The Amazonian Kingdom of Paititi
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 Neuenschwander Landa (who passed away in Arequipa in 2003). He called it “Pantiacollo” because he believed it was located in the Pantiacolla plateau. In the last three decades, the search was continued by American Gregory Deyermenjian, a disciple of Dr. Carlos Neuenschwander Landa.
Second, the term can refer to the Amazonian kingdom of Paititi, approximately located in the area between the Beni River and the Mamoré River, near Lake Rogoaguado (Bolivia), or perhaps in the Sierra de Parecis, which is now part of Brazil.
Finally, mentioning Paititi may also refer to the esoteric Paititi legend, which I analyzed in my article on the life of George Hunt Williamson.
In recent years, various researchers have analyzed historical and archaeological evidence in the vast Amazonian region east of the Beni River and have concluded that around the 16th–17th centuries, several ethnic groups of the Mojos people (mostly of the Arawak linguistic family) lived there, giving rise to the myth of the Amazonian Paititi.
Although the first Westerner to venture into the jungle of present-day Madre de Dios was Pedro de Candia in 1538, the first explorer to penetrate deeper into the forests of Antisuyo and to discover and navigate the Madre de Dios River (then called Amarumayo or “River of Serpents” by the natives) was Juan Alvarez Maldonado, during his expedition of 1567/1569.
Maldonado entered the Madre de Dios basin via the Tono River valley and arrived at a place then called Opatari, which can be identified with the area where the towns of Patria and Pilcopata are located today. From there, Maldonado sent his lieutenant Manuel de Escobar on a reconnaissance mission.
Escobar likely reached the confluence of the Tambopata River with the Madre de Dios River (where Puerto Maldonado now stands) and came into contact with the Araonas people, whose chief, Tarano, welcomed them amicably.
Another Spanish commander, Gomez de Tordoya, arrived in the region by navigating the Beni River. A violent clash occurred between Escobar’s men and Tordoya’s forces, resulting in the latter's defeat.
However, Escobar's group was later attacked by the Araona natives. The indigenous people dispersed the Spaniards and destroyed their camp.
When Juan Alvarez Maldonado navigated along the Madre de Dios River and arrived at the camp built by his lieutenant, he was taken prisoner by Chief Tarano, who ultimately decided not to kill him. Maldonado then returned to Cusco, traveling upriver via the Tambopata and crossing the Andean plateau through San Juan de Oro.
In the report compiled by Juan Alvarez Maldonado upon his return to Cusco, titled Relación de la Jornada y Descubrimiento del Río Manu (1572), the richly described land of Paititi is mentioned multiple times:
Here is the first part:
"To the east, twenty-five leagues downstream, the Paucarguambo River (1) enters from the left. It originates in the high mountains where the Inca resides. From that point downstream, the watercourse is called the Magno River (2), and so it is known throughout that region. Fifty leagues further downstream, the Cuchoa River (3) enters from the right, originating in the Andes of Cuchoa, where its sources are joined by the Cayane, San Gaban, and Pule Pule rivers. When it joins the Magno, it is as vast as a sea. Twenty leagues further down, the Guariguaca River (4) enters from the left, originating in the Yanagimes province. Eight leagues downstream, the Parabre River (5) enters from the right, originating in the Carabaya range. Twelve leagues further down, the Zamo River joins from the right, near the Toromonas (6), originating in the region of the Aravaonas (7). Thirty leagues downstream, the Omapalcas River (8) joins from the right…one hundred leagues from this river (8), the Magno River flows into the famous Paititi lagoon. Into the same lagoon enters the powerful Paucarmayo River (9) from the left, which includes the Apurimac, Avancay, Bilmcas, Xauja, and many others originating in this region. From this lagoon, it flows east-northeast until it reaches the North Sea (10). It is noteworthy that the Paucarmayo enters the Paititi from the left. Up to Paititi, it is called the Magno River, and from there downstream, it is called the Paititi. From its source to where it is believed to discharge into the North Sea, there are more than a thousand leagues, and from the source of the Magno River to Paititi, many rivers originating from the mountain range have already been discovered, with confirmed knowledge of other provinces.”
Careful reading of this account reveals that it is relatively accurate in describing the Madre de Dios River up to its confluence with the Omapalcas River (Beni River). Beyond this, the description becomes very confused. It states that at a distance of one hundred leagues (500 kilometers), the Madre de Dios River would flow into the Paititi lagoon, and that the Paucarmayo River (possibly the Mamoré or Amazonas River?) would enter this lagoon from the left. Perhaps the area Juan Alvarez Maldonado referred to was near the confluence of the Beni with the Mamoré, where the watercourse officially becomes the Madeira River.
Further on, Juan Alvarez Maldonado continues describing the fantastic land of Paititi. Here is the second part:
Beyond the river called Paitite, there are immense plains stretching fifteen leagues wide, up to a high snow-covered mountain range (11), which appears to resemble that of Peru, according to the accounts of the natives. The inhabitants of the plain are called corocoros, and those of the mountains are known as pamaynos. The natives report that this mountain range is very rich in metals and organized as a kingdom similar to that of Peru, with the same ceremonies, animals, and clothing, and they say that the Incas of Peru originated from them. These people are so numerous, strong, and skilled in warfare that, even though the Inca of Peru, a powerful leader, sent brave captains to Paititi several times, they were defeated. The Inca, realizing he could not conquer them, sought to communicate with the great lord of Paititi. He sent gifts and ordered his men to build two fortresses near the Paititi River in his name to mark the extent of the Inca's reach. This is the most significant source of wealth in all of America. In the province of Paititi, there are abundant gold, silver, and amber mines. In the snow-capped mountains, there are animals like those in Peru, though smaller. The natives wear wool garments, and there are also crystal stones.
This description refers to a mountain range located northeast of the confluence of the Beni and Madre de Dios rivers. Some researchers have identified this range as the Sierra de Parecis, in the Brazilian state of Rondônia. Clearly, this account is confused, based on native stories told to the Spaniards, likely exaggerated, and never verified in the field. However, one intriguing detail is the assertion:
The Incas of Peru originated from them.
This suggests that the Incas might have descended from the people of that distant mountain range, sometimes conflated with the lagoon of Paititi.
The possibility that the Incas had contact with indigenous peoples living near the lower Beni and Mamoré Rivers has been subject to various interpretations. One significant event was the great expedition of Túpac Inca Yupanqui, which took place around the mid-15th century. Additionally, several Spanish writers—such as Sarmiento de Gamboa (1572), Garcilaso de la Vega (1609), Murúa (1615), and Lizarazu (1636)—describe Inca expansion into the lands of Paititi after the Spanish conquest. However, it remains unclear whether this expansion targeted the "Amazonian Paititi" or a relatively nearby "Inca enclave or fortress" close to Cusco.
An original document discovered by Italian archaeologist Mario Polia in the Vatican Archives, part of the Peruana Historia, describes the kingdom of Paititi as being located ten days away (by raft navigation or on foot?) from Peru. This ten-day journey aligns plausibly with the jungle region between the Beni and Mamoré Rivers, near Lake Rogoaguado.
There is also an archaeological site called “Ruinas de las Piedras,” not far from Riberalta near the Beni River, studied in the late 20th century by Finnish researcher Parssinen. He hypothesized that the Paititi kingdom was located in the lower Mamoré, before its confluence with the Beni, and suggested that the "Ruinas de las Piedras" site was an Inca construction.
My personal opinion, based on visiting the “Ruinas de las Piedras” during my recent journey along the Beni River, is that the site was indeed used by the Incas.
Returning to historical sources that help pinpoint the Paititi kingdom near Lake Rogoaguado, one must analyze the report by Lieutenant Juan Recio de León from the early 17th century. Recio de León undertook several journeys from the Beni region (near the confluence with the Tuychi River) to the lands of the Anamas, the natives known to Juan Alvarez Maldonado. Here is an excerpt:
"When I asked them what they knew of the people living further downstream and where these rivers flowed, they brought me three or four natives who were familiar with the navigation routes. Upon questioning them, they answered that by traveling either by land or by navigating, one would reach a great lagoon in four days. They said that all these rivers form numerous lagoons in the lowlands and that a great number of people live near these lagoons. The lord of all these people is called the Great Paytiti. The natives of those lands are so wealthy that they wear amber ornaments around their necks because they love fragrances, as well as mother-of-pearl shells, which I have seen among some Anamas. Showing them some pearls I had with me, I asked if such pearls were produced in those lagoons, and they replied that many were, especially in the lagoon of Paytiti."
This testimony indicates that the ethnic group occupying the Paititi area, whose leader was known as the Great Paytiti, lived near a large lagoon approximately four days’ journey from the Tuychi River. They made extensive use of mother-of-pearl.
According to historian Vera Tyuleneva (in her article La Tierra del Paititi y el lago Rogoaguado), it is plausible that the large lagoon described to Recio de León was Lake Rogoaguado, an expansive body of water covering 315 square kilometers (coordinates: 13°2'6"S and 65°56'32"W). She suggests that the Beni River may have been connected to Lake Rogoaguado via the Tapado River until the 17th century. If so, it would have been possible to reach the Amazonian Paititi by navigating the Beni and Tapado Rivers, but not the Madre de Dios River (or Magno River) as reported by Juan Alvarez Maldonado:
“One hundred leagues from this river (*), the Magno River enters the famous lagoon of Paititi.”
(*The Beni River)
There are also other documents describing the legendary Paititi in the Amazonian region between the Beni and Mamoré Rivers. For example, Jesuit Father Agustín Zapata traveled in 1693 along the Mamoré River and some of its tributaries. His travel account was reported by another Jesuit, Father Diego de Eguiluz. In it, the Cayubaba people are described:
"The population is immense, with over two thousand souls in just one of the villages, while others have about eighteen hundred, more or less. The chief of these seven villages is a venerable old man with a long white beard, called Paititi. Father Agustín gave him gifts, receiving in return a spear with a bone tip adorned with colorful feathers as a sign of friendship. These barbarians customarily gift their weapons as a token of friendship. After spending two days with these Cayubabas, the Father returned to his mission."
Here is another document, this time signed directly by Father Agustín Zapata in 1695:
"Regarding the great people Your Reverence mentioned to me, where the native called Paititi resides, I say that I visited them for three consecutive years… Three leagues away by land, there are five large villages, the largest being where Paititi lives. I estimate there are about four or five thousand souls in these five villages. They are all orderly and clean, incomparable to others we have seen. They informed me of many nearby peoples I could not visit because I traveled by canoe, and in those areas, there are various hills...
During the rainy season, when navigation is faster, I spent eight days downstream where the people of Paititi live. Throughout that time, no significant river joined the main one, only small streams. In that area, I encountered natives who live four days further downstream, and they told me that beyond their villages, a large river flows into the main one from the east." (**)
(**) Mamoré? Iteñez?
From these documents, it is evident that the Cayubaba ethnic group was indeed led by a chief called “Paititi.” This group still exists today in the area between the Yacuma River, Lake Rogoaguado, and the Mamoré River. Their main settlements are Exaltación (near the Mamoré River) and Coquinal, the latter situated on the shores of Lake Rogoaguado.
The Cayubaba language appears to belong to no known South American linguistic family. This nearly extinct language was studied by scientist Harold Key in 1960. The exact etymology of the word Paititi remains unknown, though some linguists suggest that in the Arawak language, it means “High place with white stones.”
The Cayubaba chief “Paititi” is also mentioned by other authors, such as Cosme de Bueno (1759), Fernando Rodríguez Tena (1780), and Julian Bovo de Rivello (1848). The first 20th-century writer to describe Paititi was the Franciscan friar Nicolás Armentia in his Descripción del territorio de las Misiones Franciscanas de Aplobamba (1905). Here is part of his report:
"With this, we believe it is now clear what is true and what is fanciful in the stories and accounts of the Great Paititi. From all of this, it is deduced that the Paititi River can only be the Beni River; the missions of Paititi are none other than the Mojos missions, separated from those of Aplobamba by the Beni River. Finally, the territory of Paititi is indeed the area enclosed by the triangle formed by the Beni, Mamoré, and Yacuma Rivers."
During the second half of the 20th century, various studies on the Amazonian Paititi were conducted. For example, Denevan’s 1966 book La geografía cultural aborigen de los llanos de Mojos and Harold Key’s linguistic studies on the Cayubaba language in the 1960s.
In the early 21st century, historian Vera Tyuleneva conducted a research trip to the Lake Rogoaguado region and found abundant cultural materials in the area (primarily ceramics). She hypothesized that the famous “Lagoon of Paititi,” described in various ancient texts, might be Lake Rogoaguado. The abundance of cultural material found near the Tapado River led her to speculate that the Tapado was once a simple branch of the Beni River, making it possible to navigate to the Cayubaba “Paititi.”
During my last trip to Bolivia, I had the opportunity to visit Riberalta, Trinidad, Santa Ana de Yacuma, and Exaltación, all areas inhabited by the Mojos and Cayubaba ethnic groups. In Santa Ana de Yacuma, I met Jaime Bocchietti, the director of the regional archaeological museum.
The museum houses various Neolithic objects (polished stones), some utilitarian and decorative ceramic pieces, and terracotta figurines from the Mojos period. Jaime Bocchietti, a Bolivian of Italian origin, has participated in various archaeological research projects, such as one in 2007 with American archaeologist John Walker. In that project, some areas with depressions resembling canals were documented, measuring up to one meter deep and five meters wide. These findings are reminiscent of recent discoveries in other parts of the Amazon (Brazilian state of Rondônia), where aerial surveys revealed strange canals, sometimes geometric in shape.
The purpose of these “canals,” sometimes dug in square or circular forms, could have been the following: fertile topsoil removed was placed atop other fertile soil to double or triple harvests (creating the so-called “camellones”). Additional soil was used to create raised terraces to protect inhabitants from flooding in the lowlands. The excavated areas might have also served as canals for defense against external groups, waterways linking rivers, or tanks for aquaculture.
In the town of Exaltación, I came into contact with some Cayubaba natives. Although only 3 or 4 elderly individuals still speak the native language, efforts are being made to study its phonemes and pronunciation to preserve the traditions of this ancient people.
Returning to the legend of the Amazonian Paititi, we cannot yet say with certainty that the mythical “Lagoon of Paititi,” described by Juan Alvarez Maldonado, corresponds to the Lake Rogoaguado area. Personally, I believe that the fact the Cayubaba people called their chief or cacique Paititi is insufficient to identify the lake as the land of the legendary Paititi.
The word Paititi might have been used in the 17th and 18th centuries as an "honorific title" to confer importance and respect to the person so named. It could have been used in memory of a vast and wealthy territory—the “Amazonian Paititi” romanticized by Juan Alvarez Maldonado in his account.
As for the possibility that the Tapado River connected the Beni River to Lake Rogoaguado, there is no definitive proof. Only detailed geological studies can confirm this hypothesis in the future.
YURI LEVERATTO
