujillo
27:08near the Pacific Ocean.
27:11Trujillo is a bustling
27:13and prosperous city.
27:15Seemingly very modern
27:16in everything
27:17but architecture.
27:18But could it be possible
27:20that religious traditions,
27:21which began in Shavin
27:232,500 years ago,
27:25still flourish here today?
27:28In the city square,
27:29I meet Doug Sharon
27:30from the University
27:31of California, Berkeley.
27:33Are you ready?
27:33We can go meet
27:34a curandero in the market.
27:35Doug is taking me
27:36to meet Julia Calderon.
27:39She's a curandero,
27:40a modern shaman.
27:42Some people know them
27:43as folk healers.
27:46Julia's father
27:46was a famous curandero,
27:48and she carries on
27:49the family tradition.
27:52She leads us
27:53into the main market
27:54of Trujillo,
27:55where people buy vegetables,
27:57clothes,
27:58electronic gear,
27:59and practically anything else.
28:02We come to a stand
28:03that specializes
28:04in goods for curanderos,
28:06like San Pedro cactus.
28:09But buying San Pedro
28:10is not simple.
28:12It's like a fine wine.
28:13It must be mature
28:14and come from a good region.
28:17So is this a good one?
28:17This is a good one, yeah.
28:18The one with a scar tissue
28:19is one of the best ones
28:20because it's mature.
28:21We end up with four cactus buds,
28:24but that's just the beginning.
28:27We also need perfume,
28:29lots of it,
28:30and special, strong tobacco.
28:32Tobacco from the jungle.
28:35Yeah, it's good, strong stuff.
28:44By late afternoon,
28:45we're walking
28:46through a quiet neighborhood.
28:48The sea is just a few blocks away.
28:50Everything seems very normal.
28:56Preparations for the evening ahead
28:57begin immediately
28:58with the ingredients
28:59we just purchased.
29:01The San Pedro
29:01is cooking away.
29:03And it's the juice
29:04that you take,
29:04that you drink
29:05during the session.
29:13Julia sets up her mesa,
29:15a table which contains
29:17everything she'll need
29:18for the ceremony.
29:19Images of Jesus
29:20are next to ancient healers.
29:23There's tobacco mixed with water,
29:26perfume, corn flour,
29:28and healing staffs,
29:29each with a special power
29:31to cure a particular ailment.
29:35And a magic circle
29:37with a six-pointed star inside it
29:39where the patient stands
29:42while being healed.
29:45This man believes
29:47he's been cursed.
29:48It upsets his balance,
29:50and he has difficulty
29:51staying upright and focused.
29:54The ceremony
29:55always takes place
29:57at night.
30:02Julia purifies
30:04the four corners
30:05of the ritual space
30:06with lime juice
30:07and perfume.
30:13After cleansing the patient,
30:15she invokes the staphs,
30:16searching for the proper one.
30:22Then, it's time
30:24to drink the San Pedro.
30:26It's part of a group experience
30:28dedicated to healing.
30:31First, Julia.
30:34Then, her assistant.
30:37The patient's.
30:40Doug.
30:44And finally, me.
30:47It tastes like a bitter,
30:49earthy tea.
30:52Why the glass
30:54three times around the head?
30:55I have no idea.
30:57But when in Peru,
31:01the San Pedro
31:02is meant to open the patient up
31:04to what's hidden inside
31:05and to allow Julia
31:07to understand
31:08what's causing his problems.
31:10With the San Pedro
31:12taking effect,
31:13Julia goes into a trance
31:15and she sees a plot
31:17to bewitch her patient.
31:22She sees a woman.
31:24She sees a woman
31:25who comes to her to the left.
31:28Thank God.
31:31She sees very close
31:32to his leader,
31:34I think she said.
31:37There's also a man.
31:42So most of the people
31:43who are coming here
31:44are coming not for necessarily
31:46physical ailments.
31:47No.
31:47Not at all.
31:48Not at all?
31:49Psychologically.
31:50This is a much more
31:51spiritual cleansing.
31:53Exactly.
31:54Julia's skill
31:55is treating ailments
31:57typically unacknowledged
31:58by Western medicine.
32:00Curses, charms,
32:02and negative energies.
32:04Julia has given the patient
32:06the proper staff
32:07to help restore his power
32:09and his balance in the world.
32:12She then prescribes
32:13a treatment.
32:15Be very careful.
32:19Don't accept food
32:22from anybody.
32:25It's all for vengeance
32:26that I did this to them.
32:28That's a very common
32:29type of curse
32:30here in the North.
32:39As part of the ceremony,
32:41all the participants,
32:42except Doug and me,
32:43pour liquid tobacco
32:44into their noses.
32:47It reminds me
32:48of the startling
32:49jaguar heads
32:50I saw in Chavin.
32:52The ones with mucus
32:52running out of their noses.
32:57In Chavin,
32:58they were taking substances
32:59that caused
33:00the mucus membranes
33:01to erupt, basically.
33:05Well, here we're taking
33:06tobacco through their nose.
33:07We don't know
33:07if they're doing that
33:08in Chavin,
33:08but we know that
33:09tobacco's not Christian.
33:10It's definitely
33:11Native American.
33:12And the major origin
33:13of tobacco
33:14in the New World
33:14is the eastern side
33:16of the Andes,
33:17right in this gentle area.
33:18I didn't know that.
33:20Doug is sure
33:21these rituals
33:21have something important
33:23to tell us about Chavin.
33:26You look at
33:27these ceremonies here,
33:28and in spite of
33:29the persecution
33:30of the inquisition
33:31and 500 years
33:32of colonial rule,
33:35these curanderos
33:36and curanderas
33:37had a great deal
33:38of prestige
33:39at grassroots level.
33:40People come
33:41from all over the place
33:42to come to these healers.
33:43I think that's evidence
33:44of the fact
33:44that there's a continuity
33:46around the San Pedro
33:47that goes right back
33:48to Chavin.
33:49And I think
33:50the reason Chavin
33:51was so successful
33:52as a cult center
33:53was because
33:54it was built
33:55on a grassroots tradition
33:57just like this is today.
34:03Building on that
34:04very powerful
34:04grassroots tradition,
34:06they were able to
34:07then build a political
34:09superstructure
34:09on top of that
34:10and that that's
34:12a big part
34:12of what Chavin
34:12is all about.
34:13And a large part
34:14of that has to do
34:15with San Pedro
34:15character.
34:16Right.
34:22This evening,
34:23the persuasive power
34:25of these rituals
34:26has been made
34:27very clear to me.
34:28The same shamanic tradition
34:30that Julia uses
34:32for healing
34:32was exploited
34:34by the priests
34:35of Chavin
34:35to gain absolute
34:37political
34:37and social power.
34:41Participating
34:42in a religious ceremony
34:43under the guidance
34:44of a prominent
34:45anthropologist,
34:46I had a unique
34:47opportunity
34:48to experience
34:49something of what
34:50the initiates
34:50in Chavin
34:51experienced.
34:53About three hours
34:55or four hours
34:56after I drank
34:57that glass
34:57of San Pedro,
34:59the effect
35:01reached its peak.
35:03I started to get
35:03very sensitive
35:04to light.
35:05I started seeing
35:06a halo on all
35:07the lights around me.
35:08And I was here
35:09back in my room
35:10and I thought,
35:11well, what would
35:12it have been like
35:13for these people
35:14at Chavin
35:15to be feeling
35:16this way
35:17in the darkness?
35:20This is kind of weird,
35:21but here's what I did.
35:22I went into the bathroom
35:24here in my room
35:24and I turned out
35:25the lights
35:26because I was thinking
35:27at Chavin,
35:28so much of that world
35:29is based on darkness.
35:31And I put a towel
35:32under the door
35:32to block as much light
35:33as possible
35:34and then thinking
35:35about El Lanzón
35:36and the thundering,
35:37resonating water
35:38chambers around it,
35:40I turned on the shower.
35:41And so now I had
35:42this water hitting
35:43the tub,
35:44making this noise,
35:45complete darkness.
35:47I could see,
35:48because my pupils
35:48were so dilated,
35:49I could see everything.
35:51I mean,
35:51everything in this room,
35:52despite there being
35:53almost no light.
35:55and it made me realize
35:57that relative to Chavin,
35:58their world of darkness
36:00was not one
36:01where they couldn't see.
36:02Under the effects
36:03of San Pedro,
36:05the whole underground world
36:06became visible.
36:08You could see everything.
36:11Now,
36:12I finally understand
36:13how the priests
36:15of Chavin
36:15could have an elaborate
36:17world of ritual
36:18in the dark.
36:19In 500 B.C.,
36:22the power
36:22of these mysterious,
36:24hallucinatory ceremonies
36:25was strong enough
36:26to control
36:27a spiritual empire
36:29without the use
36:31of a military.
36:36I've been decoding
36:37the symbols
36:38on a sacred relic
36:39to understand
36:40how the ancient
36:41Andean civilization
36:42of Chavin
36:43flourished
36:44for 800 years.
36:46Without a military,
36:48without city walls.
36:50In Chavin,
36:51I learned
36:52how the ruling priests
36:53conducted elaborate rituals,
36:55fueled by hallucinogenic drugs
36:57to control
36:58an entire culture.
37:00I participated
37:02in a modern-day version
37:03of one of these
37:04ancient ceremonies
37:05and came away
37:06with a deeper understanding
37:07of the priest's power.
37:09But was Chavin's
37:11systematic use
37:12of mind control
37:13unique?
37:15To answer this question,
37:17I'm traveling
37:18230 miles south
37:19to the little-known site
37:21of Keral
37:21in the Supe Valley.
37:24I meet up again
37:26with Guillermo Coque,
37:27who explains
37:28that Keral
37:29was discovered
37:29in 1905
37:30when an archaeologist
37:32noticed huge mounds
37:33in the desert.
37:36Like Chavin,
37:37Keral has a circular plaza,
37:39but much,
37:41much larger.
37:42Keral is also
37:44a great deal
37:44older than Chavin.
37:46What's really exciting
37:48to think about
37:48is that at the time
37:50of the Great Pyramids
37:51of Egypt,
37:51this city
37:52was thriving.
37:54And what has archaeologists
37:55really excited
37:56is that it carbon dates
37:57to 2600 B.C.,
37:591600 years
38:00before Chavin.
38:03Keral is like Chavin
38:05in many ways.
38:06Like Chavin,
38:07this vast complex
38:08was an important
38:10ceremonial center.
38:11Keral appears to have
38:13no fortifications.
38:15Archaeologists
38:16have also discovered
38:17snuff tubes,
38:18clear signs
38:19of ritual use
38:20of hallucinogens,
38:21like that at Chavin.
38:24These similarities
38:26suggest that a culture
38:27like Keral
38:28might have spread
38:29to Chavin.
38:31But there's one
38:33big difference.
38:34Unlike Chavin,
38:35which is high
38:36in the mountains,
38:37the sea is only
38:38one day's walk
38:39from Keral.
38:40That gave Keral
38:41an economic resource
38:43that Chavin lacked.
38:45Fish.
38:47During the time
38:48of Keral,
38:49the Pacific Ocean
38:50here was teeming
38:51with fish.
38:52The Humboldt Current
38:53coming up from the bottom
38:54made these waters
38:56frigid and rich.
38:57This coastline
38:59has some of the greatest
39:00fishing in the world.
39:02The Bountiful Ocean,
39:04combined with improved
39:06fishing techniques
39:07like these reed boats,
39:08triggered a population boom.
39:10It led to the development
39:12of complex societies
39:13like Keral.
39:16These boats may be
39:18the technological innovation
39:19that fueled the rise
39:21of Peruvian civilization.
39:25It's amazing
39:26that fishermen today
39:28still use the same techniques.
39:31I'm going to try it out myself.
39:34I'm telling you,
39:35Pacific Ocean,
39:38wintertime,
39:39cold water.
39:41The boats are kind of
39:43like big kayaks,
39:44very maneuverable.
39:45Today, we're going out
39:46just to play around a bit,
39:47but the working fisherman
39:49would place his catch
39:50in the back of the boat
39:51and spend all day
39:53out on the water.
40:00of the boat.
40:01These little boats
40:01are perfectly adapted
40:03for riding the swells,
40:04and they allowed fishermen
40:06thousands of years ago
40:07to harvest the ocean.
40:12The real fun
40:13is getting back in.
40:17Instead of just going
40:18over a wave,
40:19you have to ride it.
40:28All along the coast,
40:30there are fishing communities.
40:31And all along the coast,
40:33archaeologists are finding
40:34the ruins of civilizations
40:36like Keral
40:37that exploited the sea.
40:40From these routes,
40:42the origin of Chavin
40:43and all Andean civilization
40:45is becoming more clear.
40:4880 miles up the coast
40:50from Keral,
40:51Guillermo shows me
40:52an even older site,
40:54Las Aldas.
40:55Here, too,
40:56I can see similarities
40:57with Chavin.
40:58Okay, and this is
40:59the circular plaza
41:00which I've seen
41:00in other sites.
41:01Exactly, and this is
41:02a very complex one.
41:03And it looks
41:03fairly unexcavated.
41:05Yeah, it has been
41:06barely excavated
41:07some 40 years ago.
41:09So they've made
41:09some sample cuts
41:10and that's it?
41:11Exactly.
41:11Okay.
41:12Is there evidence
41:13of a connection
41:14between Chavin
41:15and Las Aldas?
41:16Was there use
41:18of hallucinogens?
41:19Did crowds gather
41:21at the circular plaza
41:22here for mass rituals?
41:24The simple answer is
41:26we don't know yet.
41:27This is from fires
41:28that were here?
41:29It's from cooking.
41:30Cooking is the cooking area.
41:31Thousands of years
41:31of cooking.
41:32Things just waiting
41:34to be explored
41:35as an archaeologist.
41:35Doesn't that make you crazy?
41:37It makes my mouth
41:38watering.
41:39There's still so much
41:41to uncover here.
41:42Who knows what secrets
41:44lie buried under the sand?
41:47Finally, we get
41:48to the top
41:49of the temple complex.
41:52On one side,
41:54a sheer cliff
41:55drops hundreds of feet
41:56to the ocean.
41:57And on the other,
41:59the massive building
42:00extends into the desert
42:01for almost half a mile.
42:05To create a structure
42:07like this
42:08required a sophisticated
42:09civilization.
42:11Guillermo tells me
42:12that the picture
42:13which is beginning
42:14to emerge ties
42:15these ruins
42:16closely to Chavin.
42:18And this corroborates
42:20the new hypothesis,
42:22the new ideas
42:22about the origin
42:23of Chavin.
42:24Remember that Tello
42:26thought that Chavin
42:26was the birthplace
42:28of Andean civilization
42:29and that the origin
42:31was in the jungle.
42:34Civilization came
42:35from the jungle
42:35into the highlands.
42:37Today, the hypotheses
42:38are completely different.
42:40We think that Andean civilization
42:42grew from the sea.
42:44So because they had
42:45the food source
42:46here on the coast,
42:47this allowed the civilization
42:48to grow to the point
42:49where it could do
42:50and build this, basically.
42:51The great richness
42:52of the Peruvian Sea.
42:53And that civilization
42:55moved from the coast
42:57into the highlands.
43:01From these Pacific settlements,
43:03fueled by a unique
43:04maritime economy,
43:07civilization spread inland.
43:09eventually reaching Chavin.
43:12But one question
43:13still remains.
43:14Did Chavin import
43:16its techniques
43:17of mind control
43:18from Las Aldas
43:19and Corral?
43:20Or were they developed
43:22in the mountains?
43:23We don't know for sure.
43:26The answers may still lie
43:28within the pyramids
43:29of Corral,
43:30under the sands
43:31of Las Aldas,
43:33or maybe even hidden
43:35in the code
43:36of Chavin's
43:37mysterious obelisk.
43:40As I said,
44:07we'll see you next time.
44:08See you next time.
44:08Transcription by ESO.
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