Legend Quest (2011) s01e03 Episode Script
Holy Lance & The Incan Golden Sun Disc
Tonight on Legend Quest I adventure to Europe in search of an artifact that was Hitler's obsession The Holy Lance.
Can you believe what we're looking at? That is the spear.
And I journey to the mountains of Peru To find an all-powerful Incan Sun Disc.
And I thought the highways of Scotland were crazy, but this is just unreal.
[ Tires screech .]
Philipps: If you were going to brainwash people, this would be the place to do it.
This is literally a huge arrow pointing towards the disc.
My name is Ashley Cowie.
I'm an author and archeological explorer [ Hinges creaking .]
Specializing in ancient symbols and mysterious legends.
I've spent years studying some of the world's most fascinating relics.
Now I'm on the hunt to find out where they are.
Some would hope that these secrets remain hidden.
But I'll leave no stone unturned to uncover the truth in my Legend Quest.
Throughout history, countless men have sought world domination.
Several were actually able to achieve that goal, and many believe the object that allowed them to do it was a 2,000-year-old spear, a weapon with the power to shift the destiny of mankind-- The spear of destiny, also known as the Holy Lance.
The Bible says that during the time of the crucifixion, a Roman soldier, Longinus, used a spear to Pierce the side of Christ and verify that he had died on the cross.
Legend says that once the Lance pierced Jesus, it was instantly imbued with the ability to control the destiny of the world.
In the 4th century, constantine the great had the Lance while controlling the world's largest empire at the time.
In the 5th century, Attila the hun used the Lance to build one of the largest empires ever recorded.
And in the 8th century, charlemagne carried the Lance before him as he founded the first reich and extended his holy Roman empire north on the way to becoming the father of Europe.
Eventually, the Lance was passed down through generations of germanic leaders until it came to rest with the treasures of Vienna, Austria.
There, in 1908, a young man gazed upon the Lance and saw a vision of himself as ruler of the world.
That young man was Adolf Hitler.
In 1938, a few years after Hitler founded the third reich, his first act of conquest was to occupy Austria.
German troops rolled into Vienna, and there Hitler seized the Lance for himself.
With the historic weapon of power now in his possession, Hitler unleashed world war ii and sought domination over all of Europe.
[ Machine-gun fire .]
In 1945, American troops led by general George patton invaded Germany.
Patton, a military historian with great appreciation for the Lance, seized it from the Nazis.
Hitler committed suicide a mere three hours later.
After the war was over, America returned the Holy Lance to the treasury in Vienna, where it still rests to this day.
The Holy Lance is right there in the Vienna treasury, out in the open for any and all to see.
But recent research has come to light calling into question its validity.
If that's not the real spear there in Vienna, then the Lance, which can control the destiny of mankind, could still be out there.
So, here we are in Vienna to look at the Holy Lance, the spear of destiny.
It was said that, if you hold the spear, you hold the destiny of mankind for both good and evil.
Philipps: Hopefully we'll have some help in determining if this is the actual spear of destiny or not.
We're meeting Dr.
Franz Keirschwigger there.
He's the curator of the collection that houses the spear.
And not only do we get to see it, but we also get to film it, which is a pretty big deal.
This is it, guys-- The Austrian treasury.
You're gonna see relics and artifacts here like you've never seen before.
So let's go in and look for the Lance, see what we can discover.
This place is amazing.
What a remarkable collection of art and history.
I could spend all day in here.
But today I'm here for only one reason-- To find out if the Lance on display is the one that pierced Christ or not.
Pleased to meet you.
Nice to meet you.
Dr.
Keirschwigger is the keeper of this entire collection.
I'm very curious to learn what he thinks about the theory that it may not be the real Lance.
The Holy Lance-- It's over here.
There it is.
So, is this actually the Lance that speared the side of Jesus Christ on the cross? It's definitely not.
How do you know that? We did forensic tests, which told us that it's not that old, not 2,000 years old.
There is an iron pin inserted to the blade itself, and we think that may be coming from the real Lance of Longinus.
Interesting.
That pin tells me whoever fashioned this spear here must have had their hands on the real spear at some point.
The intention to open the blade and to insert a pin was to make it a real relic.
Where might the real spear be if this is not the spear? That's a very good question and a very difficult one, because we have not any certain written document that would tell us.
So, somewhere out there is the original spear-- Maybe lost.
Maybe lost, yes.
Maybe someone has it in hiding, but it's out there somewhere.
Absolutely, yes.
Dr.
Keirschwigger has confirmed my suspicion.
That's not the real spear.
My theory is that sometime between Hitler taking possession of the Lance and the Americans returning it, the Lance could have been replicated and a fake returned in its place, which means the real one is still out there somewhere.
I wonder if the Americans knew they were returning a fake.
Regardless, we need to find out what happened after Hitler came here and took the spear.
I've got a contact here in Austria, grand prioress of the Austrian knights templar.
Anybody knows anything about the spear, it's gonna be her.
I call my friend ninny, who sits atop the order of the Austrian knights templar, the same order that has overseen viennese secrets for centuries.
She has access to information about Vienna and its history that only a handful of people will ever be aware existed.
Ninny.
Hopefully she can point us in the direction of the Lance.
Great to see you here in your home country.
We're on the track of the Holy Lance, the spear of destiny.
That's why I'm here in Vienna.
Now, we know Hitler took it from Vienna.
We also know that the Americans returned it.
Now we know that the one they returned was a fake.
And sometime in that time period, somewhere there, something happened.
Do you know anything that can help me? His right-hand man.
Wewelsburg.
Wewelsburg.
Of course.
An oddly shaped castle in the German countryside that the Nazis altered once the war began.
I've always wondered about the strange landscape surrounding it.
Wewelsburg.
There's a ground plan of the area.
Mm-hmm.
Look at this.
Can you believe what we're looking at? That is the spear.
The driveway up is the shaft.
And the whole entire castle is the tip, with the Lance right there.
The whole entire landscape in the castle is designed to replicate the spear in its entirety.
A number of the estates in Germany were altered by himmler.
We know that he had all sorts of occult things going on.
This has all been altered and restructured to point towards the castle.
The whole landscape is the spear.
I'm going to Wewelsburg.
We are ina quest to find the real Holy Lance because we've established that the one on display in Vienna is a fake.
An old friend high up in the templar order has pointed us to Wewelsburg castle in Germany, where Hitler may have sent the Lance.
I'm going to Wewelsburg.
Looking at an overview of the landscape there, the entire countryside was designed to look like a Lance, with the triangular-shaped castle acting as the tip of the spear.
The evidence is pretty compelling that the spear could have been sent there.
So we're on our way to the castle to find out what happened to the real Holy Lance.
We know that Heinrich himmler, who led Hitler's occult movement, redesigned Wewelsburg castle to receive artifacts from all over the world to enhance Hitler's domination of Europe.
If the spear came anywhere, it possibly remains today somewhere in Wewelsburg castle.
You know, Hitler's ss movement literally touched every single person in Europe.
The Lance really is one of the most modern artifacts that we've searched for.
Philipps: You know there was actually a concentration camp near the castle here somewhere on these grounds around it.
It held about 3,000 people.
And I had family members who died in concentration camps, so it's very personal and very fresh.
Really makes these landscapes take a dark turn.
I have to be honest that it's going to be a little uncomfortable to be in this castle.
There it is, guys.
Look at that.
Cowie: Now, think of what's happened here.
We're talking about the Holy Lance, one of the darkest artifacts in the history of mankind, possibly in this very castle.
Let's go find it.
Man: Oh, wow.
Is this it? Cowie: This is it, guys.
Here's the original 17th-century castle right behind us.
All this here was rebuilt by himmler.
Look how he's done it-- The perfect triangle.
Let's get right there to the tip.
Come on.
You know, it's crazy to think that this whole courtyard may have been designed to replicate that spear.
We've arranged to speak to the director of the castle, who should have extensive knowledge of the castle's history.
Hopefully she's able and willing to give us information regarding the castle's role in world war ii and any ties to the Holy Lance.
Himmler wanted to have special artifacts here in this castle.
And so they traveled to South America and India and also northern Europe, and they had a very, very big collection of those artifacts.
We know Hitler was obsessed with the spear of destiny.
I think this is clear.
There is no problem about this.
Did the Holy Lance come here? You have connections to the Holy Lance.
Of course you have.
But I have no evidence for that here, so no proof.
But the legend is that there should have been a replica here in Wewelsburg, a replica of the Holy Lance.
Kirsten turned us on to something very significant-- A legend of a duplicate spear here in Wewelsburg.
That's the first potential confirmation of my theory that a duplicate spear may have been created.
But we still need to find out what happened to the real spear.
Philipps: Wow, this place gets spookier by the minute, huh? How cold it is in here.
Look at this.
These are cells.
There's these hooks all over the walls.
That's just horrible.
Let's go.
I'm happy to leave this place.
As horrible as these dungeons are, anything where the Lance was used would be far worse.
We're heading deeper into the castle to its base, the focal point of this whole area.
And it's unnerving to think what must be waiting for us there.
Wow.
This is a really, really powerful building that activates every single one of the five senses.
Ss commanders would have sat around these stations and focused inward on whatever the hell happened here.
[ Stomp echoing .]
What is this place? Can you imagine the experience that would be created within you if there was 12 people around here, all repeating the same words, chanting the same thing, completely absorbed in the beliefs and rituals of the actual leaders of the ss? It was a conversion room.
Philipps: If you were going to brainwash people, this would be the place to do it.
The spear may have been the focal point of all of these rituals.
Remember the design of the castle-- Like a triangle.
Right.
The whole castle geometry is allegorical to the Lance itself.
If the spear was taken to this castle, this is the only place it would have been installed.
When we look closer at this room, you can see, although there's seats here now at the 12 stations, look at the adjustments that have been made in the wall.
These bricks have been set in here, and there's modern cement right here.
See the gaps in between? It's like the whole room has been designed to receive the artifacts that Kirsten told us about.
These could have been shrines.
There could have been alcoves in these walls, possibly to house the artifacts that they scoured the world gathering together.
Possibly the Lance was here, but it's moved on.
Let's just think the story through.
We know Hitler took the Lance.
And we know that some years later, General Patton, from America, seized the Lance.
It was returned back to the Hofburg museum in Vienna.
Kirsten told us there was a legend about a duplicate Lance.
What if patton discovered both the original Lance and Hitler's duplicate? Consider that Hitler committed suicide only three hours after the Americans found the spear.
Why would he have killed himself if they only found a fake? What if they found the real spear, as well? That would explain why Hitler took his own life.
He would have realized the game was up.
Patton-- He knew the power of the Lance.
He believed in the power of the Lance.
Patton wasn't just interested in the Lance.
He commissioned historians to compile the history of the Lance.
He would have wanted to keep the true Lance and returned the duplicate to the Hofburg museum.
If the Americans came across the real Lance, there's no way they're gonna leave that here in Germany for the next dictator to rise.
They would have had that so quick out of Europe, it would have left dust in its trail.
The spear that pierced the Christ's side could be in America today.
And if it is, I know who we need to talk to.
Let's go.
After establishing the Holy Lance in display in Vienna is a fake, we tracked the Lance to Wewelsburg castle in Germany, where we learned of a legend of a duplicate spear here in Wewelsburg, which could help explain the existence of the fake in Vienna.
I believe General Patton may have found both Spears and took them from the Nazis and returned the fake to the museum in Vienna, keeping the real Lance in American possession.
The spear that pierced the Christ's side could be in America today.
Let's go.
If patton got both lances, he would have been compelled to turn them over to his immediate superior, general Dwight d.
Eisenhower.
Historically, it's known that, despite significant protests at home and abroad, eisenhower ordered that recovered Nazi plunder be shipped in a convoy to Washington, D.
C.
, where the items were put on display before being returned to the rightful owners, the perfect cover to send both lances back to the U.
S.
, where they would be safe and could be tested to determine which one was real before returning the fake to Austria.
I have a contact in Washington high up in the U.
S.
military with top-secret clearance.
Hopefully he can shed some light as to what would have happened to the real spear.
He's agreed to meet, but only if we keep his identity a secret.
Thanks a lot for coming.
I'll keep this brief.
I started a quest looking for a very specific relic known as the Holy Lance.
I found out Hitler may have commissioned a duplicate of this artifact.
We do know that the Lance, whether supernatural or not, has military application.
When Germany fell, General Patton seized the Lance, possibly even the duplicate.
Where did the American military take such an important artifact? So, let's assume for a moment the Lance is in mainland America.
Where could it be? You're talking about the area 51.
I'm gonna go to area 51, perfect place for taking the spear.
Many believe that area 51 was constructed to house recovered alien technology.
However, it may also have been constructed to house and study the Lance.
It was a top-secret location built in the years immediately following world war ii.
And look at this.
Part of the facility looks like a spear, just like in Wewelsburg.
And if that weren't enough, the man who commissioned its construction was the man who may have had the spear The man who, after the war, became the next president of the United States Dwight d.
Eisenhower.
Everything has led us here.
You know, Kinga, here we are at the gates of area 51, possibly the doorstep of the Holy Lance.
And it might just be right there.
We've been in Austria, Germany, Washington, now here at the most protected military base in mainland America.
It's incredible.
But we just aren't getting any closer.
I don't want to get arrested or shot today.
Philipps: Yeah, I'd prefer not to disappear.
It's quite a thought, isn't it, if the Lance came into the possession of the American army? Consider what's happened since the '40s.
Breakthroughs in atomic sciences-- We've split the atom, dropped bombs in Nagasaki, Hiroshima.
America's become a superpower.
All the way back through time, everybody who had the Lance became a superpower.
Whether you believe in the supernatural powers or not, that happened, and we might be right on the doorstep to the Lance.
It could be right there in area 51.
It's been said, "with great power comes great responsibility.
" The Holy Lance is one of the most powerful artifacts in all of history.
America might possess it today there in area 51.
Regardless of who has the Lance, the question remains-- How will it be used? It's a weapon, the driving force in a long chain of violence.
Can that chain be broken? I hope so.
When Spanish commander Francisco Pizarro landed in Peru to conquer the country, he was looking for more than mere victory.
He was looking for the Incans' most prized possession-- a disc of gold said to control earthquakes, heal the sick, and even stop time-- A priceless treasure so powerful, its whereabouts are still whispered about across South America-- An artifact known as the Golden Sun Disc.
According to legend, the Sun Disc was a gift from the Incan creator God Viracocha.
It was said to be 3 feet wide and spun from an extremely rare translucent gold.
The Incans centered their entire culture on the disc and kept it in their capital city of Cuzco, Peru, inside the Coricancha temple.
The temple was oriented to the northwest, the Incans' sacred alignment, allowing the disc to be hit with the sun's rays and receive its power for the maximum amount of time.
The Incans believed the disc had the ability to heal.
Even the most serious wounds or illnesses could be wiped clean by its power.
But its most awesome power was the ability to create and direct earthquakes.
In 1532, Spanish conquistadors invaded Peru, seeking conquest and gold.
Eventually, they made their way to Cuzco, where they sank the city and destroyed the Coricancha temple.
The Sun Disc vanished.
Many believe the spaniards seized the Sun Disc and melted it down.
However, it's well known that the Spanish kept meticulous records of their acquisitions, and there is no mention of a 3-foot disc of gold.
Could it be that the Spanish never got their hands on the disc? If so, it could still be out there, waiting to be found, and I think I know where to begin looking.
Guys, here we are in Peru, in Cuzco.
And we're searching for the Golden Sun Disc, which is a hugely important artifact to the ancient Incan tribes.
This church was built on the site of the Coricancha temple, where the Incans kept the Sun Disc.
And that's the first clue.
We know the Coricancha temple was destroyed in the mid-16th century.
In the late 16th century, a few years after this, Cuzco's chief Pachacuti created a diagram that symbolized the temple.
But the Incans are notorious for hiding codes and hidden messages in their artwork.
And I believe it also contains a map to the whereabouts of the Sun Disc.
The Northwestern side of the diagram is dedicated to the Sun Disc.
What if the Incans, to protect the disc, took it to the northwest, following the sacred alignment that gives the disc its power? The first significant place northwest of the Coricancha temple-- The hilltop stone fortress of Sacsayhuaman.
It would be the logical place to protect the disc when the Spanish came.
It was the Incans' great fortress, easily defended, on the Northwestern alignment and in the hills, closer to the creator God.
Cowie: So we're gonna go and see if we can find a clue, a symbol, a piece of history, or something to tell us where the Sun Disc might be today.
If I've decoded this map correctly, we could be hot on the trail of the Golden Sun Disc.
I'm in the trail of the legendary Incan Golden Sun Disc, said to be kept here, in the city of Cuzco, until the 16th century.
Following what I believe to be a coded map, I'm headed northwest of the city to look for clues at the massive fortress of Sacsayhuaman.
Here we are, guys-- Sacsayhuaman.
Keep your eyes peeled for anything curious, anything relating to the disc or anything we know about it.
It's not gonna be under our nose, but just keep your eyes nice and open.
And remember, not just in the rocks-- Around the greater landscape.
Let's go.
This place is a marvel.
This was a fortress with a commanding view.
But there are signs it was much more.
Everything faces the northwest-- The sacred alignment.
High up, close to the gods, this was the site of a sun temple.
I'm not seeing anything that relates to the Sun Disc.
I need to find out a bit more about this site.
So Kinga's arranged for me to meet a leading authority on the Incas in this region, Sylvia Robeles.
Sylvia, so the Sun Disc was at Coricancha and possibly moved to here.
Now, is there any temple here relating to the sun? [ Speaking Spanish .]
[ Speaking Spanish .]
She's saying that it was known to have started in Coricancha and then later brought here.
This was the main hub of Incan civilization that revolved around the solar disc.
So, the Sun Disc was moved from the Coricancha temple here to Sacsayhuaman.
But where did it go? I've explored around here, and I've found that most of the alignments here point to the northwest, which is a very, very important alignment for calendars, festivals, and rituals, especially related to the sun.
Does the northwest have something to do with the Sun Disc? [ Speaking Spanish .]
So, she said, upon the arrival of the spaniards, that all the Incans fled.
The Incan leader, Manco Inca, was said to have started here and worked his way to the northwest to Vilcabamba.
So, the chance is that, if the Sun Disc was here, it's been taken to the northwest to the most sacred site on the alignments, on the horizon.
SÃ.
Thank you.
De nada.
Thank you.
Kinga.
Sylvia told me that, at that time when the Sun Disc disappeared, Manco Inca, the leader of the Incan people, he came here and led his people to the northwest for safety.
Now, what if Manco Inca came here not only to lead his people to safety but to seize the most valuable artifact in Incan culture? What if he came here and took the disc to the northwest with his people? We've got to go to Vilcabamba.
My theory fits right in with that 17th-century map, which points us to the northwest.
We'll follow the path Manco Inca would have taken, northwest to the jungles of Vilcabamba, where Sylvia Robeles says he took the Sun Disc to hide it from the conquistadors.
The only problem will be getting there.
We're headed to an even higher elevation, deeper into the Peruvian rain forest.
Cowie: Well, guys, we're on the trail of Manco Inca.
This is absolutely treacherous.
You know, we've got mudslides coming in to the right.
You know, maybe 1,000 foot down there to the river below.
And I thought the highways of Scotland were crazy, but this is just unreal.
Have you ever seen anything like this before, guys? Now, guys, remember that we're at 11,000 feet here, so you might experience some altitude sickness, and that can be anything from a headache to disastrous stomach problems.
If you need anything, let me know, but those are the most important things.
Just drink a lot of water.
Hours into the jungle, we've hit a road block.
The only road is washed out by a landslide.
Wow, look at that.
We need to find some other way to get across this gorge.
Looks like we're gonna have to take the high road.
So we convince a local construction crew to allow us to use a cable system set up to move their equipment.
The downside-- We're 500 feet above a charging black river.
All right, Jeremy.
Ohhhh! [ Laughs .]
It's gonna take more than a 500-foot drop to stop me from finding that golden disc.
Following the clues from an Incan diagram, our quest for the Golden Sun Disc has led us from the city of Cuzco into the jungles of Peru.
However, the Mountain pass has been completely washed away, and the only chance to continue is across a 1-inch-thick cable stretched over a chasm, 500 feet in the air.
Ohhhh! [ Laughs .]
All right, guys.
Thank you.
Once the entire team is safely across Thank you.
Gracias.
Kinga lines up some transport, and we're on our way to Vilcabamba, where we're scheduled to meet with the archaeologist responsible for everything in the region.
Hopefully he's still waiting for us.
Clearly we're gonna be a little late.
Philipps: His name is julio Alvarez, and he's an archaeologist who's in charge of this entire area.
If anyone's gonna be able to give us great information, it's gonna be that guy.
We are very, very lucky that we got him.
After two more hours following the river deeper into the mountains, the road ends at a tiny village, where, thankfully, our contact is still waiting to meet with us.
Julio Alvarez? SÃ.
Kinga.
Ashley.
Pleased to meet you.
So, we're tracking the Sun Disc of the Incas.
I believe Manco Inca may have taken it here when he fled from Cuzco.
Do you know anything about Manco Inca in this area? SÃ.
[ Speaking Spanish .]
Yeah, he said that Manco Inca did travel from Cuzco here.
There's a trail that takes us about 15, 20 minutes from here.
There's a white stone area, which was one of the very last remains of Incan civilization up top.
Is it a temple? [ Speaking Spanish .]
The white stone area was the place where Manco Inca went to consult the oracle.
It's an oracle.
That gives an idea of some sort of connection to the heavens, just the sort of thing we're looking for.
So we need to go and see this stone.
Guys, we move now.
White stone.
Julio says white stone is an oracle.
Remember the diagram? The rainbow in Incan symbology represents communication with the sun gods-- An oracle's very function.
We hike higher into the mountains.
And then we arrive at white stone.
We know this is the place Manco Inca stopped on the run from the conquistadors.
White stone was where he'd consult with the gods for help.
And when I look closer, I realize that we could be looking at another map.
Gonna try and read this.
What is that, Ash-- Look-- Cut into the stone? This could be a central meridian.
It looks pretty manmade to me.
Nature doesn't make straight lines.
It points to the northwest, the same direction as everything on Pachacuti's diagram, the same direction as everything on this search so far.
Need to stand back there and try and read this.
Here we go.
Look at this, Kinga.
Standing back here, coming back from it, look at the shape of the rock.
Like a Mountain.
That could be telling us the Sun Disc is at the peak of a Mountain to the northwest.
That there-- Listen River.
Could be the river coming from Mountain.
We've got to get to the top of a Mountain.
We've got to follow a river up.
So it's a map to where they would have kept their most prized possession.
Absolutely.
The Sun Disc is at the top of the highest hill in the environment, the closest place to the heavens.
This is literally a huge arrow pointing towards the disc.
We've got to get to the top of that Mountain.
Julio.
[ Speaking Spanish .]
[ Speaking Spanish .]
He said there's an area which is the highest point, called Inca Wasi, closest to the sun.
It is perfect.
That's what we're looking for.
Everything there tells me to follow the river to the highest Mountain in the area.
So, guys, we need to get up to Inca Wasi.
We're going climbing.
Philipps: You like your horse? I love it.
Bond with him.
He'll be carrying you a long way.
Everything keeps pointing us to the northwest, which makes sense.
According to the diagram, we're looking for a place close to the heavens, where the sun and stars commingle, the highest point in the landscape.
Inca Wasi certainly seems to fit the bill.
But it's going to take nearly two days to hike there.
So we're spending the night here at the base.
That's like a village.
Let's do it, guys.
After a cold, wet night, we wake at dawn to tackle the daunting hike to the summit, to the most remote site in the Incan empire.
Looking at the river, just like in the map.
And look.
It leads up the Mountain, just like the rock at white stone.
The clues are all adding up.
We need to get up to Inca Wasi.
Every treacherous step could be leading us closer to the elusive Sun Disc.
When it's too steep for the horses, we lead them.
I'm starting to see why the Incans may have taken their most revered artifact to this remote place.
Eventually, the terrain gets so treacherous, we have to go the rest of the way on foot.
We keep climbing Until there are no mountains above us.
And then we're there-- Inca Wasi.
We're on the trail of the Incan Golden Sun Disc.
We've followed the clues all the way from Cuzco to here, Inca Wasi, the highest point in the Peruvian mountains, where I think the Sun Disc was taken to hide it from the pillaging Spanish conquistadors.
Can you imagine coming up to build this? We're here on a relatively unknown Mountain at 14,000 feet high, at an amazing building, an observatory, another sun temple, at the highest point in landscape in the Incan civilization.
But why would they build something all the way up here? The answer-- What better place to hide their greatest treasure from the spaniards? Near impossible to reach, yet closer to the source of its power and creator than ever before.
Kinga, let's just split up.
You find any hollows, chambers, shallows-- That's what we're looking for.
You got it.
I'll go this way.
All right.
And this building where we're standing, it's aligned facing the northwest, just like the Coricancha temple from where the Sun Disc came and Sacsayhuaman after that.
And look at the shape of the diagram we've been following.
It looks remarkably similar to the shape of the structure here.
The similarity can't be ignored.
Everything's adding up.
I really think we're in the right place.
And at the center of the temple, I find something really interesting.
Look here.
Kind of a depression.
This sinkhole is a sign that the floor of this chamber has caved in over the years, meaning there was a chamber below it at some point in the past.
And, indeed, the diagram I've decoded shows a storage area here.
A perfect hiding place.
You know, this s sinking down.
Yeah.
Look, it's really hollow.
Yeah.
It is hollow.
Look how far down it goes.
Can you see? Yeah.
I mean, how deep can it possibly be? This could go on who knows how deep.
This is futile.
Do you know the disc could be right below our feet? This could have been 100 feet deep.
The site is protected, so we just can't dig.
But I think there's every chance that the disc could be buried right beneath our feet.
I mean, chances are, when the spaniards eventually run them out, they could well have installed it in a chamber underneath this very room-- There.
Getting to Inca Wasi was the most difficult challenge we've faced so far.
It seems likely that was by design.
The Incans were trying to hide and protect their greatest treasure.
What better place than somewhere so hard to reach? I think there's every chance we found the Sun Disc's last resting place.
But the protected location means I'm unable to dig down into the ground to test my theory.
Gaining permission will take a long time, but I'm hoping to return one day to excavate this site.
Maybe then the Sun Disc will shine again for the people of Peru.
Can you believe what we're looking at? That is the spear.
And I journey to the mountains of Peru To find an all-powerful Incan Sun Disc.
And I thought the highways of Scotland were crazy, but this is just unreal.
[ Tires screech .]
Philipps: If you were going to brainwash people, this would be the place to do it.
This is literally a huge arrow pointing towards the disc.
My name is Ashley Cowie.
I'm an author and archeological explorer [ Hinges creaking .]
Specializing in ancient symbols and mysterious legends.
I've spent years studying some of the world's most fascinating relics.
Now I'm on the hunt to find out where they are.
Some would hope that these secrets remain hidden.
But I'll leave no stone unturned to uncover the truth in my Legend Quest.
Throughout history, countless men have sought world domination.
Several were actually able to achieve that goal, and many believe the object that allowed them to do it was a 2,000-year-old spear, a weapon with the power to shift the destiny of mankind-- The spear of destiny, also known as the Holy Lance.
The Bible says that during the time of the crucifixion, a Roman soldier, Longinus, used a spear to Pierce the side of Christ and verify that he had died on the cross.
Legend says that once the Lance pierced Jesus, it was instantly imbued with the ability to control the destiny of the world.
In the 4th century, constantine the great had the Lance while controlling the world's largest empire at the time.
In the 5th century, Attila the hun used the Lance to build one of the largest empires ever recorded.
And in the 8th century, charlemagne carried the Lance before him as he founded the first reich and extended his holy Roman empire north on the way to becoming the father of Europe.
Eventually, the Lance was passed down through generations of germanic leaders until it came to rest with the treasures of Vienna, Austria.
There, in 1908, a young man gazed upon the Lance and saw a vision of himself as ruler of the world.
That young man was Adolf Hitler.
In 1938, a few years after Hitler founded the third reich, his first act of conquest was to occupy Austria.
German troops rolled into Vienna, and there Hitler seized the Lance for himself.
With the historic weapon of power now in his possession, Hitler unleashed world war ii and sought domination over all of Europe.
[ Machine-gun fire .]
In 1945, American troops led by general George patton invaded Germany.
Patton, a military historian with great appreciation for the Lance, seized it from the Nazis.
Hitler committed suicide a mere three hours later.
After the war was over, America returned the Holy Lance to the treasury in Vienna, where it still rests to this day.
The Holy Lance is right there in the Vienna treasury, out in the open for any and all to see.
But recent research has come to light calling into question its validity.
If that's not the real spear there in Vienna, then the Lance, which can control the destiny of mankind, could still be out there.
So, here we are in Vienna to look at the Holy Lance, the spear of destiny.
It was said that, if you hold the spear, you hold the destiny of mankind for both good and evil.
Philipps: Hopefully we'll have some help in determining if this is the actual spear of destiny or not.
We're meeting Dr.
Franz Keirschwigger there.
He's the curator of the collection that houses the spear.
And not only do we get to see it, but we also get to film it, which is a pretty big deal.
This is it, guys-- The Austrian treasury.
You're gonna see relics and artifacts here like you've never seen before.
So let's go in and look for the Lance, see what we can discover.
This place is amazing.
What a remarkable collection of art and history.
I could spend all day in here.
But today I'm here for only one reason-- To find out if the Lance on display is the one that pierced Christ or not.
Pleased to meet you.
Nice to meet you.
Dr.
Keirschwigger is the keeper of this entire collection.
I'm very curious to learn what he thinks about the theory that it may not be the real Lance.
The Holy Lance-- It's over here.
There it is.
So, is this actually the Lance that speared the side of Jesus Christ on the cross? It's definitely not.
How do you know that? We did forensic tests, which told us that it's not that old, not 2,000 years old.
There is an iron pin inserted to the blade itself, and we think that may be coming from the real Lance of Longinus.
Interesting.
That pin tells me whoever fashioned this spear here must have had their hands on the real spear at some point.
The intention to open the blade and to insert a pin was to make it a real relic.
Where might the real spear be if this is not the spear? That's a very good question and a very difficult one, because we have not any certain written document that would tell us.
So, somewhere out there is the original spear-- Maybe lost.
Maybe lost, yes.
Maybe someone has it in hiding, but it's out there somewhere.
Absolutely, yes.
Dr.
Keirschwigger has confirmed my suspicion.
That's not the real spear.
My theory is that sometime between Hitler taking possession of the Lance and the Americans returning it, the Lance could have been replicated and a fake returned in its place, which means the real one is still out there somewhere.
I wonder if the Americans knew they were returning a fake.
Regardless, we need to find out what happened after Hitler came here and took the spear.
I've got a contact here in Austria, grand prioress of the Austrian knights templar.
Anybody knows anything about the spear, it's gonna be her.
I call my friend ninny, who sits atop the order of the Austrian knights templar, the same order that has overseen viennese secrets for centuries.
She has access to information about Vienna and its history that only a handful of people will ever be aware existed.
Ninny.
Hopefully she can point us in the direction of the Lance.
Great to see you here in your home country.
We're on the track of the Holy Lance, the spear of destiny.
That's why I'm here in Vienna.
Now, we know Hitler took it from Vienna.
We also know that the Americans returned it.
Now we know that the one they returned was a fake.
And sometime in that time period, somewhere there, something happened.
Do you know anything that can help me? His right-hand man.
Wewelsburg.
Wewelsburg.
Of course.
An oddly shaped castle in the German countryside that the Nazis altered once the war began.
I've always wondered about the strange landscape surrounding it.
Wewelsburg.
There's a ground plan of the area.
Mm-hmm.
Look at this.
Can you believe what we're looking at? That is the spear.
The driveway up is the shaft.
And the whole entire castle is the tip, with the Lance right there.
The whole entire landscape in the castle is designed to replicate the spear in its entirety.
A number of the estates in Germany were altered by himmler.
We know that he had all sorts of occult things going on.
This has all been altered and restructured to point towards the castle.
The whole landscape is the spear.
I'm going to Wewelsburg.
We are ina quest to find the real Holy Lance because we've established that the one on display in Vienna is a fake.
An old friend high up in the templar order has pointed us to Wewelsburg castle in Germany, where Hitler may have sent the Lance.
I'm going to Wewelsburg.
Looking at an overview of the landscape there, the entire countryside was designed to look like a Lance, with the triangular-shaped castle acting as the tip of the spear.
The evidence is pretty compelling that the spear could have been sent there.
So we're on our way to the castle to find out what happened to the real Holy Lance.
We know that Heinrich himmler, who led Hitler's occult movement, redesigned Wewelsburg castle to receive artifacts from all over the world to enhance Hitler's domination of Europe.
If the spear came anywhere, it possibly remains today somewhere in Wewelsburg castle.
You know, Hitler's ss movement literally touched every single person in Europe.
The Lance really is one of the most modern artifacts that we've searched for.
Philipps: You know there was actually a concentration camp near the castle here somewhere on these grounds around it.
It held about 3,000 people.
And I had family members who died in concentration camps, so it's very personal and very fresh.
Really makes these landscapes take a dark turn.
I have to be honest that it's going to be a little uncomfortable to be in this castle.
There it is, guys.
Look at that.
Cowie: Now, think of what's happened here.
We're talking about the Holy Lance, one of the darkest artifacts in the history of mankind, possibly in this very castle.
Let's go find it.
Man: Oh, wow.
Is this it? Cowie: This is it, guys.
Here's the original 17th-century castle right behind us.
All this here was rebuilt by himmler.
Look how he's done it-- The perfect triangle.
Let's get right there to the tip.
Come on.
You know, it's crazy to think that this whole courtyard may have been designed to replicate that spear.
We've arranged to speak to the director of the castle, who should have extensive knowledge of the castle's history.
Hopefully she's able and willing to give us information regarding the castle's role in world war ii and any ties to the Holy Lance.
Himmler wanted to have special artifacts here in this castle.
And so they traveled to South America and India and also northern Europe, and they had a very, very big collection of those artifacts.
We know Hitler was obsessed with the spear of destiny.
I think this is clear.
There is no problem about this.
Did the Holy Lance come here? You have connections to the Holy Lance.
Of course you have.
But I have no evidence for that here, so no proof.
But the legend is that there should have been a replica here in Wewelsburg, a replica of the Holy Lance.
Kirsten turned us on to something very significant-- A legend of a duplicate spear here in Wewelsburg.
That's the first potential confirmation of my theory that a duplicate spear may have been created.
But we still need to find out what happened to the real spear.
Philipps: Wow, this place gets spookier by the minute, huh? How cold it is in here.
Look at this.
These are cells.
There's these hooks all over the walls.
That's just horrible.
Let's go.
I'm happy to leave this place.
As horrible as these dungeons are, anything where the Lance was used would be far worse.
We're heading deeper into the castle to its base, the focal point of this whole area.
And it's unnerving to think what must be waiting for us there.
Wow.
This is a really, really powerful building that activates every single one of the five senses.
Ss commanders would have sat around these stations and focused inward on whatever the hell happened here.
[ Stomp echoing .]
What is this place? Can you imagine the experience that would be created within you if there was 12 people around here, all repeating the same words, chanting the same thing, completely absorbed in the beliefs and rituals of the actual leaders of the ss? It was a conversion room.
Philipps: If you were going to brainwash people, this would be the place to do it.
The spear may have been the focal point of all of these rituals.
Remember the design of the castle-- Like a triangle.
Right.
The whole castle geometry is allegorical to the Lance itself.
If the spear was taken to this castle, this is the only place it would have been installed.
When we look closer at this room, you can see, although there's seats here now at the 12 stations, look at the adjustments that have been made in the wall.
These bricks have been set in here, and there's modern cement right here.
See the gaps in between? It's like the whole room has been designed to receive the artifacts that Kirsten told us about.
These could have been shrines.
There could have been alcoves in these walls, possibly to house the artifacts that they scoured the world gathering together.
Possibly the Lance was here, but it's moved on.
Let's just think the story through.
We know Hitler took the Lance.
And we know that some years later, General Patton, from America, seized the Lance.
It was returned back to the Hofburg museum in Vienna.
Kirsten told us there was a legend about a duplicate Lance.
What if patton discovered both the original Lance and Hitler's duplicate? Consider that Hitler committed suicide only three hours after the Americans found the spear.
Why would he have killed himself if they only found a fake? What if they found the real spear, as well? That would explain why Hitler took his own life.
He would have realized the game was up.
Patton-- He knew the power of the Lance.
He believed in the power of the Lance.
Patton wasn't just interested in the Lance.
He commissioned historians to compile the history of the Lance.
He would have wanted to keep the true Lance and returned the duplicate to the Hofburg museum.
If the Americans came across the real Lance, there's no way they're gonna leave that here in Germany for the next dictator to rise.
They would have had that so quick out of Europe, it would have left dust in its trail.
The spear that pierced the Christ's side could be in America today.
And if it is, I know who we need to talk to.
Let's go.
After establishing the Holy Lance in display in Vienna is a fake, we tracked the Lance to Wewelsburg castle in Germany, where we learned of a legend of a duplicate spear here in Wewelsburg, which could help explain the existence of the fake in Vienna.
I believe General Patton may have found both Spears and took them from the Nazis and returned the fake to the museum in Vienna, keeping the real Lance in American possession.
The spear that pierced the Christ's side could be in America today.
Let's go.
If patton got both lances, he would have been compelled to turn them over to his immediate superior, general Dwight d.
Eisenhower.
Historically, it's known that, despite significant protests at home and abroad, eisenhower ordered that recovered Nazi plunder be shipped in a convoy to Washington, D.
C.
, where the items were put on display before being returned to the rightful owners, the perfect cover to send both lances back to the U.
S.
, where they would be safe and could be tested to determine which one was real before returning the fake to Austria.
I have a contact in Washington high up in the U.
S.
military with top-secret clearance.
Hopefully he can shed some light as to what would have happened to the real spear.
He's agreed to meet, but only if we keep his identity a secret.
Thanks a lot for coming.
I'll keep this brief.
I started a quest looking for a very specific relic known as the Holy Lance.
I found out Hitler may have commissioned a duplicate of this artifact.
We do know that the Lance, whether supernatural or not, has military application.
When Germany fell, General Patton seized the Lance, possibly even the duplicate.
Where did the American military take such an important artifact? So, let's assume for a moment the Lance is in mainland America.
Where could it be? You're talking about the area 51.
I'm gonna go to area 51, perfect place for taking the spear.
Many believe that area 51 was constructed to house recovered alien technology.
However, it may also have been constructed to house and study the Lance.
It was a top-secret location built in the years immediately following world war ii.
And look at this.
Part of the facility looks like a spear, just like in Wewelsburg.
And if that weren't enough, the man who commissioned its construction was the man who may have had the spear The man who, after the war, became the next president of the United States Dwight d.
Eisenhower.
Everything has led us here.
You know, Kinga, here we are at the gates of area 51, possibly the doorstep of the Holy Lance.
And it might just be right there.
We've been in Austria, Germany, Washington, now here at the most protected military base in mainland America.
It's incredible.
But we just aren't getting any closer.
I don't want to get arrested or shot today.
Philipps: Yeah, I'd prefer not to disappear.
It's quite a thought, isn't it, if the Lance came into the possession of the American army? Consider what's happened since the '40s.
Breakthroughs in atomic sciences-- We've split the atom, dropped bombs in Nagasaki, Hiroshima.
America's become a superpower.
All the way back through time, everybody who had the Lance became a superpower.
Whether you believe in the supernatural powers or not, that happened, and we might be right on the doorstep to the Lance.
It could be right there in area 51.
It's been said, "with great power comes great responsibility.
" The Holy Lance is one of the most powerful artifacts in all of history.
America might possess it today there in area 51.
Regardless of who has the Lance, the question remains-- How will it be used? It's a weapon, the driving force in a long chain of violence.
Can that chain be broken? I hope so.
When Spanish commander Francisco Pizarro landed in Peru to conquer the country, he was looking for more than mere victory.
He was looking for the Incans' most prized possession-- a disc of gold said to control earthquakes, heal the sick, and even stop time-- A priceless treasure so powerful, its whereabouts are still whispered about across South America-- An artifact known as the Golden Sun Disc.
According to legend, the Sun Disc was a gift from the Incan creator God Viracocha.
It was said to be 3 feet wide and spun from an extremely rare translucent gold.
The Incans centered their entire culture on the disc and kept it in their capital city of Cuzco, Peru, inside the Coricancha temple.
The temple was oriented to the northwest, the Incans' sacred alignment, allowing the disc to be hit with the sun's rays and receive its power for the maximum amount of time.
The Incans believed the disc had the ability to heal.
Even the most serious wounds or illnesses could be wiped clean by its power.
But its most awesome power was the ability to create and direct earthquakes.
In 1532, Spanish conquistadors invaded Peru, seeking conquest and gold.
Eventually, they made their way to Cuzco, where they sank the city and destroyed the Coricancha temple.
The Sun Disc vanished.
Many believe the spaniards seized the Sun Disc and melted it down.
However, it's well known that the Spanish kept meticulous records of their acquisitions, and there is no mention of a 3-foot disc of gold.
Could it be that the Spanish never got their hands on the disc? If so, it could still be out there, waiting to be found, and I think I know where to begin looking.
Guys, here we are in Peru, in Cuzco.
And we're searching for the Golden Sun Disc, which is a hugely important artifact to the ancient Incan tribes.
This church was built on the site of the Coricancha temple, where the Incans kept the Sun Disc.
And that's the first clue.
We know the Coricancha temple was destroyed in the mid-16th century.
In the late 16th century, a few years after this, Cuzco's chief Pachacuti created a diagram that symbolized the temple.
But the Incans are notorious for hiding codes and hidden messages in their artwork.
And I believe it also contains a map to the whereabouts of the Sun Disc.
The Northwestern side of the diagram is dedicated to the Sun Disc.
What if the Incans, to protect the disc, took it to the northwest, following the sacred alignment that gives the disc its power? The first significant place northwest of the Coricancha temple-- The hilltop stone fortress of Sacsayhuaman.
It would be the logical place to protect the disc when the Spanish came.
It was the Incans' great fortress, easily defended, on the Northwestern alignment and in the hills, closer to the creator God.
Cowie: So we're gonna go and see if we can find a clue, a symbol, a piece of history, or something to tell us where the Sun Disc might be today.
If I've decoded this map correctly, we could be hot on the trail of the Golden Sun Disc.
I'm in the trail of the legendary Incan Golden Sun Disc, said to be kept here, in the city of Cuzco, until the 16th century.
Following what I believe to be a coded map, I'm headed northwest of the city to look for clues at the massive fortress of Sacsayhuaman.
Here we are, guys-- Sacsayhuaman.
Keep your eyes peeled for anything curious, anything relating to the disc or anything we know about it.
It's not gonna be under our nose, but just keep your eyes nice and open.
And remember, not just in the rocks-- Around the greater landscape.
Let's go.
This place is a marvel.
This was a fortress with a commanding view.
But there are signs it was much more.
Everything faces the northwest-- The sacred alignment.
High up, close to the gods, this was the site of a sun temple.
I'm not seeing anything that relates to the Sun Disc.
I need to find out a bit more about this site.
So Kinga's arranged for me to meet a leading authority on the Incas in this region, Sylvia Robeles.
Sylvia, so the Sun Disc was at Coricancha and possibly moved to here.
Now, is there any temple here relating to the sun? [ Speaking Spanish .]
[ Speaking Spanish .]
She's saying that it was known to have started in Coricancha and then later brought here.
This was the main hub of Incan civilization that revolved around the solar disc.
So, the Sun Disc was moved from the Coricancha temple here to Sacsayhuaman.
But where did it go? I've explored around here, and I've found that most of the alignments here point to the northwest, which is a very, very important alignment for calendars, festivals, and rituals, especially related to the sun.
Does the northwest have something to do with the Sun Disc? [ Speaking Spanish .]
So, she said, upon the arrival of the spaniards, that all the Incans fled.
The Incan leader, Manco Inca, was said to have started here and worked his way to the northwest to Vilcabamba.
So, the chance is that, if the Sun Disc was here, it's been taken to the northwest to the most sacred site on the alignments, on the horizon.
SÃ.
Thank you.
De nada.
Thank you.
Kinga.
Sylvia told me that, at that time when the Sun Disc disappeared, Manco Inca, the leader of the Incan people, he came here and led his people to the northwest for safety.
Now, what if Manco Inca came here not only to lead his people to safety but to seize the most valuable artifact in Incan culture? What if he came here and took the disc to the northwest with his people? We've got to go to Vilcabamba.
My theory fits right in with that 17th-century map, which points us to the northwest.
We'll follow the path Manco Inca would have taken, northwest to the jungles of Vilcabamba, where Sylvia Robeles says he took the Sun Disc to hide it from the conquistadors.
The only problem will be getting there.
We're headed to an even higher elevation, deeper into the Peruvian rain forest.
Cowie: Well, guys, we're on the trail of Manco Inca.
This is absolutely treacherous.
You know, we've got mudslides coming in to the right.
You know, maybe 1,000 foot down there to the river below.
And I thought the highways of Scotland were crazy, but this is just unreal.
Have you ever seen anything like this before, guys? Now, guys, remember that we're at 11,000 feet here, so you might experience some altitude sickness, and that can be anything from a headache to disastrous stomach problems.
If you need anything, let me know, but those are the most important things.
Just drink a lot of water.
Hours into the jungle, we've hit a road block.
The only road is washed out by a landslide.
Wow, look at that.
We need to find some other way to get across this gorge.
Looks like we're gonna have to take the high road.
So we convince a local construction crew to allow us to use a cable system set up to move their equipment.
The downside-- We're 500 feet above a charging black river.
All right, Jeremy.
Ohhhh! [ Laughs .]
It's gonna take more than a 500-foot drop to stop me from finding that golden disc.
Following the clues from an Incan diagram, our quest for the Golden Sun Disc has led us from the city of Cuzco into the jungles of Peru.
However, the Mountain pass has been completely washed away, and the only chance to continue is across a 1-inch-thick cable stretched over a chasm, 500 feet in the air.
Ohhhh! [ Laughs .]
All right, guys.
Thank you.
Once the entire team is safely across Thank you.
Gracias.
Kinga lines up some transport, and we're on our way to Vilcabamba, where we're scheduled to meet with the archaeologist responsible for everything in the region.
Hopefully he's still waiting for us.
Clearly we're gonna be a little late.
Philipps: His name is julio Alvarez, and he's an archaeologist who's in charge of this entire area.
If anyone's gonna be able to give us great information, it's gonna be that guy.
We are very, very lucky that we got him.
After two more hours following the river deeper into the mountains, the road ends at a tiny village, where, thankfully, our contact is still waiting to meet with us.
Julio Alvarez? SÃ.
Kinga.
Ashley.
Pleased to meet you.
So, we're tracking the Sun Disc of the Incas.
I believe Manco Inca may have taken it here when he fled from Cuzco.
Do you know anything about Manco Inca in this area? SÃ.
[ Speaking Spanish .]
Yeah, he said that Manco Inca did travel from Cuzco here.
There's a trail that takes us about 15, 20 minutes from here.
There's a white stone area, which was one of the very last remains of Incan civilization up top.
Is it a temple? [ Speaking Spanish .]
The white stone area was the place where Manco Inca went to consult the oracle.
It's an oracle.
That gives an idea of some sort of connection to the heavens, just the sort of thing we're looking for.
So we need to go and see this stone.
Guys, we move now.
White stone.
Julio says white stone is an oracle.
Remember the diagram? The rainbow in Incan symbology represents communication with the sun gods-- An oracle's very function.
We hike higher into the mountains.
And then we arrive at white stone.
We know this is the place Manco Inca stopped on the run from the conquistadors.
White stone was where he'd consult with the gods for help.
And when I look closer, I realize that we could be looking at another map.
Gonna try and read this.
What is that, Ash-- Look-- Cut into the stone? This could be a central meridian.
It looks pretty manmade to me.
Nature doesn't make straight lines.
It points to the northwest, the same direction as everything on Pachacuti's diagram, the same direction as everything on this search so far.
Need to stand back there and try and read this.
Here we go.
Look at this, Kinga.
Standing back here, coming back from it, look at the shape of the rock.
Like a Mountain.
That could be telling us the Sun Disc is at the peak of a Mountain to the northwest.
That there-- Listen River.
Could be the river coming from Mountain.
We've got to get to the top of a Mountain.
We've got to follow a river up.
So it's a map to where they would have kept their most prized possession.
Absolutely.
The Sun Disc is at the top of the highest hill in the environment, the closest place to the heavens.
This is literally a huge arrow pointing towards the disc.
We've got to get to the top of that Mountain.
Julio.
[ Speaking Spanish .]
[ Speaking Spanish .]
He said there's an area which is the highest point, called Inca Wasi, closest to the sun.
It is perfect.
That's what we're looking for.
Everything there tells me to follow the river to the highest Mountain in the area.
So, guys, we need to get up to Inca Wasi.
We're going climbing.
Philipps: You like your horse? I love it.
Bond with him.
He'll be carrying you a long way.
Everything keeps pointing us to the northwest, which makes sense.
According to the diagram, we're looking for a place close to the heavens, where the sun and stars commingle, the highest point in the landscape.
Inca Wasi certainly seems to fit the bill.
But it's going to take nearly two days to hike there.
So we're spending the night here at the base.
That's like a village.
Let's do it, guys.
After a cold, wet night, we wake at dawn to tackle the daunting hike to the summit, to the most remote site in the Incan empire.
Looking at the river, just like in the map.
And look.
It leads up the Mountain, just like the rock at white stone.
The clues are all adding up.
We need to get up to Inca Wasi.
Every treacherous step could be leading us closer to the elusive Sun Disc.
When it's too steep for the horses, we lead them.
I'm starting to see why the Incans may have taken their most revered artifact to this remote place.
Eventually, the terrain gets so treacherous, we have to go the rest of the way on foot.
We keep climbing Until there are no mountains above us.
And then we're there-- Inca Wasi.
We're on the trail of the Incan Golden Sun Disc.
We've followed the clues all the way from Cuzco to here, Inca Wasi, the highest point in the Peruvian mountains, where I think the Sun Disc was taken to hide it from the pillaging Spanish conquistadors.
Can you imagine coming up to build this? We're here on a relatively unknown Mountain at 14,000 feet high, at an amazing building, an observatory, another sun temple, at the highest point in landscape in the Incan civilization.
But why would they build something all the way up here? The answer-- What better place to hide their greatest treasure from the spaniards? Near impossible to reach, yet closer to the source of its power and creator than ever before.
Kinga, let's just split up.
You find any hollows, chambers, shallows-- That's what we're looking for.
You got it.
I'll go this way.
All right.
And this building where we're standing, it's aligned facing the northwest, just like the Coricancha temple from where the Sun Disc came and Sacsayhuaman after that.
And look at the shape of the diagram we've been following.
It looks remarkably similar to the shape of the structure here.
The similarity can't be ignored.
Everything's adding up.
I really think we're in the right place.
And at the center of the temple, I find something really interesting.
Look here.
Kind of a depression.
This sinkhole is a sign that the floor of this chamber has caved in over the years, meaning there was a chamber below it at some point in the past.
And, indeed, the diagram I've decoded shows a storage area here.
A perfect hiding place.
You know, this s sinking down.
Yeah.
Look, it's really hollow.
Yeah.
It is hollow.
Look how far down it goes.
Can you see? Yeah.
I mean, how deep can it possibly be? This could go on who knows how deep.
This is futile.
Do you know the disc could be right below our feet? This could have been 100 feet deep.
The site is protected, so we just can't dig.
But I think there's every chance that the disc could be buried right beneath our feet.
I mean, chances are, when the spaniards eventually run them out, they could well have installed it in a chamber underneath this very room-- There.
Getting to Inca Wasi was the most difficult challenge we've faced so far.
It seems likely that was by design.
The Incans were trying to hide and protect their greatest treasure.
What better place than somewhere so hard to reach? I think there's every chance we found the Sun Disc's last resting place.
But the protected location means I'm unable to dig down into the ground to test my theory.
Gaining permission will take a long time, but I'm hoping to return one day to excavate this site.
Maybe then the Sun Disc will shine again for the people of Peru.