Uwaga!

Czasowników modalnych z czasem present perfect używamy do spekulacji na temat przeszłych wydarzeń.

Kiedy coś jest możliwe: may/might/could + have + past participle (czasowniki regularne z końcówką -ed lub trzecia kolumna w tabeli czasowników nieregularnych).

Kiedy coś jest niemożliwe: can't/couldn't + have + past participle (czasowniki regularne z końcówką -ed lub trzecia kolumna w tabeli czasowników nieregularnych).

Kiedy coś jest pewne: must + have + past participle (czasowniki regularne z końcówką -ed lub trzecia kolumna w tabeli czasowników nieregularnych).

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In 1526, explorer Hernán Cortés recorded tales of fabulously rich towns hidden in the Honduran interior.
He must have heard similar stories from a variety of people. If early explorers hadn't heard stories of a ruined city rising above the jungle, archaeologist Chris Fisher might not have flown to the mountains of La Mosquitia in early 2015 to look for the ruins of a lost city. Fisher did not believe in the legends of 'Ciudad Blanca' - a mythical city built of white stone. He thought it can't have existed.
Though the Mosquitia are among the most mysterious of ancient cultures in the Americas, Fisher did believe the mountains of La Mosquitia must contain the ruins of a real lost city, which had been abandoned for at least 500 years.
When archaeologists first began to explore Mosquitia in the 1930s, they uncovered some settlements.
They thought the area may once have been occupied by a widespread, sophisticated culture. Some archaeologists have proposed that a group of Maya warriors may have taken control of Mosquitia. Others think that the local culture could have simply embraced the characteristics of the Maya.
There is no evidence yet that the Mosquitia built with stone. When their buildings were decorated and painted, they may have been as remarkable as some of the great temples of the Maya. But once abandoned, they dissolved in the rain and rotted away. If the Mosquitia had built their buildings of stone, we might know more about them.