 Thousands of years before the Inca, the Chavín ruled the land now known as Peru for 800 years. Unlike other New World civilizations, the Chavín did not rely on military might for their influence, relying instead on hallucinogenic plants (San Pedro cactus) to control their subjects. Josh tries to understand this mysterious culture and an enigmatic obelisk whose engravings might represent a creation myth. Why does the obelisk feature carvings of a caiman, an anaconda, yucca plants, peanuts, and chili peppers, when these appear only in the Amazon jungle, not high in the mountains? Josh ventures deep into miles of tunnels beneath the ruins of Chavín de Huantar, comes face to face with some of the most fearsome animals of the Peruvian Amazon, visits the archaeological sites of Caral Supe and Las Aldas, and investigates a real temple of doom that is 2,500 years old.