Episode 3: Cities of the Sky

Premiere date: November 13, 2018
Discover the cosmological secrets behind America’s ancient cities. Scientists explore some of the world’s largest pyramids and 3D-scan a lost city of monumental mounds on the Mississippi River; native elders reveal ancient powers of the sky.
 

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Full Episode
Discover the cosmological secrets behind America’s ancient cities.
Full Length 53m 31s
Inca Huacas
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Inca Huacas
2m 32s
Harvard Archaeologist and Quechua shaman demonstrate historical and contemporary spiritual importance of Incan Huacas.
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Cahokia’s Celestial Calendar (Woodhenge)
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Cahokia’s Celestial Calendar (Woodhenge)
2m 13s
Archaeologist Timothy Pauketet and his team work to uncover remains of a celestial calendar at Cahokia.
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Inca Origins
Full Length
Inca Origins
1m 31s
The Qorikancha is closely associated with the Inca origin story. Located at the center of Inca Cuzco, Peru, it is the prim
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Episode 3 Preview | Cities of the Sky
Preview
Episode 3 Preview | Cities of the Sky
30s
Discover the cosmological secrets behind America’s ancient cities. Scientists explore some of the world’s largest pyramids
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Lidar Mapping
Clip
Lidar Mapping
2m 23s
Cahokia researchers uses new LiDAR technology to map the layout of this ancient city.
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The Teotihuacan Fire Ceremony
Full Length
The Teotihuacan Fire Ceremony
1m 47s
At the beginning of time when all was in darkness, the gods gathered in Teotihuacan. Around a great fire they made sacrifi
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The Governor’s Palace
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The Governor’s Palace
3m 7s
Art historian Mary Miller uncovers why this magnificent structure is built at an angle to the rest of the city.
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A Gift of Corn to the Choctaw
Full Length
A Gift of Corn to the Choctaw
1m 17s
Across the eastern United States and Canada there are over 10,000 sacred mounds. Choctaw traditions link their mounds with
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Mound 72
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Mound 72
2m 29s
Archaeologists investigate Cahokian human sacrifice.
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Cities of the Sky
Full Length
Cities of the Sky
53m 31s
Discover the cosmological secrets behind America’s ancient cities. Scientists explore some of the world’s largest pyramids
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Watch Extended Interviews from the Episode

Extended Interview: Ian Thompson on the Trail of Tears
Choctaw scholar Ian Thompson reflects on the bitter chapter of history commonly called the Trail of Tears. From a deeply personal perspective he recounts one of US history’s most notorious injustices against Native peoples who were actually allies of the US.
Clip 4m 28s
Extended Interview: Ian Thompson on the Trail of Tears
Clip
Extended Interview: Ian Thompson on the Trail of Tears
4m 28s
Choctaw scholar Ian Thompson reflects on the bitter chapter of history commonly called the Trail of Tears. From a deeply p
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Extended Interview: Religion at Teotihuacan
Clip
Extended Interview: Religion at Teotihuacan
2m 38s
Harvard professor of Religion David Carrasco speaks on religion in general and Teotihuacan in particular. He finds common
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Extended Interview: Ian Thompson on Ancient Earthen Mounds
Clip
Extended Interview: Ian Thompson on Ancient Earthen Mounds
3m 35s
Choctaw scholar Ian Thompson reflects on the ancient American tradition of earthen mounds and mound cultures. They are an
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Photo Gallery

Teotihuacan's Pyramid of the Sun, one of the largest anywhere on earth, covers an area of two football fields - larger than the base at the Great Pyramid in Egypt.
Teotihuacan's Pyramid of the Sun, one of the largest anywhere on earth, covers an area of two football fields - larger than the base at the Great Pyramid in Egypt. | Credit: Providence Pictures
Tenoned heads line the staircase of the Pyramid of the Feathered Serpent, where, deep inside, Sergio Gomez is excavating a new discovery.
Tenoned heads line the staircase of the Pyramid of the Feathered Serpent, where, deep inside, Sergio Gomez is excavating a new discovery. | Credit: Providence Pictures
Archaeologist Nawa Sugiyama directs excavations at the site of Teotihuacan, Mexico.
Archaeologist Nawa Sugiyama directs excavations at the site of Teotihuacan, Mexico. | Credit: Providence Pictures
The sprawling metropolis of Teotihuacan, which thrived as a cosmopolitan city 1500 years ago.
The sprawling metropolis of Teotihuacan, which thrived as a cosmopolitan city 1500 years ago. | Credit: Providence Pictures
Meet Les Williston from Choctaw Nation, Oklahoma. He’s at the site of the Choctaw creation in Nanih Waiya, Mississippi. He's a Faithkeeper and Medicine Man but his official title is Cultural Specialist.
Meet Les Williston from Choctaw Nation, Oklahoma. He’s at the site of the Choctaw creation in Nanih Waiya, Mississippi. He's a Faithkeeper and Medicine Man but his official title is Cultural Specialist. | Credit: Providence Pictures
Archaeologists Tim Pauketat and Kristin Hedman arrive in front of Cahokia's Mound 72 and lay out a map of the burials found within.
Archaeologists Tim Pauketat and Kristin Hedman arrive in front of Cahokia's Mound 72 and lay out a map of the burials found within. | Credit: Providence Pictures
Archaeologists Sarah Baires and Melissa Baltus discover celestial alignments at Cahokia, a Native American city outside St Louis, larger than London at its time.
Archaeologists Sarah Baires and Melissa Baltus discover celestial alignments at Cahokia, a Native American city outside St Louis, larger than London at its time. | Credit: Providence Pictures

More About This Episode

These diverse centers are connected by incredible revelations outside present-day St. Louis, Missouri. Ten thousand people came there to build massive earthwork pyramids into a city now known as Cahokia. The reasons behind its emergence have remained a mystery — but new evidence, including shocking discoveries of human sacrifice, are now leading scientists to look to the sky.

Research suggests these ancient urban centers are more than just great feats of engineering and artistry. They are heavenly cities — aligned to, inspired by, and synchronized with the movement of the sun, moon and stars. It is the same story told today by the Choctaw, native descendants of other mound-building cultures who still consider sky worship central to ceremonies performed at their ancestral mound.

These deeply held beliefs are expressed in the design of cities across the Americas, from the Mississippi to Mexico and Peru. All of it points to a role in celestial signs in the rise and fall of cities across two continents. The story is part of a narrative of native knowledge and astronomy that points to the incredible sophistication and shared beliefs of Native America.

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