Unexplained
sightings at 10,000 feet...
This was a very odd thing that
was captured.
I mean, off-the-charts dramatic.
Strange
creatures on remote cliffs...
They are
somewhere between a bird and a
person, but in a very
frightening form.
And ancient
warfare waged above the clouds.
I'm talking about a functioning
military outpost in the
mountains for an all-out w*r
between extraterrestrials.
Are mysterious
stories surrounding our highest
peaks simply tall tales?
Or is it possible that Earth's
greatest mountains have been
secretly inhabited by
alien civilizations?
They are
the closest points to the
sky and the world
that exists up there.
Which makes them the perfect
place of communication between
this world and the next.
Millions of people
around the world believe
we have been visited in the
past by extraterrestrial beings.
What if it were true?
Did ancient aliens really help
to shape our history?
And if so, might the ultimate
proof be hidden on the Earth's
most mysterious mountains?
Nepal, 2007.
Here, in a remote area of the.
Himalayan mountain range,
researchers scale a cliff
crumbling from erosion in order
to explore one of the world's
greatest archaeological
mysteries:
The sky caves of the
ancient kingdom of Mustang.
There are over 10,000 of these
man-made caves tunneled all
around the Mustang region.
Many have yet to be explored.
Entry is not only dangerous, but
nearly impossible, even with.
ROBERT SCHOCH: The caves of
Mustang are absolutely amazing
because they're in a very
fragile, friable rock.
That is, it breaks off very
easily, it's very hard to scale,
to try to get up to them.
These caves appear to be human...
carved; To be cut out by humans.
No one really knows who
carved these caves initially
because they seem to go back to
such a very, very early period.
Hidden inside,
researchers find art, artifacts,
and religious texts, dating back
to at least the 1400s...
and some much, much older.
Among the most stunning of the
discoveries is a mural composed
of 55 panels depicting scenes
from the life of the spiritual.
DEEPAK SHIMKHADA: They have
images of Buddha's... various
life scenes of the Buddha.
So, perhaps it was used
for a ritual purpose, perhaps
used as a meditation purpose.
We do not know why
particularly Buddhist deities
have been painted, uh, in
some of these, uh, caves.
NARRATOR: But how and why
did this unknown ancient
civilization scale nearly 155
feet of sheer vertical rock wall
to create these caverns
in the mountainside?
And why are the caves covered with
images of the life of Buddha?
Mankind has been drawn to
mountains for centuries.
Across ancient civilizations,
the world's highest peaks were
often viewed as sacred...
and home to all-powerful gods.
But why do so many different
cultures throughout history
share this belief that mountains
have a divine connection?
SABINA MAGLIOCCO: Mountains
have fascinated people
all over the world for thousands
and thousands of years.
They seem to be a way to ascend
to the heavens or to get as
close to the heavens as we can
here on this planet.
In many mythologies, they were
imagined as the dwelling
place of the gods.
JONATHAN YOUNG: The idea
that the mountains would be the
homes of the gods shows up in
Norse tradition, in India, in
Japan, all over.
The ruler, the god, the great
power, would want to have
the view from above.
This is transcendence, this is
getting the big picture.
So we imagine that there is a
kind of control tower or control
center up in the mountains that helps
the gods rule wisely from above.
COLLINS: They are the closest points
to the sky and the world that exists
up there, which makes them
the perfect place of
communication between
this world and the next.
The gods are said to use
them when they come down.
They are places of
otherworldly activity.
NARRATOR: Were mountains
around the world really home to
divine or perhaps
extraterrestrial beings?
Beings who used these extreme
elevations to observe and
communicate with mankind?
Many ancient astronaut
theorists say yes, and as
evidence they point to the
mountain that is most famously
associated with powerful gods of
the ancient world.
Mt. Olympus, Greece.
Rising over 9,500 feet, this
sacred mountain is the second...
tallest in the Balkan peninsula.
According to ancient myth,
it was also the chosen home of immortal
deities known as the Olympians.
RIC RADER: Mt. Olympus hides a
particularly mysterious abode
where the gods live in perfect, immortal
repose for all of their existence.
Even nowadays, clouds gather
around the top of it.
That's where it is assumed that
the abode of the gods was, up in
the clouds that you
aren't able to see.
NARRATOR: Mt. Olympus was
viewed as sacred by the ancient.
Greeks, and the city of Dion,
located at the foot of the
mountain, became a major center
of pilgrimage and religious
worship in the 5th century B.C.
DAVID WILCOCK: Dion was at the base
of Mt. Olympus and it was believed
to be a power spot.
In 4th century B.C.,
Alexander the Great came
to Dion before launching off
on his vast conquest of Asia.
There is something about this
place, something very important
related to the mountain.
The Greeks were fascinated
by Mt. Olympus, and
they believed that real people,
real gods were living up there.
When they saw lighting flashes,
storm clouds, and when there
were natural disasters, they
believed the gods were angry.
WILLIAM HENRY: The Olympians
were huge sky beings
who descended on Earth and had
a headquarters at Mt. Olympus.
They interacted with humans.
And the ancients believed that
they were real beings.
DAVID CHILDRESS: For many years,
historians believed the Greek stories
were complete myth.
But then in 1870, the German
archaeologist Heinrich
Schleimann discovered Troy.
Similarly, we have the story
of the Oracle at Delphi and the
god Apollo speaking
through the Oracle.
Archaeologists have now found
the exact spot where the Oracle
at Delphi sat.
So now we know that some of the
Greek stories are genuine.
So was it possible that the
stories of the Olympians
are also true?
HENRY: It's possible
that they were actually
extraterrestrial beings who came
here to influence humankind..
Could the myths of Ancient
Greece be true?
Was Mount Olympus home to gods
living here on planet Earth?
And if so, might those
powerful deities have been
extraterrestrials, as some ancient
astronaut theorists believe?
According to the accounts of the
Greek poet Hesiod from the
eighth century BC, the Olympians
were the children of the Titans,
another generation of gods
thought to occupy
nearby Mount Othrys.
Fed up with the oppressive rule
of the Titans, the Olympians
waged a brutal rebellion against
them, using Mount Olympus as
their base. (Horses neighing)
(people screaming)
YOUNG: The command was done
from the mountains and the
battle took place in the plains
between the mountains.
And the battle went on and on.
The Olympians prevailed finally
capturing the Titans.
GIORGIO TSOUKALOS: Whenever
we have references to Mount
Olympus, it is described to be
this magnificent palace, and
the temple walls were always
gleaming of gold, or gleaming
with silver, and a lot of little
lights that they described as
jewels, some blinking lights
and all those things.
Well, if you look at that from a
modern perspective, what if.
Mount Olympus and Mount Othrys
were basically the command posts
where the Olympian and the
Titans drew up their battle plans.
And when I say command posts I'm
talking about a functioning
military outpost in the
mountains for an all-out w*r
between extraterrestrials.
NARRATOR: Could the stories
of the w*r between the Olympians
and the Titans actually be
describing a battle between
extraterrestrial forces?
And did Mount Olympus and Mount.
Othrys serve as their
tactical military bases?
And if so, might there be other
strategic reasons why
extraterrestrials may have
chosen mountains as their point
of contact with Earth?
Ancient astronaut theorists say
the evidence can be found in a
mysterious mountain dwelling
where a prince
ascended to the stars.
NARRATOR: Hubei Province,
Central China.
Covering an area of over 100
square miles, Wudang Mountain
has long served as the sacred
center of China's oldest
surviving religion... Taoism.
This ancient religion emphasizes
living in harmony with the Tao,
the energy that is the driving
force behind everything that
exists in the universe.
Located high in the mist-covered
peaks and cliffs of Wudang
Mountain is a remarkable Taoist
complex of temples and palaces.
Some dating back to the seventh
century A.D.
This is where Taoism began.
And this mountain is still
revered today.
Very sacred mountain.
Many pilgrims go there to
experience some of these temples.
Some that are devoted
to Taoist philosophy,
others to martial arts.
The most famous temple of all
is called the Nanyan Temple.
All the features in this
temple are built right into
the side of a mountain.
And it's considered one of the most
important temples in all of China.
NARRATOR: According to accounts
from the Song Dynasty,
it was here that the Taoist
hero Zhenwu abandoned his role
as a prince to seek spiritual
enlightenment in the Wudang.
Mountains in the 27th Century BC.
The stories of Zhenwu describe
him as possessing many magical
abilities, including the power
to summon thunder and lightning.
Zhenwu translates as, uh,
"the perfected warrior."
And he was particularly
solicited for his exorcistic
healing powers and also for
protecting the nation.
He was a very, powerful
protective deity.
Perhaps the most
famous account of Zhenwu's
incredible abilities is believed
to have taken place on the very
location of the Nanyan Temple itself.
The Nanyan Temple
has a very peculiar site.
It's marked by a 2.9-meter
horizontal pillar or beam that
extends over a very deep
ravine right below it.
And at the end of this pillar or
beam, you have an incense burner
that has been placed where the
heads of two dragons meet.
It's believed that this pillar
marks the spot where Zhenwu
first fathomed the
cosmic truths of Taoism.
And upon fathoming these truths,
he straddled two dragons, and
ascended up to the skies.
Zhenwu flew upward.
He flew onto his reward, to
transcendence itself, and
became one with heaven.
And this gives a sense of the
connection between the divine
and the mountains.
So it is considered a central
shrine in the Taoist tradition,
a place of great holiness.
It is also spectacularly beautiful.
I find the story
of Zhenwu interesting because
we have another example of
somebody having disappeared into
the sky when he left.
He took off back into the sky
to to return to the stars.
Now what does that mean,
riding on a dragon?
Because dragons as we think
of them today never existed.
They were misunderstood technology,
misunderstood machines.
So you have to
wonder if this dragon that they
were describing isn't really
some kind of spaceship?
If Zhenwu was using the Wudang
Mountain and the cliff face that
was so inaccessible as his
launching pad to make his
journeys, the people down below
would look up and they would see
this fiery dragon and lights in
the sky and a roar of flame and
thunder and to them it was a dragon.
People were so blown
away by this that it not only
becomes legend, it becomes
religion, and it becomes
the center piece of faith.
When we see the Nanyan Temple,
we're seeing some sort of
physical artifact left behind to
support the notion that Zhenwu
was able to reach the top of
this mountain and then head
directly into the heavens.
A very real report of
extraterrestrial and human
interaction which was then documented
with the construction of this temple.
Was Zhenwu an extraterrestrial?
Did he use the Wudang Mountain
as a launching site for his
return to the stars?
Ancient astronaut theorists say
yes, and believe it was not the
only mountain to be visited by
otherworldly beings.
Taticev Kamen, Macedonia, 2001.
Archaeologists investigating
this volcanic peak 3,300 feet
above sea level discover what
they believe to be the remains
of a nearly 4,000
year-old observatory.
COLLINS: The Kokino, um,
Observatory in Macedonia
has been recognized by NASA as
one of the most impressive
observatories of its
kind in the world.
The others being
the Cambodian temples
and Stonehenge itself.
It's composed of four thrones
that were carved out of stone
that face east, the direction
of the rising sun.
NARRATOR: In addition to the
four thrones are man-made
markers carved into the
eastern rock wall that track
celestial movements with
remarkable precision.
This location also
tracks the movement of the
sun, tracking the solstices,
and the equinoxes.
: And in fact,
they've discovered that
the Kokino Observatory is a
kind of lunar calendar that
shows the phases of the moon and
the 19-year eclipse cycle, which
is something that
Stonehenge does, as well.
So what we're looking at here is
something that is very advanced
knowledge, and we don't know
where they got this from.
It tracks the
movement of the moon, and
also the movement and
location of the Pleiades.
In many ancient
cultures throughout the world...
including the Egyptians, Greeks,
Mayans, Celts, and numerous.
Native American tribes...
the Pleiades Star Cluster is
associated with the gods, and in
some cases, even the origins of
the human race.
The earliest known depiction of
this star cluster is an artifact
known as the Nebra Sky Disk,
which dates back to approximately
the 17th century BC...
the same time period most
archaeologists believe the.
Kokino Observatory was built.
But, according to Ancient.
Astronaut theorists, a
connection to the Pleiades is
not the only aspect of Kokino
that is curiously similar to
other ancient cultures.
What I find fascinating
about Kokino is that these stone
thrones aren't exclusive to Kokino.
But those stone thrones can be
found all around the world.
In fact, we find the exact same
structures at Sacsayhuaman in
Peru, in Greece, in Italy.
HENRY: When you put
all this together, it makes one
wonder if in fact this was
a site that was visited long
ago by star beings or
extraterrestrials.
And that they who created this
observatory were perhaps
commemorating something that
they experienced as a result of
an encounter with these beings.
Is the Kokino
Observatory evidence of an
otherworldly presence in the
mountains of Macedonia?
Did extraterrestrials use
locations like these to share
scientific knowledge
with early humans?
Ancient Astronaut theorists say
yes, and as further proof, they
point to numerous cultures that
believe otherworldly beings
visit the mountains even to this day.
The Peruvian Andes. 2009.
Tens of thousands of people from
all over the region journey to
the Sinakara Valley, near
Ausangate Mountain...
for the Quyllur Rit'I
or Snow Star Festival.
Historical records show that
local Catholics adopted this
annual celebration back in 1780,
but most experts agree it likely
dates back hundreds and possibly
thousands of years earlier.
And although no one knows
exactly when or why the Snow.
Star Festival was started, oral
traditions maintain that it has
always been tied to a star
cluster the native Quecha people
call Collca... or as it's known
to many other cultures,
the Pleiades...
the same star cluster that is
tracked by the Kokino
Observatory in Macedonia.
ROBERT SCHOCH: The Quyllur
Rit'I Festival seems to go back
to a much earlier festival that
ties in literally with the
stars, in particular, the
Pleiades, which disappears
in April in the southern
hemisphere from the view in
that area and then reappears in June.
And this can be tied to
agricultural seasons.
Is it merely
coincidence that an ancient
mountain observatory in
Macedonia and an ancient
mountain festival 7,000 miles
away in Peru, are both
associated with the
Pleiades Star Cluster?
Perhaps further clues can be found in
the rituals of the Snow Star Festival.
The Quecha people, descendants
of the ancient Incas, return to
this location every year to be
surrounded by four sacred
mountains.
In hopes of gaining good
fortune, they spend several days
dressed in traditional costumes,
dancing, and making ceremonial
offerings to the apu, the
spirits of the mountains.
In the
ancient civilization of the.
Incas, there is a belief that
there are spirits in the
mountains. They're called apu.
And ceremonial leaders,
chieftains, priests can make
connection, can get some
wisdom and guidance.
They are benevolent spirits.
ED BARNHART: Each mountain
has its own apu spirit.
The apus are supernatural things
but they are not deities,
so people are not necessarily
praying to them.
Rather they are in a relationship
with them, asking them
for the favor that they can provide.
The Incans were very
specific in believing that the apu
actually existed as tangible entities
who they were interacting with,
and who they were, in fact,
very much beholden to
for their technology,
for their civilization.
You have to
wonder if these apus were
in fact extraterrestrials that
the Incas were in contact with.
And today, the people return
to these mountains to have some
kind of contact and perhaps
advice from the apus.
Might the apu have
been extraterrestrial beings?
Beings who came to Earth from
the Pleiades Star Cluster and
interacted with the
Incans in ancient times?
Perhaps the answers can be found
in the culmination of the
festival itself.
At the close of the celebration,
select members of the Quecha
community prepare to make the
treacherous journey up
the mountain glacier.
They go in search of ice they
refer to as the "snow star."
The pilgrims go
up to the top of the mountain
and they ask the apu if they
can have some of this ice.
It's intentionally something
that is supposed to be grueling.
Some people have even been
known to die along the way.
That particular ice is
supposed to have healing
properties. And those that take
the journey have good health
for the rest of their life.
So it is a gift from the apus
that they go and take and bring
back down to the village.
They believe the glacier
ice has unique healing capabilities.
Now, it is possible the presence
of an extraterrestrial craft,
which the indigenous people
may refer to as a star, as it
landed, created some sort of
intrinsic energy to the ice in
that area, giving that ice
actually a tangible healing.
WILLIAM HENRY: Throughout
the ancient world, we learn
of extraterrestrials
depositing treasures and
knowledge in sacred mountains.
It's possible that that's what
we're seeing here with
the Snow Star ritual.
It's very name tells us that
it comes from beyond the Earth.
NARRATOR: Did
extraterrestrials really
visit the mountains of Peru?
And might they have left behind
healing technology in the
glacial ice of the Andes?
If so, might there be evidence
in other parts of the world that
mountains served as points of
connection between humans and
otherworldly beings?
Shandong Province, China.
Referred to as the "cosmic peak"
of the East", Mt. Tai has been
a site of pilgrimage and worship.
STEAVU: Mt. Tai is considered
an extremely powerful
place, a place where people can
communicate with the divine.
In Chinese antiquity, 72
emperors were believed
to have made the
pilgrimage to Mt. Tai.
YOUNG: They would do
ceremonies there that
were crucial to their reign,
If they did the ceremonies
correctly, they gained the
approval of the gods and the
legitimacy that stems from that.
If they made a mistake, an
entire dynasty could be
in trouble.
NARRATOR: In 110 B.C.,
Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty
made the first of several
journeys to Mt. Tai during
his reign.
According to the historical
accounts of scribe Sima Qian,
mysterious sightings were
reported during his time
on the mountain.
STEAVU: There seems
to have been a beam of light
that appeared off into
the horizon.
And there was a mysterious
white cloud that
emerged from the mound where
the sacrifice is performed.
TSOUKALOS: In the historical
record, a white cloud
and a beam of light appeared
as though he summoned them.
So what is really
being described here?
And why must his
followers stay behind?
It reads much more like an
encounter with some type of an
extraterrestrial craft that was
misinterpreted as some type
of a divine event.
CHILDRESS: The Chinese believe that the
emperors were actually communicating
with the gods.
So it's possible that in fact
the ETs were guiding Chinese
civilization through their leaders.
NARRATOR: Were the emperors
of ancient China in contact with
extraterrestrials?
And might this story suggest
that mountains like Mt. Tai
served as a kind of
communication portal to
places beyond the Earth?
Perhaps the answers can be found
not on the tops of mountains,
but on the tops of man-made
structures found all over the world.
NARRATOR: Shikoku, Japan.
Here, towering 6,500 feet over
this ancient island, is Mt.
Ishizuchi, one of the most
revered mountains in all of Japan.
The sharp summit is called
"Tengudake," named after the
fearsome demons known as "Tengu"
thought to live not only here,
but in mountains all over Japan.
YOUNG: These are fierce
birdlike creatures.
They are frightening to look at.
They've got feathers, of course,
and sharp teeth,
They've got claws and beaks,
and yet they are persons.
They are somewhere between a
bird and a person, but in a very
frightening form.
STEAVU: The Karasu Tengu,
which translates as "crow."
"Tengu," are born out
of these giant eggs.
And these creatures are
typically very mischievous
and even malevolent towards humans.
They like to play tricks on them.
They like to make them lose
their way in the mountain.
They often kidnap people
as well.
ALEXANDER BAY: One story
about the Tengu concerns Mt.
Ishizuchi: A six-year-old boy
went missing at the top of the
mountain, Tengu peak.
When they asked him
what had happened, he said
that he had left the trail,
and that a all-black
human-like figure from behind
said, "If you are lost, I will
help you. Close your eyes."
And the next thing he knew he
was back home safe and sound.
NARRATOR: Belief in the
Tengu was widespread.
In fact, as recently as 1860,
the Edo government posted an
official notice to the Tengu,
ordering them to evacuate the
mountains before a Shogun's
upcoming visit.
But did these strange and
powerful beings really exist?
And if so, what were the Tengu?
CHILDRESS: All over the
world we have stories
of what we call
birdmen like the Tengu.
And these are men that are often
depicted with wings on their
backs, they're able to fly.
And you have to wonder if really
these aren't some kind of
extraterrestrials and that the
wings are purely symbolic.
But they're called bird-men and
have wings because they can fly.
They can fly in their spaceships.
TSOUKALOS: The biggest creatures,
or the biggest gods that we can talk
about with wings are none
other than the Anunnaki.
And to this day, in museums all
around the world, we can see
them as these winged majestic
beings with muscular bodies
and these massive wings.
The Sumerian mythologies
proclaim that the Anunnaki
will return one day.
And so the question is, is it
possible that they never left?
And what better place to go
than the mountains?
Because it would be a logical
place to escape detection.
NARRATOR: Might the accounts
of the Tengu really be
describing Anunnaki?
Did the same beings that walked
amongst the ancient Sumerians
take refuge in the mountains
of Japan? And if so, might they
also have hidden in other
mountains throughout the world?
Tenerife, Canary Islands.
Reaching a height of over 24,000
feet from its base under the
ocean, Mt. Teide is the
third-largest volcano in the world.
The surrounding region was once
home to the mysterious Guanche
people, thought to live on the
islands as far back as 200 B.C.
After the Spanish invaded in the
15th century, the native culture
and traditions quickly
disappeared...
but some archaeologists believe
a series of pyramids found near.
Mt. Teide were built by the
Gaunche, and may provide more
clues about this ancient civilization.
KATHLEEN McGOWAN: The Guanche
people are fascinating
because there is so much that we
don't know about them.
The Guanche people are
a real mystery.
They mummified their dead.
So we're able to obtain what
information we do have
about them through looking
at some of these mummies.
The Guanche were also
pyramid builders.
And the pyramids that they are
building resemble the earliest
step pyramids in Egypt, but also
the step pyramids that we see
throughout the Mayan culture.
COLLINS: Quite close to Mount
Teide, there are a series
of pyramids that seem to have
some relationship to the
mountain or volcano.
And they may have even been
representations of that
mountain itself.
But they also were places of
communication with the gods.
But who those gods
were is lost today.
NARRATOR: But for what
purpose were the Mount Teide
pyramids built?
Were they meant to be places of
worship?
Or could it be, as ancient
astronaut theorists suggest,
that they were constructed to
welcome otherworldly visitors?
Perhaps the answers can be found in
the mythology of the Guanche people.
CHILDRESS: The Gauche also believed
that Mount Teide was a huge pyramid
put there by the gods.
They also believed that they are
seeing gods coming and going
from this mountain, but perhaps
what they're really seeing is
extraterrestrial vehicles coming
and going from the mountain.
HENRY: The ancient Egyptians
called their step pyramids
"the stairway to heaven."
And maintained that the gods
themselves taught them how
to build these structures.
It's possible that the Gauche
step pyramids were built based
on instructions from the same gods.
And that they, too, are portals
or gateways to heaven.
NARRATOR: Is it possible that
the Guanche people built these
pyramids not for mythical gods,
but as launching pads for actual
beings that visited them
in the distant past?
Ancient astronaut theorists say
yes, and point to strange
sightings that continue around
Mount Teide even to this day.
RICHARD DOLAN: That region
has had more than its share
of interesting U.F.O. sightings.
Not just of U.F.O. sightings,
but really dramatic, I mean off-
the-charts dramatic U.F.O. sightings.
In June of 1976, people on the
ground saw this glowing large
three-story high almost like
a globe that at times was
transparent, and in fact, the
Spanish military investigated
this particular case.
And they were left with
something that was truly
unknown, truly extraordinary.
NARRATOR: Did the Guanche
people witness extraterrestrials
coming and going from Mount
Teide in the distant past?
Many ancient astronaut theorists
believe that not only have
aliens landed on mountains, but
that they may even have created
elaborate bases
deep inside of them.
NARRATOR: Bugarach, France.
2012.
Believing that the end of the
Mayan calendar is a prediction
of the apocalypse, thousands
descend on this mountain
village, hoping to be rescued
by extraterrestrials.
KATHLEEN MCGOWAN: Bugarach
has been known as a holy
mountain since time immemorial
in this part of France.
There is something truly
magnetic about this mountain
that is bringing people
to come and watch it.
There is so much U.F.O.
activity, there are so many
unidentified lights,
unidentified objects that are
seen around that mountain.
That people come from all over
Europe to observe Bugarach.
CHILDRESS: All throughout the mountain
is a vast labyrinth of limestone caves.
These limestone caves have led
a number of people to believe
that this is actually
some kind of alien base.
That extraterrestrials are
living inside the mountain,
and in fact they've been living
there for thousands of years.
MIKE BARA: So, what
happened in 2012, is that all
sorts of doomsday groups
flocked to the area, because
they felt like it would be the
only place that would be safe
from the devastation and
destruction that would engulf
the entire planet.
They believed that the aliens
were going to come out and
protect anybody who was encamped
in the area, and that they would
be the ones who would start the
new world that would
come afterwards.
NARRATOR: Could
extraterrestrials really be
living inside a mountain in
France, remaining undetected for
thousands of years?
And if so, might there be other
similar mountains secretly housing
otherworldly civilizations?
Mount Shasta, California.
Dominating the landscape at over
14,179 feet, this mountain has
inspired strange and incredible
stories for thousands of years.
TIM SWARTZ: The local Native
Americans have always felt there
was something special
about Mount Shasta.
It was thought that humankind
actually originated from within.
Mount Shasta.
That there was a great cataclysm
and that the people of planet Earth
actually hid within the mountain.
When the cataclysm had passed,
the people were able to come out
of Mount Shasta and
repopulate the world.
MCGOWAN: A book came out in
the 1890s proposing the idea
that there was a culture that
lived within subterranean
chambers in Mount Shasta.
NICK REDFERN: Over the years,
there have been a number of very
significant U.F.O. sightings
around Mount Shasta and you have
to wonder why is that the case?
I don't think we can rule out
the idea of some sort of
permanent presence buried deep
within Mount Shasta itself.
NARRATOR: Could alien beings
really be living on planet Earth
hidden inside mountains?
And, if so, might they have
built advanced civilizations,
not only within Mount Shasta
but in mountains across
the world?
YOUNG: Great mountains have
been objects of fascination and
veneration for as long
as we have stories.
They reach to the heavens.
They have hidden crevices and
caves. They are also dangerous.
So we have the severity,
issues of life and death.
So in every corner of the
planet, there have been special
and sacred mountains.
HENRY: Throughout the world
we find myths and legends of
sacred mountains that are not
only landing places or places
where the gods or star beings
descended, but also places
that became their sanctuary.
And humans have been almost
magnetically attracted to these
places since the beginning
of recorded history.
CHILDRESS: So, it's
entirely possible that the
extraterrestrials set up space bases
in mountains all over the world.
That way they could watch
humanity, help guide us, and if
necessary intervene again in
human affairs as they
had done in the past.
And perhaps this is why
we're drawn to mountains.
We instinctively know that the
extraterrestrial gods are there.
And always have been.
NARRATOR: Are the Earth's
mountains really the sites of
alien visitations that occurred
thousands of years ago?
Did extraterrestrials
use remote mountain
peaks to interact with early man?
To guide the course
of our civilization?
Or simply to live
among us undetected?
Might this explain why humans
continue to worship mountains
as places of divine, or even
otherworldly connection?
Perhaps one day we'll discover
that not only were our mountains
inhabited by extraterrestrials
in the distant past,
but that, in fact...
they still are.
06x11 - Aliens and Mysterious Mountains
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Explores the pseudoscientific hypothesis of ancient astronauts in a non-critical, documentary format.
Explores the pseudoscientific hypothesis of ancient astronauts in a non-critical, documentary format.