0:03
in the heart of the gelan rainforest
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lies the ancient Mayan city of tial a
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breathtaking archaeological wonder that
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once served as the economic and
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ceremonial Hub of the Maya
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civilization amidst the lush jungle
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steep Limestone pyramids Stand Tall a
0:23
testament to the masas proess as
0:27
astronomers however these magnificent
0:30
stone structures including temples and
0:32
palaces would not have been possible
0:35
without the Mastery of a vital substance
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water tall's location posed a
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significant challenge for its
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inhabitants with no nearby rivers or
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lakes the Maya had to find a way to
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collect and store enough rainwater
0:52
during the wet season to sustain their
0:55
sizable population through the aid dry
0:58
season estimates suggest that at its
1:01
peak during the 8th Century tal may have
1:04
been home to as many as 240,000
1:09
people to overcome this water scarcity
1:12
the Maya ingeniously constructed a
1:14
network of vast reservoirs at tal these
1:18
reservoirs some of which are estimated
1:21
to have held millions of liters of water
1:24
ensured the city's survival for over
1:26
1,000 years from approximately 600 BC
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until the 9th century when the ruling
1:34
Elites eventually abandoned the urban
1:37
core recent archaeological research has
1:40
shed new light on the Maya
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civilization's hydrological
1:44
achievements in 2010 the scientists
1:48
collected sediment cores from Tal's
1:50
reservoirs revealing dangerous levels of
1:53
contamination including the heavy metal
1:55
mercury and toxic algal blooms in some
1:59
Reservoir near the city's
2:01
core however one reservoir known as
2:05
corental stood out as remarkably
2:09
pristin further investigation led to the
2:11
astonishing discovery of the oldest
2:14
known water filtration system in the
2:16
Western Hemisphere the masas advanced
2:19
water purification system utilized a
2:22
volcanic mineral called zeolite which is
2:25
still widely used in water filters today
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zeolites have used unque physical and
2:30
chemical properties making them
2:32
excellent at filtering out contaminants
2:35
from heavy metals to microscopic
2:38
microbes the filtration system which
2:41
appears to have been constructed around
2:43
164 BC predates the next known use of
2:47
zeolite in water filtration by
2:50
approximately 1,800 years the Myers
2:53
method was far more effective than other
2:56
ancient filtration systems such as the
2:58
cloth filter used in ancient Greece at
3:01
removing invisible contaminants like
3:06
Lead researchers believe that the
3:08
zeolite sand was used in filters made
3:11
from woven plant leaves called Pates
3:14
which were embedded in poras
3:18
Limestone researchers believe that the
3:21
zeolite sand was used in filters made
3:24
from woven plant leaves called pakes
3:27
which were embedded in Paras limestone
3:29
walls strategically placed in the path
3:32
of water flowing into the reservoir the
3:35
filtered water provided the Maya with a
3:37
clean and Safe Drinking Supply
3:40
demonstrating their understanding of the
3:44
cleanliness while the corental reservoir
3:47
is the only location where this zeolite
3:49
based system has been found
3:51
archaeologists believe that similar
3:54
technology might have been used
3:56
elsewhere in the vast Maya world with
3:59
count less reservoirs scattered
4:01
throughout their civilization there are
4:03
likely many more hydrological Feats
4:05
waiting to be discovered the Maya
4:08
Mastery over water at tiol challenges
4:11
the notion that indigenous people of the
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Americas lacked technological progess
4:17
compared to other ancient
4:20
civilizations the remarkable
4:21
achievements of the Maya in engineering
4:24
and astronomy showcase the Brilliance of
4:27
this civilization which is a part of
4:29
central America's modern indigenous
4:33
Heritage as visitors explore the awe
4:36
inspiring structures of tal they should
4:38
take a moment to appreciate the
4:40
Ingenuity and resourcefulness of the
4:43
people who built them over a millennium
4:45
ago without the aid of modern machinery
4:50
technology the ancient engineering
4:52
marvels of tal serve as a reminder of
4:54
the resilience and intelligence of the
4:57
Maya civilization and the rich history
5:00
that continues to influence Central
5:02
America's indigenous populations to this
