1 00:00:00,640 --> 00:00:06,000 In 1908, President Teddy Roosevelt wanted to declare the Grand Canyon off-limits to all timber 2 00:00:06,000 --> 00:00:10,720 and mining operations. It would take another 11 years for Congress to designate the Grand Canyon 3 00:00:10,720 --> 00:00:16,880 a national park. Sensing a final opportunity for adventure, explorer G.E. Kincaid took a boat down 4 00:00:16,880 --> 00:00:21,760 the Colorado River and through the Grand Canyon. The canyon was rich in minerals like gold, silver, 5 00:00:21,760 --> 00:00:26,480 and copper, and Kincaid wanted to see what he could find before the area was closed off for good. 6 00:00:26,480 --> 00:00:32,080 About 40 miles upriver from the El Tovar Crystal Canyon, Kincaid saw stains in the sediment 7 00:00:32,080 --> 00:00:37,760 formation about 2,000 feet up. He tied off the boat and got out to investigate. Kincaid couldn't find a 8 00:00:37,760 --> 00:00:43,600 trail, but after a short hike he found something interesting covered in desert brush. Steps, 9 00:00:43,600 --> 00:00:49,040 hundreds of them, carved in sandstone. Steps that wound their way up to a high shelf on the side of 10 00:00:49,040 --> 00:00:53,840 the canyon. He followed the steps until he came across a cavern entrance, an entrance that was 11 00:00:53,840 --> 00:00:59,680 clearly man-made. Kincaid entered the cavern and turned on his flashlight. On the walls he saw 12 00:00:59,680 --> 00:01:05,200 writing, but it wasn't English or Native American writing. It was ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics. 13 00:01:05,200 --> 00:01:10,480 Kincaid lifted his flashlight and saw that the tunnel ran far into the distance. He didn't realize 14 00:01:10,480 --> 00:01:15,520 it at the time, but this was only the beginning. When G.E. Kincaid tied off his small wooden boat to 15 00:01:15,520 --> 00:01:20,560 investigate the strange coloration of the rock wall, he was hoping to find clues that would lead him to a 16 00:01:20,560 --> 00:01:26,240 mineral deposit. He wasn't expecting to find hieroglyphics. When Kincaid noticed chisel marks in the walls, 17 00:01:26,240 --> 00:01:32,240 he drew his pistol, turned on another light, and slowly walked deeper into the gloom. He kept detailed 18 00:01:32,240 --> 00:01:38,160 notes of everything he saw. The main passageway is about 12 feet wide. Now we're into 9 feet toward the 19 00:01:38,160 --> 00:01:44,640 farther end. About 57 feet from the entrance, the first side passages branch off to the right and left, 20 00:01:44,640 --> 00:01:50,000 along which on both sides are a number of rooms about the size of ordinary living rooms of today, 21 00:01:50,000 --> 00:01:55,840 though some are 30 by 40 feet square. These are entered by oval-shaped doors and are ventilated 22 00:01:55,840 --> 00:02:01,680 by round air spaces through the walls into the passages. The walls are about 3 feet 6 inches in 23 00:02:01,680 --> 00:02:07,520 thickness. The passages are chiseled or hewn as straight as could be laid out by an engineer. 24 00:02:07,520 --> 00:02:14,000 The ceilings of many of the rooms converge to a center. The side passages near the entrance run at a sharp 25 00:02:14,000 --> 00:02:19,200 angle from the main hall, but toward the rear they gradually reach a right angle in direction. 26 00:02:19,200 --> 00:02:25,360 G.E. Kincaid now realized he was in a huge complex. He estimated that as many as 50,000 people could 27 00:02:25,360 --> 00:02:30,880 have lived here. In some rooms he found granaries with shelves of glazed pottery, many of which still 28 00:02:30,880 --> 00:02:36,960 contained seeds. He found cooking areas and a huge dining hall. The rooms were full of ancient artifacts. 29 00:02:36,960 --> 00:02:42,240 Kincaid carefully wrapped a few small metal and ceramic objects for later study. Another large room 30 00:02:42,240 --> 00:02:47,360 Kincaid described as an area for metal work, a technology that should not have existed in this 31 00:02:47,360 --> 00:02:53,440 area. Here are found tools of all descriptions made of copper. These people undoubtedly knew the 32 00:02:53,440 --> 00:02:59,120 lost art of hardening this metal, which has been sought by chemicals for centuries without result. 33 00:02:59,120 --> 00:03:03,840 On a bench running around the workroom was some charcoal and other material probably used in the 34 00:03:03,840 --> 00:03:10,160 process. There's also slag and stuff similar to map, showing that these ancients smelted ores, 35 00:03:10,160 --> 00:03:15,920 but so far no trace of where or how this was done has been discovered, nor the origin of the war. 36 00:03:15,920 --> 00:03:21,680 G.E. Kincaid explored the underground complex for several hours, still having no idea when this place 37 00:03:21,680 --> 00:03:27,120 was used, what it was used for, or who the builders were. Then he came across another large room, 38 00:03:27,120 --> 00:03:34,240 a crypt. The crypt had shelf upon shelf and row upon row of mummies, dozens of them. At this point, 39 00:03:34,240 --> 00:03:39,920 G.E. Kincaid realized that, if he was going to explore this entire underground city, he was going 40 00:03:39,920 --> 00:03:45,920 to need help. G.E. Kincaid sent a few artifacts to the Smithsonian along with his notes of what he found. 41 00:03:45,920 --> 00:03:51,120 He requested financial and logistical support for what he felt was the most significant archaeological 42 00:03:51,120 --> 00:03:57,520 discovery ever made. The Smithsonian agreed. A few weeks later, Professor S.A. Jordan arrived with a team 43 00:03:57,520 --> 00:04:04,000 of about 40 scientists, researchers, and laborers to excavate and explore the ancient underground city. 44 00:04:04,000 --> 00:04:09,760 Now with more lights and manpower, the scientists realized that the cave system layout wasn't random. 45 00:04:09,760 --> 00:04:15,520 It was a symmetrical, deliberate design. The tunnels all led to a central chamber. In the chamber was a 46 00:04:15,520 --> 00:04:21,280 large statue of what Kincaid thought looked like Buddha. Over a hundred feet from the entrance is the 47 00:04:21,280 --> 00:04:27,600 cross hall, several hundred feet long, in which are found the idol, or image, of the people's god, 48 00:04:27,600 --> 00:04:33,520 sitting cross-legged with a lotus flower or lily in each hand. The cast of this face is oriental, 49 00:04:33,520 --> 00:04:39,600 and the carving this cavern. The idol almost resembles Buddha, though the scientists are not certain as to 50 00:04:39,600 --> 00:04:45,360 what religious worship it represents. Taking into consideration everything found thus far, 51 00:04:45,360 --> 00:04:49,520 it is possible that this worship most resembles the ancient people of Tibet. 52 00:04:50,400 --> 00:04:55,360 Because of this discovery, Kincaid's team started calling the complex the Citadel. The crypt is one 53 00:04:55,360 --> 00:05:00,640 of the bigger rooms discovered. Now with enough light, Kincaid was able to fully describe what he saw. 54 00:05:00,640 --> 00:05:07,840 The walls slant back at an angle of about 35 degrees. On these are tiers of moneys, each one occupying a 55 00:05:07,840 --> 00:05:13,840 separate hewn shelf. At the head of each is a small bench, on which is found copper cups and pieces of 56 00:05:13,840 --> 00:05:20,240 broken swords. Some of the mummies are covered with clay, and all are wrapped in a bark fabric. The urns, 57 00:05:20,240 --> 00:05:26,240 or cups, on the lower tiers are crude, while as the higher shelves are reached, the urns are finer in 58 00:05:26,240 --> 00:05:32,720 design, showing a later stage of civilization. It is worthy of note that all the mummies examined so 59 00:05:32,720 --> 00:05:38,960 far have proved to be male, no children or females being buried here. This leads to the belief that this 60 00:05:38,960 --> 00:05:45,280 exterior section was the warrior's barracks. Kincaid, Jordan and the Smithsonian team explored the entire cave 61 00:05:45,280 --> 00:05:50,960 complex. They were overwhelmed with evidence that this was not some far away temple occupied by a few 62 00:05:50,960 --> 00:05:57,440 priests. This was a huge city lived in by thousands of men, women and children for hundreds or possibly 63 00:05:57,440 --> 00:05:58,960 thousands of years.