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The First Earth's Circumnavigation by Antonio Pigafetta

The Account of the First Circumnavigation of the Earth by the Italian Traveler Antonio Pigafetta

Lost Civilizations (@lostcivilizations)

Published in

lostworlds

· 1 week ago

The First Earth's Circumnavigation by Antonio Pigafetta

One of the key figures in the great geographic discoveries of the 16 th century was the Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan, the commander of the fleet that set sail from Spain in 1519 with the goal of reaching the Spice Islands. However, without the invaluable contribution of the Italian Antonio Pigafetta (also known as Antonio Lombardo, Vicenza, 1491-1531), who documented all the events of the three years of this astonishing journey in his Account of the First Voyage Around the World , many details of the expedition—which was undoubtedly one of the most incredible, challenging, and dangerous of all time—would have been lost forever. ...

The Esoteric Origin of the Universal Weekly Sequence

Lost Civilizations (@lostcivilizations)

Published in

lostworlds

· 2 weeks ago

The Esoteric Origin of the Universal Weekly Sequence

We all know that the names of the days of the week derive from the observation of celestial bodies by ancient astronomers. The seven celestial bodies visible to the naked eye, which change their position in the sky (unlike the "fixed" stars), are: the Sun, the Moon, Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus, and Saturn. However, some questions remain unresolved to this day: why "weeks" of exactly seven days were created, and, most intriguingly, the "universal weekly sequence"—the specific arrangement of days within the week—which has yet to be definitively explained. Regarding the seven-day duration, several hypotheses have been proposed. The most pr...

The Mystery of the Mosollacta Ruins

Lost Civilizations (@lostcivilizations)

Published in

lostworlds

· 2 weeks ago

In the intricate high jungle of the Cusco region, there are several fascinating archaeological sites that were used in ancient times as fortified citadels or agricultural and residential centers. One such site is the enigmatic Miraflores, which I had the opportunity to explore and study in September 2011 with the Deyermenjian group. This non-fortified citadel was likely built and used by pre-Inca people for agricultural purposes in ancient times, possibly to supply soldiers guarding the farthest limits of the Huari empire, near the frontier with the Amazonian lowlands (specifically the watershed between the Yavero River valley and the Mad...

The moral and social organization in the Machiguenga

Lost Civilizations (@lostcivilizations)

Published in

lostworlds

· 2 weeks ago

The Machiguenga people are living in southeastern Peru, in the valley of the Urubamba River (Cusco Region), and Upper Madre de Dios River. They speak an arawak language and in total are 9000 people. The first time I had contact with these indigenous people was in 2008, when one of them escorted me to the Pusharo petroglyphs, a masterful engraved rock which origin or meaning none of them can explain. In their language, the word "Machiguenga" means "people". Anyone who does not belong to the same ethnicity is considered as "other", whether he is indigenous (e.g. Mashco Piro, Nahua or Ashaninka), or Peruvian or foreigner. According to the mo...

Huari tomb reveals Andean control over jungle

The discovery of the tomb of the Huari prince at Espiritu Pampa (Peru) opens new horizons regarding the actual control of the jungle by Andean civilizations

Lost Civilizations (@lostcivilizations)

Published in

lostworlds

· 2 weeks ago

Huari tomb reveals Andean control over jungle

The site of Espiritu Pampa, near Vilcabamba, was known to historians until recently as a refuge for the last rulers resisting Spanish conquest. The last of these, Tupac Amaru I, was captured and executed in Vilcabamba in 1572, marking the official end of Huascar’s lineage. The Vilcabamba kingdom and its ruins remained forgotten for over 300 years until 1892, when Peruvians Manuel Ugarte, Manuel Lopez Torres, and Juan Cancio Saavedra reached the site of Hatun Wilca Pampa. The ruins were later studied by Hiram Bingham in 1911, but Antonio Santander Casselli identified Espiritu Pampa as the true Vilcabamba in 1959. Casselli returned to the s...

The Symbolism of the Cornerstone in the Great Monoliths of Chavín de Huántar

Lost Civilizations (@lostcivilizations)

Published in

lostworlds

· 2 weeks ago

The Chavin de Huantar civilization developed around 1500 BCE at the confluence of the Puccha and Mariash rivers, tributaries of the Marañon, approximately 3,150 meters above sea level in the present-day Ancash department of Peru. The origins of the theocratic Chavin culture remain the subject of heated debates. Archaeologist J.C. Tello suggested that the culture’s roots lay in Amazonian cultures, based in part on discoveries at the Kotosh temple near Huanuco. Archaeologists Evans and Mayers proposed that Chavin ceramics had connections with certain artifacts from the Valdivia site in Chile and even with Neolithic jars from Japan’s Jomon c...

The Mashco Piro, indigenous people under threat

Lost Civilizations (@lostcivilizations)

Published in

lostworlds

· 3 weeks ago

The Mashco Piro, indigenous people under threat

A few weeks ago, some indigenous people from the Mashco Piro ethnic group approached the banks of the Río de las Piedras, in the heart of the Madre de Dios region in Peru. They approached the native community of Monte Salvado, apparently to ask for food. Some anthropologists explained that the Mashco Piro avoided any type of contact after the violent exploitation they suffered during the rubber boom in the early 20th century. Officials from the program for voluntarily isolated peoples of Madre de Dios point out that this ethnic group is in danger, as they are threatened by both gold mining and reckless deforestation, both of which are ill...

The ancestral world of the Auca indigenous people

Lost Civilizations (@lostcivilizations)

Published in

lostworlds

· 3 weeks ago

The ancestral world of the Auca indigenous people

The Huaorani, also known as the Auca, number approximately 3,000 and inhabit a territory of around 13,000 square kilometers in the Ecuadorian Amazon jungle. Most of them live permanently on the outskirts of mission settlements. Only small groups of Auca live deep in the forest; while they are not uncontacted, they are an ethnic group that chooses voluntary isolation. Their homeland is a portion of jungle between the Napo and Curaray Rivers, with the Yasuni River marking the eastern boundary of their ancestral territory. Historically, the Auca were renowned for their exceptional hunting skills. They used blowguns to shoot darts poisoned wi...

The Origin of the Native Americans

The Mystery of Monte Verde (Chile), and the End of the Clovis Protocol

Lost Civilizations (@lostcivilizations)

Published in

lostworlds

· 3 weeks ago

The Monte Verde site is located near Puerto Montt, Chile. In 1975, a local student discovered some unusual animal bones, which were later identified as mastodon bones. Subsequently, geologist Mario Pino and anthropologist Tom Dillehay began excavation work, confirming that the site had been inhabited by approximately 20 people. Findings included mastodon bones, food remnants, ropes, charcoal, wood, traces of meat from ancestral llamas, and remains of numerous plants. The site was preserved due to being submerged under peat and other plant material. Additionally, a layer of volcanic-origin iron oxide was found above the peat layer. The cha...

Anthropomorphism in the Rio Guayabero Petroglyphs

Lost Civilizations (@lostcivilizations)

Published in

lostworlds

· 3 weeks ago

Anthropomorphism in the Rio Guayabero Petroglyphs

In 2009, I was traveling in the Meta department of Colombia. My goal was the magnificent Caño Cristales, one of the paradisiacal spots in the Andean country. Caño Cristales (a tributary of the Guayabero River), which winds through an area of rare scenic beauty, is famous for the colorful algae present in its riverbed. There are algae with shades of red, yellow, orange, and even blue, whose brilliant colors reflect in the water, creating spectacular displays of light. Upon arriving in the small town of La Macarena, flying in a shaky Cessna plane, I settled into a modest hotel and contacted my guide. The next day, I visited Caño Cristales o...

The symbolism of the number 8 in the Llactapata tambo

Lost Civilizations (@lostcivilizations)

Published in

lostworlds

· 3 weeks ago

The symbolism of the number 8 in the Llactapata tambo

Since ancient times, the number 8, often represented in the form of the octagon, has symbolically represented the path to reach the Divine. While the square symbolized the Earth, with its four cardinal points, and the circle has always represented the Sun and thus the supreme Divinity, the octagon symbolically indicated the geometric shape of the way to God. In Buddhist philosophy, the number 8 holds fundamental importance: the Noble Eightfold Path was pointed out by Buddha as the road to liberation from suffering. In Judeo-Christian philosophy, references to the number 8 are so numerous it is hard to count them. The resurrection of Chris...

The Amazonian Kingdom of Paititi

Lost Civilizations (@lostcivilizations)

Published in

lostworlds

· 3 weeks ago

When the word Paititi is mentioned, it can refer to at least three different legends. First of all, the famous and fascinating Inca Paititi, a fortified citadel that, according to legend, was built by the cultural hero Inkarri. It is said that various members of the Inca nobility and religious caste hid there after the capture of Tupac Amaru I in 1572. This fortress, hidden in the jungles of the Madre de Dios or Cusco region (its name allegedly derived from the Quechua word paikikin , meaning “similar to,” referring to Cusco), was sought in the second half of the last century by explorer and ancient culture researcher Carlos Neuenschwande...

Interview with explorer Gregory Deyermenjian, famous researcher of Paititi

Lost Civilizations (@lostcivilizations)

Published in

lostworlds

· 3 weeks ago

Interview with explorer Gregory Deyermenjian, famous researcher of Paititi

Nowadays, most people believe that the entire world has already been explored, mapped, and documented. They tell us we live in the age of globalization, where no matter where one travels, it will feel like home. The truth, however, is quite different from what the media portrays. Even today, there are areas of the Earth that remain little known, and others where, incredibly, no one (except for uncontacted indigenous peoples) has ever set foot. For instance, in South America, parts of the border between Brazil and Peru, as well as areas in Peru such as Alto Purús, the Río Yaco, the intangible zone of the Manu National Park, and the Madidi ...

The endless search for Paititi and the analysis of the manuscript by Andrea Lop

Lost Civilizations (@lostcivilizations)

Published in

lostworlds

· 3 weeks ago

The endless search for Paititi and the analysis of the manuscript by Andrea Lop

What is Paititi really? Can a myth survive five centuries of history and still be more alive than ever in the 21st century? Paititi, the lost city hidden somewhere in the vast Amazon rainforest east of Cusco, is, in fact, the convergence of several legends. From one perspective, it can be included in the broader myth of South American El Dorado, which I explored in my book The Search for El Dorado . During the Inca era, the jungle traversed by the Amarumayo River—now known as the Madre de Dios—was called Antisuyo, and its inhabitants were known as Antis (from which the term Andes originates). According to accounts, the Inca ruler Pachacut...

The Search for the Golden Chain of Huascar

Lost Civilizations (@lostcivilizations)

Published in

lostworlds

· 3 weeks ago

The Search for the Golden Chain of Huascar

Huayna Capac , the eleventh Sapa Inca , ruled the largest empire in ancient South America from 1493 to 1525. During his reign, he conquered vast territories in northern Peru and in what is now Ecuador. When Huayna Capac's son was born to Raya Ocllo , his second legitimate wife, he was baptized with the name Inti Cusi Huallpa (meaning "Joy of the Sun"), but he later became known as Huascar . For the naming ceremony of his son, Huayna Capac had a heavy gold chain forged, symbolizing the mythical Yawirka , a two-headed serpent said to have been gifted by the Rainbow God to Inca Yupanqui for protection. The Yawirka is a recurring symbol ...

The cult of the two-headed serpent, emblem of the Chichitarra petroglyphs

Lost Civilizations (@lostcivilizations)

Published in

lostworlds

· 3 weeks ago

The cult of the two-headed serpent, emblem of the Chichitarra petroglyphs

In Judeo-Christian culture, the serpent symbolizes "evil" and "temptation," as depicted in Genesis , the first book of the Bible. However, in Andean and Amazonian cultures, it holds a completely different meaning, representing the generation of life and the eternal cycle of existence. While traveling along various South American rivers, such as the Urubamba, Ucayali, and Mamoré, I encountered numerous legends about giant anacondas living in the crevices of waterways, considered sources of life. The concept of a "crevice" or "cavity" holds great significance in Amazonian cultures, as it alludes to the womb, the origin of life. During one o...

The Inca Guainaapoc's escape into the mysterious land of Paititi

Lost Civilizations (@lostcivilizations)

Published in

lostworlds

· 3 weeks ago

The Inca Guainaapoc's escape into the mysterious land of Paititi

Pachacutec, who reigned from 1438 to 1471, was the first emperor of the Incas to conquer part of the Amazon jungle, known as Antisuyo (corresponding today to the Peruvian region of Madre de Dios and the Bolivian departments of Beni and Pando). According to Vaca Castro in his "Relación sobre los quipucamayos" (1544), Pachacutec reached as far as the Paititi River (possibly the Rio Madeira or Rio Beni?), where he built two fortresses. Upon Pachacutec's death in 1471, the peoples of Antisuyo refused to continue paying tribute to Cusco. In response, the new Inca, Tupac Yupanqui (who reigned until 1493), organized a powerful army to decisi...

Expedition to Rio Guaporé Jungle: Great Mystery of Lost City of Labirinto

Lost Civilizations (@lostcivilizations)

Published in

lostworlds

· 3 weeks ago

Expedition to Rio Guaporé Jungle: Great Mystery of Lost City of Labirinto

The Guaporé River (also known as the Iténez River, 1,749 km long) originates in Brazil's Mato Grosso state and flows northwest, eventually merging into the Mamoré River. Its course forms the border between Bolivia and Brazil, specifically between the Bolivian departments of Santa Cruz and Beni and the Brazilian states of Mato Grosso and Rondônia. Since the time of the Incas, the Guaporé River has represented a boundary, beyond which lay mythical and little-known lands, such as the legendary Paititi . Below is an excerpt from the Spanish writer Sarmiento de Gamboa in his Historia de los Incas (1570): And along the road now called Camat...

Amazonian Geoglyphs, Evidence of an Unknown Civilization

Lost Civilizations (@lostcivilizations)

Published in

lostworlds

· 3 weeks ago

Amazonian Geoglyphs, Evidence of an Unknown Civilization

The European colonization of Rondônia and Acre is relatively recent. The first Portuguese explorer to reach the area was Antônio Raposo Tavares in 1650. However, it wasn’t until 1770 that some Portuguese settlers established themselves in the region with the construction of Forte Príncipe da Beira on the banks of the Guaporé River in 1776. Despite this, the current state of Rondônia remained inhabited only by isolated indigenous groups until the late 19 th century, when explorer Cândido Rondon completed several expeditions in the area. The state of Acre, which originally belonged to Bolivia, was acquired by Brazil only in 1903, and it was...

The Mystery of La Danta (El Mirador), the Tallest Pyramid in America

Lost Civilizations (@lostcivilizations)

Published in

lostworlds

· 3 weeks ago

The Mystery of La Danta (El Mirador), the Tallest Pyramid in America

The archaeological site known today as "El Mirador" , located in the Mesoamerican jungle of Guatemala, was only partially discovered in 1930. However, it wasn't until 1962 that researcher Ian Graham conducted the first studies of the area and created a map of the city. According to the latest research, El Mirador may have been inhabited as early as 1800 BCE, but the city’s peak period was around 300 BCE and lasted for about two centuries until 100 BCE. During this time, the Maya civilization had already achieved significant advancements, including complex writing systems. Recent excavations indicate that El Mirador was abandoned aroun...

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