The Netflix documentary Waco: American Apocalypse examines the events that led to the deaths of at least 75 members of the Branch Davidians sect in April 1993.
The three-part docuseries also looks into the rise of their leader David Koresh, real name Vernon Howell, who saw himself as a messianic figure and was suspected of stockpiling illegal weapons.
It was a federal firearms investigation that led to the bloody siege of the sect's Mount Carmel compound in Waco, Texas. What Mount Carmel became may surprise viewers of the streamer's latest true crime documentary.
Where Is Mount Carmel? What the Waco Compound Became May Surprise You
In February 1993 the ATF (now the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives) conducted a raid of the Mount Carmel compound, looking for illegal firearms. Four agents and five members of the Branch Davidians were killed in the raid.
FBI agents then laid siege to the compound and the standoff lasted 51 days. When federal agents attempted to end the siege on April 19, 1993, fires broke out and at least 75 members of the Branch Davidians died.
The Mount Carmel center was burned to the ground, but has become a site of pilgrimage for visitors interested in the events of 1993 or the group itself.
In addition, the Davidians that survived the siege created a new branch of the sect named The Lord Our Righteousness, which is based in a chapel at the compound.
A Time magazine article published in February 2023 said Waco had become a tourist attraction and "Mount Carmel is a chapel on a grassy floodplain near the corner of Elk Road and Double-EE Ranch Road."
The publication reported that 82 trees have been planted near the new chapel to represent the men, women and children who died in 1993. A tree had been planted for Koresh but was cut down by The Lord Our Righteousness pastor Charles Pace, according to Time.
The Lord Our Righteousness chapel at Mount Carmel first opened in 2000, and contains information and memorials for those who lost their lives in the siege.
A report on website Heavy.com includes video footage of the chapel filmed in 2016. A sign marks the former location of the Branch Davidians compound and an old pool is still intact, according to the outlet.
It also reported that there are "monuments and memorial sites for the ATF agents and the Davidians who died" at the site.
Waco: American Apocalypse is out on Netflix now.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
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Roxy Simons is a Newsweek TV and Film Reporter (SEO), based in London, U.K. Her focus is reporting on the ... Read more
