Quest for the Lost Civilization Season 1 Episode 1 Heaven's Mirror

In the first episode of Quest for the Lost Civilization season 1, titled "Heaven's Mirror," host Graham Hancock takes viewers on a fascinating journey to explore the mysteries of the ancient civilization of the Andes Mountains.

Hancock begins by explaining that the Andes were home to one of the most impressive and enigmatic societies in the pre-Columbian world: the Incas. With their mastery of engineering, architecture, and agriculture, the Incas were able to build an empire that spanned thousands of miles and lasted for centuries.

However, Hancock believes that the Incas were not the only advanced civilization to call the Andes home. He sets out on a mission to uncover evidence of an even older civilization that may have laid the groundwork for the Inca's success.

The episode starts with Hancock visiting Lake Titicaca, a massive body of water located on the border of Peru and Bolivia. He is there to explore the ruins of the ancient city of Tiwanaku, which he believes may have been the capital of a lost civilization that pre-dated the Incas by thousands of years.

As Hancock wanders through the ruins, he points out the distinctive features that set Tiwanaku apart from other ancient Andean settlements. The site features enormous blocks of stone (some weighing up to 100 tons) that were transported from miles away, intricate carvings and bas-reliefs that depict mythological creatures and gods, and monumental gateways that were once adorned with gold.

Hancock also notes that Tiwanaku was built using a unique construction technique known as "cyclopean masonry," which involves fitting massive stone blocks together without the use of mortar. He suggests that this method was likely developed by a civilization with even greater engineering skills than the Inca, and that it may hold clues to the lost civilization he is searching for.

The next stop on Hancock's quest is the Nasca desert, located hundreds of miles south of Tiwanaku. Here, he visits the famous Nasca Lines, a series of enormous geometric designs etched into the desert floor. The lines are so vast that they can only be fully appreciated from the air, and Hancock boards a small plane to view them from above.

As the plane circles above the Lines, Hancock marvels at their precision and complexity. The designs range from simple geometric shapes to elaborate images of animals and humans, and their sheer size boggles the mind (some are over 600 feet long). Hancock suggests that the Lines may have been created as a kind of celestial map, helping the ancient Nasca people chart the movements of the stars and planets.

Hancock's final stop on his journey is the city of Cusco, the former capital of the Inca empire. Here, he visits the massive stone fortress of Sacsayhuaman, which was built by the Inca using the same cyclopean masonry technique employed by Tiwanaku.

As he explores the ruins of Sacsayhuaman, Hancock uncovers evidence that suggests that the Inca may have inherited their engineering knowledge from a more ancient civilization. He points out that the walls of the fortress feature intricate carvings and corbelled arches, which are remarkably similar to those found at Tiwanaku. Additionally, he notes that there are some parts of the fortress that appear to be even older than the Inca structures, suggesting that they were built by a more ancient people.

Overall, "Heaven's Mirror" is a fascinating introduction to the world of Quest for the Lost Civilization. Through his travels to Tiwanaku, the Nasca Lines, and Sacsayhuaman, Hancock raises compelling questions about the nature of ancient civilizations and the possibility that there may have been advanced societies that have been lost to history. The episode sets the stage for future episodes of the series, in which Hancock will continue his quest to uncover the secrets of the past.