[1] The documentary tracks a joint National Geographic Society/Guatemalan Ministry of Culture funded expedition to discover whether there are any grave sites buried beneath the ruins of Cancuén, a city-state in the Petén Basin (modern-day Guatemala).
Approximately, the first twenty minutes of the documentary is a vivid introductory footage showing the lay of the land, a re-enactment of a bartering market in Cancuén, the riches that would have been imported by the aristocrats of the city, and some of the findings already made.
Within a year of beginning work on reconstructing the royal palace, when the size of the complex was realised, he had plans to employ local Maya villagers as guides to a site for eco-tourism; these new finds had far wider implications and the Ministry of Culture gave Demarest a team of archaeologists schooled in the history of the Petén.
As Demarest's grave is gradually revealed to be a tiled pool, a type of tomb used for ritual killings, and the sheer number of victims becomes apparent—in all, the remains of 31 men, women and children are found—the archaeologists on site are given pause.
Within decades of a city-state collapsing displaced persons would sweep through the surrounding regions, preying upon merchants using largely unguarded trade routes, which led to the peasants turning traitor and causing widespread violence.