The pyramid of light of La Mana
Extraordinary objects have been found in the jungle of Ecuador, in a place called La Mana. A completely inexplicable collection, rich in esoteric symbols, which recalls a forgotten past and the vanished land of Mu.
Historians and scientists strive to explore our past as comprehensively as possible. Yet scholars are increasingly dealing with areas of research that, as before, are shrouded in darkness and do not give us peace. This is the case of the most extraordinary collection in the world: the mysterious stone objects from La Mana, an ancient city of gold located in the middle of the jungle of Ecuador.
As chance would have it, these pieces caught my attention in January 2000, during the feverish preparations for the major exhibition Unsolved Mysteries. It all started with a phone call from a friend, the former solo dancer of the Wiener Staatsoper and now well-known director Herbert Nietsch. He asked me if it was possible to meet. It was his half-brother, Dr. Valentin Hampejs.
When we met, he asked me to support an ambitious project of his: the making of a television documentary on Doctor Hampejs. He is a triple doctor (medicine, neurologist and psychiatrist), who has lived in Ecuador for over 20 years. He not only studied Ecuadorian shamanism in depth, but in the meantime he became its leading expert, and he himself successfully practices as a shaman and naturalist doctor. Looking carefully at some photos I noticed one that reproduced strange stone objects. I asked what it was about. Herbert Nietsch told me that his brother had an acquaintance in Ecuador who, while searching for gold, had unearthed mysterious objects of this type. Upon hearing this I said to myself: “I have to see this collection with my own eyes! And as soon as possible!”. I wanted to have those pieces to display them in my exhibition and make them known to a wide audience.
It was the first of several research trips to South America. I left in February 2000. I was accompanied by my friend Reinhard Habeck (collaborator in the research and cataloguer of the Unsolved Mysteries exhibition), Dr. Willibald Katzinger (director of the Nordic Museum in Linz and scientific coordinator of our exhibition) and the essayist and civil engineer Hans Joachim Zillmer.
The pyramid and the eye
In Quito, the capital of Ecuador, we were immediately received by Doctor Hampejs, with whom we reached a small place outside the city. No one in those surroundings would suspect the existence of unusual treasures from hidden eras. Here we first met German Villamar, an agricultural entrepreneur and seminar coordinator, probably the owner of the most unusual pieces in the world.
When he led us into his living room, we expressed uncontainable amazement. About 50 stone and terracotta objects had been arranged on a table: stones of different lengths, with bizarre features and singular deformations, stone snake heads, plates with strange incisions and spirals, clay sculptures with anomalous characteristics and much more Still.
One object in particular fascinated and struck us more than anything else: a stone pyramid on which an eye was set and where 13 steps were engraved. Upon closer inspection it became clear that the eye was worked with stone and set in the pyramidal object. Its color is grey, like the pyramid itself. We immediately recognized this very ancient symbolism. We find it described in various traditions, for example in the Bible, as well as connected to the Serpent Guild, a secret society that has existed in the East since ancient times. Later this symbolism is found in Masonic lodges, in alchemical symbolism and in the secret societies of the Illuminati. As further confirmation, German Villamar took out a one-dollar bill, on which that same symbol was depicted. This symbolism of the pyramid has already been talked about for centuries. Several theories have been put forward, controversially discussed.
The thing became more and more exciting: after having examined all the objects on the table, German Villamar led us into a dark adjoining room. He placed the pyramid on a table and turned on an infrared lamp. At that moment we all fell silent. The eye of the pyramid gave off light like a true divine eye, and the steps appeared like bluish engravings. The image offered an almost ghostly vision! This stone pyramid was truly something special.
After this exciting presentation, we examined the object very carefully and noticed something surprising: at the foot of the pyramid we could recognize small golden inlays, depicting the constellation Orion. Engravings had been placed on it, initially indecipherable characters. Only months later did we learn the contents of these signs. According to a translation made by Professor Kurt Schildmann, president of the German Linguistic Society, that cryptic text would mean: “The creator's son is on a journey.”
From viewing most of the artifacts it could be seen that they have no relation to the existing pre-Columbian culture. Are they modern forgeries? But who would have been capable of producing such an object? And for what reason? How did these strange pieces arrive in Ecuador? Who made them, when and for what purpose?
The stone map
The key to everything could be found in the place of discovery, La Mana. A place located in the Ecuadorian hills, in the middle of a remote jungle, where gold mining was carried out using mechanical means in the 1980s. Engineer Sotomayor, who then conducted the research, discovered a small cave located 10 meters deep, where several ceramic containers were located. The artifacts had been placed and preserved in them.
What period they come from and who placed them in there, protecting them from unauthorized access, is not yet known.In any case, that place has had mysterious characteristics since ancient times. On the site of discovery there is a spring that presents a peculiarity: the presence of organic and drinkable gold in the water! Hydrologists consider the water from this source to be the richest in energy ever. On the other hand, this is reminiscent of the texts translated from the Sumerian clay tablets, where the expression occurs several times according to which the gods once sought gold-rich water. The mystery remains. This also applies to another exceptional find made in La Mana: the so-called stone geographical map.
On this stone slab, 60 cm high, 40 cm wide and 30 cm deep, the map of the world was engraved, from the southern tropic to the northern one. In addition to the well-known continents of North and South America, Europe, parts of Africa and Asia, there are also outlines of three continents unknown today: the legendary Atlantis in the Atlantic Ocean, Mu and presumably Lemuria in the Pacific Ocean.
This surprising slab could reignite the debate about Atlantis and Mu. In this regard, the recent research and discoveries of geologist Professor Masaaki Kimura offer sufficient insights. The scientist examined stone tablets found in the Ryukyu Islands containing ancient inscriptions, and studied the monumental stone buildings found in the waters of Yonaguni Island, 25 meters underground. According to studies conducted by Kimura, from the north of Japan to the south of Taiwan there must have been a continent, which sank following climate catastrophes and the consequent rise in sea levels. The thousand-year-old inscriptions and symbols found on the stone slabs of Ryukyu provide clues to this hypothesis. In them they speak of a kingdom made up today of submerged islands: undoubtedly the legendary land of Mu.
Professor Kimura has made another interesting discovery: the characters on the stone tablets found in the Ryukyu Islands resemble those described by the eccentric British Colonel James Churchward in his book The lost continent of Mu, published in 1926. Even in these they recognize affinities with the characters engraved on each pyramid-shaped stone of La Mana. A pure coincidence?
On each pyramid there is an eye depicted and underneath there are many symbols and spirals engraved. There may be a deep connection between all these references. It would undoubtedly be sensational, but for me not impossible, if a relationship were to emerge between these stones, the submerged continent of Mu and the objects found in the Ryukyu Islands.
Let's go back to the “stone map” of La Mana. The profiles of the submerged continent of MU are clearly recognisable. The research carried out so far suggests a very remote dating of this stone. The question is: who created this "geographical stone map" many thousands of years ago, and above all who, at that time, could know the structure of the earth so well as to be able to engrave a map that seems to have been the result of observations from above? Can this slab be considered proof that the kingdoms of Atlantis, Mu and Lemuria actually existed? Further research will be needed to gain greater clarity.
A further detail could be important: two inlays similar to an eye were made on the stone: one in the region of former Babylon, the other in the place of discovery in Ecuador. There is a white connecting line between the two points. For the creators of the "stone map", this seems to have been of particular importance.
But what conclusions can be drawn? Is there an ancient cultural link between the Sumerians and the current discovery site in Ecuador? Many museum pieces, preserved in South and North America and carefully examined by myself, testify that there have been global contacts betweenthe primitive populations of the Old and New Worlds for a long time.
Astronomical finds
Among the pieces in Villamar's collection there are three other objects, which contain a hidden mystique. The first is a black stone on which it is shown how the pyramid with the eye set is held, probably in some sort of ritual. The other is a stone on which unusual engravings can be observed: a man sits on a pedestal and holds the pyramid in his hands. On his head he wears a sort of helmet with a sort of antenna or hole, to be interpreted as a line of conjunction with a "glittering boat". Above hovers a rayed object or an eye without iris or pupil. From the eyes of the person represented, lines branch out towards two kneeling men.
It is interesting to note that among the objects found there is also a round helmet made of a gold alloy, on the top of which a piece is missing. An intentional crack, which corresponds exactly to the scene depicted on the stone. We were then shown a series of objects that have obvious relationships to Western mystical concepts. It was a large jadeite bowl with some dots on its surface. These inserts, like other La Mana pieces, are phosphorescent and under ultraviolet light form brilliant constellations on the blue background of the glass. Orion, with Betelgeuse highlighted, and the Pleiades are recognisable, as well as other asterisms which an expert from the Buenos Aires Astronomical Institute defined as well representing the sky seen from South America.
This cup is accompanied by twelve other smaller cups, all of different sizes. It was calculated that by hypothetically combining all the smaller cups into a single object, a cup the size of the main one would be obtained. On the glasses there are also signs similar to Mayan numerals. It is clear that the twelve cups with the thirteenth are a reference to the legends of the Grail, the twelve apostles and Christ.
The question is: what is another immortal symbol linked to Christian esotericism doing in Ecuador, together with a Masonic pyramid? The questions increase if we consider that the collection includes other similar objects, with astronomical connotations, such as two "observatories" placed on a jadeite base, also equipped with constellations. Or a splendid cobra head.
Many know of the link between the cobra and the deity for the ancient Egyptians, for the Hindus, but this head is characterized in the lower part by a phosphorescent decoration with 7 points per side and 33 stripes. These numbers make direct reference to the Kundalini energy and the system of seven chakras located along the 33 vertebrae of the human spine; energy represented by a cobra with an open hood. Above all, we were struck by the presence of a rock, on whose front part there seemed to be "set" the face of a bearded man with long hair, while on the back part a sort of spiral enclosed a triangle in whose center there was a green insertion, right in correspondence of the "third eye" of the individual depicted.
An unexpected permission
After examining all those unique objects, we enthusiastically chose the most interesting objects to consider for the exhibition, and discussed the loan conditions with German Villamar. Something unexpected followed at the end of the conversation. He explained to us that it was necessary to ask permission from the local Indian guides (the native successors of the Incas), as there were stones considered magical among the finds.
The following evening we met again at German's house. Luis Viracocha was also present, a very charismatic man who is an important personality among the Indians. His is a family of artists who have been making traditional stone sculptures with Inca motifs for many generations. His first reaction to our loan request was a categorical “no!”. He forcefully explained to us that there was no question of those objects leaving that place. After an hour of conversation, Luis picked up a small stone plate, made of dark green jadeite, where a blue circle and an orange spiral had been inlaid.
With a small magnet hanging from a string, an experiment was then done. Luis gave Dr. Hampejs the wire with the magnet and said: “Keep the pendulum with the magnet on the center of the spiral.” No sooner said than done. After a few seconds the magnet began to rotate in a circle from the inside out. Once it touched the edge of the plate, it rotated for some time without stopping, at a constant speed. The test was also successfully repeated by Reinhard Habeck and Dr. Joachim Zillmer. Finally my turn came. I was surprised and a little disappointed: the magnet hadn't moved an inch. I tried several times, but nothing happened. After a few failed attempts, I laughed and gave up.
I gave Luis a questioning look: I wanted to know why it hadn't worked for me. He put on a very serious expression and invited Dr. Hampejs, Reinhard Habeck and Dr. Zimmer to perform the same procedure again. Again it worked for all three. Finally, I tried again. But as before, the magnet remained completely still. I even tried to intentionally stimulate the pendulum, but to no avail. After a few minutes I gave up, and wondered in amazement what had happened.
Luis went to German and told him with a serious expression: "German, you can make the stone available to this man for his exhibition!". Following Luis' initial refusal,we were very dejected, now our joy was truly great. I asked Luis: “What conclusions should I draw from the fact that the pendulum in my hands did not move? Does this have a particular meaning?”. Luis finally smiled at me and said: “See it as a sign! A good sign!”. To this day, I still don't know what significance this experiment had. The good faith of these simple people is, however, confirmed by the fact that they have never done anything to make these objects known, jealously guarding them as sacred testimonies of their ancestors. These are people who are very attached to their shamanic tradition. I've been lucky. The next day our team of four got on the plane and confidently set off for Cuenca. There too we were given the opportunity to access extraordinary collections that were reported missing. But that's another story.
by Klaus Dona and Reinhard Habeck
