Lost Cities of the Amazon (2020): Season 1, Episode 3 - Amazon Apocalypse - full transcript
Are you wondering how healthy the food you are eating is? Check it - foodval.com
---
Narrator:
THE AMAZON RAINFOREST...
A BREATHTAKING NATURAL WONDER.
IT HAS ALWAYS BEEN SEEN
AS A PRISTINE WILDERNESS,
HOME TO NO MORE THAN
A SCATTERING OF SMALL TRIBES.
BUT TODAY, THE AMAZON
IS AT THE CENTER
OF A MONUMENTAL MYSTERY.
ACCORDING TO ONE
CENTURIES OLD ACCOUNT,
GIANT CITIES
ONCE THRIVED IN THE JUNGLE
AND NOW,
ASTONISHING DISCOVERIES...
THIS IS INCREDIBLE.
THERE'S SO MUCH HERE.
Narrator:
...ARE RAISING THE QUESTION,
COULD THAT BE TRUE?
THERE WERE MANY PEOPLE
LIVING IN THE AMAZON.
Narrator:
WITH NEW TECHNOLOGY.
SCIENTISTS ARE SEARCHING
FOR CLUES
TO SOLVE THE MYSTERY
OF A MISSING CIVILIZATION...
THESE WERE MUCH
MORE COMPLEX SOCIETIES
THAN WE THOUGHT EXISTED.
Narrator:
...WHERE THEY CAME FROM...
THERE'S A SIGN OF ANCESTRY
IN YOU
THAT IS VERY UNIQUE
AND VERY SPECIAL.
Narrator:
...AND WHAT HAPPENED TO THEM?
FOR THE PEOPLE LIVING HERE
WAS A CATASTROPHIC EVENT
AND PEOPLE JUST RUN AWAY.
Narrator:
IT'S A DANGEROUS PLACE
WHEN EMERGING
FROM THE RAINFOREST TODAY
IS THE GREATEST HUMAN STORY
THAT'S NEVER BEEN TOLD.
[ YELL INDISTINCTLY ]
♪
Narrator: IN THE JUNGLES
OF SOUTH AMERICA,
EXPERTS ARE UNCOVERING
NEW EVIDENCE
ABOUT THE HISTORY
OF THE AMAZON.
♪
RECENT DISCOVERIES ARE PROVING
THAT THIS APPARENTLY
INHOSPITABLE JUNGLE
WAS ONCE INHABITED BY UP
TO 10 MILLION PEOPLE
WHO CREATED VAST,
COMPLEX CIVILIZATIONS.
BUT WHAT HAPPENED TO THEM
AND WHERE DID THEY GO?
THE REGIONAL POPULATION
WAS REDUCED TO ABOUT 1%
OF THE INDIGENOUS POPULATION
OF 500 YEARS AGO.
Narrator: TODAY, SCIENTISTS
ARE COMPILING NEW DATA
THAT COULD PROVIDE ANSWERS
AS TO WHAT DESTROYED
THIS ONCE THRIVING
CIVILIZATION
AND INSIGHTS ABOUT
THEIR LAST DESCENDANTS.
IS THERE ANY LESSON THAT WE CAN
LEARN FROM ARCHEOLOGY?
Narrator: DEEP IN THE HEART
OF THE BRAZILIAN AMAZON
NEAR THE LARGE
RIVERSIDE TOWN OF TEFé... ♪
...SCIENTISTS HAVE FOUND A CLUE
IN A JUNGLE REGION CALLED
PONTE DE CASTAÑA.
♪
THE ARRIVAL OF ELECTRICITY
TO REMOTE VILLAGES
IS REVEALING UNEXPECTED EVIDENCE
TO LOCAL ARCHEOLOGISTS.
POSTHOLES, DUG TO CARRY CABLES
ACROSS THE JUNGLE,
ARE EXPOSING A DISTURBING
CHAPTER IN ITS HISTORY.
Narrator: THE TRADITION OF
POLYCHROME POTTERY
IN THIS REGION STRETCHES BACK
HUNDREDS OF YEARS.
IT'S CHARACTERIZED BY FINE
CERAMIC URNS PAINTED IN RED,
WHITE, AND BLACK.
IT'S FOUND ALL OVER THE CENTRAL
AND WESTERN AMAZON,
BUT HERE IS A REAL HOTSPOT.
ARCHEOLOGIST EDUARDO NIEVES
BELIEVES THE POTTERY PROVIDES
CULTURAL INSIGHT INTO THE PEOPLE
WHO ONCE LIVED IN THIS REGION.
THE EXCAVATION REVEALS
SOMETHING UNSETTLING.
THESE VESSELS HAD
A RITUAL PURPOSE.
THEY WERE BURIAL URNS
ONCE CONTAINING HUMAN REMAINS.
WHAT'S SURPRISING IS THAT TWO
DIFFERENT STYLES OF POTTERY
ARE FOUND AT THE SITE.
WOW, CHECK THIS BABY.
Narrator: ALL THE OLDER URNS
ARE VERY ELABORATE.
BUT THE NEWER ONES
ARE MUCH PLAINER.
TO ARCHEOLOGIST RAFAEL LOPES,
THIS SUDDEN CHANGE IN BURIAL
TRADITION REVEALS
A SEISMIC SHIFT IN FORTUNE.
SOMETHING CATASTROPHIC
HAPPENED TO THESE PEOPLE
THAT PUT AN END
TO LUXURIOUS BURIALS
AND TO TRADITIONAL
POTTERY SKILLS.
AND RAFAEL CAN PINPOINT EXACTLY
WHEN THAT HAPPENED.
THIS REVELATION SHEDS
CRUCIAL LIGHT
ON THE CATASTROPHIC EVENTS
OF THE PAST.
SUDDENLY, INDIGENOUS PEOPLE
FACED A TERRIBLE NEW ENEMY.
♪
ARCHEOLOGY IS REVEALING
A COMPLETELY NEW HISTORY
OF THE AMAZON.
REMOTE GROUPS
THAT WE ONCE BELIEVED
HAD NEVER MADE CONTACT
WITH THE OUTSIDE WORLD,
WE NOW UNDERSTAND,
FLED FROM SLAVERY
TO THE SAFETY OF THE JUNGLE
500 YEARS AGO.
♪
IT SEEMS THE ARRIVAL OF
EUROPEAN SLAVE TRADERS
HAD A HUGE IMPACT
ON THE INDIGENOUS CIVILIZATIONS
OF THE AMAZON.
♪
BUT THE SLAVE TRADERS
DIDN'T WIPE OUT
THE POPULATION ENTIRELY.
ANOTHER DEADLY AND DESTRUCTIVE
CURSE CAME WITH THESE COLONISTS,
ONE THAT STILL AFFECTS
INDIGENOUS GROUPS TODAY.
THE FIRST EUROPEAN EXPLORERS
WERE DRIVEN TO THE AMAZON
ON A QUEST FOR LAND,
FOR RELIGIOUS CONVERSION,
AND FOR FABLED CITIES OF GOLD.
♪
500 YEARS LATER,
THAT LUST FOR GOLD
IS STILL VERY MUCH ALIVE.
THERE IS, YOU KNOW,
QUITE LITERALLY GOLD
UNDER PEOPLE'S FEET.
♪
Narrator: AT THE FAR WESTERN
FRINGE OF THE AMAZON,
IN PERU'S
MADRE DE DIOS RESERVE,
IS THE ONCE REMOTE TOWN
OF PUERTO MALDONADO.
IT'S THE EPICENTER OF
A MODERN DAY GOLD RUSH.
♪
WHAT'S HAPPENING HERE MAY HELP
TO EXPLAIN WHAT HAPPENED
TO THE GREAT CIVILIZATIONS
OF THE ANCIENT AMAZON.
♪
LOCAL SCIENTISTS LUIS FERNANDEZ
SHEDS LIGHT ON THE SECRETS
OF AMAZONIAN GOLD MINING
AND HOW IT IMPACTS POPULATIONS.
THIS IS A GOLD RICH AREA.
THE SEDIMENTS
UNDER THE RAINFOREST
ARE RELATIVELY RICH IN GOLD.
AND PEOPLE HAVE TAKEN
ADVANTAGE OF THAT.
♪
Narrator: SILT FROM THE RIVER
CONTAINS TINY FLAKES OF GOLD,
ABOUT A GRAM IN EVERY TON.
[ MAN SPEAKS FOREIGN LANGUAGE ]
Narrator: MINING COMPLETELY
DESTROYS THE RIVERBANKS,
BUT THAT'S NOT THE REAL PROBLEM,
BECAUSE TO EXTRACT THE GOLD
FROM THE MUD,
MINERS USE TOXIC MERCURY.
♪
MERCURY IS CRITICAL
FOR ARTISANAL GOLD MINING.
IT'S A REALLY OLD TECHNOLOGY
WAS USED THOUSANDS OF YEARS AGO
BY THE ROMANS.
IT WAS USED BY THE SPANISH
DURING THE COLONIAL PERIOD.
AND IT'S STILL USED TODAY
BECAUSE IT'S VERY EFFECTIVE.
Narrator: MINERS MIX MERCURY
INTO THE SILT
USING THEIR HANDS AND FEET
TO STIR IT AROUND.
THE MERCURY STICKS
TO THE GOLD PARTICLES,
BINDING THEM TOGETHER
INTO A SOFT GRAY PUTTY
THAT CAN BE UP TO 50% GOLD.
IT'S A VERY SIMPLE PROCESS.
IT'S VERY DIFFICULT
IN TERMS OF THE EFFORT.
BUT AS LONG AS YOU'VE GOT
SOME MERCURY,
YOU'RE PRETTY MUCH IN
THE GOLD MINING BUSINESS.
Narrator: THIS WAS EXACTLY HOW
GOLD WOULD HAVE BEEN MINED
500 YEARS AGO.
TO EXTRACT THE GOLD,
MINERS JUST HEAT THE PUTTY
AND THE MERCURY VAPORIZES
STRAIGHT INTO THEIR LUNGS.
ANY REMAINS ARE RELEASED
BACK INTO THE WATER.
ABOUT 70% OF THE MERCURY
THAT'S USED IN MINING
ESCAPES INTO THE ENVIRONMENT
AND MERCURY IS TOXIC TO LIFE.
♪
THIS SO-CALLED ARTISANAL
GOLD MINING
IS SPREADING LIKE A CANCER
ALL ALONG THE MADRE
DE DIOS RIVER... ♪
...RELEASING ALMOST 200 TONS
OF MERCURY
INTO THE WATER EVERY YEAR
AND TURNING HUNDREDS OF ACRES
OF FOREST INTO POISONOUS SWAMPS.
♪
GOLD MINING WITH MERCURY WOULD
HAVE BEEN JUST AS DEVASTATING
TO THE ANCIENT AMAZON POPULATION
AS IT IS TODAY.
♪
MINING IS NOW ONE OF
THE FASTEST DRIVERS
FOR DEFORESTATION
IN THE AMAZON.
♪
MINING IS STARTING TO INTRUDE
PHYSICALLY INTO THEIR SPACE.
THEY'RE LOSING FORESTS
AND THEY'RE LOSING THE ABILITY
TO ACCESS THEIR LANDS.
Narrator: TODAY,
DESTRUCTION OF TRADITIONAL
INDIGENOUS TERRITORIES
THREATENS TO WIPE OUT
ANY TRACE OF THE LAST SURVIVORS
OF THAT GREAT
AMAZONIAN CIVILIZATION.
BUT EFFORTS ARE BEING MADE
TO TURN BACK THE CLOCK,
TO FIGHT AGAINST
THE TIDE OF DESTRUCTION
AND REVEAL THE TRUE STORY
OF THE AMAZON'S LOST CITIES.
[ EXPLOSION ]
Narrator: WHAT CAUSED
A GREAT CIVILIZATION
TO PRACTICALLY DISAPPEAR
FROM THE AMAZON RAINFOREST?
SHOCKING CLUES CAN BE FOUND
IN THE CHALLENGES
FACING MODERN DAY
INDIGENOUS GROUPS.
AND ONE OF
THEIR GREATEST THREATS
HAS BEEN A CONSTANT ENEMY
SINCE EUROPEANS ARRIVED...
MINING FOR GOLD.
♪
IN PERU, AUTHORITIES ARE FINALLY
CRACKING DOWN ON THE LUST
FOR GOLD THAT'S BEEN
POISONING THE RIVER
AND ITS PEOPLE FOR 500 YEARS.
[ ENGINE STARTS ]
THE TASK FORCE HAS IDENTIFIED
ILLEGAL MINING ACTIVITY
IN THE FOREST.
IT'S DESTROYING PROTECTED LAND
AND CONTAMINATING THE RIVER.
TODAY, THEY ARE GOING TO
TRACK IT DOWN AND DESTROY IT.
AFTER DRIVING THROUGH
THE NIGHT,
THE TEAM SETS OFF DEEP
INTO THE RAINFOREST.
♪
THREE HOURS LATER,
THEY'RE DRAWING CLOSE
TO THE SUSPECTED MINE,
BUT THEY'VE BEEN SPOTTED.
♪
♪
[ MAN SPEAKS INDISTINCTLY
IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE ]
[ BIRDS CHIRPING ]
Narrator: IN THE SHORT SKIRMISH
THAT FOLLOWS THE ILLEGAL MINERS
RUN FOR IT INTO THE JUNGLE,
LEAVING THE POLICE TO TAKE
IN THE SCALE OF THE DEVASTATION.
IT'S JUST THE LATEST CHAPTER
IN A 500-YEAR STORY
OF DESTRUCTION.
AND NEARBY,
THEY FIND THE EVIDENCE
NEEDED TO DESTROY THE MINE.
TO MAKE SURE THE MINERS
DON'T COME BACK
AND START THE PROCESS
ALL OVER AGAIN,
THE TASK FORCE NEEDS
TO PERMANENTLY DISABLE
THE EQUIPMENT
BY BLOWING IT TO PIECES.
IT'S A BRUTAL, MODERN SOLUTION
TO A DEVASTATING ANCIENT
PROBLEM.
♪
♪
[ LAUGHING ]
GENERATION AFTER GENERATION
OF INDIGENOUS
AMAZONIAN HAVE SUFFERED
WHILE THEIR FOREST WAS PLUNDERED
FOR ITS PRECIOUS RESOURCES.
♪
BUT NEW EVIDENCE SUGGESTS
ANOTHER SILENT KILLER PLAYED
AN EVEN BIGGER ROLE IN THE FALL
OF SOME AMAZON CIVILIZATIONS.
♪
Narrator: ARCHEOLOGIST WORKING
ACROSS THE AMAZON
HAVE UNEARTHED EVIDENCE
OF A TRAIL OF DESTRUCTION
LAUNCHED BY EUROPEAN SETTLERS
IN THE 1500s.
BUT NEW EVIDENCE REVEALS
THOSE FIRST EUROPEANS TRIGGERED
AN EVEN MORE SINISTER
WAVE OF DESTRUCTION.
♪
IN CENTRAL BRAZIL
ON A TRIBUTARY
OF THE AMAZON RIVER,
THE XINGU INDIGENOUS PARK
IS HOME TO THE KUIKURO PEOPLE.
♪
ARCHEOLOGIST MICHAEL HANBURGER
HAS SPENT OVER 20 YEARS
GRAPPLING WITH THE MYSTERY
OF WHAT HAPPENED
TO AMAZON CIVILIZATIONS
DEEP IN THE FOREST,
BEYOND THE REACH
OF THOSE FIRST SETTLERS.
THE WORK HERE IN THE XINGU
HAS BEEN VERY IMPORTANT
IN UNDERSTANDING
THESE INDIGENOUS POPULATIONS.
AND THE WAY THAT
WE CAN UNDERSTAND THAT PRIMARILY
IS THE CHANGES
IN THE SETTLEMENTS THEMSELVES.
Narrator:
WHAT MICHAEL HAS REVEALED
IS A GAME CHANGER
IN AMAZON HISTORY.
THE RUINS OF A VAST NETWORK
OF GIANT VILLAGES.
THEY GO FROM VERY, VERY LARGE
AND MANY IN ONE AREA
TO SINGLE VILLAGES
THAT ARE 10 TIMES SMALLER.
Narrator:
AT SOME TIME IN HISTORY,
THIS REGION SUFFERED
A MASSIVE POPULATION CRASH.
SO WE'VE ESTIMATED THAT
THE REGIONAL POPULATION
IN 1500 WAS ABOUT
50,000 PEOPLE.
IN 1950,
THE REGIONAL POPULATION
WAS REDUCED TO NINE VILLAGES
AND ABOUT 500 PEOPLE.
SO THAT'S ABOUT 1%
OF THE INDIGENOUS POPULATION
OF 500 YEARS AGO.
Narrator:
THIS DRAMATIC CRASH AFFECTED
OTHER AMAZON COMMUNITIES, TOO.
FOR SOME TRIBES, IT WAS FINAL.
BUT THERE'S A MYSTERY,
THE FIRST EUROPEANS ONLY REACHED
SOME PARTS OF THE AMAZON,
YET POPULATIONS
CRASHED EVERYWHERE.
WHAT WAS GOING ON?
RECORDS FROM OTHER PARTS
OF THE AMERICAS REVEAL
THAT WHEN
EUROPEANS ARRIVED THERE,
THEY BROUGHT DISEASES,
WHICH INDIGENOUS PEOPLE
HAD NO IMMUNITY AGAINST.
BUT MANY PEOPLE ASSUMED REMOTE
AMAZON COMMUNITIES WERE SAFE.
♪
THERE WAS A THOUGHT THAT
SOMEHOW THE AMAZON FOREST
INSULATED THOSE POPULATIONS
AND IT CERTAINLY INSULATED
THEM FROM DIRECT CONTACT
WITH COLONIAL GROUPS
OR EXPLORERS.
BUT NEW EVIDENCE IS DISPROVING
THAT THEORY, REVEALING THOSE
REMOTE JUNGLE SOCIETIES
WERE FAR FROM ISOLATED.
♪
WE KNOW THERE WAS
TRADE NETWORKS,
BUT THERE ALSO WAS
VERY CLEAR INDICATION
THAT PEOPLE WERE INTERACTING.
THEY HAD SOCIAL ENGAGEMENTS
AND PARTICIPATED IN ACTIVITIES
WITH ONE ANOTHER
FROM ONE VILLAGE TO ANOTHER.
AND SO VERY CLEARLY,
PEOPLE WERE MOVING AROUND ENOUGH
THAT THEY COULD SPREAD
THE DISEASE.
Narrator: MICHAEL BELIEVES THIS
WOULD BE ENOUGH TO DECIMATE
POPULATIONS WITH NO IMMUNITY.
AND NOW ADDITIONAL DATA
IS BACKING UP THAT IDEA.
♪
LOCAL NURSE LAURA CASTRO
HAS STUDIED THE RESULTS
OF A VACCINATION PROGRAM
LAUNCHED IN THE DWINDLING
KUIKURO COMMUNITY.
Narrator: FOR THE FIRST TIME
IN 500 YEARS,
THE POPULATION IS GROWING.
MODERN SCIENCE IS PROVIDING
EVIDENCE TO HELP ARCHEOLOGISTS
SOLVE AN ANCIENT MYSTERY.
ONE OF THE REMARKABLE
DISCOVERIES OF RECENT ARCHEOLOGY
IS THE FACT THAT THE PEOPLE
WHO LIVED IN THE AMAZON
HAD UNDERGONE THE VERY SAME TYPE
OF CATASTROPHIC DEPOPULATION
FROM EPIDEMIC DISEASES
THAT HAPPENED
IN OTHER PLACES IN THE AMERICAS.
Narrator: BUT OUR PICTURE
OF THE FALL
OF THESE AMAZON CIVILIZATIONS
IS STILL NOT COMPLETE.
NOW, SCIENTISTS ARE REVEALING
THAT IN SOME PLACES
IT MAY HAVE ALREADY BEGUN
BEFORE EUROPEANS ARRIVED.
THE BIG MOMENT FOR THE PEOPLE
LIVING HERE
WAS A CATASTROPHIC EVENT.
Narrator: ARCHEOLOGISTS ARE
HUNTING FOR EVIDENCE
OF WHAT DESTROYED A GREAT
CIVILIZATION IN THE AMAZON.
♪
AND NOW,
REMARKABLE DISCOVERIES
SHOW THAT
THE CATASTROPHIC COLLAPSE
WAS NOT ONLY TRIGGERED
BY EUROPEAN SETTLERS.
THE CLUES ARE HIDDEN
DEEP UNDERGROUND.
♪
IN BOLIVIA,
LLANOS DE MOXOS FLOODPLAINS
ARE BARELY POPULATED TODAY.
BUT AMAZONIAN SOCIETIES
ONCE THRIVED HERE.
♪
EARTH SCIENTIST,
UMBERTO LOMBARDO,
IS TRYING TO FIND OUT
WHEN THEY WERE HERE.
♪
SOIL CORES CAN CONTAIN TRACES
OF CHARCOAL, SEEDS,
AND POLLEN, CLUES THAT REVEAL
WHEN PEOPLE WERE LIVING HERE.
AND MYSTERIOUSLY, THERE IS
NO TRACE OF HUMAN ACTIVITY
FOR THE LAST 600 YEARS.
UNLESS HEAVY RAINS
HAVE WASHED AWAY
THE EVIDENCE OF A WHOLE CENTURY
OF PRECOLOMBIAN LIFE HERE,
THE POPULATION MUST HAVE BEEN
WIPED OUT BY SOMETHING ELSE
LONG BEFORE EUROPEAN SETTLERS
COULD REACH THEM.
AND UMBERTO BELIEVES
HIS SOIL CORES
REVEAL THE TRUE
CATASTROPHIC STORY
OF THIS AMAZON POPULATION.
A CENTURY OF EXTREME
DROUGHT PLAGUED
THIS REGION 700 YEARS AGO
AND THAT WASN'T THE FIRST TIME.
UMBERTO HAS DISCOVERED EVIDENCE
OF REPEATED
ENVIRONMENTAL CATASTROPHES
STRETCHING OVER MILLENNIA.
♪
4,000 YEARS AGO, HE BELIEVES
A RIVER CHANGED COURSE.
FLOODING THIS ENTIRE AREA
AND BURYING IT
UNDER FIVE FEET OF MUD.
UMBERTO'S DISCOVERIES REVEAL
THAT THE COLLAPSE
OF AMAZONIAN SOCIETY
WAS NOT A ONE OFF EVENT.
IT WAS DRIVEN BY A SUCCESSION
OF CATASTROPHES,
CLIMATIC AND HUMAN.
AND THE THREAT REMAINS
TO THIS DAY
AS THE LAST SURVIVORS
OF THAT CIVILIZATION BATTLE
TO SAVE THEIR CULTURE
AND THEIR SACRED LANDS
FROM DESTRUCTION.
TO DESTROY SACRED SITES,
THIS IS THE EQUIVALENT
OF BOMBING MECCA,
JERUSALEM, THE VATICAN.
Narrator: BUT NOW COULD
ARCHEOLOGY BE THE KEY
TO SAVING ANCIENT
INDIGENOUS HOMES?
♪
Narrator: ARCHEOLOGISTS
ACROSS THE AMAZON
ARE BEGINNING
TO SOLVE THE MYSTERY
OF AN ANCIENT JUNGLE
CIVILIZATION AND ITS COLLAPSE.
BUT THEIR GREATEST SOURCE
OF CLUES IS UNDER THREAT
AS THE LIVING DESCENDANTS
OF THAT CIVILIZATION
FACE A WHOLE NEW WAVE
OF STRUGGLES.
[ EXPLOSION ]
NOW, ONE COMMUNITY
IS TEAMING UP WITH ARCHEOLOGIST
TO PROTECT THEMSELVES
AND THEIR SACRED LANDS
FROM DEVASTATION
BY A MASSIVE HYDROELECTRIC DAM.
150 MILES,
SOUTH OF THE AMAZON RIVER
BEYOND THE CITY OF ITAITUBA,
MORE THAN A HUNDRED
SCATTERED VILLAGES
MARKED THE ANCIENT TERRITORY
OF THE MUNDURUKU PEOPLE.
♪
THE MUNDURUKU LIVE ALONG
THE SPRAWLING TAPAJóS RIVER.
♪
THEY'VE WELCOMED ARCHEOLOGIST
BRUNA ROCHA AND HER FAMILY
INTO THEIR VILLAGES TO HELP
WITH THEIR BATTLE FOR SURVIVAL.
THE MUNDURUKU CURRENTLY FACE
A NUMBER OF THREATS,
VERY SERIOUS THREATS.
Narrator: THE WORST
IS A GOVERNMENT SCHEME
TO DAM THE TAPAJóS RIVER
FOR HYDROELECTRICITY.
IT THREATENS TO FLOOD
THEIR HOMES,
THEIR HISTORY,
AND THEIR SACRED LAND.
ONE OF THE MAIN TRIBUTARIES
OF THE TAPAJóS
HAS ALREADY BEEN DAMMED.
AN IMPORTANT SACRED SITES
FOR THE MUNDURUKU
HAVE BEEN DESTROYED.
Narrator:
CHIEF JUAREZ MUNDURUKU HOPES
THAT BRUNA'S EXPERTISE
WILL HELP THEM
TO SAVE THEIR MOST
SACRED SITES FROM FLOODING.
♪
Narrator: THE GOVERNMENT ONLY
RECOGNIZES A FRACTION
OF THE MUNDURUKU TERRITORY.
SO THE COMMUNITY HAS DECIDED
TO TAKE DIRECT ACTION
USING ARCHEOLOGY
AS THEIR SECRET WEAPON.
USUALLY, IT DECODES THE PAST.
BUT TRIBAL LEADER
ALESSANDRA MUNDURUKU
HOPES ARCHEOLOGY
CAN PROTECT HER TRIBE'S FUTURE.
BRUNA HAS MADE CRUCIAL
DISCOVERIES,
EVIDENCE THAT BACKS UP
MUNDURUKU ORAL HISTORY
AND PROVES THEY'VE LIVED HERE
FOR CENTURIES.
WE FIND ELEMENTS
IN THE ARCHEOLOGY
THAT SEEM TO RELATE
TO THE MUNDURUKU PEOPLE.
WHEN THE MUNDURUKU
ARE GOING TO GO INTO BATTLE
AND PART OF THEIR PREPARATION
IS TO PAINT THEMSELVES
BECAUSE THIS
GIVES THEM STRENGTH.
Narrator: THE PATTERNS IN THIS
WAR PAINT ARE A CRUCIAL CLUE
BECAUSE BRUNA HAS DISCOVERED
ANCIENT POTTERY
ON MUNDURUKU TERRITORY
DECORATED WITH ALMOST
IDENTICAL PATTERNS.
THIS PORTRAIT DATES BETWEEN
Rocha: THE 7th
AND THE 9th CENTURY A.D.
SO IF WE COMBINE ARCHEOLOGY WITH
THE MUNDURUKU TRADITIONS
AND THAT CULTURAL GEOGRAPHY,
THIS REGION HAS THE VERY RICH
AND COMPLEX PAST.
♪
I THINK IT'S QUITE SAFE TO SAY
THAT THE MUNDURUKU
LANGUAGE FAMILY
IS AT LEAST 2,000 YEARS OLD.
Narrator: BRUNA'S ARCHEOLOGY IS
HELPING THE MUNDURUKU
TO DEFEND
THEIR TERRITORIAL RIGHTS.
Narrator:
BUT THE BATTLE IS NOT YET WON.
THE MUNDURUKU PEOPLE WANT
THEIR WHOLE TERRITORY
RECOGNIZED TO
GUARANTEE PROTECTION
FOR THEIR MOST SACRED SITES.
THE MUNDURUKU TERRITORY IS
ONLY DEFINED BY ORAL TRADITION,
WHICH MAKES IT HARD TO DEFEND.
SO NOW, BACKED BY BRUNA'S
ARCHEOLOGICAL EVIDENCE,
PACA ALVES IS LEADING A TEAM
TO CREATE A PHYSICAL BOUNDARY
AROUND ALL OF THEIR LANDS.
Narrator: SIGNS MAKE IT
VERY CLEAR THAT THE MUNDURUKU
ARE SERIOUS... ♪
...AND THEY PROUDLY GUARD
THEIR NEW BORDER.
Narrator: FOR A THOUSAND MILES
AROUND THEIR HOMELANDS,
THIS BROAD PATH PROVIDES
A PERMANENT PHYSICAL RECORD
OF THE TERRITORY DESCRIBED
IN THEIR ORAL TRADITION.
♪
THE GOVERNMENT HAS YET
TO GIVE THEIR
TERRITORY OFFICIAL RECOGNITION.
BUT FOR NOW, AT LEAST,
PLANS FOR THE HYDROELECTRIC DAM
ARE ON HOLD.
A VICTORY FOR PACA ALVES
AND HIS MEN.
Narrator: THE MUNDURUKU'S BATTLE
FOR SURVIVAL IS JUST THE LATEST
IN A LONG HISTORY OF STRUGGLE
FOR THE PEOPLE OF THE AMAZON.
TIME AND AGAIN, DISEASE,
EXPLOITATION, AND CLIMATE
HAVE TAKEN THEIR TOLL
AND ENTIRE INDIGENOUS SOCIETIES
HAVE DISAPPEARED
FROM THE RAINFOREST.
NOW, A NEW GENERATION FACES
PRESSURES
OF A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT KIND
THAT COULD DESTROY
TRADITIONAL FOREST LIFE FOREVER.
Narrator: ARCHEOLOGIST
ACROSS THE AMAZON
ARE TRYING TO SOLVE THE MYSTERY
OF WHAT HAPPENED
TO THE GREAT CIVILIZATIONS
THAT ONCE FLOURISHED
IN THE RAINFOREST.
♪
WE NOW KNOW THAT CENTURIES
OF EXPLOITATION
AND EUROPEAN DISEASE,
AS WELL AS CATASTROPHIC
CLIMATE CHANGE,
HAVE ALL BUT WIPED THEM OUT.
♪
IT ALL RAISES THE QUESTION,
IS INDIGENOUS CULTURE
DESTINED TO DIE OUT COMPLETELY?
TO ANSWER THAT QUESTION,
ANTHROPOLOGIST
ELLA AL-SHAMAHI...
ALL RIGHT.
Narrator: ...IS EXPLORING
A NEW WAY OF LIFE
CHOSEN BY MANY OF
THE LAST DESCENDANTS
OF THOSE
JUNGLE'S CIVILIZATIONS.
SHE'S COME TO THE BIGGEST CITY
IN THE AMAZON... MANAUS.
THIS IS WHERE
MANY INDIGENOUS GROUPS TODAY
HAVE SETTLED,
BUILDING NEW LIVES AWAY
FROM THEIR TRADITIONAL LANDS.
TO FIND OUT WHY
THEY'VE MOVED HERE
AND WHAT THAT MEANS
FOR TRADITIONAL CULTURE.
ELLA IS HEADING
TO THE SHANTYTOWNS...
THE FAVELAS.
HERE MANY INDIGENOUS COMMUNITIES
LIVE IN A WORLD
RULED BY DRUG GANGS.
THAT'S A MOTORBIKE COMING NOW.
YEAH, I GOT TWO GUYS.
WHICH ONE? THIS ONE.
YEAH, THEY ARE THE PEOPLE, YEAH.
THEY ARE THE PEOPLE WHO ARE
GONNA HELP US GET IN, OKAY?
Narrator: LOCAL GUIDE FLAVIO HAS
NEGOTIATED SPECIAL PERMISSION
TO BRING ELLA INTO THE FAVELA.
OKAY?
HE SAY YOU HAVE TO KEEP
YOUR WINDOWS DOWN.
OKAY? KEEP THE WINDOWS DOWN
BECAUSE THIS IS THE SIGNAL
FOR US TO BE ALLOWED TO GET IN.
ALL RIGHT.
YEAH, I THINK WE'RE OKAY.
WE'RE DOING THIS?
- COOL.
- ALL RIGHT, THAT'S IT?
VERY GOOD. LET'S GO.
Narrator: THIS IS A WORLD
SO VERY DIFFERENT
FROM THE RAINFOREST.
ELLA WANTS TO KNOW
WHAT BRINGS PEOPLE HERE
AND WHETHER URBAN LIFE
MEANS AN END
TO THEIR TRADITIONAL CULTURE.
♪
ALL RIGHT, SO WE'RE HERE.
♪
BIA KOKAMA IS THE LEADER
OF ALL THE INDIGENOUS
PEOPLE IN THIS FAVELA.
HI, ELLA. HI, HI, HI.
CAN WE COME IN?
Narrator: BIA IS RESPECTED BY
THE DRUG GANGS.
SO AS LONG AS SHE STAYS
WITH BIA, ELLA IS SAFE.
I WAS KIND OF JUST REALLY
CURIOUS TO KNOW MORE ABOUT YOU.
WHICH OF THE DIFFERENT
INDIGENOUS GROUPS ARE YOU FROM?
BIA GREW UP WITH A FAMILY FRIEND
HERE IN MANAUS
WHILE HER FAMILY REMAINED
IN THE RAINFOREST.
LIVING IN THE CITY GIVES BEER
ACCESS TO MODERN FACILITIES.
BUT SHE'S PROUD OF
HER CULTURE'S TRADITIONS.
OH, LET'S SEE THIS.
IS THIS YOURS?
IS IT OKAY FOR WOMEN TO WEAR
THE HEADDRESS IN THE KOKAMA?
[ GASPS ]
THAT'S QUITE INCREDIBLE.
Narrator: BIA TAKES ELLA
TO MEET SOME OF
THE OTHER INDIGENOUS PEOPLE
IN THE COMMUNITY.
ALMOST 200 LIVE HERE.
AND MANY OF THEIR
TRADITIONAL HOMES ARE AT RISK.
♪
LOGGING AND CATTLE FARMING
ARE AMONG
THE MOST WIDESPREAD THREATS,
GRADUALLY EATING AWAY
THE RAINFOREST.
BUT IT'S A COMPLICATED
SITUATION.
PROGRESS FOR SOME
IS DISASTER FOR OTHERS.
IN A WORLD OF POVERTY,
CLEARING THE FOREST
TO CREATE FARMLAND
MAY BE THE ONLY WAY
TO FEED A FAMILY.
♪
BUT FARMING IS ALSO
BIG BUSINESS,
AND IT CAN CLASH WITH INDIGENOUS
RIGHTS AND TRADITIONS.
[ CHANTING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE ]
Narrator:
DESPITE POPULAR PROTESTS,
BRAZILIAN POLICIES
ARE INCREASINGLY
IN FAVOR OF DEVELOPMENT,
EVEN TYPES
THAT WERE ILLEGAL BEFORE.
IT MEANS COMMUNITIES
LIKE THE TICUNA
ARE BEING PUSHED
OUT OF THEIR HOMES.
AH, IT'S HERE.
SO HOW COME SOME OF TICUNA
ARE NOW MOVING INTO TOWNS?
IS ANYONE STILL IN THE VILLAGE?
Narrator:
AGAINST THE THREAT OF DEATH,
IT'S EASY TO SEE
THE APPEAL OF URBAN LIFE
FOR A FAMILY
WITH ASPIRATIONS.
PROFESSOR? [ LAUGHS ]
♪
Al-Shamahi: MEETING BIA AND SOME
OF THE OTHER INDIGENOUS PEOPLE
IN THIS FAVELA
HAS BEEN REALLY INTERESTING.
SOME PEOPLE ARE CLEARLY BEING
PUSHED OUT OF THE FOREST,
THEY'RE BEING FORCED OUT FOREST.
BUT OTHER PEOPLE
THEY WANT TO BE HERE,
THEY'RE LOOKING FOR
A BETTER WAY OF LIFE.
Narrator: ESSENTIALLY, IT ALL
ADDS UP TO THE SAME THING.
THE TRADITIONAL WAY OF LIFE
IN THE RAINFOREST
IS INCREASINGLY UNDER THREAT.
SO THE FUTURE STILL HANGS
IN THE BALANCE
FOR MANY AMAZONIAN PEOPLE.
AND IN MANY WAYS, THAT FUTURE
DEPENDS ON THEIR PAST.
♪
ARCHEOLOGY HAS SOLVED
MANY OF THE MYSTERIES
SURROUNDING THE DISAPPEARANCE
OF THE GREAT
AMAZONIAN CIVILIZATIONS.
IT WAS A STORY OF SLAVERY,
GOLD FEVER,
DISEASE,
AND ENVIRONMENTAL DESTRUCTION.
BUT THE RESEARCH
HAS REVEALED MUCH MORE.
IT'S REALLY TRANSFORMING OUR
VIEWS ABOUT THE REMARKABLE
ACHIEVEMENTS OF AMAZONIAN
INDIGENOUS POPULATIONS.
Narrator: THERE IS SO MUCH THAT
THE WORLD HAS MISUNDERSTOOD
ABOUT THE AMAZON,
ABOUT AMAZONIAN ARCHEOLOGY,
AND ABOUT INDIGENOUS PEOPLE.
THIS AREA WAS ONCE HOME
TO VAST CIVILIZATIONS,
MUCH GREATER THAN WE THOUGHT
POSSIBLE AND MUCH OLDER
THAN WE HAD EVER IMAGINED.
THEY SHAPE THE RAINFOREST
IN WAYS THAT WE'RE ONLY
JUST BEGINNING TO UNDERSTAND.
WHAT ARCHEOLOGISTS
HAVE UNCOVERED
IS JUST A TANTALIZING GLIMPSE,
Narrator: BUT THE FULL STORY OF
THE AMAZON MIGHT NEVER BE KNOWN.
THROUGH TECHNOLOGY
AND THROUGH SCIENCE,
WE CAN CONTINUE TO UNRAVEL
THE MYSTERIES OF THE AMAZON
BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE
BECAUSE THE PAST
STILL HAS MUCH TO TEACH US.
IF WE LOSE IT,
IT'LL REMAIN A MYSTERY FOREVER.
♪
♪
♪
♪
---
Narrator:
THE AMAZON RAINFOREST...
A BREATHTAKING NATURAL WONDER.
IT HAS ALWAYS BEEN SEEN
AS A PRISTINE WILDERNESS,
HOME TO NO MORE THAN
A SCATTERING OF SMALL TRIBES.
BUT TODAY, THE AMAZON
IS AT THE CENTER
OF A MONUMENTAL MYSTERY.
ACCORDING TO ONE
CENTURIES OLD ACCOUNT,
GIANT CITIES
ONCE THRIVED IN THE JUNGLE
AND NOW,
ASTONISHING DISCOVERIES...
THIS IS INCREDIBLE.
THERE'S SO MUCH HERE.
Narrator:
...ARE RAISING THE QUESTION,
COULD THAT BE TRUE?
THERE WERE MANY PEOPLE
LIVING IN THE AMAZON.
Narrator:
WITH NEW TECHNOLOGY.
SCIENTISTS ARE SEARCHING
FOR CLUES
TO SOLVE THE MYSTERY
OF A MISSING CIVILIZATION...
THESE WERE MUCH
MORE COMPLEX SOCIETIES
THAN WE THOUGHT EXISTED.
Narrator:
...WHERE THEY CAME FROM...
THERE'S A SIGN OF ANCESTRY
IN YOU
THAT IS VERY UNIQUE
AND VERY SPECIAL.
Narrator:
...AND WHAT HAPPENED TO THEM?
FOR THE PEOPLE LIVING HERE
WAS A CATASTROPHIC EVENT
AND PEOPLE JUST RUN AWAY.
Narrator:
IT'S A DANGEROUS PLACE
WHEN EMERGING
FROM THE RAINFOREST TODAY
IS THE GREATEST HUMAN STORY
THAT'S NEVER BEEN TOLD.
[ YELL INDISTINCTLY ]
♪
Narrator: IN THE JUNGLES
OF SOUTH AMERICA,
EXPERTS ARE UNCOVERING
NEW EVIDENCE
ABOUT THE HISTORY
OF THE AMAZON.
♪
RECENT DISCOVERIES ARE PROVING
THAT THIS APPARENTLY
INHOSPITABLE JUNGLE
WAS ONCE INHABITED BY UP
TO 10 MILLION PEOPLE
WHO CREATED VAST,
COMPLEX CIVILIZATIONS.
BUT WHAT HAPPENED TO THEM
AND WHERE DID THEY GO?
THE REGIONAL POPULATION
WAS REDUCED TO ABOUT 1%
OF THE INDIGENOUS POPULATION
OF 500 YEARS AGO.
Narrator: TODAY, SCIENTISTS
ARE COMPILING NEW DATA
THAT COULD PROVIDE ANSWERS
AS TO WHAT DESTROYED
THIS ONCE THRIVING
CIVILIZATION
AND INSIGHTS ABOUT
THEIR LAST DESCENDANTS.
IS THERE ANY LESSON THAT WE CAN
LEARN FROM ARCHEOLOGY?
Narrator: DEEP IN THE HEART
OF THE BRAZILIAN AMAZON
NEAR THE LARGE
RIVERSIDE TOWN OF TEFé... ♪
...SCIENTISTS HAVE FOUND A CLUE
IN A JUNGLE REGION CALLED
PONTE DE CASTAÑA.
♪
THE ARRIVAL OF ELECTRICITY
TO REMOTE VILLAGES
IS REVEALING UNEXPECTED EVIDENCE
TO LOCAL ARCHEOLOGISTS.
POSTHOLES, DUG TO CARRY CABLES
ACROSS THE JUNGLE,
ARE EXPOSING A DISTURBING
CHAPTER IN ITS HISTORY.
Narrator: THE TRADITION OF
POLYCHROME POTTERY
IN THIS REGION STRETCHES BACK
HUNDREDS OF YEARS.
IT'S CHARACTERIZED BY FINE
CERAMIC URNS PAINTED IN RED,
WHITE, AND BLACK.
IT'S FOUND ALL OVER THE CENTRAL
AND WESTERN AMAZON,
BUT HERE IS A REAL HOTSPOT.
ARCHEOLOGIST EDUARDO NIEVES
BELIEVES THE POTTERY PROVIDES
CULTURAL INSIGHT INTO THE PEOPLE
WHO ONCE LIVED IN THIS REGION.
THE EXCAVATION REVEALS
SOMETHING UNSETTLING.
THESE VESSELS HAD
A RITUAL PURPOSE.
THEY WERE BURIAL URNS
ONCE CONTAINING HUMAN REMAINS.
WHAT'S SURPRISING IS THAT TWO
DIFFERENT STYLES OF POTTERY
ARE FOUND AT THE SITE.
WOW, CHECK THIS BABY.
Narrator: ALL THE OLDER URNS
ARE VERY ELABORATE.
BUT THE NEWER ONES
ARE MUCH PLAINER.
TO ARCHEOLOGIST RAFAEL LOPES,
THIS SUDDEN CHANGE IN BURIAL
TRADITION REVEALS
A SEISMIC SHIFT IN FORTUNE.
SOMETHING CATASTROPHIC
HAPPENED TO THESE PEOPLE
THAT PUT AN END
TO LUXURIOUS BURIALS
AND TO TRADITIONAL
POTTERY SKILLS.
AND RAFAEL CAN PINPOINT EXACTLY
WHEN THAT HAPPENED.
THIS REVELATION SHEDS
CRUCIAL LIGHT
ON THE CATASTROPHIC EVENTS
OF THE PAST.
SUDDENLY, INDIGENOUS PEOPLE
FACED A TERRIBLE NEW ENEMY.
♪
ARCHEOLOGY IS REVEALING
A COMPLETELY NEW HISTORY
OF THE AMAZON.
REMOTE GROUPS
THAT WE ONCE BELIEVED
HAD NEVER MADE CONTACT
WITH THE OUTSIDE WORLD,
WE NOW UNDERSTAND,
FLED FROM SLAVERY
TO THE SAFETY OF THE JUNGLE
500 YEARS AGO.
♪
IT SEEMS THE ARRIVAL OF
EUROPEAN SLAVE TRADERS
HAD A HUGE IMPACT
ON THE INDIGENOUS CIVILIZATIONS
OF THE AMAZON.
♪
BUT THE SLAVE TRADERS
DIDN'T WIPE OUT
THE POPULATION ENTIRELY.
ANOTHER DEADLY AND DESTRUCTIVE
CURSE CAME WITH THESE COLONISTS,
ONE THAT STILL AFFECTS
INDIGENOUS GROUPS TODAY.
THE FIRST EUROPEAN EXPLORERS
WERE DRIVEN TO THE AMAZON
ON A QUEST FOR LAND,
FOR RELIGIOUS CONVERSION,
AND FOR FABLED CITIES OF GOLD.
♪
500 YEARS LATER,
THAT LUST FOR GOLD
IS STILL VERY MUCH ALIVE.
THERE IS, YOU KNOW,
QUITE LITERALLY GOLD
UNDER PEOPLE'S FEET.
♪
Narrator: AT THE FAR WESTERN
FRINGE OF THE AMAZON,
IN PERU'S
MADRE DE DIOS RESERVE,
IS THE ONCE REMOTE TOWN
OF PUERTO MALDONADO.
IT'S THE EPICENTER OF
A MODERN DAY GOLD RUSH.
♪
WHAT'S HAPPENING HERE MAY HELP
TO EXPLAIN WHAT HAPPENED
TO THE GREAT CIVILIZATIONS
OF THE ANCIENT AMAZON.
♪
LOCAL SCIENTISTS LUIS FERNANDEZ
SHEDS LIGHT ON THE SECRETS
OF AMAZONIAN GOLD MINING
AND HOW IT IMPACTS POPULATIONS.
THIS IS A GOLD RICH AREA.
THE SEDIMENTS
UNDER THE RAINFOREST
ARE RELATIVELY RICH IN GOLD.
AND PEOPLE HAVE TAKEN
ADVANTAGE OF THAT.
♪
Narrator: SILT FROM THE RIVER
CONTAINS TINY FLAKES OF GOLD,
ABOUT A GRAM IN EVERY TON.
[ MAN SPEAKS FOREIGN LANGUAGE ]
Narrator: MINING COMPLETELY
DESTROYS THE RIVERBANKS,
BUT THAT'S NOT THE REAL PROBLEM,
BECAUSE TO EXTRACT THE GOLD
FROM THE MUD,
MINERS USE TOXIC MERCURY.
♪
MERCURY IS CRITICAL
FOR ARTISANAL GOLD MINING.
IT'S A REALLY OLD TECHNOLOGY
WAS USED THOUSANDS OF YEARS AGO
BY THE ROMANS.
IT WAS USED BY THE SPANISH
DURING THE COLONIAL PERIOD.
AND IT'S STILL USED TODAY
BECAUSE IT'S VERY EFFECTIVE.
Narrator: MINERS MIX MERCURY
INTO THE SILT
USING THEIR HANDS AND FEET
TO STIR IT AROUND.
THE MERCURY STICKS
TO THE GOLD PARTICLES,
BINDING THEM TOGETHER
INTO A SOFT GRAY PUTTY
THAT CAN BE UP TO 50% GOLD.
IT'S A VERY SIMPLE PROCESS.
IT'S VERY DIFFICULT
IN TERMS OF THE EFFORT.
BUT AS LONG AS YOU'VE GOT
SOME MERCURY,
YOU'RE PRETTY MUCH IN
THE GOLD MINING BUSINESS.
Narrator: THIS WAS EXACTLY HOW
GOLD WOULD HAVE BEEN MINED
500 YEARS AGO.
TO EXTRACT THE GOLD,
MINERS JUST HEAT THE PUTTY
AND THE MERCURY VAPORIZES
STRAIGHT INTO THEIR LUNGS.
ANY REMAINS ARE RELEASED
BACK INTO THE WATER.
ABOUT 70% OF THE MERCURY
THAT'S USED IN MINING
ESCAPES INTO THE ENVIRONMENT
AND MERCURY IS TOXIC TO LIFE.
♪
THIS SO-CALLED ARTISANAL
GOLD MINING
IS SPREADING LIKE A CANCER
ALL ALONG THE MADRE
DE DIOS RIVER... ♪
...RELEASING ALMOST 200 TONS
OF MERCURY
INTO THE WATER EVERY YEAR
AND TURNING HUNDREDS OF ACRES
OF FOREST INTO POISONOUS SWAMPS.
♪
GOLD MINING WITH MERCURY WOULD
HAVE BEEN JUST AS DEVASTATING
TO THE ANCIENT AMAZON POPULATION
AS IT IS TODAY.
♪
MINING IS NOW ONE OF
THE FASTEST DRIVERS
FOR DEFORESTATION
IN THE AMAZON.
♪
MINING IS STARTING TO INTRUDE
PHYSICALLY INTO THEIR SPACE.
THEY'RE LOSING FORESTS
AND THEY'RE LOSING THE ABILITY
TO ACCESS THEIR LANDS.
Narrator: TODAY,
DESTRUCTION OF TRADITIONAL
INDIGENOUS TERRITORIES
THREATENS TO WIPE OUT
ANY TRACE OF THE LAST SURVIVORS
OF THAT GREAT
AMAZONIAN CIVILIZATION.
BUT EFFORTS ARE BEING MADE
TO TURN BACK THE CLOCK,
TO FIGHT AGAINST
THE TIDE OF DESTRUCTION
AND REVEAL THE TRUE STORY
OF THE AMAZON'S LOST CITIES.
[ EXPLOSION ]
Narrator: WHAT CAUSED
A GREAT CIVILIZATION
TO PRACTICALLY DISAPPEAR
FROM THE AMAZON RAINFOREST?
SHOCKING CLUES CAN BE FOUND
IN THE CHALLENGES
FACING MODERN DAY
INDIGENOUS GROUPS.
AND ONE OF
THEIR GREATEST THREATS
HAS BEEN A CONSTANT ENEMY
SINCE EUROPEANS ARRIVED...
MINING FOR GOLD.
♪
IN PERU, AUTHORITIES ARE FINALLY
CRACKING DOWN ON THE LUST
FOR GOLD THAT'S BEEN
POISONING THE RIVER
AND ITS PEOPLE FOR 500 YEARS.
[ ENGINE STARTS ]
THE TASK FORCE HAS IDENTIFIED
ILLEGAL MINING ACTIVITY
IN THE FOREST.
IT'S DESTROYING PROTECTED LAND
AND CONTAMINATING THE RIVER.
TODAY, THEY ARE GOING TO
TRACK IT DOWN AND DESTROY IT.
AFTER DRIVING THROUGH
THE NIGHT,
THE TEAM SETS OFF DEEP
INTO THE RAINFOREST.
♪
THREE HOURS LATER,
THEY'RE DRAWING CLOSE
TO THE SUSPECTED MINE,
BUT THEY'VE BEEN SPOTTED.
♪
♪
[ MAN SPEAKS INDISTINCTLY
IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE ]
[ BIRDS CHIRPING ]
Narrator: IN THE SHORT SKIRMISH
THAT FOLLOWS THE ILLEGAL MINERS
RUN FOR IT INTO THE JUNGLE,
LEAVING THE POLICE TO TAKE
IN THE SCALE OF THE DEVASTATION.
IT'S JUST THE LATEST CHAPTER
IN A 500-YEAR STORY
OF DESTRUCTION.
AND NEARBY,
THEY FIND THE EVIDENCE
NEEDED TO DESTROY THE MINE.
TO MAKE SURE THE MINERS
DON'T COME BACK
AND START THE PROCESS
ALL OVER AGAIN,
THE TASK FORCE NEEDS
TO PERMANENTLY DISABLE
THE EQUIPMENT
BY BLOWING IT TO PIECES.
IT'S A BRUTAL, MODERN SOLUTION
TO A DEVASTATING ANCIENT
PROBLEM.
♪
♪
[ LAUGHING ]
GENERATION AFTER GENERATION
OF INDIGENOUS
AMAZONIAN HAVE SUFFERED
WHILE THEIR FOREST WAS PLUNDERED
FOR ITS PRECIOUS RESOURCES.
♪
BUT NEW EVIDENCE SUGGESTS
ANOTHER SILENT KILLER PLAYED
AN EVEN BIGGER ROLE IN THE FALL
OF SOME AMAZON CIVILIZATIONS.
♪
Narrator: ARCHEOLOGIST WORKING
ACROSS THE AMAZON
HAVE UNEARTHED EVIDENCE
OF A TRAIL OF DESTRUCTION
LAUNCHED BY EUROPEAN SETTLERS
IN THE 1500s.
BUT NEW EVIDENCE REVEALS
THOSE FIRST EUROPEANS TRIGGERED
AN EVEN MORE SINISTER
WAVE OF DESTRUCTION.
♪
IN CENTRAL BRAZIL
ON A TRIBUTARY
OF THE AMAZON RIVER,
THE XINGU INDIGENOUS PARK
IS HOME TO THE KUIKURO PEOPLE.
♪
ARCHEOLOGIST MICHAEL HANBURGER
HAS SPENT OVER 20 YEARS
GRAPPLING WITH THE MYSTERY
OF WHAT HAPPENED
TO AMAZON CIVILIZATIONS
DEEP IN THE FOREST,
BEYOND THE REACH
OF THOSE FIRST SETTLERS.
THE WORK HERE IN THE XINGU
HAS BEEN VERY IMPORTANT
IN UNDERSTANDING
THESE INDIGENOUS POPULATIONS.
AND THE WAY THAT
WE CAN UNDERSTAND THAT PRIMARILY
IS THE CHANGES
IN THE SETTLEMENTS THEMSELVES.
Narrator:
WHAT MICHAEL HAS REVEALED
IS A GAME CHANGER
IN AMAZON HISTORY.
THE RUINS OF A VAST NETWORK
OF GIANT VILLAGES.
THEY GO FROM VERY, VERY LARGE
AND MANY IN ONE AREA
TO SINGLE VILLAGES
THAT ARE 10 TIMES SMALLER.
Narrator:
AT SOME TIME IN HISTORY,
THIS REGION SUFFERED
A MASSIVE POPULATION CRASH.
SO WE'VE ESTIMATED THAT
THE REGIONAL POPULATION
IN 1500 WAS ABOUT
50,000 PEOPLE.
IN 1950,
THE REGIONAL POPULATION
WAS REDUCED TO NINE VILLAGES
AND ABOUT 500 PEOPLE.
SO THAT'S ABOUT 1%
OF THE INDIGENOUS POPULATION
OF 500 YEARS AGO.
Narrator:
THIS DRAMATIC CRASH AFFECTED
OTHER AMAZON COMMUNITIES, TOO.
FOR SOME TRIBES, IT WAS FINAL.
BUT THERE'S A MYSTERY,
THE FIRST EUROPEANS ONLY REACHED
SOME PARTS OF THE AMAZON,
YET POPULATIONS
CRASHED EVERYWHERE.
WHAT WAS GOING ON?
RECORDS FROM OTHER PARTS
OF THE AMERICAS REVEAL
THAT WHEN
EUROPEANS ARRIVED THERE,
THEY BROUGHT DISEASES,
WHICH INDIGENOUS PEOPLE
HAD NO IMMUNITY AGAINST.
BUT MANY PEOPLE ASSUMED REMOTE
AMAZON COMMUNITIES WERE SAFE.
♪
THERE WAS A THOUGHT THAT
SOMEHOW THE AMAZON FOREST
INSULATED THOSE POPULATIONS
AND IT CERTAINLY INSULATED
THEM FROM DIRECT CONTACT
WITH COLONIAL GROUPS
OR EXPLORERS.
BUT NEW EVIDENCE IS DISPROVING
THAT THEORY, REVEALING THOSE
REMOTE JUNGLE SOCIETIES
WERE FAR FROM ISOLATED.
♪
WE KNOW THERE WAS
TRADE NETWORKS,
BUT THERE ALSO WAS
VERY CLEAR INDICATION
THAT PEOPLE WERE INTERACTING.
THEY HAD SOCIAL ENGAGEMENTS
AND PARTICIPATED IN ACTIVITIES
WITH ONE ANOTHER
FROM ONE VILLAGE TO ANOTHER.
AND SO VERY CLEARLY,
PEOPLE WERE MOVING AROUND ENOUGH
THAT THEY COULD SPREAD
THE DISEASE.
Narrator: MICHAEL BELIEVES THIS
WOULD BE ENOUGH TO DECIMATE
POPULATIONS WITH NO IMMUNITY.
AND NOW ADDITIONAL DATA
IS BACKING UP THAT IDEA.
♪
LOCAL NURSE LAURA CASTRO
HAS STUDIED THE RESULTS
OF A VACCINATION PROGRAM
LAUNCHED IN THE DWINDLING
KUIKURO COMMUNITY.
Narrator: FOR THE FIRST TIME
IN 500 YEARS,
THE POPULATION IS GROWING.
MODERN SCIENCE IS PROVIDING
EVIDENCE TO HELP ARCHEOLOGISTS
SOLVE AN ANCIENT MYSTERY.
ONE OF THE REMARKABLE
DISCOVERIES OF RECENT ARCHEOLOGY
IS THE FACT THAT THE PEOPLE
WHO LIVED IN THE AMAZON
HAD UNDERGONE THE VERY SAME TYPE
OF CATASTROPHIC DEPOPULATION
FROM EPIDEMIC DISEASES
THAT HAPPENED
IN OTHER PLACES IN THE AMERICAS.
Narrator: BUT OUR PICTURE
OF THE FALL
OF THESE AMAZON CIVILIZATIONS
IS STILL NOT COMPLETE.
NOW, SCIENTISTS ARE REVEALING
THAT IN SOME PLACES
IT MAY HAVE ALREADY BEGUN
BEFORE EUROPEANS ARRIVED.
THE BIG MOMENT FOR THE PEOPLE
LIVING HERE
WAS A CATASTROPHIC EVENT.
Narrator: ARCHEOLOGISTS ARE
HUNTING FOR EVIDENCE
OF WHAT DESTROYED A GREAT
CIVILIZATION IN THE AMAZON.
♪
AND NOW,
REMARKABLE DISCOVERIES
SHOW THAT
THE CATASTROPHIC COLLAPSE
WAS NOT ONLY TRIGGERED
BY EUROPEAN SETTLERS.
THE CLUES ARE HIDDEN
DEEP UNDERGROUND.
♪
IN BOLIVIA,
LLANOS DE MOXOS FLOODPLAINS
ARE BARELY POPULATED TODAY.
BUT AMAZONIAN SOCIETIES
ONCE THRIVED HERE.
♪
EARTH SCIENTIST,
UMBERTO LOMBARDO,
IS TRYING TO FIND OUT
WHEN THEY WERE HERE.
♪
SOIL CORES CAN CONTAIN TRACES
OF CHARCOAL, SEEDS,
AND POLLEN, CLUES THAT REVEAL
WHEN PEOPLE WERE LIVING HERE.
AND MYSTERIOUSLY, THERE IS
NO TRACE OF HUMAN ACTIVITY
FOR THE LAST 600 YEARS.
UNLESS HEAVY RAINS
HAVE WASHED AWAY
THE EVIDENCE OF A WHOLE CENTURY
OF PRECOLOMBIAN LIFE HERE,
THE POPULATION MUST HAVE BEEN
WIPED OUT BY SOMETHING ELSE
LONG BEFORE EUROPEAN SETTLERS
COULD REACH THEM.
AND UMBERTO BELIEVES
HIS SOIL CORES
REVEAL THE TRUE
CATASTROPHIC STORY
OF THIS AMAZON POPULATION.
A CENTURY OF EXTREME
DROUGHT PLAGUED
THIS REGION 700 YEARS AGO
AND THAT WASN'T THE FIRST TIME.
UMBERTO HAS DISCOVERED EVIDENCE
OF REPEATED
ENVIRONMENTAL CATASTROPHES
STRETCHING OVER MILLENNIA.
♪
4,000 YEARS AGO, HE BELIEVES
A RIVER CHANGED COURSE.
FLOODING THIS ENTIRE AREA
AND BURYING IT
UNDER FIVE FEET OF MUD.
UMBERTO'S DISCOVERIES REVEAL
THAT THE COLLAPSE
OF AMAZONIAN SOCIETY
WAS NOT A ONE OFF EVENT.
IT WAS DRIVEN BY A SUCCESSION
OF CATASTROPHES,
CLIMATIC AND HUMAN.
AND THE THREAT REMAINS
TO THIS DAY
AS THE LAST SURVIVORS
OF THAT CIVILIZATION BATTLE
TO SAVE THEIR CULTURE
AND THEIR SACRED LANDS
FROM DESTRUCTION.
TO DESTROY SACRED SITES,
THIS IS THE EQUIVALENT
OF BOMBING MECCA,
JERUSALEM, THE VATICAN.
Narrator: BUT NOW COULD
ARCHEOLOGY BE THE KEY
TO SAVING ANCIENT
INDIGENOUS HOMES?
♪
Narrator: ARCHEOLOGISTS
ACROSS THE AMAZON
ARE BEGINNING
TO SOLVE THE MYSTERY
OF AN ANCIENT JUNGLE
CIVILIZATION AND ITS COLLAPSE.
BUT THEIR GREATEST SOURCE
OF CLUES IS UNDER THREAT
AS THE LIVING DESCENDANTS
OF THAT CIVILIZATION
FACE A WHOLE NEW WAVE
OF STRUGGLES.
[ EXPLOSION ]
NOW, ONE COMMUNITY
IS TEAMING UP WITH ARCHEOLOGIST
TO PROTECT THEMSELVES
AND THEIR SACRED LANDS
FROM DEVASTATION
BY A MASSIVE HYDROELECTRIC DAM.
150 MILES,
SOUTH OF THE AMAZON RIVER
BEYOND THE CITY OF ITAITUBA,
MORE THAN A HUNDRED
SCATTERED VILLAGES
MARKED THE ANCIENT TERRITORY
OF THE MUNDURUKU PEOPLE.
♪
THE MUNDURUKU LIVE ALONG
THE SPRAWLING TAPAJóS RIVER.
♪
THEY'VE WELCOMED ARCHEOLOGIST
BRUNA ROCHA AND HER FAMILY
INTO THEIR VILLAGES TO HELP
WITH THEIR BATTLE FOR SURVIVAL.
THE MUNDURUKU CURRENTLY FACE
A NUMBER OF THREATS,
VERY SERIOUS THREATS.
Narrator: THE WORST
IS A GOVERNMENT SCHEME
TO DAM THE TAPAJóS RIVER
FOR HYDROELECTRICITY.
IT THREATENS TO FLOOD
THEIR HOMES,
THEIR HISTORY,
AND THEIR SACRED LAND.
ONE OF THE MAIN TRIBUTARIES
OF THE TAPAJóS
HAS ALREADY BEEN DAMMED.
AN IMPORTANT SACRED SITES
FOR THE MUNDURUKU
HAVE BEEN DESTROYED.
Narrator:
CHIEF JUAREZ MUNDURUKU HOPES
THAT BRUNA'S EXPERTISE
WILL HELP THEM
TO SAVE THEIR MOST
SACRED SITES FROM FLOODING.
♪
Narrator: THE GOVERNMENT ONLY
RECOGNIZES A FRACTION
OF THE MUNDURUKU TERRITORY.
SO THE COMMUNITY HAS DECIDED
TO TAKE DIRECT ACTION
USING ARCHEOLOGY
AS THEIR SECRET WEAPON.
USUALLY, IT DECODES THE PAST.
BUT TRIBAL LEADER
ALESSANDRA MUNDURUKU
HOPES ARCHEOLOGY
CAN PROTECT HER TRIBE'S FUTURE.
BRUNA HAS MADE CRUCIAL
DISCOVERIES,
EVIDENCE THAT BACKS UP
MUNDURUKU ORAL HISTORY
AND PROVES THEY'VE LIVED HERE
FOR CENTURIES.
WE FIND ELEMENTS
IN THE ARCHEOLOGY
THAT SEEM TO RELATE
TO THE MUNDURUKU PEOPLE.
WHEN THE MUNDURUKU
ARE GOING TO GO INTO BATTLE
AND PART OF THEIR PREPARATION
IS TO PAINT THEMSELVES
BECAUSE THIS
GIVES THEM STRENGTH.
Narrator: THE PATTERNS IN THIS
WAR PAINT ARE A CRUCIAL CLUE
BECAUSE BRUNA HAS DISCOVERED
ANCIENT POTTERY
ON MUNDURUKU TERRITORY
DECORATED WITH ALMOST
IDENTICAL PATTERNS.
THIS PORTRAIT DATES BETWEEN
Rocha: THE 7th
AND THE 9th CENTURY A.D.
SO IF WE COMBINE ARCHEOLOGY WITH
THE MUNDURUKU TRADITIONS
AND THAT CULTURAL GEOGRAPHY,
THIS REGION HAS THE VERY RICH
AND COMPLEX PAST.
♪
I THINK IT'S QUITE SAFE TO SAY
THAT THE MUNDURUKU
LANGUAGE FAMILY
IS AT LEAST 2,000 YEARS OLD.
Narrator: BRUNA'S ARCHEOLOGY IS
HELPING THE MUNDURUKU
TO DEFEND
THEIR TERRITORIAL RIGHTS.
Narrator:
BUT THE BATTLE IS NOT YET WON.
THE MUNDURUKU PEOPLE WANT
THEIR WHOLE TERRITORY
RECOGNIZED TO
GUARANTEE PROTECTION
FOR THEIR MOST SACRED SITES.
THE MUNDURUKU TERRITORY IS
ONLY DEFINED BY ORAL TRADITION,
WHICH MAKES IT HARD TO DEFEND.
SO NOW, BACKED BY BRUNA'S
ARCHEOLOGICAL EVIDENCE,
PACA ALVES IS LEADING A TEAM
TO CREATE A PHYSICAL BOUNDARY
AROUND ALL OF THEIR LANDS.
Narrator: SIGNS MAKE IT
VERY CLEAR THAT THE MUNDURUKU
ARE SERIOUS... ♪
...AND THEY PROUDLY GUARD
THEIR NEW BORDER.
Narrator: FOR A THOUSAND MILES
AROUND THEIR HOMELANDS,
THIS BROAD PATH PROVIDES
A PERMANENT PHYSICAL RECORD
OF THE TERRITORY DESCRIBED
IN THEIR ORAL TRADITION.
♪
THE GOVERNMENT HAS YET
TO GIVE THEIR
TERRITORY OFFICIAL RECOGNITION.
BUT FOR NOW, AT LEAST,
PLANS FOR THE HYDROELECTRIC DAM
ARE ON HOLD.
A VICTORY FOR PACA ALVES
AND HIS MEN.
Narrator: THE MUNDURUKU'S BATTLE
FOR SURVIVAL IS JUST THE LATEST
IN A LONG HISTORY OF STRUGGLE
FOR THE PEOPLE OF THE AMAZON.
TIME AND AGAIN, DISEASE,
EXPLOITATION, AND CLIMATE
HAVE TAKEN THEIR TOLL
AND ENTIRE INDIGENOUS SOCIETIES
HAVE DISAPPEARED
FROM THE RAINFOREST.
NOW, A NEW GENERATION FACES
PRESSURES
OF A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT KIND
THAT COULD DESTROY
TRADITIONAL FOREST LIFE FOREVER.
Narrator: ARCHEOLOGIST
ACROSS THE AMAZON
ARE TRYING TO SOLVE THE MYSTERY
OF WHAT HAPPENED
TO THE GREAT CIVILIZATIONS
THAT ONCE FLOURISHED
IN THE RAINFOREST.
♪
WE NOW KNOW THAT CENTURIES
OF EXPLOITATION
AND EUROPEAN DISEASE,
AS WELL AS CATASTROPHIC
CLIMATE CHANGE,
HAVE ALL BUT WIPED THEM OUT.
♪
IT ALL RAISES THE QUESTION,
IS INDIGENOUS CULTURE
DESTINED TO DIE OUT COMPLETELY?
TO ANSWER THAT QUESTION,
ANTHROPOLOGIST
ELLA AL-SHAMAHI...
ALL RIGHT.
Narrator: ...IS EXPLORING
A NEW WAY OF LIFE
CHOSEN BY MANY OF
THE LAST DESCENDANTS
OF THOSE
JUNGLE'S CIVILIZATIONS.
SHE'S COME TO THE BIGGEST CITY
IN THE AMAZON... MANAUS.
THIS IS WHERE
MANY INDIGENOUS GROUPS TODAY
HAVE SETTLED,
BUILDING NEW LIVES AWAY
FROM THEIR TRADITIONAL LANDS.
TO FIND OUT WHY
THEY'VE MOVED HERE
AND WHAT THAT MEANS
FOR TRADITIONAL CULTURE.
ELLA IS HEADING
TO THE SHANTYTOWNS...
THE FAVELAS.
HERE MANY INDIGENOUS COMMUNITIES
LIVE IN A WORLD
RULED BY DRUG GANGS.
THAT'S A MOTORBIKE COMING NOW.
YEAH, I GOT TWO GUYS.
WHICH ONE? THIS ONE.
YEAH, THEY ARE THE PEOPLE, YEAH.
THEY ARE THE PEOPLE WHO ARE
GONNA HELP US GET IN, OKAY?
Narrator: LOCAL GUIDE FLAVIO HAS
NEGOTIATED SPECIAL PERMISSION
TO BRING ELLA INTO THE FAVELA.
OKAY?
HE SAY YOU HAVE TO KEEP
YOUR WINDOWS DOWN.
OKAY? KEEP THE WINDOWS DOWN
BECAUSE THIS IS THE SIGNAL
FOR US TO BE ALLOWED TO GET IN.
ALL RIGHT.
YEAH, I THINK WE'RE OKAY.
WE'RE DOING THIS?
- COOL.
- ALL RIGHT, THAT'S IT?
VERY GOOD. LET'S GO.
Narrator: THIS IS A WORLD
SO VERY DIFFERENT
FROM THE RAINFOREST.
ELLA WANTS TO KNOW
WHAT BRINGS PEOPLE HERE
AND WHETHER URBAN LIFE
MEANS AN END
TO THEIR TRADITIONAL CULTURE.
♪
ALL RIGHT, SO WE'RE HERE.
♪
BIA KOKAMA IS THE LEADER
OF ALL THE INDIGENOUS
PEOPLE IN THIS FAVELA.
HI, ELLA. HI, HI, HI.
CAN WE COME IN?
Narrator: BIA IS RESPECTED BY
THE DRUG GANGS.
SO AS LONG AS SHE STAYS
WITH BIA, ELLA IS SAFE.
I WAS KIND OF JUST REALLY
CURIOUS TO KNOW MORE ABOUT YOU.
WHICH OF THE DIFFERENT
INDIGENOUS GROUPS ARE YOU FROM?
BIA GREW UP WITH A FAMILY FRIEND
HERE IN MANAUS
WHILE HER FAMILY REMAINED
IN THE RAINFOREST.
LIVING IN THE CITY GIVES BEER
ACCESS TO MODERN FACILITIES.
BUT SHE'S PROUD OF
HER CULTURE'S TRADITIONS.
OH, LET'S SEE THIS.
IS THIS YOURS?
IS IT OKAY FOR WOMEN TO WEAR
THE HEADDRESS IN THE KOKAMA?
[ GASPS ]
THAT'S QUITE INCREDIBLE.
Narrator: BIA TAKES ELLA
TO MEET SOME OF
THE OTHER INDIGENOUS PEOPLE
IN THE COMMUNITY.
ALMOST 200 LIVE HERE.
AND MANY OF THEIR
TRADITIONAL HOMES ARE AT RISK.
♪
LOGGING AND CATTLE FARMING
ARE AMONG
THE MOST WIDESPREAD THREATS,
GRADUALLY EATING AWAY
THE RAINFOREST.
BUT IT'S A COMPLICATED
SITUATION.
PROGRESS FOR SOME
IS DISASTER FOR OTHERS.
IN A WORLD OF POVERTY,
CLEARING THE FOREST
TO CREATE FARMLAND
MAY BE THE ONLY WAY
TO FEED A FAMILY.
♪
BUT FARMING IS ALSO
BIG BUSINESS,
AND IT CAN CLASH WITH INDIGENOUS
RIGHTS AND TRADITIONS.
[ CHANTING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE ]
Narrator:
DESPITE POPULAR PROTESTS,
BRAZILIAN POLICIES
ARE INCREASINGLY
IN FAVOR OF DEVELOPMENT,
EVEN TYPES
THAT WERE ILLEGAL BEFORE.
IT MEANS COMMUNITIES
LIKE THE TICUNA
ARE BEING PUSHED
OUT OF THEIR HOMES.
AH, IT'S HERE.
SO HOW COME SOME OF TICUNA
ARE NOW MOVING INTO TOWNS?
IS ANYONE STILL IN THE VILLAGE?
Narrator:
AGAINST THE THREAT OF DEATH,
IT'S EASY TO SEE
THE APPEAL OF URBAN LIFE
FOR A FAMILY
WITH ASPIRATIONS.
PROFESSOR? [ LAUGHS ]
♪
Al-Shamahi: MEETING BIA AND SOME
OF THE OTHER INDIGENOUS PEOPLE
IN THIS FAVELA
HAS BEEN REALLY INTERESTING.
SOME PEOPLE ARE CLEARLY BEING
PUSHED OUT OF THE FOREST,
THEY'RE BEING FORCED OUT FOREST.
BUT OTHER PEOPLE
THEY WANT TO BE HERE,
THEY'RE LOOKING FOR
A BETTER WAY OF LIFE.
Narrator: ESSENTIALLY, IT ALL
ADDS UP TO THE SAME THING.
THE TRADITIONAL WAY OF LIFE
IN THE RAINFOREST
IS INCREASINGLY UNDER THREAT.
SO THE FUTURE STILL HANGS
IN THE BALANCE
FOR MANY AMAZONIAN PEOPLE.
AND IN MANY WAYS, THAT FUTURE
DEPENDS ON THEIR PAST.
♪
ARCHEOLOGY HAS SOLVED
MANY OF THE MYSTERIES
SURROUNDING THE DISAPPEARANCE
OF THE GREAT
AMAZONIAN CIVILIZATIONS.
IT WAS A STORY OF SLAVERY,
GOLD FEVER,
DISEASE,
AND ENVIRONMENTAL DESTRUCTION.
BUT THE RESEARCH
HAS REVEALED MUCH MORE.
IT'S REALLY TRANSFORMING OUR
VIEWS ABOUT THE REMARKABLE
ACHIEVEMENTS OF AMAZONIAN
INDIGENOUS POPULATIONS.
Narrator: THERE IS SO MUCH THAT
THE WORLD HAS MISUNDERSTOOD
ABOUT THE AMAZON,
ABOUT AMAZONIAN ARCHEOLOGY,
AND ABOUT INDIGENOUS PEOPLE.
THIS AREA WAS ONCE HOME
TO VAST CIVILIZATIONS,
MUCH GREATER THAN WE THOUGHT
POSSIBLE AND MUCH OLDER
THAN WE HAD EVER IMAGINED.
THEY SHAPE THE RAINFOREST
IN WAYS THAT WE'RE ONLY
JUST BEGINNING TO UNDERSTAND.
WHAT ARCHEOLOGISTS
HAVE UNCOVERED
IS JUST A TANTALIZING GLIMPSE,
Narrator: BUT THE FULL STORY OF
THE AMAZON MIGHT NEVER BE KNOWN.
THROUGH TECHNOLOGY
AND THROUGH SCIENCE,
WE CAN CONTINUE TO UNRAVEL
THE MYSTERIES OF THE AMAZON
BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE
BECAUSE THE PAST
STILL HAS MUCH TO TEACH US.
IF WE LOSE IT,
IT'LL REMAIN A MYSTERY FOREVER.
♪
♪
♪
♪