Lost Mexican City

**Lost Mexican City** is the 25th episode in Season 2 of Expedition Unknown.

## Plot Synopsis

Gates searches for the civilisation of Teotihuacan, a lost empire left behind in Mexico with pyramids dedicated to the gods, temples, and a treasure trove of cryptic art. He seeks answers on who these indigenous people were, finds out their secrets that have been buried for 2,000 years, and what they left behind.

## Historical Context

"The empire of Teotihuacan. At their ruined capital in Mexico, they left behind soaring pyramids, imposing temples, and a treasure trove of cryptic art dating back nearly 2,000 years. And yet, for all of their might, we know surprisingly little about them. Archaeologists have been unable to decipher their system of writing and they haven't found a single tomb from one of their rulers. Historians used to believe the Teotihuacan was a peaceful culture but now grisly evidence has been found that could point to bizarre rituals and a bloodthirsty legacy."

- Josh Gates

## Summary

Josh goes to Teotihuacan, Mexico where he climbs to the top of the Pyramid of the Sun. He then visits Mexico City where he meets Dr Carlos Gonzalez who is uncovering a site from the original city of Tenochtitlan. They discuss the connection between the Aztecs and Teotihuacan. Back at Teotihuacan, Josh meets Professor Saburo Sugiyama who found human bones at the site that point to brutal sacrifices. Saburo and Josh go in a helicopter equipped with LIDAR and they are able to scan the earth below and find that the Teotihuacan city is much bigger than it was originally thought to be.

Josh heads to Cholula where he meets archaeologist Dr Sergio Suarez Cruz at the Great Pyramid of Cholula. They explore passageways under the ruins see both old artwork made by the Teotihuacanos and artefacts such as obsidian weapons. Josh then goes to Pachuca de Soto and meets Alejandro Pastrana, an archaeologist at a dig who has also found obsidian. They go down into a mine shaft and mine a piece of green obsidian which they are able to turn into a knife. The Teotihuacano controlled the majority of obsidian mines and supplied Mesoamerica with obsidian tools.

Josh goes back to Teotihuacan and to the Temple of the Feathered Serpent where he meets Sergio Gomez, and archaeologist. Sergio is running a dig to excavate a hidden tunnel beneath the pyramid and they go down to explore it. They find ceramic, obsidian blades, and use a robot to explore an unexplored section of the tunnel. They go into a room, which is a diorama of the underworld, and they find the first-ever ball from a Mesoamerican ballgame and Sergio shows him liquid mercury that he found for the first time in Mexico.

## Final Words

"Teotihuacan - once thought to be a peaceful and communal settlement, but science is rewriting history. The city is bigger than anyone knew, its influence spread wider than we ever imagined, and its power was harnessed through the production of a supernatural commodity. And now this - a tunnel leading to the underworld itself, a place of sacrifice, of ritual, and a portal to confer godlike powers on a select few. It's time this empire was recognised for its true might. It stood alongside the Maya and inspired the Aztecs. They called this place the Home of the Gods and down here, in the meeting point between power and faith, I finally know why."

- Josh Gates

## Notes & Trivia

* *This is where you can put notes and trivia, anything that is interesting or strange can be included here*

## Quotes

* "The hippies of the pre-colonial Americas."
* "They drag the clothes down here, which is better real estate, but it's illegal. They have spotters with Walkie-Talkies and if any of them see the cops then all these guys run like hell. I mean it's a pretty good system."
* "This is rattlesnake powder, which is used to fight diseases, and how it does that is it kills you."
* "Cholula is famous for its namesake hot sauce which it turns out is neither made in nor particularly famous in Cholula. Next thing you're gonna tell me is Milky Way candy bars aren't made in outer space."
* "With the revelation that Teotihuacan was the Amazon.com of supernatural weapons"

## References

1. ↑ https://api.discovery.com/v1/images/5b61459e6b66d1720772d242?aspectRatio=16x9&width=1200&key=3020a40c2356a645b4b4