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 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 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...

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...

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...

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...

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 ...

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...

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 ...

Intzertus Seu in Sardinnia, seu sa prus importanti de totu sa regioni. Su nomini miu tòrrat cun marteddu. Seu... Bessu in beranu e mi coint cun is ous. Su nòmini miu tòrrat cun scedau. Seu su... Abruxu totu, srebù po coi. Su nòmini miu tòrrat cun ogu. Seu su... Mi faint cun sa bànnia o in biancu. Su nòmini miu tòrrat cun cuceroni. Seu su... Seu in sa mata, nd’arruu in s’atòngiu. Su nòmini miu tòrrat cun lolla. Seu sa... Srebù po fai coras e fossus. Portu punta de ferru e màniga de linna. Su nòmini miu tòrrat cun bicu. Seu su... Seu de terra cota e mi ponint po cumossai sa pasta. Su nòmini miu tòrrat cun culleredda. Seu sa... Seu birdi e m...