Due to the graphic nature of this haunted place, listener discretion is advised. This episode includes graphic descriptions of bodily harm, human sacrifice and discussions of suicide. We advise extreme caution for children under 13. OK. Lena surveyed the ancient city of shounen to reach the bright green grass and dark stone temples, the air held the faint scent of guava howler monkeys cooed in the distance. She was always happy to return to Belize, but this time she was especially glad it had been a scary here.

First there were the fires in Australia, then the fires in the Amazon. Her mother had called her every day for months, worried about climate change or nuclear weapons. California was short on water again, and when Lena left for the airport that Kincade fire was going strong in Sonoma County. As her plane took off, little flecks of ash fell on the wings like snow. But at the dig site, all that chaos faded into the background. This place had been the site of a catastrophe once, but now it was just history.

There was a comfort in knowing this ancient tragedy couldn't hurt her now. Lina made her way towards the site's central ruin, a massive pyramid called El Castillo. A small sign at the bottom of the stairs read that the ruins were closed for restoration's. Some poor interns would spend the next two months standing there and turning away disappointed tourists. But then Lina noticed a woman in a long white dress climbing the stairs. She was wearing a turquoise belt and an armful of bracelets probably purchased at the nearby souvenir stand.

Lina called out to say that the building was closed, but the woman didn't turn around. Lina started up the stairs, finally catching up to her at the top of the pyramid. She yelled again that no one was allowed up here. Then the woman turned. Suddenly Lina heard screaming everywhere. She smelled smoke and the rusty odor of blood. The woman, she realized, was no tourist. She had pointed teeth and her pupils flickered like flames. She told Lina it was too late.

They couldn't save anyone. She raised her arm and pointed to the plaza behind them. Lina turned bodies, lay dead in the streets, and the once dark stone pyramids were bright gold. But now they were engulfed in flames. Lina started to scream. Welcome to Haunted Places, a Spotify original from podcast. I'm Greg Pulsing. Every Thursday, I take you to the scariest, eeriest, most haunted real places on Earth. You can find all episodes of Haunted Places and all of the Spotify originals from podcast for free on Spotify.

And every Tuesday, make sure to check out urban legends. These special episodes of Haunted Places are available exclusively on Spotify. This week joined me on a supernatural journey to the ancient Mayan city of shounen tonnage and discover why to this day it's haunted. Coming up, we'll get into the history of shounen to watch this episode is brought to you by backcountry dotcom. Whether it's your first day on a hike or a month long backpacking trip, the right gear can make the difference between an awful time and an awesome one.

If you can zip it, fold it inflated or pack it. Backcountry dotcoms, gearheads have adventured in it and know if it's right for you. Go to backcountry dotcom to get 15 percent off your first full priced purchase. Some exclusions apply.

This episode is brought to you by constant contact.

Constant contact has everything you need to market and grow your small business online with powerful email marketing, online stores and more to stay connected with customers. Find new ones and see results. Start your free trial today at constant contact dotcom.

This episode is brought to you by Carmex at CarMax, the best way to buy a car is your way. Choose from over fifty thousand CarMax certified vehicles at CarMax dot com and buy online or in-store with curbside pickup and home delivery in select markets. Get all the details today at CarMax dot com.

Tucked away inside the countryside of modern day Belize lies one of the greatest standing ruins of the Maya civilization shounen. Tunisia's ancient name is unknown, but historians estimate that the structures of shounen toonies were built beginning in the seventh century. However, the land had been occupied by the Maya for much longer, as early as 1000 BCE in those first centuries. It was just a small village, but at some point in the seventh century, it began to grow in size and power.

The lords of the ancient Maya city built backcourts palaces and temples. But the city's crown jewel was the structure known as El Castillo, a 130 foot pyramid topped with shrines, offices and a royal palace shoot on two. Netsch was a thriving metropolis, the center of a powerful kingdom. Then all of a sudden, it wasn't.

The collapse of the media empire was one of the most devastating and dramatic catastrophes in human history. But it didn't happen all at once. The collapse of the classic Maya civilization occurred not long after she went on to Neach was built around 800 SEEI. By the end of the 19th century, the region and its majestic monuments were almost totally deserted. In less than 200 years, the city's population had nearly vanished. Royal dynasties disappeared, cities fell to ruin. The great pyramids of the Maya sat untouched for generations and were reclaimed by the jungle.

But over the next millennium, the region was colonized by European settlers. By the 1400's colonists began to take an interest in the ancient cities, and their expeditions uncovered a wealth of artifacts that were shipped away to European museums and auction houses.

However, these pieces of history provided few clues as to what cataclysm destroyed the Maya cities. Something had caused the empire to crumble.

Yet to this day, we still don't know why. But for a lucky few, there are spirits and shounen tune each who will show them the keys to this ancient mystery. If only they would listen. Jacinto felt uneasy as he walked through the ancient temples, there were no real dangers here, no musket wielding British soldiers on horseback. But there was a dense fog. It shrouded everything in mist.

But Jacinto could still see the dark stones covered in moss and the snake like lines that crept up the temple walls. Most days, Hunter would walk the extra two and a half miles just to avoid the sight of it. But today he didn't have the energy. He hadn't slept much last night or any night in the past three months, not since his father died.

I seem to have borrowed money for a decent burial. He thought he'd be able to pay it back, but then the storm came. It devastated his crop of bananas. Now, he barely had enough to pay the Englishman who owned his land and not a single shilling left for his wife and son. His wife was getting sicker every day.

It was the same sickness that had taken his father, the same fever and bloody cough. And recently his son Miguel had begun to cough to Jacinto, didn't know why he'd been spared. His wife said it was a Spanish blood. Maria said Europeans were immune to the diseases they brought to the Maya, and the hospital often considered himself a native.

He'd been born on the peninsula. He was European, after all, a saint who had tried everything to raise money for a doctor. He begged from neighbors, tried fishing and hunting, but his neighbors were just as poor as he was. And even if he caught a fish or a deer, there was no one to sell it to. Jacinto was watching his wife and son die. He felt as if the world was falling apart, which might be why the temple's made him feel so uneasy, because that hopelessness must have been how the Maya felt long ago that there was nothing they could do.

Jacinto continued walking toward the center of the ancient city in front of him, one moss covered building towered above the others, a narrow strip of stone steps visible at its front, something white flashed at the bottom of the steps. At first, Jacinto thought it was a bird, but as he came closer, he saw it was a woman.

She wore long white we peel and a belt of turquoise beads tied around her waist. Her arms were piled high with gold and silver bracelets, and the skin above her nose had been painted a vibrant red.

Then she smiled at her s.o. and he saw that her teeth were sharpened into fangs. She was strange, frightening and incredibly beautiful. But the most astonishing thing about her was that she looked exactly like Maria without thinking. He called out his wife's name, but the woman didn't respond. She simply pointed toward the top of the pyramid and started up the stairs. Jacinto followed, taking care not to slip out the moss. He wasn't sure why he was going, but he felt compelled to like he was in a trance.

He reached the terrace just in time to see the woman disappear into one of the ancient doorways. Arsenio tried to pull himself away, thinking of his wife and son sick at home, but something in his gut told him to go inside her. Scinto stepped through the stone doorway, his nose filling with a musky scent of incense. The chamber didn't look anything like the outside of the pyramid. The walls were painted with vibrant murals.

Then large oil lamps hung lit from the ceiling. The whole room looked like a scene to imagined it would have. A thousand years ago, the woman was staring thoughtfully at an enormous jade disk hanging on the wall. It was the size of Haciendo himself, carved with elaborate symbols.

It was probably worth a fortune. The woman turned to him and gave him a serious look. She said he could still change things. He asked what she meant. She pointed to the stone and said it wasn't too late to save them. He still had time. A I the jade disk, it probably weighed 100 pounds, but he could still carry it. He asked the woman again what she meant, that he still had time, but she didn't answer.

Instead, she paused, then stuck her finger in her mouth and touched her tongue.

Suddenly, the room around him filled with smoke and sounds of destruction. The woman stood in the center of it, flames eight away at her head dress, her clothing and her skin. Her face grimaced with pain for a moment. Jacinto stood terrified, then smoke filled his lungs and he began to cough. He had to get out of there, but the jail was too valuable to leave behind. He slipped around the woman, avoiding the flames and lifted the disc off the wall.

Then he ran, rolling it onto the terrace outside.

As soon as they crossed the threshold, it was all gone, the smoke, the screams, even the room itself, everything was rubble again except the jade disk.

He looked down at it and laughed tears springy to his eyes. He would salvage a disk as soon as he could never think about it again. This stone, this temple, it was all cursed. Something terrible had ended that world. But Jacinto's still had time to save his own. Roughly translated from Yucatec Mayan language shounen Tunie, which means Stone woman, the name is related to a popular legend that rose up around the site during the 1980s. The story is that a man from the nearby village of San Jose saw cuts was passing through the ruins when he caught sight of a beautiful Miah woman standing on the stairs of El Castillo.

She wore white. We peel a traditional tunic like dress that my women have been wearing for centuries. She disappeared into a cavern, and the man ran home to tell the villagers what he'd seen. But when they returned with a priest, there was no trace of her, and even the entrance to the cave was gone.

Some of the villagers suggested that what the man had seen was just a carving of a woman who busts the site's name. Stone Woman was born. That could have been the end of the story. But over the years there continued to be sightings of the mysterious woman in white around El Castillo. Villagers would see her ascend the stairs, then disappear into a cave or through a doorway. Over time, rumors cropped up about a spirit that had lingered in shounen to reach an ancient Maya queen who had been sacrificed there.

But her history or what she wanted, had yet to be uncovered. Coming up, a group of Spanish priests meet the St. Maidens wrath.

You discover their practices, seek their advice, and let yourself become more vulnerable than ever before, they have the ability to heal. What doctors can't or so they say. Listeners be sure to check out the special four part series on Miracle Healers airing right now on cults.

Meet figures from around the world who claimed powers and pushed remedies but harbored more sinister intentions. You don't want to miss it. And if you're looking for more episodes on the most radical and deadly people in history, tune into cults every Tuesday as we explore the background and psychology behind the world's most manipulative and mysterious groups. From Jim Jones and the People's Temple to Charles Manson and the Manson family to Katherine area Nexium, you'll uncover the unscrupulous methods used to turn bright eyed recruits into diehard believers.

Follow the Spotify original fun podcast, Cults Free on Spotify over ever you get your podcasts.

This episode is brought to you by Uber, it's figuring out what's for dinner, why not eat local? Tonight, I'll be eating a turkey burger with lettuce, tomato pesto, caramelized onions, pepper, jack cheese, no pickles.

Yes, mayo, all on a brushed butter sesame bun, toasted from my favorite neighborhood place. Whatever you're in the mood for, Uber Eats offers a wide selection of local restaurants from what's new in town to old local favorites. Eat Local with Uber eats tonight. Now back to the story. Long before Belize was an independent country, those who survived the Mayan empires collapse, dispersed, they migrated into what is now southern Mexico, other parts of the Yucatan Peninsula and Present-day, Guatemala and Honduras.

There, the Maya built new urban centers, a few of which even rivaled the impressive structures of their original cities. But those new metropolises were few and far between.

The Grand Mayan empire was gone and it would never come back. The first Spanish conquistadors arrived in Mesa, America, or the so-called New World in the early 1400's. At the time, the Aztec were the dominant group with a large population, magnificent cities and wealth. The people living in Mesoamerica, America were diverse, speaking a variety of languages. Some of the descendants of the ancient Maya lived in small villages scattered across Mexico and Central America. Nearly all of their classical cities had been reclaimed by the jungle, and most were completely abandoned.

But figures from the past still remained. Some walked alone over the stone terraces and through the rooms of empty palaces, witnesses to a violent history waiting for the past to repeat itself yet again. Not Pook stopped his horse when he reached a limestone ridge, he sat down in the shade of an enormous kickout tree and waited for the three Spanish friars to catch up with him. It had taken them and their armed men three weeks to get here from June.

Tukey, not Pook could have made the journey in five days if he'd been traveling alone. But of course he wouldn't have stopped at every village to terrorize people. The Friars called it conversion. They would ride into a village and start by killing the shamans. Then they'd tear down the temples. Nipmuc had observed that Padre Island Danio especially enjoyed destroying statues, but he was a short fat man and he looked ridiculous, trying to knock the head off of a six foot tall limestone carving.

Really, all the priests could have been laughable if they didn't have horses and guns and disease ten years ago, the Spanish would have been met by June Tukey warriors. But there were few left since the plague. Nearly half of not PWCS village had been wiped out from it. First, the fever and vomiting, then rotting pustules that covered the skin. Those who remained no longer had the spirit to fight, not puch, had been a child during the worst of the epidemic.

His father was the first to fall ill and his mother sent him to live with his aunt. When he returned, his father's face was covered in thick scars and his mother was dead. One day the priests asked for a guy to take them into the distant jungles. Not Pook had never left his village. But when he saw his father step forward, he had to do something. He volunteered to go instead and promised the priests he would take them to a place called the Kingdom of Isa.

And the PUK had never heard of the Kingdom of EESA, but Padre Avendaño didn't need to know that. So not Puch led the priests and their soldiers into the jungle, hoping to get them far away from anyone he knew, even if it meant he might never come home. A light rain had begun by the time the priests caught up to not Pook when they were all together, now put them up the side of the ridge, he wasn't sure exactly where he was going, but they were deep in the jungle now.

Then suddenly, a magnificent city rose up before him with temples bigger than any building he had ever seen. There were ball courts, palaces and huge stone sculptures scattered around the plaza. He recognized some chalk. The rain God loomed above the cracked remains of an old cistern. He had an ax in his hand and the scales covering his body were still painted blue. But other statues not puch, didn't recognize at all. A hunched skeletal figure lay in the grass and an enormous feathered serpent with the head of a man rose up from one of the pyramids.

Even the priest seemed awed by the sudden discovery. One asked Nipmuc if this was the kingdom of pizza.

He nodded dumbly, just as awestruck as the rest of them.

But he thought perhaps this was one of the cities he'd heard stories about as a child. He'd always believed they were just legends, mythical tales of great kings who'd built magnificent cities of painted stone. But here it was as real as anything.

Most of the buildings were blackened and charred from some fire long ago, but here and there now you could still see the bright swaths of color from a once glorious kingdom. He climbed off his horse and wandered about the empty city. Even with the priests exploring the site behind him and pondering Albin Daniel clumsily collecting some of the smaller sculptures.

The place was so empty not puke, couldn't look at the charred buildings and toppled statues without wondering what had happened to the people who once lived there. Soon he felt himself drawn toward one pyramid in particular. It loomed above the city like some terrible watchtower neighbor who couldn't stop staring at it. He stared for so long that eventually he thought he saw a woman walking on one of the lower terraces. Not Pook blinked, but still she was there. The woman wore white repeal and a magnificent headdress she looked at to poke at.

His chest tightened, her face was painted red, and she had fang like teeth. Her expression was urgent as she made her way up the steps. She was beautiful and deeply unsettling. Burning with curiosity, not puke, followed her at the top of the steps she disappeared into one of the pyramids doorways. The Pook hurried after her, but before he could go through the entrance, he heard a shout from the plaza below. Padre Avendaño had spotted him and was yelling for him to stay where he was.

Now, PwC looked at the Spaniards and then back to the door, the priests were angry, but something about the woman's expression had felt so urgent he felt like he needed to follow her. And the longer he waited, the more likely it was that he'd lose her completely. He took a deep breath and with a priest still shouting behind him, not Pook stepped through the doorway.

He entered a dimly lit room filled with thick white smoke. The woman in white was lying on the floor. Only now she looked different. She wasn't wearing her headdress anymore, and she looked pale and weak.

She opened her mouth to speak and blood spilled past her lips. Now, Pook rushed toward her when she pointed to a heavy lidded chest in the corner.

Then she turned to him and finally spoke. She said that he could still save himself. Nipmuc heard voices behind him and spun around. The three priests were standing at the doorway. When Nipmuc looked back to the woman. She was gone. Even the smoke had disappeared. He saw then that he was standing in some kind of an altar room, an enormous jey disc hung on one of the walls, and gold objects lay on a table, looking slightly charred.

Old stone pillars held up the roof overhead. One of the priests asked what not Puch was doing, but Padre Avendaño answered that it was obvious he was trying to keep them from finding riches, objects that were the divine right of the church to possess one of the priests, Grabner, puch by the hair, and asked if that was true. Nipmuc tried to protest, but the man simply. Due to the graphic nature of this haunted place, listener discretion is advised.

This episode includes graphic descriptions of bodily harm, human sacrifice and discussions of suicide. We advise extreme caution for children under 13. Lina surveyed the ancient city of shounen to reach the bright green grass and dark stone temples, the air held the faint scent of guava howler monkeys cooed in the distance. She was always happy to return to Belize, but this time she was especially glad it had been a scary here.

First there were the fires in Australia, then the fires in the Amazon. Her mother had called her every day for months, worried about climate change or nuclear weapons. California was short on water again, and when Lena left for the airport that Kincade fire was going strong in Sonoma County. As her plane took off, little flecks of ash fell on the wings like snow. But at the dig site, all that chaos faded into the background. This place had been the site of a catastrophe once, but now it was just history.

There was a comfort in knowing this ancient tragedy couldn't hurt her now. Lina made her way towards the site's central ruin, a massive pyramid called El Castillo. A small sign at the bottom of the stairs read that the ruins were closed for restoration's. Some poor interns would spend the next two months standing there and turning away disappointed tourists. But then Lina noticed a woman in a long white dress climbing the stairs. She was wearing a turquoise belt and an armful of bracelets probably purchased at the nearby souvenir stand.

Lina called out to say that the building was closed, but the woman didn't turn around. Lina started up the stairs, finally catching up to her at the top of the pyramid. She yelled again that no one was allowed up here. Then the woman turned. Suddenly Lina heard screaming everywhere. She smelled smoke and the rusty odor of blood. The woman, she realized, was no tourist. She had pointed teeth and her pupils flickered like flames. She told Lina it was too late.

They couldn't save anyone. She raised her arm and pointed to the plaza behind them. Lina turned bodies, lay dead in the streets, and the once dark stone pyramids were bright gold. But now they were engulfed in flames. Lina started to scream. Welcome to Haunted Places, a Spotify original from podcast. I'm Greg Pulsing. Every Thursday, I take you to the scariest, eeriest, most haunted real places on Earth. You can find all episodes of Haunted Places and all of the Spotify originals from podcast for free on Spotify.

And every Tuesday, make sure to check out urban legends. These special episodes of Haunted Places are available exclusively on Spotify. This week joined me on a supernatural journey to the ancient Mayan city of shounen tonnage and discover why to this day it's haunted. Coming up, we'll get into the history of shounen to. This episode is brought to you by Basque Country Dotcom. Whether it's your first day on a hike or a month long backpacking trip, the right gear can make the difference between an awful time and an awesome one.

If you can zip it, fold it inflated or pack it. Backcountry dotcoms, gearheads have adventured in it and know if it's right for you. Go to backcountry dotcom to get 15 percent off your first full priced purchase. Some exclusions apply.

This episode is brought to you by constant contact. Constant contact has everything you need to market and grow your small business online with powerful email marketing, online stores and more to stay connected with customers. Find new ones and see results. Start your free trial today at constant contact dotcom.

This episode is brought to you by Carmex at CarMax, the best way to buy a car is your way. Choose from over fifty thousand CarMax certified vehicles at CarMax dot com and buy online or in-store with curbside pickup and home delivery in select markets. Get all the details today at CarMax dot com. Tucked away inside the countryside of modern day Belize lies one of the greatest standing ruins of the Maya civilization shounen. Tunisia's ancient name is unknown, but historians estimate that the structures of shounen toonies were built beginning in the seventh century.

However, the land had been occupied by the Maya for much longer, as early as 1000 BCE in those first centuries. It was just a small village, but at some point in the seventh century, it began to grow in size and power. The lords of the ancient Maya city built backcourts palaces and temples. But the city's crown jewel was the structure known as El Castillo, a 130 foot pyramid topped with shrines, offices and a royal palace. Shounen to Neach was a thriving metropolis, the center of a powerful kingdom.

Then all of a sudden, it wasn't.

The collapse of the Maya empire was one of the most devastating and dramatic catastrophes in human history. But it didn't happen all at once. The collapse of the classic Maya civilization occurred not long after she went on to which was built around 800 SEEI. By the end of the 9th century, the region and its majestic monuments were almost totally deserted in less than 200 years. The city's population had nearly vanished. Royal dynasties disappeared. Cities fell to ruin. The great pyramids of the Maya sat untouched for generations and were reclaimed by the jungle.

But over the next millennium, the region was colonized by European settlers. By the eighteen hundreds, colonists began to take an interest in the ancient cities, and their expeditions uncovered a wealth of artifacts that were shipped away to European museums and auction houses.

However, these pieces of history provided few clues as to what cataclysm destroyed the Maya cities. Something had caused the empire to crumble.

Yet to this day, we still don't know why. But for a lucky few, there are spirits and shounen tonnage who will show them the keys to this ancient mystery if only they would listen. Jacinto felt uneasy as he walked through the ancient temples, there were no real dangers here, no musket wielding British soldiers on horseback. But there was a dense fog. It shrouded everything in mist.

But Jacinto could still see the dark stones covered in moss and the snakelike lines that crept up the temple walls. Most days, sister would walk the extra two and a half miles just to avoid the side of it. But today they didn't have the energy. He hadn't slept much last night or any night in the past three months. Not since his father died.

I seem to have borrowed money for a decent burial. He thought he'd be able to pay it back, but then the storm came. It devastated his crop of bananas. Now, he barely had enough to pay the Englishman who owned his land and not a single shilling left for his wife and son. His wife was getting sicker every day.

It was the same sickness that had taken his father, the same fever and bloody cough. And recently his son Miguel had begun to cough to Jacinto, didn't know why he'd been spared. His wife said it was a Spanish blood. Maria said Europeans were immune to the diseases they brought to the Maya, and the hospital often considered himself a native.

He'd been born on the peninsula. He was European, after all, a saint who had tried everything to raise money for a doctor. He begged from neighbors, tried fishing and hunting, but his neighbors were just as poor as he was. And even if he caught a fish or a deer, there was no one to sell it to. Jacinto was watching his wife and son die. He felt as if the world was falling apart, which might be why the temple's made him feel so uneasy, because that hopelessness must have been how the Maya felt long ago that there was nothing they could do.

Jacinto continued walking toward the center of the ancient city. In front of him, one moss covered building towered above the others, a narrow strip of stone steps visible at its front, something white flashed at the bottom of the steps. At first, Jacinto thought it was a bird, but as he came closer, he saw it was a woman.

She wore long white we peel and a belt of turquoise beads tied around her waist. Her arms were piled high with gold and silver bracelets, and the skin above her nose had been painted a vibrant red.

Then she smiled at her s.o. and he saw that her teeth were sharpened into fangs. She was strange, frightening and incredibly beautiful. But the most astonishing thing about her was that she looked exactly like Maria without thinking. He called out his wife's name, but the woman didn't respond. She simply pointed toward the top of the pyramid and started up the stairs. Jacinto followed, taking care not to slip out the moors. He wasn't sure why he was going, but he felt compelled to like he was in a trance.

He reached the terrace just in time to see the woman disappear into one of the ancient doorways. Jacinto tried to pull himself away, thinking of his wife and son sick at home, but something in his gut told him to go inside her. S.O. stepped through the stone doorway, his nose filling with a musky scent of incense. The chamber didn't look anything like the outside of the pyramid. The walls were painted with vibrant murals and large oil lamps hung lit from the ceiling.

The whole room looked like a scene to imagined it would have. A thousand years ago, the woman was staring thoughtfully at an enormous jade disk hanging on the wall. It was the size of Hashimoto himself, carved with elaborate symbols.

It was probably worth a fortune. The woman turned to him and gave him a serious look. She said he could still change things. He asked what she meant. She pointed to the stone and said it wasn't too late to save them. He still had time. A I the jade disk, it probably weighed 100 pounds, but he could still carry it. He asked the woman again what she meant, that he still had time, but she didn't answer.

Instead, she paused, then stuck her finger in her mouth and touched her tongue.

Suddenly, the room around him filled with smoke and sounds of destruction. The woman stood in the center of it, flames eight away at her head dress, her clothing and her skin. Her face grimaced with pain for a moment. Jacinto stood terrified, then smoke filled his lungs and he began to cough. He had to get out of there, but the jail was too valuable to leave behind. He slipped around the woman, avoiding the flames and lifted the disc off the wall.

Then he ran, rolling it onto the terrace outside.

As soon as they crossed the threshold, it was all gone. The smoke, the screams, even the room itself, everything was rubble again, except the jade disk, he looked down at it and laughed tears springy to his eyes. He would salvage a disk as soon as he could never think about it again. This stone, this temple, it was all cursed. Something terrible had ended that world. But Jacinto's still had time to save his own.

Roughly translated from Yucatec Mayan language Shounen Toonie, which means Stone woman, the name is related to a popular legend that rose up around the site during the 1980s. The story is that a man from the nearby village of San Jose, Sackets, was passing through the ruins when he caught sight of a beautiful Miah woman standing on the stairs of El Castillo. She wore white. We peel a traditional tunic like dress that my women have been wearing for centuries.

She disappeared into a cavern, and the man ran home to tell the villagers what he'd seen. But when they returned with a priest, there was no trace of her, and even the entrance to the cave was gone.

Some of the villagers suggested that what the man had seen was just a carving of a woman who busts the site's name. Stone Woman was born. That could have been the end of the story. But over the years there continue to be sightings of the mysterious woman in white around El Castillo. Villagers would see her ascend the stairs, then disappear into a cave or through a doorway. Over time, rumors cropped up about a spirit that had lingered in shounen to reach an ancient Maya queen who had been sacrificed there.

But her history or what she wanted, had yet to be uncovered. Coming up, a group of Spanish priests meet the St. Maidens wrath.

You discover their practices, seek their advice, and let yourself become more vulnerable than ever before. They have the ability to heal what doctors can't, or so they say. Listeners be sure to check out the special four part series on Miracle Healers airing right now on cults.

Meet figures from around the world who claimed powers and pushed remedies but harboured more sinister intentions. You don't want to miss it. And if you're looking for more episodes on the most radical and deadly people in history, tune into cults every Tuesday as we explore the background and psychology behind the world's most manipulative and mysterious groups. From Jim Jones and the People's Temple to Charles Manson and the Manson family. Jack Keighran area Nexium, you'll uncover the unscrupulous methods used to turn bright eyed recruits into die hard believers.

Follow the Spotify original fun podcast, Cults Free on Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.

This episode is brought to you by Uber, it's figuring out what's for dinner, why not eat local? Tonight, I'll be eating a turkey burger with lettuce, tomato pesto, caramelized onions, pepper, jack cheese, no pickles.

Yes, mayo, all on a brushed butter sesame bun, toasted from my favorite neighborhood place. Whatever you're in the mood for, Uber Eats offers a wide selection of local restaurants from what's new in town to old local favorites. Eat Local with Uber eats tonight. Now back to the story. Long before Belize was an independent country, those who survived the Mayan empire's collapse dispersed, they migrated into what is now southern Mexico, other parts of the Yucatan Peninsula and Present-day, Guatemala and Honduras.

There, the Maya built new urban centers, a few of which even rivaled the impressive structures of their original cities. But those new metropolises were few and far between.

The Grand Mayan empire was gone and it would never come back.

The first Spanish conquistadors arrived in Mesa, America, or the so-called New World in the early 1400's. At the time, the Aztec were the dominant group with a large population, magnificent cities and wealth. The people living in Mesoamerica were diverse, speaking a variety of languages. Some of the descendants of the ancient Maya lived in small villages scattered across Mexico and Central America. Nearly all of their classical cities had been reclaimed by the jungle, and most were completely abandoned.

But figures from the past still remained. Some walked alone over the stone terraces and through the rooms of empty palaces, witnesses to a violent history waiting for the past to repeat itself yet again. Not Pook stopped his horse when he reached a limestone ridge, he sat down in the shade of an enormous Cachao tree and waited for the three Spanish friars to catch up with him. It had taken them and their armed men three weeks to get here from June.

Tukey, not Pook could have made the journey in five days if he'd been traveling alone. But of course he wouldn't have stopped at every village to terrorize people. The Friars called it conversion. They would ride into a village and start by killing the shamans. Then they'd tear down the temples. Nupur had observed that Padre Island Danio especially enjoyed destroying statues, but he was a short fat man and he looked ridiculous, trying to knock the head off of a six foot tall limestone carving.

Really, all the priests could have been laughable if they didn't have horses and guns and disease ten years ago, the Spanish would have been met by June Tukey warriors. But there were few left since the plague. Nearly half of not PWCS village had been wiped out from it. First, the fever and vomiting, then rotting pustules that covered the skin. Those who remained no longer had the spirit to fight. Not Pook had been a child during the worst of the epidemic.

His father was the first to fall ill, and his mother sent him to live with his aunt. When he returned, his father's face was covered in thick scars and his mother was dead. One day, the priests asked for a guy to take them into the distant jungles. Not Pook had never left his village. But when he saw his father step forward, he had to do something. He volunteered to go instead and promised the priests he would take them to a place called the Kingdom of Pizza.

The PUK had never heard of the Kingdom of Pizza, but Padre Avendaño didn't need to know that. So not Puch led the priests and their soldiers into the jungle, hoping to get them far away from anyone he knew, even if it meant he might never come home. A light rain had begun by the time the priests caught up to not puke when they were all together, now Puch led them up the side of the ridge.

He wasn't sure exactly where he was going, but they were deep in the jungle now. Then suddenly, a magnificent city rose up before him with temples bigger than any building he had ever seen. There were ball courts, palaces and huge stone sculptures scattered around the plaza. He recognized some chalk. The rain God loomed above the cracked remains of an old cistern. He had an ax in his hand and the scales covering his body were still painted blue. But other statues, not Pook, didn't recognize at all.

A hunched skeletal figure lay in the grass and an enormous feathered serpent with the head of a man rose up from one of the pyramids. Even the priest seemed awed by the sudden discovery. One asked Pook if this was the kingdom of pizza.

He nodded dumbly, just as awestruck as the rest of them.

But he thought perhaps this was one of the cities he'd heard stories about as a child. He'd always believed they were just legends, mythical tales of great kings who'd built magnificent cities of painted stone. But here it was as real as anything.

Most of the buildings were blackened and charred from some fire long ago, but here and there now you could still see the bright swaths of color from a once glorious kingdom. He climbed off his horse and wandered about the empty city, even with the priests exploring the site behind him and pondering upon Daniel clumsily collecting some of the smaller sculptures.

The place was so empty, not Pook couldn't look at the charred buildings and toppled statues without wondering what had happened to the people who once lived there. Soon he felt himself drawn toward one pyramid in particular. It loomed above the city like some terrible watchtower NUPE who couldn't stop staring at it. He stared for so long that eventually he thought he saw a woman walking on one of the lower terraces. Not Pook blinked, but still she was there. The woman wore white repeal and a magnificent headdress she looked at to poke at.

His chest tightened, her face was painted red, and she had fang like teeth.

Her expression was urgent as she made her way up the steps. She was beautiful and deeply unsettling. Burning with curiosity, not puke, followed her at the top of the steps she disappeared into one of the pyramids doorways. The Pook hurried after her, but before he could go through the entrance, he heard a shout from the plaza below. Padre Avendaño had spotted him and was yelling for him to stay where he was.

Now, PwC looked at the Spaniards and then back to the door, the priests were angry, but something about the woman's expression had felt so urgent he felt like he needed to follow her. And the longer he waited, the more likely it was that he'd lose her completely. He took a deep breath and with a priest still shouting behind him, not Pook stepped through the doorway.

He entered a dimly lit room filled with thick white smoke. The woman in white was lying on the floor. Only now she looked different. She wasn't wearing her headdress anymore, and she looked pale and weak.

She opened her mouth to speak and blood spilled past her lips. Now, Pook rushed toward her when she pointed to a heavy lidded chest in the corner.

Then she turned to him and finally spoke. She said that he could still save himself. Nipmuc heard voices behind him and spun around. The three priests were standing at the doorway. When Nipmuc looked back to the woman. She was gone. Even the smoke had disappeared. He saw then that he was standing in some kind of an altar room, an enormous jey disc hung on one of the walls, and gold objects lay on a table, looking slightly charred.

Old stone pillars held up the roof of her head. One of the priests asked what Inupiaq was doing, but Padre Avendano answered that it was obvious he was trying to keep them from finding riches, objects that were the divine right of the church to possess one of the priests, Grabner Pook, by the hair, and asked if that was true. Nipmuc tried to protest, but the man simply tossed him into the corner. They said they would deal with him.

In a minute, the priest turned toward the items on the table. Pondering Avendaño, Daniel said that the gold could be melted down for the jade disk. It would take some work to destroy the idolatry scribbled across it, but when they did, it would be worth a fortune. The priest started arguing when suddenly the room began to tremble. The priests were too involved in their squabble to notice, but not PwC looked around frantically for an exit. That was when he saw her again.

The woman in White was standing right next to the priests, but they didn't see her. She looked at in a poke and pointed toward the chest again. She then mouthed something to him. Save yourself now. PWCS heart was pounding. He wondered if she was somehow doing this, but even if she was, he had no choice but to trust her. The shaking was getting worse. He crept behind the priests and pulled up a stone lid of the chest with everything he had.

It moved just enough for him to climb in and slide it shut, locked inside. Now Pook could hear the ceiling beams cracking in half. The priests screamed, the floor shook. There was a crash. Then another, then another. Nipmuc waited until well after the last beam had collapsed before climbing out of the chest, he squinted through the dusty air to survey the damage. Where the priests had been was now a pile of rocks.

Nipmuc looked closer to see a bloody hand stretching out from beneath the rubble. The hand twitched, still slightly alive as the dust settled, not puch, saw the woman kneeling beside the stones. Her mouth was no longer full of blood, but her eyes glowed like flames.

In a thunderous voice, she screamed a single word.

Li Na Pook turned and ran.

While ancient Maya history remains murky, it's clear what caused devastation to mezo America's native populations from the 16th century on Spanish conquistadors brought violence to their villages and diseases to their people. Catholic priests burned sacred texts, smashed religious sculptures and forcibly converted native people to Christianity. Their culture was destroyed.

One of these priests was a friar named on Dress Day Up and Danilo, who in 1895 made his way from the formerly Maya village of Tipu toward a place in the Yucatan Peninsula called the Kingdom of EESA, the EITs, where a group of Maya that had built a kingdom in the region. In his account of the journey, even Daniel mentions several temples and cities where he stopped to speak with native people and try to convert them. He describes one place as a city of impressive pyramids built atop a stone ridge.

He called it Tonge should look more or temples on a great height. Avendaño wrote that the buildings were so impressive that they could not have been built by human hands. They must have been built by the devil himself. Coming up, we'll hear the stone maidens tragic story. This episode is brought to you by Sheikh Hydros, Skin Comfort Raiser's, whether you shave daily, rock a beard or sport a style in between Sheikh hydrous skin comfort razors deliver a shave that protects your skin without compromising on closeness.

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Now back to the story. In 2016, more than a thousand years after the collapse of the Maya Empire, archaeologists that she went on to uncovered one of the largest tombs ever found in Belize. Inside were the remains of an adult male, along with hieroglyphic panels created by a Maya royal family, often referred to as the Snake Dynasty at certain points in the Maya classical period. Members of the Snake Dynasty ruled the nearby cities of Naranjo and Karakol. So it's likely that soon, on Tunisia's rulers world, the same lineage.

Scholars believe that to Neach was allied with the city of Toronto and that for a long time she went on. Tonnage was one of the few Maya sites to remain standing. It was a lone beacon of hope in the midst of a devastated wasteland. But eventually its light would be extinguished. Went on. Tonnage would fall to. The Lady Bot's EQT watched her twin sisters, blue and green headdress bob up and down at the front of their father's funeral procession.

When they were children, they used to sneak into their father's chambers to marvel at that headdress. They would run their fingers over its magnificent feathers and occasionally Vishniac would even try it on Ishioka. Ek was older by an hour, but it was always hard to imagine her as queen. She'd always been a shy child, frightened of their tyrannical father.

She was scared of his wrath, but also of disappointing him or more importantly, failing the dynasty of the snake. But now, with their father dead, Ishtar was forced to hide her fear under the headdress.

Of course, a lot has changed in the last 15 years when Lady Bot's and Asiana were children. The view from shoon to Netsch was beautiful. On one side of the city, cornfields spread out as far as the eye could see. On the other side, dense jungle shaded the banks of the river. Now, those same cornfields were thinning like an old man's hair, and the trees around the river were twisted and small. Straw huts had sprung up along the edges of the city belonging to refugees from neighboring cities.

They had come here because there was still water not in the cisterns or the reservoirs. Those had dried up long ago, but the river still ran. The river would always run, Lady Potts hoped, but she was worried some of the banks were starting to dry out. She had to speak to her sister. The procession turned and headed for a building covered in fresh paint, their father had given his life for that building. He called it a sacred sacrifice.

He'd always said that royal blood was the most powerful sacrifice of all. Of course, he hadn't really made any sort of sacrifice. He'd been attacking what was left of Yemane when he was slain in battle and they hadn't needed to rob the rotting corpse of their sister city. But her father wanted more men to finish his tomb. He wanted captives and one of those captives had slit his throat. 10 men lowered their father's body into his tomb. Then four priests closed the heavy stone door.

Lord Canula Chow was locked away forever. His eldest daughter by one hour left to. After the funeral, priests and courtiers surrounded their new queen, demanding her attention, Lady Bot's watched patiently as her sisters struggled to address each of her subjects. Then finally, she caught each narsi lady.

Bot's beckoned to her and let her sister to her room at the top of the pyramid. Lady Bot's led to hanging oil lamps as her twin sat on an old stone chest. Then she told Eastnor she had something important to show her and went to retrieve an astronomical table. When she returned, she pointed to the Jade calendar hanging on the wall. Do you see this? She asked your sister. If they didn't do something soon, things might get very bad.

Shounen tonnage could go the way of the other cities. The signs were clear, but if they acted now, it wouldn't be too late to change things. Something catastrophic was coming. Her sister asked what kind of catastrophe, but Lady Bot's didn't know. All she knew for sure was that they needed to start rationing water. They needed to make more sacrifices, but not captive enemies. She should let all her father's workers go. They needed real sacrifices.

The blood of noblemen not sighed and said it had been an exhausting day. They could save all this for tomorrow. Lady Bot's nodded. Of course, she loved her sister and she hadn't meant to upset her.

Asnar smiled. Then she left. Lady Bot's turned back to her astronomical charts.

She tried to ignore the gnawing dread chroming in her stomach to find any sign of the jade that told her she was wrong. But there was no denying a terrible change was coming. Weeks passed and the lady bot's tried to meet with her sister again. Eychaner made one excuse after another. The people wouldn't submit to water rationing. There were no nobles worth sacrificing.

Two years went by and nothing changed lady but withdrew from her sister and instead focused on finding answers herself. She studied the stars and the charts.

She was determined to come up with the perfect solution, something that would be impossible for her sister to refuse. But with every year that passed, the river got smaller and the water got dirtier. People began to get sick, the crops died off and those who were not sick were starving.

But still, Queen Vishna did nothing.

She distributed the food in the reserves and told people that any day now it would rain again, the crops would come back and the city would thrive.

And all the while, Lady Bot's waited patiently until the days the stars would align with the day, they'd give her the answer. She was so desperately searching for. Exactly seven years after her father's funeral, that day came that morning, Lady Bot's entered the calendar room, just as she had done hundreds of times before and sat down at the low stone table.

She hadn't eaten in three days and was already feeling woozy, but she knew what she had to do.

She set a bowlful of paper on the surface, then picked up a thin stingray spine and attached to a knotted rope. Then she took a deep breath. She was terrified but resolute. This had to be done. She needed her answer. Lady Bot's held up the spine and drove it through her tongue. The pain was horrific, blood poured from her mouth and into the bowl below, she closed her eyes and began to pull, gliding the rope through the hole in her tongue.

It was excruciating. Her eyes watered. And for a second she thought she would lose consciousness.

But finally, she pulled the rope all the way out and held her bleeding tongue over the bowl. Lady Bot's held a candle up to the papers in the bowl. There was so much blood that it took a moment for the papers to catch. But eventually the flame sprang to life and the room filled with smoke. A large snake made out of mist climbed out of the bowl.

It opened its jaws and revealed her father's face. He spoke in a wild, high pitched voice. He said that her sister was wrong. The rains would not come back. The land could not be healed. Instead, the people would rise up and burn the city to the ground. There was only one way out. Lady Boort swallowed her mouth, still filled with blood. She could feel her voice tremble as she asked what they should do. Her father's eyes went red, his face twisting into a terrifying grimace.

He screamed one word flee. Lady Bot's fell to the floor. When Lady Bot's woke, she saw each non-leading over her, she seized her sister's arm and told her about their father's prophecy, oestrus face went pale.

She finally agreed they had to do something and suggested rationing water, or better yet, they could dam the river. Lady Bot's stared at her in disbelief. It was too late for those things. It was too late to do anything but leave.

She clutched each other's arm and begged her to see reason. Lady Bot's then pointed to the chest in the corner where the astronomy charts were kept. Beechnut could check them for herself. She could still save the two of them. She could still save herself.

Beechnut backed away from her.

She said this was their home. Their family had ruled here for 300 years. She would not be the last of the Snake Dynasty. Lady Bot's felt like crying. She said again that her sister could save herself. But each not only gave her a burning stare, she told Lady Bot's that she should leave and never come back. Lady Bot's ran out of the temples, tumbling down the steps and into the city. It was empty. The marketplaces and gardens, the traders and merchants, they were all gone.

But a few people lay sick and moaning in the dusty streets. This place wasn't their home anymore. It was a death trap. The only others remaining were the workers on her father's funerary pyramid. Eychaner had never stopped work on the building. She was still afraid of what her father would think. Even years after his death, her sisters fear and her father's pride had doomed the city. Lady Bot's wished she could burn the tomb to the ground. Suddenly, she had an idea.

If her sister would not leave, then Lady Bot's would force her out.

She waited until nightfall, then crept quietly to the Great Pyramid, where she soaked it stucco with oil and then lit it aflame.

She then climbed down to the central plaza and took a seat, ready to watch her exodus.

The flames consumed the temple soon a group of people climbed up the front steps of the pyramid trying to beat back the small inferno. One man's shirt caught fire. He tore it off and plunged a side, but it landed in a patch of dry grass and the flames spread. Lady Bot's watch does the Great Pyramid was consumed by fire, priests and courtiers poured down the front steps, but each now was not among them. Lady Potts paced back and forth.

Where was her sister? She should have made it down by now.

Suddenly, Lady Bot's had a terrible thought. What if her sister wasn't coming down? What if she was trapped? Or worse. Maybe she was still too afraid to leave. Lady Bot's ran up the front steps she had to finish. Not her twin would not die because of her. But as Lady Bot's approached the top of the pyramid, she saw that the other staircase was on fire. There was now only one way out. She rounded the landing and saw each now hot gust of wind blew back the feathers of her headdress.

Flecks of black ash landed on her white. We peel. Lady Bot's held out her hand.

She begged Eastnor to come down with her. They could still escape. They could flee. He's not shook her head, her eyes shone red in the light of the flames, she told her sister it was too late. They couldn't save anyone. Not anymore. He's not pointed to the cast below her. She said that Lady Bot's had been right, that she'd been afraid of this destruction. So she'd chosen denial. She'd failed her people and her sister, but she wouldn't do it again.

She held out a hand to lady parts and reminded her that royal blood was the best sacrifice.

They would ensure that no Maya suffered in this place ever again. Lady Bot's could already feel the heat from the growing blaze.

It was too much. But then she looked at her sister and a calm came over her. This wouldn't be an easy death, but she was finally doing what she'd always wanted, protecting her people. She took her sister's hand and they walked together into the flame. We may never know exactly what brought about the downfall of the media empire, but there are some pieces of the puzzle that researchers have managed to put together.

In the 1990s, climate scientists and archaeologists uncovered evidence of a century long drought in Central America. It's believed that it began right around the beginning of the Maya collapse. And because most Maya cities did not have access to lakes or rivers, they relied on rainwater to fill reservoirs and cisterns without rain. The cities were doomed. Drought led to famine, soil erosion, deforestation and civil unrest issues that the modern world is becoming all too familiar with. But for on tonnage, they were a death knell.

The population died off or relocated to other regions, and the city's elegant painted facades were destroyed. Over time, foliage grew over the temples and stories of the great civilization were lost. Only the stone lady remained wandering the ancient city. Sometimes she is said to wear a traditional repeal, sometimes just a long white dress.

She's described as either beautiful or a ghastly spectre with flaming eyes, with the descriptions varied just enough. But it would seem as if there was more than one spirit haunting the ruins of shounen tonnage built they might be related to the ancient Maya believed in repeating cycles. They knew the world had ended before, and someday it would end again. So they spent countless hours poring over calendars and astronomical charts, trying to figure out what that end would look like.

Maybe the stone ladies have shown on to Neach figured it out and maybe they still know. So there they remain repeating their knowledge to those who will listen. Because of history as a cycle, we must look to the past, forewarnings and make changes before it's too late. Thanks again for tuning into haunted places. We'll be back on Thursday with a new episode. And don't forget to come back on Tuesday for our Urban Legends series available only on Spotify. You can find more episodes of Haunted Places and all of the Spotify originals from podcast for free on Spotify.

I'll see you next time. Haunted Places is a Spotify original fun podcast, executive producers include Max and Ron Cutler, Sound Design by Kenny Hobbs with production assistance by Ron Shapiro, Carly Madden and Travis Clark. This episode of Haunted Places was written by Zoe Louisa Lewis with Writing Assistants by Alex Garland, fact checking by Claire Cronin and research by Adriana Gomez. I'm Greg Polson.