LOST CITIES & ANCIENT MYSTERIES OF SOUTH AMERICA The Lost Science Series: •THE FREE ENERGY DEVICE HANDBOOK •THE FANTASTIC INVENTIONS OF NIKOLA TESLA •THE ANTI-GRAVITY HANDBOOK •ANTI-GRAVITY & THE WORLD GRID • ANTI-GRAVITY & THE UNIFIED FIELD •VIMANA AIRCRAFT OF ANCIENT INDIA & ATLANTIS •ETHER TECHNOLOGY •TAPPING THE ZERO POINT ENERGY •THE HARMONIC CONQUEST OF SPACE •THE ENERGY GRID •THE BRIDGE TO INFINITY The Lost Cities Series: •LOST CITIES OF ATLANTIS, ANCIENT EUROPE & THE MEDITERRANEAN •LOST CITIES OF NORTH & CENTRAL AMERICA •LOST CITIES & ANCIENT MYSTERIES OF SOUTH AMERICA •LOST CITIES OF ANCIENT LEMURIA & THE PACIFIC •LOST CITIES & ANCIENT MYSTERIES OF AFRICA & ARABIA •LOST CITIES OF CHINA, CENTRAL ASIA & INDIA The Mystic Traveller Series: •IN SECRET TIBET by Theodore Illion (1937) •DARKNESS OVER TIBET by Theodore Illion (1938) •IN SECRET MONGOLIA by Henning Haslund (1934) •MEN AND GODS IN MONGOLIA by Henning Haslund (1935) • MYSTERY CITIES OF THE MAYA by Thomas Gann (1925) •IN QUEST OF LOST WORLDS by Byron de Prorok (1937) •THE MYSTERY OF EASTER ISLAND by K. Routledge (1919) The Atlantis Reprint Series: •ATLANTIS IN SPAIN by Elena Whishaw (1929) •THE HISTORY OF ATLANTIS by Lewis Spence (1926) • RIDDLE OF THE PACIFIC by John MacMillan Brown (1924) •THE SHADOW OF ATLANTIS by Col. A. Braghine (1940) •SECRET CITIES OF OLD SOUTH AMERICA by H. Wilkins (1952) •ATLANTIS: MOTHER OF EMPIRES by Robert Stacy-Judd (1939) THE LOST CITIES SERIES IS KNOWN AROUND THE WORLD “An adventurer cuts loose ... a cut above most of its genre”. —The Oakland Tribune “One long tale of quest and adventure, of chance meetings and inevitable partings, meals relished and hotels endured, camel caravans caught and buses missed–spun through with his eclectic gleanings from obscure works of archaeology, history and explorers’ diaries. Also woven throughout the books, in a crazy- quilt Jumble of innocent awe and hard bitten savvy, are reflections on the people and places he encountered ... ... There is a disarming casualness and a kind of festive, footloose fancy to his tales that are utterly beguiling”. —The San Francisco Chronicle “... a tonic ... experiences in exotic places the rest of us think only Indiana Jones visits ... it will whet your appetite and leave you chomping at the bit”. —The Missoulian “... an offbeat travel guide that is fun to read even if you don’t have plans to duplicate author David Hatcher Childress’ remarkable Journey. A thoughtful young man, Childress tells a good story and his book is lively and interesting”. —The Washington Post “Explore for lost treasure, stone monuments forgotten in jungles ... and hair-raising terrain from the safety of your armchair”. —Bookwatch “A fascinating series of books, written with humour, insight, depth and an astonishing knowledge of the ancient past”. —Richard Noone, author of 5/5/2000 Other books in the Lost Cities Series: Lost Cities of China, Central Asia & India Lost Cities & Ancient Mysteries of Africa & Arabia Lost Cities of Ancient Lemuria & the Pacific Lost Cities & Ancient Mysteries of South America Lost Cities of North & Central America Lost Cities of Atlantis, Ancient Europe & the Mediterranean I would like to thank the many researchers who have helped me write this book, whether they know it or not. Thanks especially to Dave Millman, Mark Segal, Carole Gerardo, Linda Guinn, Greg Deyermenjian, René Chabbert, Herbert Sawinsky, Bill Barrett, Kathy Collins, Ranney Moss, Harry Osoff, Carl Hart, Larry Frego and everyone at the World Explorers Club. Lost Cities & Ancient Mysteries of South America ©Copyright 1986, 1999 David Hatcher Childress All rights reserved Printed in the United States of America Ninth Printing: February 1999 ISBN 0-932813-25-02-X Library of Congress Number: 86-070411 Published by Adventures Unlimited Press Kempton, Illinois USA Maps from the World Explorers Club Archives Cover photo of Machu Picchu by Mark Segal The Lost Cities Series: Lost Cities of China, Central Asia & India Lost Cities & Ancient Mysteries of Africa & Arabia Lost Cities of Ancient Lemuria & the Pacific Lost Cities & Ancient Mysteries of South America Lost Cities of North & Central America Lost Cities of Atlantis, Ancient Europe and the Mediterranean The Lost Cities of the Pacific Series: Ancient Micronesia & the Lost City of Nan Madol Ancient Tonga & the Lost City of Mu’a Ancient Rapa Nui & the Lost Land of Hiva Ancient Tahiti & the Lost City of Havai’iki Ancient New Zealand & the Kaimanawa Wall vii TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. On the Road in South America: Ancient Continent of Mystery 1 2. South of Lima to Nazca: Candlestick of the Andes 18 3. Cuzco and Central Peru: Lost Treasure of the Incas 54 4. Machu Picchu and the Urubamba: The Atlantean League and the Irish Incas 97 5. Lake Titicaca: In Search of the Hidden City of Gran Paititi 113 6. Tiahuanaco and La Paz: Antediluvian Remnants in Bolivia 130 7. Across the Andes into the Atacama: Mysteries of the World’s Driest Desert 160 8. Hitchhiking in Chile: Frozen Mummies and Earthquakes 177 9. Across Patagonia: Giants in the Earth 194 10. Northern Argentina and Paraguay: Mysteries of the 212 Megaliths 11. Río de Janeiro: The Carnival and the Sphinx 229 12. The Amazon Jungle: The Secret of Akakor 243 13. Bahia and Northern Brazil: The Lost Mines of Muribeca 278 14. The Mato Grosso: The Search for Colonel Fawcett’s Lost City 290 15. The Jungles of Bolivia: Lost Cities, Tunnels and the Death Train 318 16. Northern Peru into Ecuador: Pyramids and Gold Treasure 336 Appendix: Document 512, Describing Colonel Fawcett’s Lost City of 1753 363 Chronology of South American Exploration 381 Footnotes and Bibliography 374 viii LOST CITIES AND ANCIENT MYSTERIES OF ... SOUTH AMERICA ix Lost Cities still await explorers in the jungles of South America. Drawing by Brian Fawcett, courtesy of the Lima Times. x