How the “lost cities” of the Amazon were finally found
Vox・6 minutes read
Percy Fawcett vanished in the Amazon in 1925 while searching for the lost city of "Z", based on ancient rumors, but recent findings of large settlements in the Amazon have challenged previous assumptions about the region's history.
Insights
- Percy Fawcett's disappearance in the Amazon while searching for the lost city of "Z" highlighted the challenges of finding evidence of ancient cities in the rainforest due to the lack of visible stone ruins or large populations, reinforcing the belief that the region couldn't support complex societies.
- The discovery of terra preta soil, advanced settlements along the Xingu river, and recent findings of large cities in the Amazon dating back centuries challenge the previous notion that the rainforest was incapable of sustaining sophisticated civilizations, indicating a rich history of complex societies in the region.
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Recent questions
Were there advanced indigenous cities in the Amazon?
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Did Percy Fawcett find the lost city of "Z"?
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What is terra preta in the Amazon?
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Were there large settlements along the Xingu river in Brazil?
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What recent discoveries challenge previous beliefs about the Amazon's history?
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Summary
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Lost Cities of the Amazon: Unraveling Mysteries
- Percy Fawcett, a British explorer, disappeared in the Amazon rainforest in 1925 during his eighth expedition, aiming to find the lost city of "Z" based on ancient rumors of cities in the Amazon.
- European colonizers in the 16th century encountered advanced indigenous cities like Tenochtitlan and Cusco, leading to the legend of El Dorado, a golden city in the Amazon, which many explorers failed to find.
- Fawcett's search for ancient cities in the Amazon in the early 20th century was unsuccessful, as he couldn't find stone ruins or evidence of large populations, aligning with the belief that the rainforest couldn't support complex societies.
- Terra preta, fertile soil created by human activity, and the discovery of large settlements along the Xingu river in Brazil in the 1990s, revealed that the Amazon once housed sophisticated cities designed to coexist with the forest.
- Recent discoveries of large settlements in the Amazon, including trenches dating back to 200-1200 AD and U-shaped buildings in Bolivia, suggest that the lost cities were home to millions of people, challenging previous beliefs about the region's history.
