Posted on 07/28/2002 4:05:10 PM PDT by vannrox
"El Dorado" discovered in Peruvian Amazon, explorers claim |
Lima, Jul 27, 2002 (EFE via COMTEX) -- An international team of explorers claims to have found the legendary Inca city of gold that the Spanish knew as "El Dorado," deep in the heart of the Peruvian Amazon.
The quest began on June 30, when more than two dozen researchers began combing the wild and unexplored jungle region along the basin of the Madre de Dios River.
El Dorado, called "Paititi" by the region's Indian population, is known as the last bastion of the Incas as they sought refuge from advancing Spanish conquistadors.
The leader of the expedition, the Polish-Italian journalist and explorer Jacek Palkiewicz, told EFE Saturday he was very pleased with the expedition and felt "certain" he had found El Dorado.
After two years of research and exploration, Palkiewicz said, the lost city had been found in an area adjoining the Manu national park, southeast of Lima.
The journey to El Dorado has allowed the researchers to confirm all the written accounts and myths surrounding the lost city, including reports that it was a 10-day walk from Cuzco, the ancient capital of the Inca empire.
Palkiewicz said he was most surprised to learn that stories of the city being under a lake were completely accurate.
The lake has been discovered in a four-square-kilometer (1.5-square-mile) plateau totally covered in vegetation.
Russian specialists taking part in the expedition used terrestrial radar to confirm the existence of an underwater network of caverns and tunnels.
According to legend, the treasures of the last Inca rulers were buried under the lake.
He added that a final extensive expedition would be carried out in October and would include scientists specializing in the study of caves.
Palkiewicz said he had found traces of pre-Inca constructions, which indicate that the Incas had only begun to colonize the area shortly before arrival of the Spanish conquistadors.
The man described by Britain's Guardian newspaper as a "self-styled academic" did not rule out the existence of other Inca constructions, but said the dense jungle and the region's torrential rains prevented the team from investigating further.
The expedition, which was made up of scientists from Argentina, Italy, Poland, Russia and Peru, used terrestrial radar and satellites to locate the lost city.
The journey was planned after two previous visits to the area and was given a further boost by the discovery of a 16th-century manuscript ostensibly proving that El Dorado had been discovered by Jesuit missionaries.
In the manuscript, which was found in the Vatican archives of the Society of Jesus, the pope authorizes the Jesuits to evangelize the Indians of Paititi.
Palkiewicz, a teacher of survival skills who has written some 20 books about his journeys to the most remote areas of the planet, has extensive experience in the Amazon jungles.
In 1996, he led another expedition that succeeded in locating the true source of the Amazon River.
His most recent expedition had a budget of more than $1 million and received the symbolic support of Peruvian President Alejandro Toledo, Poland's Aleksander Kwasniewski and Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi.
Efforts to locate the legendary city began with the arrival of Spanish conquerors in 1532.
Rumors of a jungle city that supposedly held priceless treasures to be used to pay the ransom of the last Inca ruler, Atahualpa, prompted searches of the region.
Many previous El Dorado expeditions ended in disaster on account of the region's hostile environment and difficult terrain.
One such failed expedition took place in 1925, when famous British explorer Col. Peter Fawcett disappeared in western Brazil while looking for the city.
In 1970, a French-American expedition led by Serge Debru disappeared, most likely at the hands of Huachipairi Indians.
A 1997 expedition led by Norwegian anthropologist Lars Hafksjold also disappeared after setting out for the Madidi River, not far from the site of Palkiewicz's discovery.
By David Blanco Bonilla.
dub/mc/drBy David Blanco Bonilla.
Copyright (c) 2002. Agencia EFE S.A.
KEYWORD: Lima
SUBJECT CODE: CYT
PERU
ARCHAEOLOGYBill Clinton said: "I wanted to find it, but the Republicans wouldn't let me."
According to legend, the treasures of the last Inca rulers were buried under the lake.
If they find it, let the games begin.
First, salvage claims by the explorers. Then antiquities claims by Peru. Then reparations claims by all the surrounding countries from which the slaves came.
-PJ
I never tried it, but I bet gold doesn't taste as good as hogs, cows, sheep or goats.
What was the fixiation, (is that a word?) with gold back then?
I thought wealth was how many cattle and tents you had. Maybe how many fields you had.
When did gold happen?
Hey parsy, I always love your posts.
I live in Texas and I am thinkin', I would much rather walk in doo-doo in the heat than on a street of gold.
We do have a river here to wash it off.
The Democrats did it?
One could argue that if it's necessary to build your cities underwater, it's way too crowded.
Absolutely correct.
What other state has a field which, when plowed daily, occasionally yields a fairly low quality diamond?
Only Arkansaw.
I've read that gold first became popular around 6000 B.C. A little later in this History of Gold.
Bottom line "keeping up with the Jones" probably started about 30,000 years ago. Till this day, anything rare and shiny enthalls us, especially if you are a human of the XX variety. Remember diamonds are a girl's best friend!
But I have a question -
I posted this same article yesterday as a news article, but it got moved to the "Moose and Cheese" forum. Why was it reclassified?
Re-print the title of this and add "Logging & drilling begins in two weeks"
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.