City of the Monkey God: have scientists found the lost city?
Archaeologists hunting for an ancient city deep in the Honduran rainforest have made a remarkable discovery
A team of archaeologists hunting for an ancient city in the Honduran rainforest have discovered the "untouched ruins of a vanished culture", the National Geographic has revealed.
The team of researchers, accompanied by two former SAS soldiers and Honduran troops, discovered a "remarkable cache" of untouched structures, stone sculptures and artefacts which could shed light on the ancient civilisation.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Explorers have been searching for "The White City" or the "City of the Monkey God" deep in the Mosquitia rainforest since the 16th century when Spanish conquistadores arrived in the Americas.
The city's civilisation thrived over a thousand years ago, but has since vanished. Their culture has hardly been studied, and doesn't even have a name.
During an expedition in 1940, the American adventurer Theodore Morde believed that he had discovered the site, but he died before he told anyone where it was. He described a city "where a giant monkey deity was once worshipped and local tribes described myths of half-human, half-simian children."
"It shows that even now, well into the 21st century, there is so much to discover about our world," Christopher Fisher, the lead archaeologist, told the Daily Telegraph.
"The untouched nature of the site is unique and if preserved and properly studied can tell us much about these past people and provide critical data for modern conservation."
The expedition was launched as result of an aerial survey in 2012, which used groundbreaking technology to map the jungle floor, and helped scientists discover vast architectural structures buried underneath the earth.
Nothing has been removed from the site and the location has been kept a secret for fear of looting. "This is clearly the most undisturbed rain forest in Central America," said the expedition’s ethnobotanist, Mark Plotkin. "The importance of this place can't be overestimated."
But the priceless site faces a more immediate threat from nearby deforestation and cattle farming. "To lose this global ecological and cultural patrimony over a fast food burger is a prospect that I am finding it very hard to grapple with," said Fisher.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Government shutdown looming? Blame the border
Talking Points Democrats and Republicans say funding for immigration enforcement is the budget battle's latest sticking point. That's about all they agree on.
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
'Conservatives have not limited their attack on reproductive rights to the US'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published
-
Housing costs: the root of US economic malaise?
speed read Many voters are troubled by the housing affordability crisis
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
'Biblical' toad plague causes pile up
Tall Tales And other stories from the stranger side of life
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
Puffed rice and yoga: inside the collapsed tunnel where Indian workers await rescue
Speed Read Workers trapped in collapsed tunnel are suffering from dysentery and anxiety over their rescue
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
Gaza hospital blast: What the video evidence shows about who's to blame
Speed Read Nobody wants to take responsibility for the deadly explosion in the courtyard of Gaza's al-Ahli Hospital. Roll the tape.
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Giraffe poo seized after woman wanted to use it to make a necklace
Tall Tales And other stories from the stranger side of life
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
Helicopter sound arouses crocodiles
Tall Tales And other stories from the stranger side of life
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
Woman sues Disney over 'injurious wedgie'
Tall Tales And other stories from the stranger side of life
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
Emotional support alligator turned away from baseball stadium
Tall Tales And other stories from the stranger side of life
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
Europe's oldest shoes found in Spanish caves
Tall Tales And other stories from the stranger side of life
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published