Mexico - Maya Underworld

Steve joins Archaeologist Guillermo de Anda as they venture into a cave where they witness the handprints of ancient Maya. It’s believed that these cave systems were sometimes used for ritual sacrifices to the gods.

Steve observes a tarantula hawk wasp as it attacks a Mexican red-rump tarantula. After stunning the tarantula, the wasp brings it back to her burrow as a meal for her young.

As everyone gets ready for an exploration of an unmapped cave, expert diver Robbie Schmittner prepares a guide line for them to use. This line will help Steve and the crew make their way in and out of the water and will also serve as a guide for future explorers.

With an early start to the day, Aldo, Robbie and Steve prepare for the upcoming cave dive over coffee as Robbie goes over his instructions for the exploration. He reminds Steve of an important rule of cave diving, advising him to stay calm and avoid panicking should emergency situations arise.

Steve dives with cave expert Bernadette Carrion as they explore the Yucatan Peninsula, 200 miles across separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean. It’s almost completely flat and doesn’t appear to be extraordinarily interesting, but unbelievably, this area here could well be the ripest place on the planet for exploration.

Return to Mexico, where Steve Backshall explores a honeycomb of subterranean Mexican caves that the ancient Maya believed were a portal to a terrifying underworld. In a dark and flooded cave, Steve finds incredible never-before-seen artifacts.