On October 13, 2023, a Georgian-language Facebook account posted a video, which, by the claim of the author, depicts researchers unsealing an Inca pyramid and discovering proof of extraterrestrial life. The video shows a construction crew working on what looks like the entrance of a temple, after which the video cuts away to individuals going down an underground hallway leading to stone structures. Another cut depicts a man going over what is presented to be the skulls of aliens,after which the footage cuts to a few people outdoors filming the statue of an extraterrestrial.
The post is video manipulation, as the video is actually an amalgamation of unconnected videos and the caption is not connected to its contents, which do not show an Incan pyramid. None of the videos indicate that the participants are researchers and it does not display proof of extraterrestrial life.
The opening clip shows not an Incan pyramid, but a modern built tourist attraction called Apukunaq Tianan, near Cusco. Likewise, the construction crew depicted in the video are not drilling into an ancient pyramid, but are working on construction of the modern art site.
Even in the video the overlaid text “Construccion Del Inca Akupunaj Tiyanan Cusco” can be seen, which is Spanish for “the construction of the Inca Aqukunaq Tianan, Cusco”.
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| The shot from the disseminated video | Aqukunaq Tianan, Cusco |
The following scene in the video shows a deep tunnel leading inside of an ancient temple, which, according to the post, depicts the inside of the newly-discovered site.
In fact, the scene shows the inside of the pyramid of Saqqara, located in Egypt. Notably, the stone structure found in the centre of the complex, shown in the video from 2:35 to 3:30 is the King’s Burial Chamber.
Burial vault, view of the roof of the chamber with the plug in place, Stepped Pyramid complex, Saqqara, Egypt (photo: Leon petrosyan, CC BY-SA 4.0)
It should be noted that a similar video has been published by many Facebook pages and users (1, 2, 3). All of them indicate that the video depicts the interior of the pyramid of Saqqara.
The final clip of the video shows the statues, which resemble a typical alien image and give the impression that the statues were found in an Inca pyramid.
In fact, the authenticity of the statues was verified by Reuters as early as 2020 and found that the statues were not authentic and did not represent artifacts.
According to Reuters, archaeologist Louis Millet, a researcher at the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH), explained that the statues are not authentic because they are unnaturally well-polished.
About the source:
Facebook user Merab Ratishvili regularly posts anti-western disinformation and conspiracy theories, some of which have been fact-checked by Myth Detector in the past.
Tsisia Kirvalidze and Andro Kvizhinadze
Myth Detetor Lab
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