1
00:00:05,600 --> 00:00:08,680
There are still parts of
our planet...

2
00:00:08,680 --> 00:00:10,120
..yet to be explored.

3
00:00:17,600 --> 00:00:19,000
Descending!

4
00:00:19,000 --> 00:00:22,480
These are remote and unforgiving
places...

5
00:00:23,680 --> 00:00:24,760
I'm in.

6
00:00:24,760 --> 00:00:26,880
..and the journey to reach them...

7
00:00:26,880 --> 00:00:30,200
We're in very real danger of
getting trapped here.

8
00:00:30,200 --> 00:00:32,480
..will push me
and a team of explorers...

9
00:00:32,480 --> 00:00:34,640
Ugh. Ugh, ugh.

10
00:00:34,640 --> 00:00:35,680
..to the limit.

11
00:00:35,680 --> 00:00:37,920
HE SHOUTS

12
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It looks like he's coming back.

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The reward...

14
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Amazing!

15
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..breathtaking new discoveries.

16
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When you're standing in a place
that no-one has ever stood before,

17
00:00:53,040 --> 00:00:54,560
it's very, very precious.

18
00:00:55,800 --> 00:00:58,560
This time we're in Mexico.

19
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Somewhere deep in there

20
00:01:00,200 --> 00:01:03,280
is probably the thing I'm most
frightened of in the whole world.

21
00:01:04,320 --> 00:01:08,720
I'm entering the supernatural land
of the ancient Maya.

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Clear rope!

23
00:01:10,560 --> 00:01:14,160
We'll journey underground
into a secret underworld...

24
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Look at that!

25
00:01:15,480 --> 00:01:19,360
..the Maya called
The Place Of Fear...

26
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..to learn how they lived....

27
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I just feel I've been connected
back through time.

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..and died.

29
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It's a skull! There's a human skull!

30
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This is more the kind of fear
that I had when I was a kid,

31
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and I was scared of monsters
under the bed

32
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and the stuff of nightmares.

33
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I'm in the Yucatan Peninsula
in Mexico.

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All the way to the horizon,
it's just completely flat,

35
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and beyond the realms of
the village, forest -

36
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just thick, dense forest -

37
00:02:04,840 --> 00:02:08,760
and underneath that is a peppered
latticework of caves,

38
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almost none of which have
ever been explored.

39
00:02:14,000 --> 00:02:16,240
Many of these caves are flooded.

40
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I've spent the past month
with Robbie Schmittner,

41
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a world-leading cave explorer.

42
00:02:24,360 --> 00:02:28,200
We've been mapping these caves
to help scientists better understand

43
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how to protect the precious
fresh water they provide.

44
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It completely blows my mind...

45
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..to think that below...

46
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..so much of the Yucatan are rooms
like this that nobody has ever seen.

47
00:02:42,800 --> 00:02:45,880
HE LAUGHS JOYFULLY

48
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While Robbie continues mapping,

49
00:02:48,200 --> 00:02:52,560
I'm heading further inland to
explore a set of special caves.

50
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The caves have played a unique part
in the mythology of the ancient Maya

51
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for at least 2,000 years.

52
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The ancient Maya believed
these caves were portals

53
00:03:08,840 --> 00:03:14,520
to a supernatural underworld
called Xibalba, "The Place Of Fear".

54
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HORN HONKS

55
00:03:17,640 --> 00:03:21,840
The human history here in Yucatan
is absolutely fascinating.

56
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I'm not an anthropologist
or an archaeologist,

57
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but you've got to say,

58
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it's one of the most exciting places
on the planet.

59
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The Yucatan is rich in artefacts
left by the ancient Maya,

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a civilisation which stretched
across Central America.

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Scientifically advanced, they were
master astronomers and builders...

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..but they had a dark side.

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Spiritual beliefs led them
to carry out unusual

64
00:03:53,120 --> 00:03:54,960
and often gruesome practices.

65
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Many were performed in these caves.

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To get a deeper understanding
of the Maya,

67
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I want to explore them
and go further into them

68
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than anyone has before.

69
00:04:09,560 --> 00:04:12,000
To help me, I've chosen
an elite team.

70
00:04:12,000 --> 00:04:15,120
Underwater camera operator
Katy Fraser...

71
00:04:15,120 --> 00:04:18,520
That's very light.
That's going to fly.

72
00:04:18,520 --> 00:04:20,360
..dive supervisor Scott Carnahan...

73
00:04:20,360 --> 00:04:22,160
Who is it?

74
00:04:22,160 --> 00:04:24,440
..and former Royal Marine Aldo Kane,

75
00:04:24,440 --> 00:04:27,400
who has the challenge of
keeping us all safe.

76
00:04:31,680 --> 00:04:34,160
Our journey begins at
a secret location.

77
00:04:36,040 --> 00:04:39,440
I'm meeting an archaeologist
who'll take me to these caves.

78
00:04:41,160 --> 00:04:42,400
Hey, Memo.

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00:04:42,400 --> 00:04:45,480
Guillermo De Anda,
also known as Memo,

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00:04:45,480 --> 00:04:48,760
is a world authority
on the ancient Maya.

81
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This place is remarkable.

82
00:04:51,880 --> 00:04:54,280
It's unbelievable, isn't it?

83
00:04:54,280 --> 00:04:58,760
This is a sacred cenote
for the ancient Maya.

84
00:04:58,760 --> 00:05:01,880
He's spent his career examining
the powerful relationship

85
00:05:01,880 --> 00:05:05,000
the Maya had with these caves.

86
00:05:05,000 --> 00:05:06,600
So this is where we're going,
down here?

87
00:05:06,600 --> 00:05:08,080
This is where we're going today.

88
00:05:08,080 --> 00:05:10,000
Shall we get the lid
off this thing? Yeah.

89
00:05:13,960 --> 00:05:17,240
These ruins date back
a few hundred years,

90
00:05:17,240 --> 00:05:21,080
but beneath this tumbled down well
is a submerged cave

91
00:05:21,080 --> 00:05:24,680
that's much, much older -

92
00:05:24,680 --> 00:05:29,400
one Memo thinks is a Maya portal
to the underworld.

93
00:05:32,880 --> 00:05:37,320
It contains a sinister secret
that has helped Memo understand

94
00:05:37,320 --> 00:05:40,200
how the Maya lived and died.

95
00:05:43,840 --> 00:05:46,280
Whoa.

96
00:05:46,280 --> 00:05:49,520
What's that,
about 15 or 20 metres down?

97
00:05:49,520 --> 00:05:51,960
Yeah, it's about 15 metres
to the water.

98
00:05:53,040 --> 00:05:54,720
Have you ever dived
in a well before?

99
00:05:54,720 --> 00:05:58,240
I have never dived in a well
before, no.

100
00:06:00,600 --> 00:06:02,720
It's working, so you're going to...
Stop.

101
00:06:02,720 --> 00:06:04,840
If we lift this back a bit...

102
00:06:07,160 --> 00:06:08,400
We had to get down the well

103
00:06:08,400 --> 00:06:12,000
and through a hole into the roof
of the flooded cave beneath,

104
00:06:12,000 --> 00:06:13,280
all in full dive gear.

105
00:06:13,280 --> 00:06:14,720
Which, erm...?

106
00:06:16,720 --> 00:06:19,760
Are these my cylinders here?
Those are my cylinders? Yeah.

107
00:06:21,880 --> 00:06:25,120
Before we dive, there's another cave
just minutes away

108
00:06:25,120 --> 00:06:28,000
that Memo also wants me to see -

109
00:06:28,000 --> 00:06:30,320
more easily accessible,

110
00:06:30,320 --> 00:06:34,080
he thinks it has a grisly
connection to the well cave.

111
00:06:35,120 --> 00:06:38,120
So, Memo, is it going to be
any cooler inside the cave?

112
00:06:38,120 --> 00:06:40,080
Yes. Much, much cooler.

113
00:06:40,080 --> 00:06:41,320
Oh, that is good news.

114
00:06:41,320 --> 00:06:44,560
I tell you, my English blood
doesn't like this at all.

115
00:06:44,560 --> 00:06:48,240
I know. Even we Mexicans...

116
00:06:48,240 --> 00:06:51,880
..feel really, really hot
this time of year.

117
00:06:51,880 --> 00:06:54,400
Do many people come down here, Memo?
No.

118
00:06:54,400 --> 00:06:58,360
Fortunately this is, like,
still very well preserved.

119
00:06:58,360 --> 00:07:02,400
We're stepping right now, Steve,
on a Maya stone stairway.

120
00:07:04,680 --> 00:07:07,920
Only a select few know the location
of these caves.

121
00:07:07,920 --> 00:07:11,120
Secrecy is their only protection
against vandals.

122
00:07:21,240 --> 00:07:23,960
So we're looking at a piece
of Maya history.

123
00:07:26,200 --> 00:07:28,520
Seriously, I got a chill that
went up the back of my neck

124
00:07:28,520 --> 00:07:30,000
as soon as I saw that.

125
00:07:32,160 --> 00:07:34,000
They look like they were left
yesterday.

126
00:07:34,000 --> 00:07:36,360
If you see, we call it
Little Hands Cave or Manitas,

127
00:07:36,360 --> 00:07:38,880
because there's a lot of children's
hands.

128
00:07:38,880 --> 00:07:40,960
And if you look towards
your right...

129
00:07:40,960 --> 00:07:44,480
Whoa, look at those over there!
Positive handprints, yeah.

130
00:07:45,920 --> 00:07:47,720
This is really pretty special...
Yeah.

131
00:07:47,720 --> 00:07:51,800
..that these are the handprints
of a Mayan child

132
00:07:51,800 --> 00:07:56,080
left over 1,000 years ago...
Yes, yes. ..and they're still here,

133
00:07:56,080 --> 00:07:58,880
as crystal clear as if a child
just put their hand in paint

134
00:07:58,880 --> 00:08:00,200
and whacked it on the wall.

135
00:08:02,960 --> 00:08:06,400
It's interesting that I've seen
prints like this in many caves

136
00:08:06,400 --> 00:08:09,880
around the world, in New Guinea
and Borneo and in Europe -

137
00:08:09,880 --> 00:08:12,280
there's clearly something universal

138
00:08:12,280 --> 00:08:14,960
about leaving your mark behind
like this.

139
00:08:17,560 --> 00:08:20,640
Do you think that this is
like playing? Putting paint?

140
00:08:20,640 --> 00:08:23,280
Or do you think that there could be
something more to it than that?

141
00:08:23,280 --> 00:08:25,400
You know, we cannot disregard
that possibility,

142
00:08:25,400 --> 00:08:28,040
but I don't think that
that was the case,

143
00:08:28,040 --> 00:08:32,000
because right where you are,
if we look up...

144
00:08:33,440 --> 00:08:39,920
..we should find some little feet,
maybe a one- or two-year-old.

145
00:08:39,920 --> 00:08:41,360
So there's no way that a child

146
00:08:41,360 --> 00:08:44,200
could have deliberately put their
hands and feet up there... Exactly.

147
00:08:44,200 --> 00:08:45,640
..it had to be done...

148
00:08:46,600 --> 00:08:48,240
..by someone else, by an adult.

149
00:08:48,240 --> 00:08:50,840
I wish I could find exactly
what the purpose

150
00:08:50,840 --> 00:08:54,000
or what the symbolism
or what the meaning of that is.

151
00:08:54,000 --> 00:08:58,040
We believe it could be maybe
a signature of something... Yeah.

152
00:08:58,040 --> 00:09:03,480
..or a reminder of an event,
or a rite of passage.

153
00:09:04,920 --> 00:09:09,080
These might have been children
that were sacrificed afterwards.

154
00:09:09,080 --> 00:09:10,800
It was part of a ritual.

155
00:09:15,520 --> 00:09:19,760
That's an incredibly
macabre thought.

156
00:09:19,760 --> 00:09:23,000
We're looking at the handprints
of a Mayan child

157
00:09:23,000 --> 00:09:25,240
from well over 1,000 years ago

158
00:09:25,240 --> 00:09:27,920
that may soon after have been
sacrificed.

159
00:09:27,920 --> 00:09:29,680
Yes. Oh, yeah.

160
00:09:29,680 --> 00:09:34,560
Yeah, maybe this was the
last thing they'd do in their life.

161
00:09:36,120 --> 00:09:39,400
There are over 100 handprints
in this cave.

162
00:09:39,400 --> 00:09:41,640
If Memo's theory is correct,

163
00:09:41,640 --> 00:09:45,640
each one could belong to someone
who was ritually sacrificed.

164
00:09:49,200 --> 00:09:53,240
There are even prints from
children as young as two.

165
00:09:54,200 --> 00:09:56,120
If they were killed here,

166
00:09:56,120 --> 00:09:58,920
their remains are missing
from this cave.

167
00:10:05,080 --> 00:10:08,120
Memo believes the flooded cave
beneath the well

168
00:10:08,120 --> 00:10:10,640
could hold the key to
understanding why.

169
00:10:15,600 --> 00:10:18,040
He's been diving in
this well cave before,

170
00:10:18,040 --> 00:10:20,440
and believes the site had a special

171
00:10:20,440 --> 00:10:22,320
and grisly significance
for the Maya.

172
00:10:24,120 --> 00:10:27,960
He thinks they came to
carry out human sacrifices.

173
00:10:32,880 --> 00:10:34,920
That's pretty scary.

174
00:10:34,920 --> 00:10:39,160
Effectively, we're going into
a sunken mausoleum.

175
00:10:39,160 --> 00:10:41,800
It is the kind of stuff that wakes
you up in the middle of the night

176
00:10:41,800 --> 00:10:43,040
in a cold sweat.

177
00:10:45,080 --> 00:10:46,880
It is the stuff of nightmares.

178
00:10:49,760 --> 00:10:52,600
It's not ideal to set up here
because of the distance.

179
00:10:52,600 --> 00:10:55,240
We'll work that out,
or I can pull them in.

180
00:10:55,240 --> 00:10:57,480
Aldo's rigged a frame
that will lower us

181
00:10:57,480 --> 00:10:59,680
and our equipment into the cave

182
00:10:59,680 --> 00:11:02,920
and, just as importantly,
get us back out again.

183
00:11:02,920 --> 00:11:05,000
It is a complex operation.

184
00:11:05,000 --> 00:11:10,240
We've got four divers in a confined
space in an overhead environment,

185
00:11:10,240 --> 00:11:12,440
in a cave, and you're on the end
of ropes.

186
00:11:12,440 --> 00:11:14,720
We can't get to you that quickly.

187
00:11:14,720 --> 00:11:16,240
In fact, we probably won't
get to you -

188
00:11:16,240 --> 00:11:18,960
it'll be down to you to
self-rescue to the ropes.

189
00:11:21,240 --> 00:11:23,040
For once on an expedition,

190
00:11:23,040 --> 00:11:26,120
I'm not thinking about
the logistical problems.

191
00:11:26,120 --> 00:11:29,160
OK, lean out a bit further.
Try and get out past the edge.

192
00:11:29,160 --> 00:11:31,560
Right, was there anything
that needed changed on that?

193
00:11:31,560 --> 00:11:33,760
Nope, negative.

194
00:11:33,760 --> 00:11:35,640
Everyone happy with how that went?

195
00:11:35,640 --> 00:11:41,200
These caverns are living graveyards,
living mausoleums.

196
00:11:41,200 --> 00:11:43,560
Two metres in the water.

197
00:11:43,560 --> 00:11:45,960
This is more the kind of fear
that I had when I was a kid,

198
00:11:45,960 --> 00:11:48,440
and I was scared of monsters
under the bed

199
00:11:48,440 --> 00:11:50,480
and creatures in the cupboard.

200
00:11:50,480 --> 00:11:54,120
It's that fear of the unknown,

201
00:11:54,120 --> 00:11:57,000
and darkness and death,

202
00:11:57,000 --> 00:11:59,720
and all the things that
haunt us most.

203
00:11:59,720 --> 00:12:01,040
Katy?

204
00:12:04,280 --> 00:12:05,960
The Maya feared these caves

205
00:12:05,960 --> 00:12:09,560
because they believed the gods
responsible for human suffering

206
00:12:09,560 --> 00:12:11,000
lived in them.

207
00:12:12,440 --> 00:12:17,360
They offered these gods gruesome
sacrifices to try and appease them.

208
00:12:19,520 --> 00:12:21,360
HIS VOICE ECHOES: Descending!

209
00:12:25,000 --> 00:12:27,360
How far out are we, Scott?
More, Aldo.

210
00:12:27,360 --> 00:12:30,720
OK, Steve, we're going to lower it
on the working line. So get down.

211
00:12:49,800 --> 00:12:52,960
Diver on the bottom?
Diver's floating.

212
00:13:07,040 --> 00:13:08,080
Stop.

213
00:13:08,080 --> 00:13:09,080
All stop.

214
00:13:14,840 --> 00:13:16,960
Guillermo? Guillermo, are you OK?

215
00:13:16,960 --> 00:13:19,240
Can you hear me well?
Yeah, I can hear you.

216
00:13:19,240 --> 00:13:22,960
Take your time and get
your systems right.

217
00:13:22,960 --> 00:13:25,720
OK. Moving in closer.

218
00:13:30,560 --> 00:13:32,680
We've been granted permission
to dive here

219
00:13:32,680 --> 00:13:36,080
on the understanding that we don't
touch anything we find.

220
00:13:40,400 --> 00:13:42,480
Guillermo, I see something.

221
00:13:42,480 --> 00:13:43,680
OK.

222
00:13:43,680 --> 00:13:45,040
It's a horn.

223
00:13:45,040 --> 00:13:47,720
We're just descending down...

224
00:13:47,720 --> 00:13:49,400
..underneath...

225
00:13:49,400 --> 00:13:51,600
..the daylight...

226
00:13:51,600 --> 00:13:52,960
..of the well above.

227
00:13:55,200 --> 00:13:58,440
That is the skull of a bull.

228
00:13:59,640 --> 00:14:01,400
What's this on the teeth, here?

229
00:14:01,400 --> 00:14:04,520
Steve, I really don't know.

230
00:14:04,520 --> 00:14:06,200
It looks like gold.

231
00:14:08,440 --> 00:14:11,440
There is no natural goal
here in the Yucatan, is there?

232
00:14:11,440 --> 00:14:14,320
No. No, Steve.

233
00:14:14,320 --> 00:14:17,320
There is no gold in Yucatan.

234
00:14:19,280 --> 00:14:22,200
The unusual appearance of
the teeth could be due to

235
00:14:22,200 --> 00:14:27,040
natural discoloration caused
by the diet of the animal,

236
00:14:27,040 --> 00:14:30,000
and this skull can't be from
the time of the ancient Maya,

237
00:14:30,000 --> 00:14:31,960
because we know they didn't
have cattle.

238
00:14:34,200 --> 00:14:36,240
OK. What do you think?
Shall we go down?

239
00:14:36,240 --> 00:14:37,440
Let's go for it.

240
00:14:46,160 --> 00:14:48,600
Look at that, Memo, it's a pot!

241
00:14:48,600 --> 00:14:49,680
It's beautiful.

242
00:14:53,200 --> 00:14:55,320
How old do you think this might be?

243
00:14:55,320 --> 00:14:58,320
This might be 1,000 years old,

244
00:14:58,320 --> 00:15:01,320
and look how well-preserved it is.

245
00:15:01,320 --> 00:15:02,320
Wow.

246
00:15:07,320 --> 00:15:10,560
They weren't just dropped in here
by accident.

247
00:15:10,560 --> 00:15:15,000
No. No, Steve, it would be
too many accidents.

248
00:15:16,400 --> 00:15:18,320
What would be in these pots?

249
00:15:18,320 --> 00:15:23,760
Usually food or maybe
a sacrificed animal.

250
00:15:27,000 --> 00:15:30,520
Maya pottery was extremely fragile.

251
00:15:30,520 --> 00:15:35,560
What we found suggests someone
swam down and placed it here intact.

252
00:15:39,320 --> 00:15:40,800
Guillermo, what's that?

253
00:15:42,800 --> 00:15:44,480
Oh, where is it?

254
00:15:44,480 --> 00:15:47,080
Just...just below you now,
in your torchlight.

255
00:15:47,080 --> 00:15:48,320
Just there.

256
00:15:48,320 --> 00:15:50,960
It's a skull. There's a human skull.

257
00:15:56,280 --> 00:16:00,120
There's something very unsettling
about the sight of a human skull.

258
00:16:02,680 --> 00:16:09,240
It might belong to somebody
that was high-class, elite...

259
00:16:09,240 --> 00:16:10,680
How do you know that?

260
00:16:10,680 --> 00:16:14,080
If you look closely at the teeth,

261
00:16:14,080 --> 00:16:19,600
you can see they have been
modified for symbolic purposes

262
00:16:19,600 --> 00:16:22,440
when this person was alive.

263
00:16:24,880 --> 00:16:27,640
Memo thinks the person
was decapitated,

264
00:16:27,640 --> 00:16:30,840
and the head or skull then used
as an offering.

265
00:16:34,600 --> 00:16:36,920
There are bones everywhere.

266
00:16:38,520 --> 00:16:45,400
Arms, legs, ribcages, feet -
all given to appease the gods.

267
00:16:47,640 --> 00:16:53,720
This is without any doubt
a very sacred place.

268
00:16:58,440 --> 00:17:03,880
Ancient Maya artwork shows that
sacrifices were incredibly gruesome.

269
00:17:03,880 --> 00:17:06,160
Flesh was stripped from dead bodies,

270
00:17:06,160 --> 00:17:09,680
and they even inflicted
terrible injuries on themselves

271
00:17:09,680 --> 00:17:11,800
to offer up their own blood.

272
00:17:15,160 --> 00:17:19,200
What's that? What have you got?
It's a complete body.

273
00:17:23,200 --> 00:17:25,640
How he got there, I wonder...

274
00:17:26,840 --> 00:17:30,520
Memo has come across
this sort of thing before.

275
00:17:30,520 --> 00:17:34,800
I have seen evidence of
cut marks, very deep,

276
00:17:34,800 --> 00:17:37,600
either on the ribs...

277
00:17:37,600 --> 00:17:40,040
..or either in the sternum.

278
00:17:41,240 --> 00:17:45,960
That tells me that a knife
got in that body

279
00:17:45,960 --> 00:17:49,560
and very skilfully ripped apart
the heart.

280
00:17:49,560 --> 00:17:53,800
Sometimes this happened
when the victim was still alive.

281
00:17:57,760 --> 00:18:00,720
They ripped out their hearts
and they were still alive?

282
00:18:00,720 --> 00:18:02,040
Yes.

283
00:18:08,160 --> 00:18:12,000
Those are...
Those are under an overhang.

284
00:18:12,000 --> 00:18:14,360
Yes. It looks like they were
placed there, Memo.

285
00:18:17,640 --> 00:18:19,800
There's no current in this chamber,

286
00:18:19,800 --> 00:18:23,400
and all the bones are arranged
close to each other.

287
00:18:23,400 --> 00:18:26,320
They may have been put here
deliberately -

288
00:18:26,320 --> 00:18:28,000
no easy task.

289
00:18:33,680 --> 00:18:36,120
It was hard enough for us to get in

290
00:18:36,120 --> 00:18:38,800
with modern ropes
and climbing equipment.

291
00:18:41,000 --> 00:18:43,440
They would have had to
hold their breath

292
00:18:43,440 --> 00:18:46,280
and swim down to place this
offering here,

293
00:18:46,280 --> 00:18:48,920
to push and prod it
into this position.

294
00:18:58,560 --> 00:19:02,600
Everywhere you look,
there's another body -

295
00:19:02,600 --> 00:19:07,200
another skull...grinning at you
from the darkness.

296
00:19:15,400 --> 00:19:18,960
This place has so many stories
to tell.

297
00:19:18,960 --> 00:19:22,320
So many secrets,
so many mysteries...

298
00:19:22,320 --> 00:19:27,040
Everywhere you look, the memories
of an uncomfortable ritual past.

299
00:19:27,040 --> 00:19:30,760
This place has horrifying
nightmare significance.

300
00:19:32,600 --> 00:19:36,240
The cruelty the Maya engaged in
to appease the gods of Xibalba

301
00:19:36,240 --> 00:19:38,440
is evident everywhere.

302
00:19:38,440 --> 00:19:41,960
These barbaric acts seem at odds
with the sophistication

303
00:19:41,960 --> 00:19:43,280
of their culture.

304
00:19:46,400 --> 00:19:52,800
What we hear about the ancient Maya
is all quite macabre.

305
00:19:52,800 --> 00:19:58,600
It's all about human sacrifice
and kind of quite grisly.

306
00:19:59,680 --> 00:20:03,480
You know, the first time
you encounter these remains,

307
00:20:03,480 --> 00:20:04,920
it's very emotional.

308
00:20:06,120 --> 00:20:07,440
I have kids.

309
00:20:07,440 --> 00:20:11,200
And you try to understand
why they do that.

310
00:20:11,200 --> 00:20:16,440
There is...these two different...

311
00:20:16,440 --> 00:20:18,720
..approaches to the Maya.

312
00:20:18,720 --> 00:20:21,720
One of them is these
beautiful buildings,

313
00:20:21,720 --> 00:20:25,400
the great astronomy
and science they develop,

314
00:20:25,400 --> 00:20:30,280
and on the other side,
we have this blood-letting.

315
00:20:30,280 --> 00:20:33,520
But this was part of
their cosmovision -

316
00:20:33,520 --> 00:20:35,760
it was part of their religion.

317
00:20:35,760 --> 00:20:38,200
It was part of their everyday life.

318
00:20:38,200 --> 00:20:44,120
I wonder... If sacrifice was such
a big part of their culture,

319
00:20:44,120 --> 00:20:45,960
especially with children...

320
00:20:45,960 --> 00:20:48,160
But how often were they actually
doing that?

321
00:20:48,160 --> 00:20:50,400
Cos I guess it would be
counterproductive

322
00:20:50,400 --> 00:20:52,640
to be killing that many children.

323
00:20:52,640 --> 00:20:55,880
I'm not trying to justify anything
but, you know,

324
00:20:55,880 --> 00:20:59,800
I believe that sometimes
those were acts of love...

325
00:20:59,800 --> 00:21:02,360
..to sacrifice children.

326
00:21:02,360 --> 00:21:07,440
Remember that the Maya believe
in life after this life.

327
00:21:07,440 --> 00:21:11,400
They were expecting this person to
either go to another place

328
00:21:11,400 --> 00:21:14,920
and carry a message,
and they can bring it back...

329
00:21:14,920 --> 00:21:16,600
So we don't know exactly,

330
00:21:16,600 --> 00:21:20,040
but we do believe that
most of these sacrifices

331
00:21:20,040 --> 00:21:24,120
or offerings occur in trying to
please the gods,

332
00:21:24,120 --> 00:21:27,760
cos they were having problems
with drought.

333
00:21:27,760 --> 00:21:29,800
When there's no rain,
there's no agriculture,

334
00:21:29,800 --> 00:21:31,640
so there's no food production.

335
00:21:31,640 --> 00:21:36,480
It's like, "Please send rain
to my people because we're dying."

336
00:21:37,920 --> 00:21:41,560
It's been an unsettling introduction
to the world of the ancient Maya.

337
00:21:43,520 --> 00:21:45,920
And how much more is still
out there?

338
00:21:45,920 --> 00:21:48,960
I believe...I believe we will find
much more.

339
00:21:58,040 --> 00:22:01,880
We're on our way to another
Mayan cave, one that isn't flooded.

340
00:22:03,120 --> 00:22:05,200
It's a labyrinth of dry passageways,

341
00:22:05,200 --> 00:22:09,000
thought to stretch many kilometres
beneath the jungle floor.

342
00:22:10,200 --> 00:22:13,200
The cave is so vast,
it's not been fully surveyed

343
00:22:13,200 --> 00:22:16,280
for the Maya secrets it may contain,

344
00:22:16,280 --> 00:22:18,960
but getting into it
will be a challenge.

345
00:22:20,040 --> 00:22:21,240
With our support,

346
00:22:21,240 --> 00:22:24,440
Memo wants to explore a section
of the cave comprehensively.

347
00:22:26,280 --> 00:22:30,760
We know that we have at least one,
possibly two descents on ropes,

348
00:22:30,760 --> 00:22:33,920
so we're carrying as much rope
as we can,

349
00:22:33,920 --> 00:22:39,120
plus all of our climbing
and ascending and descending gear.

350
00:22:39,120 --> 00:22:41,720
I don't know exactly what
we're going to find inside

351
00:22:41,720 --> 00:22:43,920
but, from what I understand,

352
00:22:43,920 --> 00:22:48,360
this is one of the most remarkable
caves found anywhere in the planet,

353
00:22:48,360 --> 00:22:51,600
and very few people have had
the privilege of going inside

354
00:22:51,600 --> 00:22:53,400
and seeing what we're about to see.

355
00:22:55,160 --> 00:22:57,840
This cave was so special
to the Maya,

356
00:22:57,840 --> 00:23:00,440
they risked their lives to enter it.

357
00:23:02,440 --> 00:23:04,760
We want to see just how far
they managed to get.

358
00:23:06,200 --> 00:23:07,840
It won't be easy.

359
00:23:07,840 --> 00:23:10,960
In the last few weeks,
someone fell to their death here.

360
00:23:12,760 --> 00:23:14,800
We're taking every precaution.

361
00:23:16,440 --> 00:23:17,880
Just so that everyone knows,

362
00:23:17,880 --> 00:23:19,880
this is where the med kit
is going to be.

363
00:23:19,880 --> 00:23:22,120
If it's me that ends up
incapacitated in there,

364
00:23:22,120 --> 00:23:24,280
the med kit's here
and the stretcher's here.

365
00:23:25,560 --> 00:23:30,160
Unless both you and I take
a catastrophic fall,

366
00:23:30,160 --> 00:23:32,880
then we should be able to
come out and... Let someone know.

367
00:23:32,880 --> 00:23:35,080
..raise the alarm. OK.

368
00:23:38,600 --> 00:23:41,600
If you're not back by 6am,
we're coming in.

369
00:23:41,600 --> 00:23:44,040
So is that 6am? Yeah.

370
00:23:44,040 --> 00:23:45,280
Yeah, that's you.

371
00:23:47,120 --> 00:23:50,440
Oh, it gets tight already.

372
00:23:50,440 --> 00:23:51,800
It is.

373
00:23:51,800 --> 00:23:53,400
Just go careful, mate.

374
00:23:53,400 --> 00:23:55,840
Here, are we just passing bags
through? Yeah.

375
00:23:55,840 --> 00:23:58,480
You definitely said no more caves,
Steve, a few years ago.

376
00:23:58,480 --> 00:24:00,080
I know. I did...

377
00:24:01,800 --> 00:24:03,280
Do you know what's amazing?

378
00:24:03,280 --> 00:24:07,200
Just look at all this kit we've got,
and head torches and lights...

379
00:24:07,200 --> 00:24:09,640
Imagine doing it naked.

380
00:24:09,640 --> 00:24:11,280
Why would you want to do it naked?

381
00:24:11,280 --> 00:24:13,120
The way they did -

382
00:24:13,120 --> 00:24:16,040
barefooted with burning torches.

383
00:24:16,040 --> 00:24:17,560
Shout me when you're through.

384
00:24:19,760 --> 00:24:21,880
So we're only just into the cave,

385
00:24:21,880 --> 00:24:25,320
and already we've got our first drop
down into the darkness.

386
00:24:25,320 --> 00:24:27,560
It's uncertain how long it is.

387
00:24:27,560 --> 00:24:29,600
How much are we sending down, Aldo?

388
00:24:29,600 --> 00:24:31,800
Throw it all down that fall line.

389
00:24:31,800 --> 00:24:35,240
See where... See right down through
that cleft?

390
00:24:35,240 --> 00:24:36,280
Yeah.

391
00:24:38,400 --> 00:24:41,360
Perfect, mate. Good shot. Good shot.

392
00:24:41,360 --> 00:24:45,320
So when you're coming down,
don't run the rope over an edge

393
00:24:45,320 --> 00:24:49,040
or somewhere that
it could get jammed.

394
00:24:49,040 --> 00:24:50,880
It's so humid in here.

395
00:24:50,880 --> 00:24:53,520
You can see all the water droplets
just floating around

396
00:24:53,520 --> 00:24:54,960
in my headlight. Hey, Steve.

397
00:24:54,960 --> 00:24:57,000
It's... Mainly, this is just
for support.

398
00:24:57,000 --> 00:24:59,640
Pretty much on your feet
the whole way down.

399
00:25:02,480 --> 00:25:05,320
Probably a 5m drop at the bottom.

400
00:25:05,320 --> 00:25:08,400
Is the rope enough? Plenty.

401
00:25:08,400 --> 00:25:12,560
I'm on the bottom level
of the first abseil.

402
00:25:12,560 --> 00:25:15,040
Order of march, Steve.
Next, who do you want down?

403
00:25:15,040 --> 00:25:17,080
I'm going to send Memo down next.

404
00:25:17,080 --> 00:25:19,040
Yeah. Clear rope!

405
00:25:29,080 --> 00:25:30,440
Are you OK, Memo?

406
00:25:32,360 --> 00:25:34,240
I'm fine, thank you.

407
00:25:34,240 --> 00:25:35,560
It's very slippery.

408
00:25:35,560 --> 00:25:37,600
Yeah, yeah.

409
00:25:37,600 --> 00:25:40,240
We're about an hour or so
into the cave.

410
00:25:40,240 --> 00:25:43,480
Memo said the earliest people
were using this cave

411
00:25:43,480 --> 00:25:46,360
was maybe 2,500 years ago,

412
00:25:46,360 --> 00:25:49,920
so they would have been making
these descents that I'm doing now

413
00:25:49,920 --> 00:25:52,720
on completely natural fibre ropes.

414
00:25:52,720 --> 00:25:54,880
It's just incredible.

415
00:25:54,880 --> 00:25:58,600
It actually makes us with
all our modern methods

416
00:25:58,600 --> 00:26:00,960
feel a little bit pathetic.

417
00:26:00,960 --> 00:26:03,400
We've got a long, long way to go.

418
00:26:09,160 --> 00:26:11,360
It is hot.

419
00:26:13,400 --> 00:26:17,840
It's taken us nearly an hour just to
get the team down this 5m drop.

420
00:26:19,680 --> 00:26:25,400
If they came down to this on
a rope made from natural fibres,

421
00:26:25,400 --> 00:26:27,160
how did they climb back up?

422
00:26:27,160 --> 00:26:31,720
They may have had some kind of
scaffold system,

423
00:26:31,720 --> 00:26:34,480
or maybe wooden ladders,

424
00:26:34,480 --> 00:26:37,000
but we haven't seen
evidence of that.

425
00:26:40,840 --> 00:26:43,920
After dropping down
this challenging overhang,

426
00:26:43,920 --> 00:26:47,160
we come across our first sign
of the Maya.

427
00:26:47,160 --> 00:26:48,960
Look at this, Steve.

428
00:26:48,960 --> 00:26:50,520
What have you got?

429
00:26:50,520 --> 00:26:54,760
This is a very important
symbolic construction

430
00:26:54,760 --> 00:26:58,160
which represents the mountain of
creation. Yeah?

431
00:26:58,160 --> 00:26:59,480
This is like a penis,

432
00:26:59,480 --> 00:27:04,560
so this is a monument to life,
to fertility.

433
00:27:09,040 --> 00:27:13,480
I don't know, but maybe we're
60 or 100m below the ground?

434
00:27:13,480 --> 00:27:16,000
The Maya managed to come
all the way here,

435
00:27:16,000 --> 00:27:18,320
build this fantastic altar,

436
00:27:18,320 --> 00:27:20,640
made an offering,

437
00:27:20,640 --> 00:27:25,560
and pray for rain or for harvest.

438
00:27:25,560 --> 00:27:28,320
Wow. That's incredible. It is.

439
00:27:30,160 --> 00:27:33,400
Although they referred to these
caves as The Place Of Fear,

440
00:27:33,400 --> 00:27:35,960
the Maya were still drawn to them.

441
00:27:35,960 --> 00:27:40,360
As their civilisation crumbled
and life became harder,

442
00:27:40,360 --> 00:27:43,520
archaeologists think they ventured
into these labyrinths

443
00:27:43,520 --> 00:27:46,200
to honour the gods
they held responsible.

444
00:27:48,000 --> 00:27:49,840
We're four hours in.

445
00:27:49,840 --> 00:27:52,080
We've reached a point
the passageway spreads out

446
00:27:52,080 --> 00:27:56,880
like the spokes of a wheel, pointing
north, south, east and west.

447
00:27:59,080 --> 00:28:02,760
So I think these caves run on
all the cardinal points, bizarrely.

448
00:28:02,760 --> 00:28:05,440
Yeah. The one that we should be
going down is the west.

449
00:28:05,440 --> 00:28:10,680
So that's... North is that way.
And that's west. Yeah.

450
00:28:12,800 --> 00:28:15,240
Smashed pots litter the cave.

451
00:28:15,240 --> 00:28:16,680
They once held offerings,

452
00:28:16,680 --> 00:28:19,880
and the Maya are thought
to have broken them intentionally

453
00:28:19,880 --> 00:28:22,600
to release the spiritual power
of what was inside them.

454
00:28:23,760 --> 00:28:25,400
What's that?

455
00:28:25,400 --> 00:28:27,720
Ground stone.

456
00:28:27,720 --> 00:28:30,200
What?! That must weigh 25 kilos.

457
00:28:30,200 --> 00:28:32,920
How did they get that down a cave?

458
00:28:32,920 --> 00:28:34,840
That's amazing.

459
00:28:34,840 --> 00:28:38,200
It's kind of like a detective story,
putting it all back together.

460
00:28:39,800 --> 00:28:41,440
What have you got, Guillermo?

461
00:28:41,440 --> 00:28:42,680
It's right here.

462
00:28:42,680 --> 00:28:46,720
It's a beautiful, beautiful
ceramic pot.

463
00:28:46,720 --> 00:28:49,800
First time I've seen something like
this. You've never seen this before?

464
00:28:49,800 --> 00:28:55,320
No, and probably it's thousands
of years that had been there.

465
00:28:55,320 --> 00:28:57,880
It's perfect. It's even sculpted.

466
00:28:57,880 --> 00:29:00,520
It's perfect. It's beautiful.
It's unusual.

467
00:29:00,520 --> 00:29:02,360
How on earth did they get in there?

468
00:29:02,360 --> 00:29:05,000
They place it there -
they hide it.

469
00:29:05,000 --> 00:29:07,640
The ancient Maya sometimes do that.
Whoa...

470
00:29:07,640 --> 00:29:09,880
..and we can't even get it out.

471
00:29:09,880 --> 00:29:12,880
Yeah. No. No way.

472
00:29:12,880 --> 00:29:15,280
Yeah. It's stuck there.
It's stuck, yeah.

473
00:29:17,440 --> 00:29:20,440
There are discoveries around
every corner here. Yes, of course.

474
00:29:20,440 --> 00:29:23,000
Of course. We could spend
months inside this cave

475
00:29:23,000 --> 00:29:24,520
and keep discovering things.

476
00:29:26,000 --> 00:29:27,120
It's so cool.

477
00:29:37,440 --> 00:29:38,720
Isn't that amazing?

478
00:29:38,720 --> 00:29:39,960
Whoa.

479
00:29:50,280 --> 00:29:52,320
Oh! Oh... Oh, wow!

480
00:29:52,320 --> 00:29:53,960
Look at that!

481
00:29:53,960 --> 00:29:57,000
That is one of
the most amazing things.

482
00:29:57,000 --> 00:29:59,640
Look at it -
it's completely three-dimensional.

483
00:30:01,800 --> 00:30:03,120
Amazing.

484
00:30:05,120 --> 00:30:07,360
Well, it's definitely a mammal,
isn't it? 100%.

485
00:30:07,360 --> 00:30:12,120
What were the important mammals
to them thousands of years ago?

486
00:30:12,120 --> 00:30:15,400
Tapir? Pig, perhaps?
Could be a peccary.

487
00:30:15,400 --> 00:30:18,080
It's so cool that they've taken
this chunk of rock,

488
00:30:18,080 --> 00:30:21,920
this part of the cave, and they've
used its natural features

489
00:30:21,920 --> 00:30:24,240
to form the head of the animal,
and the body as well.

490
00:30:24,240 --> 00:30:27,160
You can see it almost looks like
it's leaping out the wall.

491
00:30:27,160 --> 00:30:28,760
There's a parrot.

492
00:30:28,760 --> 00:30:30,320
Look at that. That's amazing.

493
00:30:30,320 --> 00:30:33,840
The face... That's so... It looks
like it was done by a graffiti...

494
00:30:33,840 --> 00:30:36,000
It looks like it was done by Banksy.
Banksy.

495
00:30:36,000 --> 00:30:37,520
THEY LAUGH

496
00:30:37,520 --> 00:30:38,760
That's so good.

497
00:30:38,760 --> 00:30:40,880
Imagine how far in we are
at the minute.

498
00:30:40,880 --> 00:30:42,320
How long have we been going for?

499
00:30:42,320 --> 00:30:45,400
Erm, six hours at this point.

500
00:30:45,400 --> 00:30:46,600
Six hours.

501
00:30:46,600 --> 00:30:50,120
So they came six hours into a cave
and created works of art.

502
00:30:52,720 --> 00:30:56,720
The Maya believed some animals had
the power to enter the underworld,

503
00:30:56,720 --> 00:30:59,360
and they celebrated them
in paintings like these.

504
00:31:03,440 --> 00:31:05,360
Look at this, Steve.

505
00:31:07,840 --> 00:31:10,160
It's a jaguar. It's a jaguar, yes.

506
00:31:10,160 --> 00:31:12,760
I see it. Look at the face.
It's looking back over its shoulder.

507
00:31:12,760 --> 00:31:14,440
Look at the eyes. It's amazing.

508
00:31:14,440 --> 00:31:17,040
It's really amazing, the motion.
And I see the spots.

509
00:31:17,040 --> 00:31:20,480
And look at the tail.
That's definitely a jaguar tail...

510
00:31:20,480 --> 00:31:23,520
That's amazing. ..which makes it
different than the puma or cougar.

511
00:31:23,520 --> 00:31:26,360
Yeah. It's really a jaguar.

512
00:31:26,360 --> 00:31:27,800
It's beautiful.

513
00:31:29,800 --> 00:31:33,920
Many of the oldest Maya deities
took the form of an animal,

514
00:31:33,920 --> 00:31:36,760
and this was the jaguar god
of the underworld

515
00:31:36,760 --> 00:31:39,160
known as the Night Sun.

516
00:31:41,160 --> 00:31:43,120
The animal in front of it,
what's that?

517
00:31:43,120 --> 00:31:45,680
It really looks like a deer.

518
00:31:45,680 --> 00:31:49,360
These two animals were able
to go into the underworld

519
00:31:49,360 --> 00:31:51,360
where we are right now...
Yeah.

520
00:31:51,360 --> 00:31:54,520
..and be able to survive
and go back.

521
00:31:54,520 --> 00:31:57,560
This painting represents
one of the most revered

522
00:31:57,560 --> 00:31:59,200
and powerful Maya gods.

523
00:32:00,520 --> 00:32:04,160
The artists overcame extreme dangers
to paint it here

524
00:32:04,160 --> 00:32:07,640
in the deepest part of
this section of the cave.

525
00:32:09,640 --> 00:32:11,720
Nothing here is done by
accident, is it?

526
00:32:11,720 --> 00:32:15,800
Yeah, definitely nothing. Anything
that's done this far into the cave,

527
00:32:15,800 --> 00:32:19,520
that's taken this much sweat
and effort. Yes, all this effort...

528
00:32:19,520 --> 00:32:22,640
It's quite something to
think of someone

529
00:32:22,640 --> 00:32:25,680
standing barefoot
where we are right now,

530
00:32:25,680 --> 00:32:28,320
with a blazing torch to light them,

531
00:32:28,320 --> 00:32:31,600
and painting, with charcoal,
this drawing onto the wall

532
00:32:31,600 --> 00:32:34,800
and leaving it here, and now we're
sat here trying to decipher it,

533
00:32:34,800 --> 00:32:36,680
trying to find its meaning.

534
00:32:36,680 --> 00:32:38,040
It gives me goose bumps.

535
00:32:47,840 --> 00:32:53,960
We are in the sanctum sanctorum
of religion of the ancient Maya,

536
00:32:53,960 --> 00:32:55,960
the centre of the Earth -

537
00:32:55,960 --> 00:32:57,200
the underworld.

538
00:33:02,040 --> 00:33:06,320
Memo has given us a glimpse into
the incredible world of the Maya.

539
00:33:06,320 --> 00:33:09,360
Their beliefs were so powerful
that they risked it all

540
00:33:09,360 --> 00:33:12,520
to reach these subterranean places
of worship.

541
00:33:15,240 --> 00:33:17,640
Everything about this place,

542
00:33:17,640 --> 00:33:22,560
I just feel like I've been
connected back through time

543
00:33:22,560 --> 00:33:26,320
2,000 years to the people that
used to walk through here. It's...

544
00:33:26,320 --> 00:33:29,480
It's hard not to feel like that.
Yeah.

545
00:33:29,480 --> 00:33:32,120
It's time to say goodbye
and move on,

546
00:33:32,120 --> 00:33:34,760
but Memo's work in this cave
will continue.

547
00:33:37,160 --> 00:33:38,920
Thank you, Guillermo.
No, thank you.

548
00:33:38,920 --> 00:33:41,880
It was really a privilege to share
with you and your friends.

549
00:33:41,880 --> 00:33:45,320
And not many people have seen it,
well, since the ancient Maya times.

550
00:33:45,320 --> 00:33:48,960
Exactly, exactly,
thousands of years ago.

551
00:33:56,000 --> 00:33:59,280
The Maya didn't only worship
the gods of the underworld -

552
00:33:59,280 --> 00:34:01,560
they built pyramids to
the glory of the gods

553
00:34:01,560 --> 00:34:03,400
that existed in the heavens, too.

554
00:34:08,440 --> 00:34:12,520
Yucatan is incredibly flat,

555
00:34:12,520 --> 00:34:16,200
so any time you find a hill,

556
00:34:16,200 --> 00:34:18,640
it's not going to be natural.
It's artificial.

557
00:34:18,640 --> 00:34:21,920
These blocks have been put here by
the ancient Maya

558
00:34:21,920 --> 00:34:25,320
and would once have been
pyramids like that one there.

559
00:34:29,400 --> 00:34:34,200
Over time they've crumbled,
and become part of the dense jungle

560
00:34:34,200 --> 00:34:36,120
and home for its wildlife.

561
00:34:41,000 --> 00:34:45,840
These limestone blocks
from the ruins are perfect

562
00:34:45,840 --> 00:34:47,480
for animals to hide out in,

563
00:34:47,480 --> 00:34:52,160
and this has obviously been the home
of a pretty substantial snake.

564
00:34:52,160 --> 00:34:54,520
That's its shed skin,

565
00:34:54,520 --> 00:34:59,480
and the live animal must be
at least 2m long.

566
00:35:07,320 --> 00:35:10,920
No... Look at that.

567
00:35:10,920 --> 00:35:12,280
HE GASPS

568
00:35:12,280 --> 00:35:18,560
I'm watching one of the most macabre
sights in nature right now.

569
00:35:18,560 --> 00:35:22,400
This is the world's largest species
of wasp, the tarantula hawk wasp,

570
00:35:22,400 --> 00:35:24,880
which is as long as my thumb,

571
00:35:24,880 --> 00:35:30,920
and it has a hold of a fully-grown
Mexican red rump tarantula.

572
00:35:30,920 --> 00:35:33,800
The spider, though, is not
any longer putting up a fight

573
00:35:33,800 --> 00:35:35,200
because it's been paralysed.

574
00:35:35,200 --> 00:35:37,240
But this is not going to be
her meal.

575
00:35:37,240 --> 00:35:39,720
This is a meal for her young.

576
00:35:39,720 --> 00:35:42,000
Here she goes, she's going to
grab it again,

577
00:35:42,000 --> 00:35:44,400
so she'll grab it in her jaws

578
00:35:44,400 --> 00:35:48,000
and then start dragging it
to her burrow.

579
00:35:48,000 --> 00:35:49,480
Once she's got it there,

580
00:35:49,480 --> 00:35:53,000
she'll lay one single egg onto
the abdomen of the spider,

581
00:35:53,000 --> 00:35:56,240
and that will hatch out and eat it
from the inside out,

582
00:35:56,240 --> 00:35:59,320
eating around the vital organs
so the meat stays fresh

583
00:35:59,320 --> 00:36:01,200
for as long as possible.

584
00:36:01,200 --> 00:36:04,920
It's absolutely hideous. So macabre.

585
00:36:04,920 --> 00:36:07,760
The Maya would have watched things
like this

586
00:36:07,760 --> 00:36:11,160
and had significance for it,
because how could you not?

587
00:36:14,640 --> 00:36:17,280
The wild world can be cruel,

588
00:36:17,280 --> 00:36:20,000
and the Maya did gruesome things
themselves

589
00:36:20,000 --> 00:36:22,120
to stave off nature's cruelty.

590
00:36:24,360 --> 00:36:25,920
It didn't help them.

591
00:36:25,920 --> 00:36:28,640
Famine, drought and other
natural disasters

592
00:36:28,640 --> 00:36:33,520
could well have caused the collapse
of the cities of the ancient Maya.

593
00:36:43,880 --> 00:36:47,720
We're back exploring the caves
under the Yucatan,

594
00:36:47,720 --> 00:36:49,760
and my colleague Robbie Schmittner

595
00:36:49,760 --> 00:36:52,000
now thinks he may have found
the perfect place.

596
00:36:56,480 --> 00:36:59,320
He's been mapping underwater caves
in the region for years,

597
00:36:59,320 --> 00:37:02,200
to help scientists protect
the fresh water there

598
00:37:02,200 --> 00:37:04,600
from the growing threat of
pollution.

599
00:37:05,840 --> 00:37:08,440
His search has identified
a cave in the forest

600
00:37:08,440 --> 00:37:10,920
that's thought to have
Maya artefacts.

601
00:37:13,840 --> 00:37:17,520
A lot of exploration is about
following stories and legends.

602
00:37:17,520 --> 00:37:20,960
So, we have a lead that there is
a cave in the forest.

603
00:37:20,960 --> 00:37:22,080
You never know -

604
00:37:22,080 --> 00:37:24,000
I mean, it could turn into
nothing at all -

605
00:37:24,000 --> 00:37:26,520
but it's still super, super
exciting.

606
00:37:28,960 --> 00:37:33,240
The entrance has been explored,
but not its furthest reaches.

607
00:37:33,240 --> 00:37:34,960
We want to see what's in there,

608
00:37:34,960 --> 00:37:39,280
and find out how far the ancient
Maya journeyed into the cave.

609
00:37:39,280 --> 00:37:43,000
Oh, cool. That's a proper cave.

610
00:37:43,000 --> 00:37:47,040
It's a decent-sized entrance,
isn't it? It's massive.

611
00:37:47,040 --> 00:37:52,320
A few metres in and we come across
our first signs of the Maya.

612
00:37:52,320 --> 00:37:53,560
Check this out, Steve.

613
00:37:53,560 --> 00:37:55,840
Whoa. That's an old altar.

614
00:37:57,280 --> 00:37:58,800
That's amazing.

615
00:37:58,800 --> 00:37:59,840
Look at that.

616
00:38:02,480 --> 00:38:04,520
Wow. That's really cool.

617
00:38:04,520 --> 00:38:07,560
And it has stucco,
plaster all over it.

618
00:38:07,560 --> 00:38:11,200
Lime plaster like this
was used by the Maya from 600 BC.

619
00:38:12,920 --> 00:38:14,800
When it was used on
buildings outside,

620
00:38:14,800 --> 00:38:16,920
it often didn't survive the weather,

621
00:38:16,920 --> 00:38:19,320
but in here, it's been protected.

622
00:38:24,600 --> 00:38:26,040
Look at that.

623
00:38:26,040 --> 00:38:28,880
It's like a face,
like a smiley face. Yeah.

624
00:38:28,880 --> 00:38:32,240
That stalactite, that doesn't look
like it's been placed there,

625
00:38:32,240 --> 00:38:35,640
I think the altar's been
built around it.

626
00:38:35,640 --> 00:38:37,000
ALDO BLOWS RASPBERRIES

627
00:38:37,000 --> 00:38:38,160
Mind blown.

628
00:38:38,160 --> 00:38:42,920
Yeah. This is exactly what Memo
was talking about. Look at this.

629
00:38:42,920 --> 00:38:44,920
This is THE most sacred thing.

630
00:38:44,920 --> 00:38:46,160
A stalagmite coming up -

631
00:38:46,160 --> 00:38:49,400
that represents the phallus,
that represents the male -

632
00:38:49,400 --> 00:38:51,440
and this coming down,

633
00:38:51,440 --> 00:38:54,480
the stalactite,
which represents the female.

634
00:38:54,480 --> 00:38:57,120
This is probably why that altar
is right there,

635
00:38:57,120 --> 00:39:00,200
because that is just screaming out

636
00:39:00,200 --> 00:39:03,280
for everything from Mayan
iconography and symbolism.

637
00:39:08,920 --> 00:39:11,120
It looks like it could have been,
perhaps,

638
00:39:11,120 --> 00:39:13,560
something for carrying water in.
Yeah.

639
00:39:16,520 --> 00:39:19,880
What is it? Pottery?
Yeah! Yeah, it's a bit of ceramic.

640
00:39:19,880 --> 00:39:23,120
We didn't see anything like that
in that other cave.

641
00:39:23,120 --> 00:39:27,200
I've never seen anything
like in the shape of that.

642
00:39:27,200 --> 00:39:29,880
That's completely...unique.

643
00:39:29,880 --> 00:39:32,760
I think you might have found
something quite special here,
Robbie.

644
00:39:32,760 --> 00:39:35,640
It's a special place, definitely.

645
00:39:38,560 --> 00:39:40,920
We're going to leave
the daylight zone here right now.

646
00:39:40,920 --> 00:39:42,760
We need a bit more light.

647
00:39:46,560 --> 00:39:49,720
We're going to push on as far
as we can into the cave,

648
00:39:49,720 --> 00:39:52,560
going deeper than anyone has
explored before.

649
00:39:55,920 --> 00:39:58,200
It's not just stalactites
coming down into the cave -

650
00:39:58,200 --> 00:40:02,920
there are twisted tree roots
dropping down, searching for water.

651
00:40:02,920 --> 00:40:07,240
And right there...is a whip spider.

652
00:40:10,560 --> 00:40:12,440
Very creepy-looking critters.

653
00:40:14,320 --> 00:40:16,920
That's absolutely stunning.

654
00:40:16,920 --> 00:40:18,440
It taps around in the darkness,

655
00:40:18,440 --> 00:40:21,960
with these extended legs
which function almost like antennae.

656
00:40:21,960 --> 00:40:23,640
That's how it finds its prey.

657
00:40:39,080 --> 00:40:41,000
It is genuinely quite worrying

658
00:40:41,000 --> 00:40:43,320
when you think about how big
this cavern is,

659
00:40:43,320 --> 00:40:44,800
how much weight is above it,

660
00:40:44,800 --> 00:40:47,400
and how little support there
seems to be on the inside.

661
00:40:52,720 --> 00:40:56,720
We're now hundreds of metres
from the surface.

662
00:40:56,720 --> 00:40:59,200
There are no human artefacts
this far in,

663
00:40:59,200 --> 00:41:03,480
but there are rock formations
and they're staggeringly beautiful.

664
00:41:07,600 --> 00:41:11,480
This is probably the most decorated
cave system I've ever been in.

665
00:41:11,480 --> 00:41:12,800
Everywhere you look,

666
00:41:12,800 --> 00:41:15,840
there's something unique and new
and fragile.

667
00:41:16,880 --> 00:41:18,120
And in this corner,

668
00:41:18,120 --> 00:41:21,680
there are thousands of what are
called helictites.

669
00:41:21,680 --> 00:41:24,840
It's where the stalactite
seems to go completely crazy

670
00:41:24,840 --> 00:41:27,440
and starts growing off
in the wrong directions.

671
00:41:27,440 --> 00:41:29,560
It's growing upwards,
it's growing sideways,

672
00:41:29,560 --> 00:41:31,680
sticking out all over the place,

673
00:41:31,680 --> 00:41:35,040
and it's still a bit of a mystery
why this happens.

674
00:41:35,040 --> 00:41:38,400
The original idea was that it was
due to wind movement,

675
00:41:38,400 --> 00:41:42,080
that the air would start the calcite
forming in different directions,

676
00:41:42,080 --> 00:41:45,000
but I don't know, that seems
a little bit far-fetched.

677
00:41:45,000 --> 00:41:48,760
Another suggestion is it could be
down to growth of bacteria

678
00:41:48,760 --> 00:41:52,200
which just start going off in all
kinds of crazy directions, whatever.

679
00:41:52,200 --> 00:41:56,680
All of a sudden, it transforms
these wonderful hanging structures

680
00:41:56,680 --> 00:41:59,520
into something far more complex,

681
00:41:59,520 --> 00:42:02,360
and every single one of them
is different and unique,

682
00:42:02,360 --> 00:42:04,200
and just a little sound...

683
00:42:04,200 --> 00:42:12,120
PERCUSSIVE NOTES CHIME

684
00:42:12,120 --> 00:42:14,200
..like a subterranean xylophone.

685
00:42:15,800 --> 00:42:17,280
We're deep inside the cave,

686
00:42:17,280 --> 00:42:20,440
and there's no evidence the Maya
made it this far,

687
00:42:20,440 --> 00:42:23,680
but something else catches our eye.

688
00:42:23,680 --> 00:42:25,520
Whoa.

689
00:42:25,520 --> 00:42:27,640
It's a lake.

690
00:42:27,640 --> 00:42:29,120
Yeah.

691
00:42:29,120 --> 00:42:31,920
A complete underground lake.
Crystal clear.

692
00:42:36,480 --> 00:42:39,120
It's a thrilling discovery.

693
00:42:39,120 --> 00:42:40,760
This is what Robbie lives for.

694
00:42:48,640 --> 00:42:53,560
I think we should get the scuba gear
here and get in there and dive it.

695
00:42:56,040 --> 00:42:59,320
Back there it looks all dark,
even with the light.

696
00:42:59,320 --> 00:43:01,480
That's where I would start
searching first.

697
00:43:03,720 --> 00:43:07,320
The dark shadow marks the start
of a water-filled cavern

698
00:43:07,320 --> 00:43:09,440
that will either lead to a dead end

699
00:43:09,440 --> 00:43:12,240
or continue on for countless
kilometres.

700
00:43:15,440 --> 00:43:18,160
We decide to make camp
at the cave entrance,

701
00:43:18,160 --> 00:43:20,000
and prepare to dive in the morning.

702
00:43:26,280 --> 00:43:28,360
Cave diving is often described

703
00:43:28,360 --> 00:43:31,560
as one of the most dangerous
types of exploration.

704
00:43:35,760 --> 00:43:39,080
This will be one of the hardest
dives I've ever done,

705
00:43:39,080 --> 00:43:42,120
and our lives will depend
on a single line.

706
00:43:43,560 --> 00:43:46,560
I do need to prepare that guideline,

707
00:43:46,560 --> 00:43:48,840
because when we measure the cave,

708
00:43:48,840 --> 00:43:52,920
placing that guideline is our
lifeline to come back out,

709
00:43:52,920 --> 00:43:58,680
but it's also the line which we need
to survey and make the cave map.

710
00:43:58,680 --> 00:44:02,960
You can't get line knotted
at the market...supermarket already.

711
00:44:02,960 --> 00:44:06,280
We have to do that all the time
before we go diving.

712
00:44:07,840 --> 00:44:10,960
From Robbie's experience
of the geology in this area,

713
00:44:10,960 --> 00:44:13,760
we're expecting to encounter
tight squeezes -

714
00:44:13,760 --> 00:44:17,440
passageways barely big enough to
get our bodies through.

715
00:44:19,080 --> 00:44:22,960
This will push me to the limit of
my diving abilities.

716
00:44:25,800 --> 00:44:30,680
As far as my job is concerned
of being in charge of safety,

717
00:44:30,680 --> 00:44:32,480
generally speaking,
on this expedition,

718
00:44:32,480 --> 00:44:36,160
there is nothing,
absolutely nothing I can do.

719
00:44:36,160 --> 00:44:40,600
As soon as they leave the surface,
they pretty much are on their own.

720
00:44:40,600 --> 00:44:42,040
There is no rescue in there.

721
00:44:43,960 --> 00:44:48,000
And the worst-case scenario
is...it's body recovery.

722
00:44:48,000 --> 00:44:49,760
There is no half measures, really.

723
00:44:49,760 --> 00:44:51,960
Yeah, it's pretty...pretty scary.

724
00:44:51,960 --> 00:44:55,160
We don't know if it's a very easy
dive, what we're going to do.

725
00:44:55,160 --> 00:44:57,880
We don't know what we'll find.
It's exploration, right?

726
00:44:57,880 --> 00:45:01,240
My main concern is that
if I die tomorrow,

727
00:45:01,240 --> 00:45:05,120
my last meal will have been
a Pot Noodle.

728
00:45:05,120 --> 00:45:06,920
Nobody's going to die tomorrow.

729
00:45:06,920 --> 00:45:09,680
Cheers to that.
Cheers to the dive. Cheers.

730
00:45:09,680 --> 00:45:10,880
Cheers to that -

731
00:45:10,880 --> 00:45:13,360
safe dive, safe journey
and safe return.

732
00:45:22,960 --> 00:45:25,280
Goodnight, everyone. Sleep good.

733
00:45:25,280 --> 00:45:27,280
Night-night. Night, dude.

734
00:45:33,640 --> 00:45:40,320
So, one side is the jungle
and the other is the cave,

735
00:45:40,320 --> 00:45:42,160
and somewhere deep in there...

736
00:45:43,720 --> 00:45:47,240
..is probably the thing I'm most
frightened of in the whole world.

737
00:45:47,240 --> 00:45:52,720
Never been much good at...little
narrow spaces and squeezes.

738
00:46:00,240 --> 00:46:02,680
Get us coffee, Aldo. Hmm...

739
00:46:02,680 --> 00:46:04,520
How did you sleep?

740
00:46:04,520 --> 00:46:06,640
Yeah, very well.

741
00:46:06,640 --> 00:46:08,960
I sleep better in a hammock
than I do in a bed.

742
00:46:14,960 --> 00:46:17,720
I love living like a caveman.

743
00:46:17,720 --> 00:46:19,920
The simplicity of life...

744
00:46:19,920 --> 00:46:22,520
Get up, start fire, have coffee.

745
00:46:22,520 --> 00:46:24,600
I don't know if cavemen had coffee.

746
00:46:24,600 --> 00:46:28,200
What?! OK, I don't want to be
a caveman any more. Nah.

747
00:46:31,320 --> 00:46:33,520
Robbie, do you want coffee?
Sure.

748
00:46:33,520 --> 00:46:35,200
How do you take it?

749
00:46:35,200 --> 00:46:36,200
Milk, please.

750
00:46:39,840 --> 00:46:41,880
Dive plan for this morning, Robbie?

751
00:46:41,880 --> 00:46:46,080
Our main danger always, always
in cave-diving is our own mind.

752
00:46:46,080 --> 00:46:50,440
The most important thing is
stay calm at all times.

753
00:46:52,400 --> 00:46:55,040
We cannot panic.
It's impossible. Not...

754
00:46:56,920 --> 00:46:59,360
Not an option, right?

755
00:47:18,040 --> 00:47:21,440
This is subtly different,
what we're doing this time.

756
00:47:21,440 --> 00:47:23,520
We're going for a slightly
different system.

757
00:47:23,520 --> 00:47:28,200
I'm not using the full facemask
that allows me to talk underwater.

758
00:47:28,200 --> 00:47:31,960
Instead, I'm going for a more
conventional cave diving set-up,

759
00:47:31,960 --> 00:47:34,680
which should be safer,
more manoeuvrable

760
00:47:34,680 --> 00:47:36,320
and help me to get to places

761
00:47:36,320 --> 00:47:39,160
that I just wouldn't be able to
with the big mask.

762
00:47:40,680 --> 00:47:42,600
I'll go in front with the reel.

763
00:47:42,600 --> 00:47:45,200
You know, stay close by
the guideline -

764
00:47:45,200 --> 00:47:47,280
always in reach distance.

765
00:47:47,280 --> 00:47:50,840
If anything goes wrong,
if anything is not ideal,

766
00:47:50,840 --> 00:47:52,880
let's just call it and go back.

767
00:47:52,880 --> 00:47:55,000
All right, sounds good.

768
00:47:55,000 --> 00:47:56,920
All right. Let's do it.

769
00:48:07,120 --> 00:48:09,000
1400 hours.

770
00:48:09,000 --> 00:48:10,440
OK.

771
00:48:10,440 --> 00:48:13,480
All right. Waiting on you, Robbie.
All right, let's do this.

772
00:48:48,040 --> 00:48:51,680
We're the first people ever
to see these stalactites...

773
00:48:56,080 --> 00:49:00,000
..and set our eyes on this.

774
00:49:10,560 --> 00:49:15,240
This is an optical illusion
caused when a shallow pocket of air

775
00:49:15,240 --> 00:49:18,080
is trapped against the roof
of the cave.

776
00:49:24,400 --> 00:49:29,680
I don't know if the air
in here is breathable.

777
00:49:29,680 --> 00:49:31,040
It probably, actually,

778
00:49:31,040 --> 00:49:35,640
from the fact my breathing is almost
instantly going up quite a lot...

779
00:49:35,640 --> 00:49:38,400
..probably means that
there's not a lot of oxygen in here

780
00:49:38,400 --> 00:49:40,080
and it's mostly carbon dioxide.

781
00:49:42,040 --> 00:49:46,120
Oh, yeah. The air in here is not
good. Definitely not.

782
00:49:46,120 --> 00:49:48,880
HE BREATHES IN FROM OXYGEN CANISTER

783
00:49:48,880 --> 00:49:54,200
There's always that
slight sense of panic

784
00:49:54,200 --> 00:49:57,920
as his heart rate starts going up,
and your breathing starts going up,

785
00:49:57,920 --> 00:50:00,240
because there's just not
enough oxygen.

786
00:50:00,240 --> 00:50:02,800
HE BREATHES IN FROM OXYGEN CANISTER

787
00:50:02,800 --> 00:50:08,440
Robbie has just dropped down into
a little crack and he's disappeared,

788
00:50:08,440 --> 00:50:10,400
and he's gone completely,

789
00:50:10,400 --> 00:50:12,120
which is pretty nerve-racking,

790
00:50:12,120 --> 00:50:14,800
because it means that
I'll have to follow.

791
00:50:16,680 --> 00:50:20,040
But this little bell here,

792
00:50:20,040 --> 00:50:21,880
nobody's ever been here before.

793
00:50:23,240 --> 00:50:25,320
And where Robbie's gone now,

794
00:50:25,320 --> 00:50:28,160
I'm not sure anyone should ever go,
really.

795
00:50:35,320 --> 00:50:39,600
Here, the cave drops down into
a tight squeeze -

796
00:50:39,600 --> 00:50:41,760
the smallest I've attempted.

797
00:50:58,920 --> 00:51:01,680
HE SCREAMS

798
00:51:01,680 --> 00:51:05,040
I can't move forward or backward.

799
00:51:05,040 --> 00:51:06,360
I'm stuck.

800
00:51:08,920 --> 00:51:14,560
HE SCREAMS

801
00:51:16,720 --> 00:51:21,760
I force myself to slow down, calm
down and think about my breathing.

802
00:51:29,600 --> 00:51:32,440
I exhale, and the cave lets me go.

803
00:51:38,200 --> 00:51:41,480
Robbie's waiting on the other
side in a clear tunnel.

804
00:51:45,200 --> 00:51:49,480
My only comfort is that I'm with
one of the world's top cave divers.

805
00:51:52,480 --> 00:51:55,760
He stays alive because he dives
within his ability.

806
00:51:58,160 --> 00:51:59,840
If he reaches his limit,

807
00:51:59,840 --> 00:52:03,320
he always turns back and lives
to dive another day.

808
00:52:07,240 --> 00:52:10,560
We're approaching a second squeeze
and I'm nervous.

809
00:52:20,080 --> 00:52:23,480
This one is technically
more difficult than the last,

810
00:52:23,480 --> 00:52:25,360
but I'm determined to try.

811
00:52:46,120 --> 00:52:48,120
Something on my harness is caught.

812
00:53:17,120 --> 00:53:19,240
I'm through to the other side,

813
00:53:19,240 --> 00:53:23,080
but now further away from safety
than I've ever been.

814
00:53:26,960 --> 00:53:31,320
Beyond here, I can see another
squeeze and it's smaller still.

815
00:53:43,360 --> 00:53:48,040
I don't think there's any way
I can physically get through there.

816
00:53:55,160 --> 00:53:58,000
This could be the decision
of my life.

817
00:54:06,040 --> 00:54:10,280
Robbie will continue on mapping,
while I turn back to safety.

818
00:54:19,320 --> 00:54:22,760
Wow. Wow.

819
00:54:22,760 --> 00:54:23,880
Oh...

820
00:54:27,840 --> 00:54:29,280
What an experience.

821
00:54:36,200 --> 00:54:40,440
But we all want to know how much
further Robbie managed to go.

822
00:54:42,080 --> 00:54:43,880
You ran out of line?

823
00:54:45,920 --> 00:54:47,320
What happened, man?

824
00:54:49,000 --> 00:54:51,240
It keeps going and going.
It does?

825
00:54:51,240 --> 00:54:54,440
Yeah, you've got to see on here.
It got really tight.

826
00:54:56,280 --> 00:54:58,320
Watching Robbie's helmet cam footage

827
00:54:58,320 --> 00:55:02,600
shows exactly what he had to go
through to put all of his line out.

828
00:55:04,840 --> 00:55:06,680
He reaches a squeeze so small,

829
00:55:06,680 --> 00:55:11,120
he has to carry out the most complex
manoeuvre in cave diving.

830
00:55:11,120 --> 00:55:15,000
He removes both his air cylinders,
passing them one by one

831
00:55:15,000 --> 00:55:18,520
through the tiny restriction
into the darkness below,

832
00:55:18,520 --> 00:55:22,240
connected only by a length of hose
and his mouthpiece.

833
00:55:27,720 --> 00:55:32,920
His reward is a seemingly endless
passageway on the other side.

834
00:55:46,680 --> 00:55:48,880
I just pushed on and on
and at one point it was,

835
00:55:48,880 --> 00:55:50,920
"Oops, no more line."

836
00:55:50,920 --> 00:55:52,760
And the cave keeps going.

837
00:55:52,760 --> 00:55:54,440
To carry on without line

838
00:55:54,440 --> 00:55:59,040
would be breaking the golden rule of
underwater cave exploration.

839
00:56:01,720 --> 00:56:03,760
How much line do you have on here?

840
00:56:03,760 --> 00:56:06,400
It's about 500m.
Half a kilometre?!

841
00:56:06,400 --> 00:56:09,640
Half a kilometre. We've gone
half a kilometre into the cave...

842
00:56:09,640 --> 00:56:12,480
..and that's nothing,
it hasn't even... Wow.

843
00:56:12,480 --> 00:56:15,520
It keeps going. Wow.

844
00:56:15,520 --> 00:56:17,920
That's amazing news.

845
00:56:17,920 --> 00:56:22,840
Everything I'd done up to that point
was the maximum that I'm capable of.

846
00:56:22,840 --> 00:56:27,080
Being given the honour of
being taken into that place,

847
00:56:27,080 --> 00:56:30,960
it's Robbie's incredible experience
and knowledge

848
00:56:30,960 --> 00:56:36,240
that's allowed that to happen,
and for that I owe him big time.

849
00:56:38,880 --> 00:56:41,520
It's been an incredible journey.

850
00:56:41,520 --> 00:56:43,960
The information being gathered
by scientists

851
00:56:43,960 --> 00:56:46,400
will help prevent further pollution

852
00:56:46,400 --> 00:56:48,640
of these vast and interconnected
waterways.

853
00:56:50,480 --> 00:56:52,520
During our six-week expedition,

854
00:56:52,520 --> 00:56:55,320
we've explored and mapped
deep underground,

855
00:56:55,320 --> 00:56:58,080
adding to the growing knowledge
of both the Maya

856
00:56:58,080 --> 00:57:00,640
and the area's precious
water resource.

857
00:57:04,880 --> 00:57:08,920
The thing that sets us apart
as a species, as human beings,

858
00:57:08,920 --> 00:57:12,800
is our desire to explore,
to discover, to solve puzzles,

859
00:57:12,800 --> 00:57:15,640
and to expand the limits of
human knowledge.

860
00:57:18,280 --> 00:57:22,360
Something led to the downfall
of the ancient Maya.

861
00:57:22,360 --> 00:57:27,280
One theory is that overdevelopment
caused an environmental crisis

862
00:57:27,280 --> 00:57:30,080
which saw them run out of
fresh water.

863
00:57:35,960 --> 00:57:40,040
In Yucatan today,
there's another freshwater crisis

864
00:57:40,040 --> 00:57:44,680
through pollution caused
by over development.

865
00:57:44,680 --> 00:57:47,440
Surely, we should be learning
the lessons.