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Many explorers have died searching for Paititi: the Lost City of Gold, and
many became convinced that the city was hidden in the last undiscovered
regions of the Amazon.
The infamous journeys to discover Paititi were also what inspired Sir Arthur Conan
Doyle to write "The Lost World."
Much has been documented about the divine sense of quest to discover this magical
kingdom. From treasure hunters to archaeologists and explorers, Paititi has until now
remained the subject of lore and tribal legend spread through generations.
But now, a remote location in the Peruvian Amazon thought to be the legendary Lost
City has been discovered and is the target for a professional expedition taking place
this summer.
Inca traditions mention a city, deep in the jungle and east of the Andes area of
Cusco which could be the last Incan refuge following the Spanish Conquest.
The Spanish conquistadors pillaged Cusco for its gold and silver, they only
discovered a small amount of bounty in the capital, and the bulk of the mass
treasure has never been found.
Just recently a Spanish Galleon that sunk over 300 years ago, was discovered off
the coast of Columbia and possibly holding billions of dollars worth of treasure looted
from Peru.
In the document, which dates from 1600, Lopez describes in great detail, a large city
rich in gold, silver and jewels, located in the middle of the tropical jungle called Paititi
by the natives.
Lopez informed the Pope about his discovery and the Vatican has kept Paititi's
location secret for decades.
Due to the remote location of the area, as well as dense mountains that have to be
traveled, it is no wonder that Paititi remains so hard to find. Currently drug trafficking,
illegal logging and oil mining are overtaking this part of Peru, and many amateur
explorers that enter are often killed.
It was then that I began to hear about a site which lay hidden
somewhere off to the east, where the Andes and the Amazonian rain
forests meet in a riot of hills, ravines, and isolated peaks, all covered
in jungle and crisscrossed by unnavigable boulder-strewn rivers and
streams.
On our way back through the remote and dusty highlands of the
Cordillera de Lares/Lacco that overlooks the Río
Paucartambo/Mapacho, we passed through impressive and finely
constructed Incan sites such as Tambocancha and Uncayoc, which
must have at one time guarded these routes.
Gregory Deyermenjian (far left)
on one of his numerous quests for Paititi
(Photo by Javier Zardoya)
We left the helicopter at the furthest point that we had followed as far
as we could in 1993. We passed a relatively elaborate Incan retaining
wall above the trail, then descended to the headwaters of the Río
Timpía.
Over the course of the next week we saw that the rough and totally
overgrown trail continued ever downward, through the increasingly
broken and precipitous territory of the valley of the Timpía.
It was easier to follow the river itself, with its raging waters and huge
slippery boulders and logs, than to try to directly follow the totally
overgrown and uprooted remnant of a trail clinging to the valley wall a
few hundred meters above.
Thierry Jamin during an expedition in the National Park of Manú,
a delicate passage on an undiscovered river.
(Photo by Thierry Jamin)
After having climbed now upriver, up and out of the cloud forest, to
emerge back at the high alturas where we had begun, we soon ran
into some wandering vaqueros, cowboys, who had driven the cattle to
these lonely grasslands for unlimited grazing.
And here were a series of low Incan platforms and retaining walls,
which, along with the remnants of Incan trail and retaining wall closer
to the Timpía, constitute the furthest Incan remains yet found directly
north of the Incan capital of Cusco.
In the valley of Lacco,
Thierry Jamin's expedition team transports supplies.
(Photo by Thierry Jamin)
Then in 1995, from a high perch on the eastern edge of the Andes, as
we were ascending from the valley of the headwaters of the Callanga
to the highlands to the west, I caught a glimpse of the mighty peaks of
this strange massif, which seemed to reach to a height quite
uncommon for tropical mountains out beyond the Andes:
while the entire range was enveloped in what appeared
to be a thick mantle of green vegetation, the actual
peaks were shrouded in what appeared to be perpetual
cloud around the summits.
Adjacent areas, as described by long-time Paititi seeker, Padre Juan
Carlos Polentini, are said to harbor the extensive ancient stone ruins
that could be the legendary Paititi."
NOTE: Some portions of Greg Deyermenjian's writings have not been edited due to space
restrictions. Visit complete manuscript here.
Even civilian explorers like California based adventurer and photographer Fernando
S. Gallegos have been inspired to explore the area.
His detailed and fascinating account of reaching Pusharo, deep in the Amazonian
jungle after surviving tarantula swarms and being stranded in torrential rains, shows
exactly how arduous and dangerous the journey is.
I asked Fernando what compelled him to take such dangerous journeys and he
explained:
"I want to rekindle that forgotten sense of curiosity that we all seem to
lose when we enter adulthood.
In my exclusive interview with famed French explorer Thierry Jamin, I was able to
get the most updated information as to the next steps in discovering Paititi later this
year.
What are your plans for discovering the Lost City of Paititi this
summer?
For about twenty years, my team and I dedicated our searches on the tracks of the
permanent presence of the Incas in Amazonian forest. We looked for their main
center of population: the lost city of Paititi. Since 1998, we have completed about
twenty expeditions in the southeast of Peru.
These were real "Pompeii Amazonians"! From 2009 till 2013, we continued to
discover more than forty complete sites.
Situated on original Incan stone paths, these lost cities seem to lead to the north of
Cusco, towards the National Sanctuary of Megantoni. This sanctuary shelters one of
the most difficult to access forests in South America. It is the cradle of the
Matsiguengas Indians, with whom we have a very good relationship.
Since 2010, several Matsiguengas Indians told us about the existence of a strange
mountain, at the top of which would hide the ruins of an old stony city: the legendary
city of Paititi. During several years, we tried to locate this mysterious mountain.
Then, in June, 2012, the French company Astrium helped us obtain a series of
satellite photos of exploration zone. In certain photos, we localized a very strange
mountain of square shape, one thousand meters aside.
We would say a cube, in the heart of the forest, encircled by abysms of a several
hundred meters deep.
A hundred meters west of this mountain, two twin lakes and a mysterious square
lake, seem to confirm the testimonies of the Matsiguengas. All of the legendary
traditions assert that Paititi was built near such extents of water.
We tried to reach this mountain in 2011 in vain and then, in 2012, new discoveries in
Machu Picchu took away from our search for Paititi. But in 2013 and 2014, other
expeditions allowed us to approach our goal of only a few kilometers.
The jungle of Megantoni is dangerous and very difficult to access, especially for a
team moving with important supplies. Our diverse expeditions have not allowed us
yet to reach the ruins of the lost city.
Nevertheless, the Matsiguengas Indians are convinced: it is at the top of this "well
cut" mountain that hide the vestiges of the queen of the South American lost cities.
Ancient map
describing location of the Secret City
We plan to explore the mountain in great detail, but also the lakes,
thanks to the use of a ROV (automatic soumarin robot) and with
professional divers. Several professional archaeologists will also
participate in the operation.
These Indians live in the hunting areas. The area of the "square
mountain" is surrounded by vertical walls of nearly a thousand meters
high and Kuga Pakuris never go to that area. We are in permanent
contact with Matsiguenga of Megantoni tribes, who participate in our
expeditions.
This area is part of their territory, rather than the "uncontacted" tribes.
All of our search campaigns are carried out within a legal framework,
with the permission and participation of Peruvian authorities (Ministry
of Culture and Ministry of Environment - SERNANP)
But they are still very expensive for us. And nothing beats field
research. The radars cannot perform the exploration in underwater
lakes. This is the essence of archaeological research.
Science must discover the site of Paititi first and return this great
historical and archaeological treasure to the hands of the World
Heritage Site.
2016: Thierry Jamin will fly with helicopter research teams to further
explore the newly discovered possible location of Paititi.
Fernando Gallegos along the
Amazon river in search of Paititi
(Photo by Fernando S. Gallegos)
Ruins recently discovered in southern Peru could be the ancient "lost city" of Paititi,
according to claims that are drawing serious but cautious response from experts.
A commonly cited legend claims that Paititi was built by the Inca hero Inkarri, who
founded the city of Cusco before retreating into the jungle after Spanish conquerors
arrived.
On January 10 Peru's state news agency reported that "an archaeological fortress"
had been discovered in the district of Kimbiri and that the district's mayor suggested
it was the lost city.
Few other details about the site were offered, but initial reports described elaborately
carved stone structures forming the base of a set of walls.
The state media report quotes Torres as saying the area will be "immediately
declared" a cultural tourism site.
Legend of Paititi
Paititi is believed to have been located somewhere east of the Andes Mountains in
the rain forest of southeastern Peru, southwestern Brazil, or northern Bolivia.
In 1600 a missionary reported seeing a large "city of gold" in the region where Paititi
is believed to have been built, according to archival records discovered by an Italian
archaeologist in 2001.
However, the location of the newfound site falls counter to where historical records
indicate Paititi should be, Solís said.
The first task will be to determine if the newfound ruins are the work of the Inca or
pre-Inca ethnic groups, Solís said.
Gregory Deyermenjian, a U.S.-based psychologist and explorer who has led many
expeditions to investigate the Paititi legend, said many people in the tourism-rich
region of Cusco have embraced the legend as a business promotion.
But he said the claims could have merit, as there are still many important sites to be
found.
"It is a bit off the beaten path but still within the Inca's reach,"
Deyermenjian said. "I'm very interested to know more."
Daniel Gade, professor emeritus in geography at the University of Vermont,
cautioned about jumping to conclusions.
"Paititi is frequently the first thing people mention when something like
this is found," Gade said, adding that there are many ruins in the
jungle regions of the area.
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