By some weird quirk of fate, I had just finished reading The Lost City of the Monkey God by Douglas Preston, a true story, when ABC’s Sunday Morning had a short piece on this exploration. There were so many significant things that could only be touched on, but it was nice to see actual footage of the adventure.
The book describes in detail the background leading up to the trek into a remote area of 
rain forest in Honduras called La Mosquitia, in search for a place called the white city, or ciudad blanca. La Ciudad Blanca featured in tales told by Hondurans for generations of a rich city in deep in the mountains, suddenly abandoned by its people hundreds, if not a thousand, years ago. It was also called the lost city of the monkey god by previous explorers. Extensive research of explorations during the previous several hundred years whetted the curiosity of Steve Elkins, a cinematographer and adventurer, and he became determined to probe La Mosquitia for the lost city.
Gathering governmental permits for the exploration was a nightmare, given the political instability of the country’s leadership; with the election of president Porfirio Lobo Sosa, who was very interested in giving his poor, drug-cartel ravaged country a historical and cultural identity, the expedition could finally be planned.
The group Preston joined went to Honduras with the idea of first using lidar, a ground-penetrating radar system that could see beneath the thick jungle canopy, to map likely sites for the city, based on Elkins’ research.
Amazingly, two sites yielded data showing large cities, which would have dated from Mayan times but which were situation in very isolated regions well south of the extent of Mayan culture. The decision was made to explore the site that was most accessible by helicopter, the only reasonable way to get to the site with the people and equipment needed.
I must admit I am not a fan of humid, insect- and snake-infested jungles. Just the thought
Fer-de-lance
of them gives me the willies, and when I read about the indigenous fer-de-lance, one of the deadliest snakes in the world, and the mosquitoes, sand flies, chiggers, ticks and cockroaches – not to mention the jaguars – my Kindle shook. I was traveling with this group of explorers, driven by the need to know what was out there and I could feel all of it.
What they found was astounding. From the lidar, they could see nineteen settlements in the valley site, an immense human environment of terraces, reshaped hills, roads, reservoirs, and irrigation canals, all of which would support gardens of food crops, medicinal plants, fruit and cacao trees. With the dense jungle growing from the bones of these settlements, all of this was hard to see. Even the video I saw this morning showed nothing but trees and shrubs and mud, even though there were pyramids, plazas, and houses beneath.
Second, they found a cache of artifacts left by the unknown inhabitants — precious pottery, figurines, metates.
What was even more interesting is Preston’s thinking on why this city, and perhaps the other, had been abandoned: disease. Between 1500 and 1550, diseases brought by European explorers ravaged the native populations, small pox being the worst, but also measles and dysentery. The indigenous people had no immunity to these diseases and in some places 90% of the population was wiped out. Preston believes this would have happened eventually, even if the Conquistadores had not invaded: the Old and New Worlds had had little, if any, any contact and diseases and immunities developed in isolation of each other. Explorers of the New World had brought back a virulent form of syphilis to Europe during 1400s, to which Europeans had no natural immunity.
The people inhabiting this ancient city had undoubtedly experienced a wild fire of disease and feeling the gods had inflicted this on them for some reason, they fled their city, leaving behind the cache of precious belongings– many smashed in a final offering to their gods.
Then there was leishmaniasis, the second deadliest parasitic disease in the world, behind only malaria, and spread by sand fly bites. Half of the team members came back with this disease, first manifesting as what looked like an ulcerative bug bite that didn’t heal. The treatment for this disease is worse than the initial stages of the disease itself: an intravenous drip of a drug (Amphoteracin B) with toxic and sometimes fatal side effects. Although some of the infected team members suffered horribly with the treatment, they eventually recovered. The parasite is not killed; it merely hides in the body and one’s own immune system then keeps it at bay.
Although there was a successful plan to preserve the site of the unexcavated city, now called the City of the Jaguar, controversy followed the release of information from the discovery. The media spread inaccurate information and many archeologists, who had had no connection to the planning and execution of the exploration, accused the team of ignoring previous research of Mosquitia (not true). They dismissed the findings, claiming the team had been treasure-hunting, playing out a movie fantasy. Jealousy appears to run rampant in the archeological community.
In any event, I highly recommend this book. It is occasionally dry and just as occasionally tension-filled and exciting. It couldn’t be written any better as fiction.
Wow, very interesting Noelle. All the diseases and creatures sound horrifying!
Mesoamerican history is fascinating – we know so little. I could never see myself living there in the jungle!
Sounds like ne for my list:)
Preston has another true story out called the Monster of Florence. I just started it.
I’ll await the review 🙂
My kind of book I think. I certainly shall pursue it, thanks Noelle.
Glad I could introduce it – the issues with regard to archeology are fascinating.
I saw this clip this morning on CBS. Really interesting!
Dwight
There’s a longer video coming out from National Geographic, which funded part of the expedition. I have to look for it because the book just grabbed me. Thanks, Dwight!
It looked really interesting!
Noelle
Happy New Year!
Thank you John, Same to you. For some reason I am not getting your posts. Gotta check on that!
Amazing and intriguing 👌
Thanks! Do check it out! Also look for the National Geographic article and also video on the exploration!
Will do ☺👍 Thank you
Thanks for the recommendation. I don’t read non-fiction much, but this sounds interesting. 🙂
I’m reading a magnificent tome called Climate Change and the Health of Nations: Famines, Fevers, and the Fate of Populations, due out on 1st February and my review will be on 28th Jan. The link between changing climate, leading to changes in food production, usually starvation, social unrest and disease, are complex and manifold, but the fall of the Mayan civilisation is covered in some depth in the book. The trouble is, I keep seeing parallels with the mess we’re getting ourselves into now. Especially the loss of confidence in our leadership and government officials. Then again, it may be the way the author’s written it.
I’ll look for your review. I’m not a climate change alarmist but do recognize that we are significantly changing the world around us.
In 1984, the Operation Raleigh launched the same expedition in the same area, with some findings. But it seems that it was not mentioned…..
I don’t recall reading anything about that!
Yes. NOELLEG44. It was a youth adventure programme initialed by Prince of Wales 1in 1980’s. We found some archaeological sites and artifacts, recorded and handed them over to the Honduran government. Among those findings, was a well-preserved clay mask.
Hi Noelleg44,
Wiki has a good account of the expedition. I think you might find it interesting.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Ciudad_Blanca
Thanks so much for this info – I was just about to ask you if there was a web site! What an adventure! and you survived!
Noelle
I would love to have such an expedition, they make you alert and make good use of survival instincts
The diseases and challenges of this expedition would make me think twice!
Maybe but still there’s room for fun
I’m not sure these explorers would call it fun, but probably wonder at what they discovered and a sense of satisfaction at finding the city.
Yes, I think the feeling of satisfaction and discovery will cover for the bad side of the expedition. It needs courage and sacrifice