9 things you should know about Percy Fawcett and Lost City Z

South America is a region that has had many important civilizations, the secrets of which are not fully revealed even today. For this reason, there are many buildings, artifacts and treasures of ancient civilizations that will inspire awe in modern people. Therefore, it will not be a mistake to say that the region excites almost all archaeologists. But it’s not just archaeologists who get excited when it comes to South America! Adventurers, travelers, treasure hunters, marauders… Many people who wanted to discover the treasures or secrets of ancient civilizations that arose thousands of years ago have passed through the extraordinary geography of South America. One such person, and perhaps the most famous, was the adventurer Percy Fawcett.

British adventurer, soldier and cartographer Percy Fawcett spent many years in the breathtaking jungles of South America. The stories he heard from the locals, read in ancient books, his boundless imagination and finally some of the historical artifacts he found in the dense jungles of South America made the British adventurer believe in the existence of a city he had never seen! Fawcett named this lost city “Z”. After several unsuccessful attempts, in 1925 he set out on a journey through the virgin jungles of South America to discover the secrets and treasures of the lost city. However, the lost city was never discovered, and Fawcett never returned from his adventure! Here are 9 things you need to know about famous traveler Percy Fawcett and the Lost City of Z he never found…

1. Born in England in 1867, Percy Fawcett joined the British Army at a young age.

At 19, he was promoted to lieutenant in the Royal Army. During his military life he traveled to many countries, especially North Africa, Malta, Sri Lanka and Hong Kong. Therefore, the war years played an important role in the transformation of Fawcett into a “passionate adventurer” …

2. Fawcett has worked in the vast jungles of South America for almost 20 years.

During this time, he mapped the never-before-explored forests of South America for the Royal Geographical Society.

3. His involvement with the indigenous communities of South America led him to develop the idea for Lost City Z.

In fact, Fawcett, like many Europeans, initially considered South Americans “savages”. However, his many years of work in the region forced him to change his ideas about the locals.

In addition, he heard very interesting stories from the locals about the ancient civilizations in the region. It was during this period that he first arose his belief that in the depths of the Amazonian forests there is a lost city that is hundreds of years old. More concrete evidence he gets in the future will lead to the lost city materializing and being named “Z” by Fawcett.

4. Percy Fawcett stumbled upon a document from 1753 that stated that “an ancient city was found in the Amazon jungle.”

In a manuscript in the National Library of Brazil, it was written that a group of Portuguese explorers discovered an extraordinary city deep in the Amazonian jungle. What was written in this historical document was almost identical to the stories of local residents. That’s why Fawcett’s belief in the existence of a lost city deep in the Amazon has become even stronger.

5. In 1920, he went on a journey to find the lost city in ancient stories and documents.

Confident in his adventurous spirit and military merit, Fawcett embarked on this difficult journey alone. However, this journey did not work out for the English adventurer. Therefore, he had to interrupt his journey and return to civilization. However, this first reconnaissance attempt could not be qualified as “unsuccessful”. Fawcett found several easily recognizable artifacts of ancient civilizations in the Amazon jungle. He was sure that the city that became the subject of ancient stories was not just a legend! He named the city Z and started planning a new adventure…

6. Fawcett became a laughingstock in England when he sought resources to explore the Lost City of Z.

Archaeologists and other experts in England did not believe in the existence of Z, despite ancient manuscripts, local legends and artifacts found by Fawcett in the Amazon jungle. Moreover, they ridiculed the passionate adventurer as a lunatic who “chased a false paradise.” Therefore, Fawcett’s search for financial resources for a new expedition was unsuccessful. However, he was not going to stop, he would find the source he was looking for in 1925, in London.

7. In 1925, he again went to explore the Lost City of Z.

Fawcett had the financial backing needed to explore the lost city. So this time he took his son Jack and his friend Raleigh Rimmell with him. The journey of 3 adventurers began in June 1925. Fawcett wrote his last known letter on May 29, 1925. He wrote that he plans to move to a never-before-seen area of ​​the Amazon jungle…

After this date, no news was received from Fawcett and his comrades. The adventurers never returned from the depths of the Amazonian jungle. The Lost City of Z has never been discovered…

8. What “happened” to Fawcett and his team remains a mystery

A few years after the adventurers disappeared, some of their belongings were found. But what really happened to Fawcett and his team has never been revealed. Some have suggested that the column got lost in the woods and starved to death. According to some reports, they were carved by wild natives living in the jungle!

9. The Lost City of Z may actually exist!

Some time after the disappearance of the British adventurer Fawcett and his team in 1925, scientists discovered an ancient settlement called “Kuhikugu” in the Amazon jungle. This ancient settlement, spread over a very large area, has been hidden deep in the forest since the 16th century, “hidden” by the forest.

Moreover, the buildings in this new city were very similar to those described in the stories of the indigenous people! Today, some scientists believe that the artifacts found by Fawcett in the Amazon forests may also belong to this settlement. However, there are those who think that the city on the Kuhikugu site is the Lost City of Z…

Source: 1