1 00:00:01,360 --> 00:00:04,320 Speaker 1: Welcome to Stuff You Missed in History Class, a production 2 00:00:04,400 --> 00:00:05,500 Speaker 1: of iHeartRadio. 3 00:00:11,980 --> 00:00:14,330 Speaker 2: Hello and welcome to the podcast. I'm Holly Frey. 4 00:00:14,610 --> 00:00:17,989 Speaker 1: And I'm Tracy V. Wilson. This is part two of 5 00:00:18,050 --> 00:00:23,130 Speaker 1: our two-parter on Percy Fawcett and Manuscript 512 and things 6 00:00:23,210 --> 00:00:26,570 Speaker 1: going on in the Amazon Basin. in the early 20th century. 7 00:00:26,590 --> 00:00:28,450 Speaker 2: And if you. 8 00:00:28,270 --> 00:00:31,250 Speaker 1: Didn't listen to Monday's episode, you're going to be a 9 00:00:31,310 --> 00:00:35,110 Speaker 1: skosh confused today. So I highly recommend going back because 10 00:00:35,130 --> 00:00:39,229 Speaker 1: we left off on Monday talking about manuscript 512. I 11 00:00:40,130 --> 00:00:43,870 Speaker 1: didn't say so during that episode. I didn't include a 12 00:00:43,890 --> 00:00:46,269 Speaker 1: note for Tracy too. It's only called that because of 13 00:00:46,310 --> 00:00:50,269 Speaker 1: like a library numbering system. That naming convention means nothing 14 00:00:50,710 --> 00:00:54,120 Speaker 1: other than like an accession number for a library. And 15 00:00:54,200 --> 00:00:58,400 Speaker 1: it's an 18th century account, maybe, as we'll see, that 16 00:00:58,440 --> 00:01:02,830 Speaker 1: Percy Fawcett came across and became deeply intrigued by. And 17 00:01:03,370 --> 00:01:05,950 Speaker 1: we're jumping in right where we left off, and we're 18 00:01:05,970 --> 00:01:08,750 Speaker 1: going to start by talking about the narrative that this 19 00:01:08,810 --> 00:01:14,890 Speaker 1: manuscript contains. So, the Manuscript 512 account describes the writer 20 00:01:15,030 --> 00:01:18,750 Speaker 1: and his group finding a lost city. And it gives 21 00:01:18,790 --> 00:01:21,110 Speaker 1: a lot of details about this find, but it does 22 00:01:21,170 --> 00:01:24,690 Speaker 1: not give an actual location for it. And that's only 23 00:01:24,810 --> 00:01:28,800 Speaker 1: one problem, because this manuscript is incomplete. There are words 24 00:01:28,880 --> 00:01:33,740 Speaker 1: that are obscured or completely missing. Some sections of this 25 00:01:33,760 --> 00:01:38,320 Speaker 1: 10-page document only contain fragments of sentences, and it can 26 00:01:38,360 --> 00:01:42,039 Speaker 1: be between hard and impossible to figure out what might 27 00:01:42,100 --> 00:01:48,050 Speaker 1: have come in between those fragments. For example, the passage 28 00:01:48,080 --> 00:01:52,370 Speaker 1: that describes the first sighting of this mystery city reads 29 00:01:52,450 --> 00:01:55,590 Speaker 1: this way, and I'm just going to pause in places 30 00:01:55,810 --> 00:02:00,010 Speaker 1: where there's stuff missing. Quote, We beheld something at a 31 00:02:00,070 --> 00:02:03,470 Speaker 1: league and a half's distance, a great settlement, its expansive 32 00:02:03,530 --> 00:02:06,650 Speaker 1: dimensions causing us to believe that it was some city 33 00:02:06,690 --> 00:02:10,309 Speaker 1: of the Brazilian coast. It's possible that could be read 34 00:02:10,370 --> 00:02:14,390 Speaker 1: as court. We soon descended into the valley with caution. 35 00:02:15,750 --> 00:02:21,750 Speaker 1: In a similar case, ordering. The quality and, good that 36 00:02:21,770 --> 00:02:26,310 Speaker 1: we noticed, chimneys, this being one of the clear signs 37 00:02:26,460 --> 00:02:31,470 Speaker 1: of settlements. Yeah, a lot of disjointed stuff going on. Mysteries. 38 00:02:32,450 --> 00:02:36,080 Speaker 1: The account goes on to describe hearing roosters in the city, 39 00:02:36,160 --> 00:02:39,019 Speaker 1: which made these explorers believe that it had to have 40 00:02:39,040 --> 00:02:42,920 Speaker 1: been inhabited. But their scouts returned saying that they saw 41 00:02:42,980 --> 00:02:46,610 Speaker 1: no inhabitants. So the whole group decided they would go 42 00:02:46,730 --> 00:02:50,190 Speaker 1: in at night, armed, and they strolled through what appeared 43 00:02:50,210 --> 00:02:54,320 Speaker 1: to be the only road through the city. The account continues, quote, 44 00:02:54,400 --> 00:02:57,360 Speaker 1: having walked and seen the entirety of this long street, 45 00:02:57,419 --> 00:02:59,930 Speaker 1: we came to a square plaza, in the middle of 46 00:02:59,990 --> 00:03:03,690 Speaker 1: which was a black stone pillar of extraordinary size. And 47 00:03:03,750 --> 00:03:06,750 Speaker 1: on top of that was a statue of an ordinary man, 48 00:03:07,090 --> 00:03:09,370 Speaker 1: with his left hand on his waist and his right 49 00:03:09,510 --> 00:03:13,740 Speaker 1: arm extended, pointing with his index finger to the North Pole. 50 00:03:14,800 --> 00:03:17,500 Speaker 1: In each corner of said plaza is a spire in 51 00:03:17,520 --> 00:03:20,660 Speaker 1: the style of those used by the Romans. but some 52 00:03:20,740 --> 00:03:24,300 Speaker 1: which were damaged and split as if struck by lightning bolts. 53 00:03:25,150 --> 00:03:30,330 Speaker 1: Manuscript 512 then describes bats, quote, so numerous they flew 54 00:03:30,370 --> 00:03:34,430 Speaker 1: into the faces of people. Also, figures carved in stone, 55 00:03:34,830 --> 00:03:38,340 Speaker 1: what appeared to be a temple, areas completely reduced to rubble, 56 00:03:38,940 --> 00:03:41,920 Speaker 1: and a torrential river that runs in front of the 57 00:03:41,940 --> 00:03:45,820 Speaker 1: main plaza. The group followed that river for three days 58 00:03:45,980 --> 00:03:48,800 Speaker 1: and came to an area of caves that sound like 59 00:03:48,880 --> 00:03:52,980 Speaker 1: they might have been burial catacombs. The manuscript includes examples 60 00:03:53,040 --> 00:03:57,410 Speaker 1: of unrecognized writing and symbols carved into slabs which cover 61 00:03:57,450 --> 00:04:00,330 Speaker 1: some of the caves. And then they found gold in 62 00:04:00,370 --> 00:04:03,530 Speaker 1: the river. And the manuscript, at least what we have 63 00:04:03,570 --> 00:04:06,610 Speaker 1: of it, ends with the writer indicating that he is 64 00:04:06,690 --> 00:04:09,830 Speaker 1: sending all of these details he's just written to a 65 00:04:09,870 --> 00:04:12,910 Speaker 1: person he knows in the hopes that person will join 66 00:04:12,950 --> 00:04:16,310 Speaker 1: them and partake in the fortune that they have found. Quote, 67 00:04:16,880 --> 00:04:19,500 Speaker 1: we've settled to not give share in this to any 68 00:04:19,580 --> 00:04:22,850 Speaker 1: person because we judge that the villages and camps would 69 00:04:22,930 --> 00:04:26,589 Speaker 1: empty out. But to you, I give of the minds 70 00:04:26,650 --> 00:04:29,770 Speaker 1: that we have discovered, remembering the much that I owe you. 71 00:04:30,570 --> 00:04:33,290 Speaker 1: Since a man has already departed from our company with 72 00:04:33,330 --> 00:04:36,950 Speaker 1: a different pretext, I beg of you, throw off your 73 00:04:37,010 --> 00:04:41,700 Speaker 1: poverty and come take advantage of these great things. Fawcett 74 00:04:41,750 --> 00:04:45,029 Speaker 1: wrote of the manuscript and its tale, quote,' I know 75 00:04:45,230 --> 00:04:48,470 Speaker 1: that Raposo's lost city is not the only one of 76 00:04:48,529 --> 00:04:52,830 Speaker 1: its kind. There exists another remnant of an old civilization, 77 00:04:53,380 --> 00:04:57,040 Speaker 1: its people degenerate now, but still preserving records of a 78 00:04:57,100 --> 00:05:02,400 Speaker 1: foreign past in mummies, parchments, and engraved metal plates. It 79 00:05:02,460 --> 00:05:05,850 Speaker 1: is just such a place as described in the story, 80 00:05:05,910 --> 00:05:10,060 Speaker 1: but far less ruined by earthquakes and very difficult to reach.' 81 00:05:10,960 --> 00:05:15,120 Speaker 1: He mentions that Jesuits knew about this city, as did 82 00:05:15,440 --> 00:05:19,360 Speaker 1: a few other explorers who have died, before he claims, quote, 83 00:05:19,540 --> 00:05:22,140 Speaker 1: I am probably the only other who knows the secret, 84 00:05:22,220 --> 00:05:25,460 Speaker 1: and I obtained it in the hard school of forest experience, 85 00:05:26,020 --> 00:05:29,520 Speaker 1: backed by careful examination of all available records in the 86 00:05:29,620 --> 00:05:33,260 Speaker 1: archives of the Republic, as well as certain other sources 87 00:05:33,279 --> 00:05:37,250 Speaker 1: of information by no means easy to tap. He never 88 00:05:37,330 --> 00:05:40,890 Speaker 1: explains what those certain other sources are. He described the 89 00:05:40,930 --> 00:05:43,810 Speaker 1: existence of this lost city as, quote, the only key 90 00:05:43,870 --> 00:05:47,670 Speaker 1: to the riddle of the remarkable pottery and inscriptions that 91 00:05:47,710 --> 00:05:52,970 Speaker 1: have been discovered. Yeah, I'm reading his work. I'm like, oh, dude, 92 00:05:52,990 --> 00:05:54,890 Speaker 1: because we all know if you have come to the 93 00:05:54,930 --> 00:05:58,610 Speaker 1: conclusion that there can only be one answer to all 94 00:05:58,630 --> 00:06:04,539 Speaker 1: of the mysteries you're dealing with, you're probably getting tunnel vision. 95 00:06:04,560 --> 00:06:08,380 Speaker 1: You're going to actually hurt your quest for information. So 96 00:06:08,560 --> 00:06:12,820 Speaker 1: here's the thing. The provenance of manuscript 512 is incredibly murky. 97 00:06:13,620 --> 00:06:16,620 Speaker 1: It is said to have been discovered in the archives 98 00:06:16,680 --> 00:06:20,310 Speaker 1: of the National Library of Brazil in 1839. There is 99 00:06:20,370 --> 00:06:24,310 Speaker 1: no indication of how it got into the archives. Soon 100 00:06:24,450 --> 00:06:27,590 Speaker 1: after it was discovered in the late 1830s, it was 101 00:06:27,690 --> 00:06:32,849 Speaker 1: published in Brazilian newspapers. And by the mid-1800s, various Brazilian 102 00:06:32,890 --> 00:06:36,330 Speaker 1: organizations had mounted expeditions to try to find the city 103 00:06:36,410 --> 00:06:40,500 Speaker 1: described in the manuscript. But all of those efforts were unsuccessful. 104 00:06:41,480 --> 00:06:45,960 Speaker 1: The authenticity of Manuscript 512 remains a matter of debate. 105 00:06:46,779 --> 00:06:49,920 Speaker 1: And even if it is an authentic document from the 1700s, 106 00:06:51,440 --> 00:06:53,500 Speaker 1: there has been a lot of speculation that it was 107 00:06:53,520 --> 00:06:56,900 Speaker 1: a work of fiction to begin with. Writing for National 108 00:06:56,940 --> 00:07:02,580 Speaker 1: Geographic in 2024, journalist Jordi Canal Solar notes a possible 109 00:07:02,690 --> 00:07:07,229 Speaker 1: reason for a forgery. Quote, Brazil achieved independence from Portugal 110 00:07:07,270 --> 00:07:10,650 Speaker 1: in 1822. It would have been useful for a new, 111 00:07:10,910 --> 00:07:16,510 Speaker 1: insecure republic to discover a document that described ancient civilizations 112 00:07:16,570 --> 00:07:19,490 Speaker 1: in its territory, akin to the great Maya sites in 113 00:07:19,570 --> 00:07:25,520 Speaker 1: Central America. Fawcett found this manuscript fascinating, and he 100% 114 00:07:25,520 --> 00:07:28,980 Speaker 1: believed that it was real. And it ignited an idea 115 00:07:29,060 --> 00:07:32,120 Speaker 1: that there might be another city closer to the area 116 00:07:32,160 --> 00:07:35,180 Speaker 1: where he had been working that was ripe for discovery 117 00:07:35,260 --> 00:07:38,739 Speaker 1: by a European. And he called this the Lost City 118 00:07:38,780 --> 00:07:41,300 Speaker 1: of Zed. And he claimed that his belief that this 119 00:07:41,360 --> 00:07:45,580 Speaker 1: other city existed came as true. Tracy mentioned earlier from 120 00:07:45,750 --> 00:07:49,890 Speaker 1: other texts and sources than Manuscript 512, although he never 121 00:07:50,050 --> 00:07:53,910 Speaker 1: once cited any of those texts or sources. While Manuscript 122 00:07:53,910 --> 00:07:59,110 Speaker 1: 512 is frequently cited as the inspiration for Fawcett's fixation 123 00:07:59,190 --> 00:08:02,130 Speaker 1: on the lost city of Zed, there was really a 124 00:08:02,170 --> 00:08:05,010 Speaker 1: lot more to it than that. There wasn't a eureka 125 00:08:05,090 --> 00:08:08,630 Speaker 1: moment where he found some phrase or mention or evidence 126 00:08:08,690 --> 00:08:11,310 Speaker 1: that just made him certain that there was a lost city. 127 00:08:12,240 --> 00:08:15,140 Speaker 1: It was an idea that developed over a slow burn. 128 00:08:15,640 --> 00:08:18,140 Speaker 1: He had gone deeper into the jungle each time he 129 00:08:18,200 --> 00:08:21,750 Speaker 1: traveled to Brazil, and seeing exactly how things could be 130 00:08:21,810 --> 00:08:25,770 Speaker 1: obscured from view in this thick growth made him very 131 00:08:25,950 --> 00:08:29,730 Speaker 1: sure that a city could be hidden in there. This 132 00:08:29,750 --> 00:08:32,829 Speaker 1: was something that was bolstered in 1911, when Hiram Bingham 133 00:08:33,150 --> 00:08:35,080 Speaker 1: III set out to look for the lost ink in 134 00:08:35,120 --> 00:08:39,620 Speaker 1: cities of Vitkos and Vilcabamba. He did find those cities, 135 00:08:39,740 --> 00:08:42,500 Speaker 1: but thanks to information he gathered from the people who 136 00:08:42,559 --> 00:08:45,679 Speaker 1: lived in the area about ancient ruins, he is also 137 00:08:45,760 --> 00:08:48,700 Speaker 1: credited with discovering, and we got to air quotes that 138 00:08:48,720 --> 00:08:52,490 Speaker 1: because other people already knew it was there, Machu Picchu. 139 00:08:53,309 --> 00:08:56,410 Speaker 1: And Bingham's success and this whole story of Machu Picchu, 140 00:08:56,450 --> 00:09:00,829 Speaker 1: which was huge news globally, fed the fascination and obsession 141 00:09:00,990 --> 00:09:04,970 Speaker 1: of many Europeans, including Fawcett, that there were more lost 142 00:09:05,010 --> 00:09:08,630 Speaker 1: cities in the jungle's overgrowth. Coming up, we'll talk about 143 00:09:08,850 --> 00:09:13,230 Speaker 1: financing troubles that Percy Fawcett faced in his quest for 144 00:09:13,309 --> 00:09:16,569 Speaker 1: a lost Amazonian city. But first, we will take a 145 00:09:16,610 --> 00:09:29,780 Speaker 1: sponsor break. Fawcett made his case to the Royal Geographical 146 00:09:29,820 --> 00:09:33,810 Speaker 1: Society yesterday. for funding an expedition to hunt for the 147 00:09:33,850 --> 00:09:36,709 Speaker 1: lost city of Zed, but this did not go very well. 148 00:09:37,610 --> 00:09:40,860 Speaker 1: A lot of his European contemporaries really believed that he 149 00:09:40,900 --> 00:09:43,680 Speaker 1: had been drawn in by folklore and rumor that was 150 00:09:43,740 --> 00:09:47,920 Speaker 1: very popular among outsiders to Brazil that hinted that there 151 00:09:47,960 --> 00:09:50,640 Speaker 1: was a magical city of gold somewhere in the jungle. 152 00:09:50,660 --> 00:09:53,710 Speaker 1: And money was going to continue to be an issue 153 00:09:53,750 --> 00:09:56,450 Speaker 1: for Fawcett. It was hard to get anyone to spend 154 00:09:56,470 --> 00:09:59,050 Speaker 1: the kind of money that such an expedition would require 155 00:09:59,070 --> 00:10:01,860 Speaker 1: when there was a lot of kind of going on 156 00:10:01,940 --> 00:10:06,500 Speaker 1: vibes involved. Fawcett wrote about this difficulty this way, quote, 157 00:10:06,559 --> 00:10:09,189 Speaker 1: the existence of the old cities I do not for 158 00:10:09,230 --> 00:10:12,490 Speaker 1: a moment doubt. How could I? I myself have seen 159 00:10:12,530 --> 00:10:14,670 Speaker 1: a portion of one of them, and that is why 160 00:10:14,790 --> 00:10:17,530 Speaker 1: I observed that it was imperative for me to go again. 161 00:10:18,400 --> 00:10:21,709 Speaker 1: The remains seemed to be those of an outpost of 162 00:10:21,830 --> 00:10:24,530 Speaker 1: one of the bigger cities, which I am convinced is 163 00:10:24,610 --> 00:10:29,150 Speaker 1: to be found together with others if a properly organized 164 00:10:29,350 --> 00:10:34,260 Speaker 1: search is carried out. Unfortunately, I cannot induce scientific men 165 00:10:34,320 --> 00:10:37,700 Speaker 1: to accept even the supposition that there are traces of 166 00:10:37,760 --> 00:10:41,880 Speaker 1: an old civilization in Brazil. I have traveled much in 167 00:10:41,940 --> 00:10:45,610 Speaker 1: places not familiar to other explorers, and the wild Indians 168 00:10:45,679 --> 00:10:48,840 Speaker 1: have again and again told me of the buildings, the 169 00:10:48,860 --> 00:10:53,260 Speaker 1: character of the people, and the strange things beyond. Get ready, 170 00:10:53,280 --> 00:10:55,980 Speaker 1: because this is another very weird part of the story. 171 00:10:56,100 --> 00:10:59,829 Speaker 1: Because then, according to some accounts, a mystery group of 172 00:10:59,890 --> 00:11:03,450 Speaker 1: financiers that went by the name The Glove stepped in 173 00:11:03,490 --> 00:11:07,070 Speaker 1: with money to make the trip happen. This all sounds 174 00:11:07,150 --> 00:11:11,750 Speaker 1: really shady. The names of the individual members of this 175 00:11:11,830 --> 00:11:16,310 Speaker 1: group are unknown. It's kind of like money just showed up. 176 00:11:17,179 --> 00:11:19,280 Speaker 1: And this is a problem that you may have gathered 177 00:11:19,360 --> 00:11:23,040 Speaker 1: from listening to us talk, Monday and today, about a 178 00:11:23,130 --> 00:11:26,150 Speaker 1: lot of things in Fawcett's life. In some ways, we 179 00:11:26,190 --> 00:11:29,330 Speaker 1: have this embarrassment of riches when it comes to information 180 00:11:29,370 --> 00:11:32,250 Speaker 1: about him, because we certainly have very detailed accounts that 181 00:11:32,290 --> 00:11:35,349 Speaker 1: he wrote about his travels. But there are other things 182 00:11:35,410 --> 00:11:38,790 Speaker 1: that are super murky and just impossible to substantiate, and 183 00:11:38,830 --> 00:11:43,540 Speaker 1: the glove is one such example. His references to documents 184 00:11:43,580 --> 00:11:46,570 Speaker 1: that he studied without actually naming or citing any of 185 00:11:46,610 --> 00:11:49,390 Speaker 1: them is another. And this, as well as some of 186 00:11:49,429 --> 00:11:51,350 Speaker 1: the things that he claims to have seen, like those 187 00:11:51,530 --> 00:11:56,209 Speaker 1: massive animals much larger than anything recorded elsewhere, led a 188 00:11:56,390 --> 00:11:59,429 Speaker 1: lot of his contemporaries to label him as a fraud 189 00:11:59,530 --> 00:12:03,910 Speaker 1: or an exaggerator. But there have been some finds since 190 00:12:03,960 --> 00:12:06,780 Speaker 1: Fawcett's lifetime that suggest he may have been at least 191 00:12:06,900 --> 00:12:09,900 Speaker 1: intuitive enough to get a lot of ideas right. We'll 192 00:12:09,940 --> 00:12:11,800 Speaker 1: talk about some of those at the end of the episode. 193 00:12:12,380 --> 00:12:15,680 Speaker 1: In the case of the trip's financing, though, there's contradictory 194 00:12:15,800 --> 00:12:20,420 Speaker 1: information in the press. On June 12th, 1925, the Los 195 00:12:20,500 --> 00:12:24,699 Speaker 1: Angeles Times offered a much more mundane version of how 196 00:12:24,720 --> 00:12:27,900 Speaker 1: the trip was to be paid for. Quote, the expedition 197 00:12:28,059 --> 00:12:31,850 Speaker 1: is sanctioned and aided by the Royal Geographical Society of England, 198 00:12:32,280 --> 00:12:35,869 Speaker 1: the American Geographical Society of New York, and by the 199 00:12:35,910 --> 00:12:40,579 Speaker 1: Museum of the American Indian High Foundation. Colonel Fawcett goes 200 00:12:40,760 --> 00:12:44,120 Speaker 1: also as a correspondent of the Los Angeles Times and 201 00:12:44,160 --> 00:12:48,380 Speaker 1: the North American Newspapers Alliance. Yeah, so it's unclear what 202 00:12:48,420 --> 00:12:50,580 Speaker 1: the deal might have been here. It may have been 203 00:12:50,600 --> 00:12:52,920 Speaker 1: a case where the Royal Geographical Society was like, we're 204 00:12:52,960 --> 00:12:54,660 Speaker 1: not paying for all of this. But they may have 205 00:12:54,700 --> 00:12:56,920 Speaker 1: kicked in a little bit, and then these other groups 206 00:12:56,980 --> 00:12:59,810 Speaker 1: similarly were like, yeah, I'll give you some for it, 207 00:13:00,010 --> 00:13:02,330 Speaker 1: and it made up enough that he was able to go. 208 00:13:03,690 --> 00:13:07,330 Speaker 1: But going back to the search for Zed, Fawcett understood 209 00:13:07,370 --> 00:13:10,589 Speaker 1: that this was a very dangerous undertaking, even as much 210 00:13:10,650 --> 00:13:14,120 Speaker 1: as he believed the whole thing was real. He wrote, quote, 211 00:13:14,280 --> 00:13:16,900 Speaker 1: one thing is certain. Between the outer world and the 212 00:13:16,960 --> 00:13:21,160 Speaker 1: secrets of ancient South America, a veil has descended, and 213 00:13:21,179 --> 00:13:24,500 Speaker 1: the explorer who seeks to penetrate this veil must be 214 00:13:24,559 --> 00:13:28,040 Speaker 1: prepared to face hardships and dangers that will tax his 215 00:13:28,100 --> 00:13:31,589 Speaker 1: endurance to the utmost. the chances are that he will 216 00:13:31,670 --> 00:13:34,610 Speaker 1: not get through. But if he should, if he is 217 00:13:34,690 --> 00:13:37,490 Speaker 1: lucky enough to run the gauntlet of savages and come 218 00:13:37,530 --> 00:13:40,550 Speaker 1: out alive, he will be in a position to further 219 00:13:40,670 --> 00:13:45,520 Speaker 1: our historical knowledge immeasurably. And that is the most icky 220 00:13:45,540 --> 00:13:48,020 Speaker 1: thing I'm willing to include about any of his writings 221 00:13:48,179 --> 00:13:52,220 Speaker 1: about the people of South America. Fawcett's expedition to find 222 00:13:52,260 --> 00:13:55,990 Speaker 1: the city's Zed included his son Jack and Jack's close 223 00:13:56,090 --> 00:14:00,120 Speaker 1: friend Raleigh Rimmel. Fawcett wrote of the two young men, quote, 224 00:14:00,200 --> 00:14:02,760 Speaker 1: Jack and Raleigh will have to learn to swim, as 225 00:14:02,820 --> 00:14:06,050 Speaker 1: it were, by being flung into deep water. With no 226 00:14:06,090 --> 00:14:10,210 Speaker 1: former experience, they will be taken into a supreme endurance test. 227 00:14:11,030 --> 00:14:13,750 Speaker 1: I myself worked up to it more gradually and in 228 00:14:13,830 --> 00:14:16,770 Speaker 1: any case had behind me many years of army life 229 00:14:16,950 --> 00:14:20,500 Speaker 1: in the tropics. Being by nature a lone wolf and 230 00:14:20,550 --> 00:14:24,180 Speaker 1: rather abstemious, I was not softened by gin and whiskey 231 00:14:24,220 --> 00:14:27,560 Speaker 1: when the first South American adventure came along. And as 232 00:14:27,640 --> 00:14:31,060 Speaker 1: each succeeding expedition was harder than the last, the toughening 233 00:14:31,120 --> 00:14:35,830 Speaker 1: process was continuous. He wanted to travel with only two 234 00:14:35,890 --> 00:14:38,890 Speaker 1: other people because he thought a small band would have 235 00:14:38,930 --> 00:14:44,130 Speaker 1: an easier time avoiding hostile indigenous groups and also thought 236 00:14:44,150 --> 00:14:46,450 Speaker 1: they could just make better time and keep things more 237 00:14:46,550 --> 00:14:50,320 Speaker 1: nimble in general. In addition to Jack and Raleigh, there 238 00:14:50,360 --> 00:14:54,640 Speaker 1: were also two hired Brazilian assistants. These were more like 239 00:14:54,780 --> 00:14:58,480 Speaker 1: laborers than guides. They helped care for the animals that 240 00:14:58,500 --> 00:15:01,420 Speaker 1: were also part of the party, which included two horses, 241 00:15:01,570 --> 00:15:06,530 Speaker 1: two dogs, and several mules. And the press loved this story. 242 00:15:07,320 --> 00:15:10,590 Speaker 1: That LA Times account explained that Fawcett believed that the 243 00:15:10,620 --> 00:15:12,750 Speaker 1: lost city he sought was part of a culture that 244 00:15:12,880 --> 00:15:16,350 Speaker 1: predated the oldest ones human had known up to that point, 245 00:15:16,850 --> 00:15:20,730 Speaker 1: making it essentially the true cradle of civilization, and that 246 00:15:20,790 --> 00:15:23,630 Speaker 1: he was willing to stake his entire reputation on it. 247 00:15:24,670 --> 00:15:26,990 Speaker 1: Heads up that this write-up from the LA Times comes 248 00:15:27,010 --> 00:15:29,910 Speaker 1: with a side of gross racism. Quote, he has already 249 00:15:29,950 --> 00:15:33,490 Speaker 1: gone far toward validation of his contention that there existed 250 00:15:33,530 --> 00:15:38,440 Speaker 1: in this region a majestic civilization of an unknown, white race, 251 00:15:38,920 --> 00:15:43,040 Speaker 1: perhaps 10,000 years old, antedating Egypt. That it held the 252 00:15:43,100 --> 00:15:46,990 Speaker 1: secret of a mysterious light, possibly derived from some knowledge 253 00:15:47,020 --> 00:15:51,370 Speaker 1: of basic atomic forces. That these ancient people knew astronomy 254 00:15:51,470 --> 00:15:54,950 Speaker 1: and mathematics, and that they had perhaps the oldest highly 255 00:15:55,010 --> 00:15:58,930 Speaker 1: developed indigenous culture in the history of the world. He 256 00:15:58,980 --> 00:16:02,540 Speaker 1: has so far analyzed and articulated his findings that, as 257 00:16:02,600 --> 00:16:05,970 Speaker 1: he now says, he is ready to announce his conclusions 258 00:16:06,410 --> 00:16:10,790 Speaker 1: and risk his scientific reputation upon them. The group set 259 00:16:10,870 --> 00:16:14,190 Speaker 1: out from Europe in the early spring. On April 20th, 1925, 260 00:16:14,190 --> 00:16:19,600 Speaker 1: they started their expedition from Cuiaba, Brazil. On each of 261 00:16:19,640 --> 00:16:23,000 Speaker 1: Fawcett's trips since his first one in 1906, he'd gone 262 00:16:23,100 --> 00:16:27,200 Speaker 1: farther into the forest than any other European had. And 263 00:16:27,220 --> 00:16:30,710 Speaker 1: the same was true of the 1925 effort. On May 264 00:16:30,910 --> 00:16:33,950 Speaker 1: 29th of 1925, he wrote Nina a letter while the 265 00:16:33,990 --> 00:16:36,850 Speaker 1: men were at Dead Horse Camp. It was named that 266 00:16:36,890 --> 00:16:39,330 Speaker 1: because he had had to kill his horse on a 267 00:16:39,350 --> 00:16:43,410 Speaker 1: previous mission there. This letter details some of the problems 268 00:16:43,480 --> 00:16:46,780 Speaker 1: that they were having. Quote, The attempt to write is 269 00:16:46,880 --> 00:16:50,480 Speaker 1: fraught with much difficulty, owing to the legions of flies 270 00:16:50,540 --> 00:16:54,000 Speaker 1: that pester one from dawn till dark, and sometimes all 271 00:16:54,020 --> 00:16:57,380 Speaker 1: through the night. The worst are the tiny ones, smaller 272 00:16:57,400 --> 00:17:01,420 Speaker 1: than a pinhead, almost invisible, but stinging like a mosquito. 273 00:17:02,230 --> 00:17:06,510 Speaker 1: Clouds of them are always present. Millions of bees add 274 00:17:06,550 --> 00:17:10,369 Speaker 1: to the plague and other bugs galore. We hope to 275 00:17:10,410 --> 00:17:12,210 Speaker 1: get through this region in a few days and are 276 00:17:12,250 --> 00:17:15,750 Speaker 1: camped here for a couple of days. Jack is well 277 00:17:15,810 --> 00:17:18,870 Speaker 1: and fit, getting stronger every day even though he suffers 278 00:17:18,910 --> 00:17:22,250 Speaker 1: a bit from the insects. I myself am bitten or 279 00:17:22,310 --> 00:17:24,889 Speaker 1: stung by ticks and these bzums, as they call the 280 00:17:24,930 --> 00:17:29,210 Speaker 1: tiny ones, all over the body. Raleigh I am anxious about. 281 00:17:29,859 --> 00:17:32,490 Speaker 1: He still has one leg in a bandage but won't 282 00:17:32,560 --> 00:17:35,760 Speaker 1: go back. So far we have plenty of food and 283 00:17:35,800 --> 00:17:38,060 Speaker 1: no need to walk, but I am not sure how 284 00:17:38,119 --> 00:17:41,399 Speaker 1: long this will last. There may be so little for 285 00:17:41,420 --> 00:17:44,520 Speaker 1: the animals to eat. I cannot hope to stand up 286 00:17:44,560 --> 00:17:47,040 Speaker 1: to this journey better than Jack or Raleigh, but I 287 00:17:47,100 --> 00:17:50,540 Speaker 1: had to do it. Years tell in spite of the 288 00:17:50,580 --> 00:17:55,060 Speaker 1: spirit of enthusiasm. He continued with their location. Quote, here 289 00:17:55,100 --> 00:17:57,720 Speaker 1: we are at Dead Horse Camp, latitude 11 degrees, 43 290 00:17:57,720 --> 00:18:02,940 Speaker 1: minutes south and 54 degrees, 35 minutes west. the spot 291 00:18:02,980 --> 00:18:08,840 Speaker 1: where my horse died in 1920. Only his white bones remain. Nevertheless, 292 00:18:09,080 --> 00:18:11,620 Speaker 1: the season is good. It is very cold at night 293 00:18:11,820 --> 00:18:14,650 Speaker 1: and fresh in the morning, but insects and heat come 294 00:18:14,690 --> 00:18:17,990 Speaker 1: by midday, and from then till six o'clock in the evening, 295 00:18:18,070 --> 00:18:22,150 Speaker 1: it is sheer misery in camp. You need have no 296 00:18:22,290 --> 00:18:27,490 Speaker 1: fear of any failure. But Nina got no more letters 297 00:18:27,750 --> 00:18:32,109 Speaker 1: after this May 29th missive. No one heard from Percy, Jack, 298 00:18:32,210 --> 00:18:35,110 Speaker 1: and Raleigh ever again. And we're going to get into 299 00:18:35,130 --> 00:18:37,630 Speaker 1: the theories about what happened to these men and some 300 00:18:37,650 --> 00:18:39,630 Speaker 1: of the many attempts that have been made to find 301 00:18:39,690 --> 00:18:42,230 Speaker 1: out what happened to Fawcett after we take a break 302 00:18:42,290 --> 00:18:44,620 Speaker 1: and hear from the sponsors that keep the show going. 303 00:18:44,630 --> 00:18:55,220 Speaker 2: Fawcett As weeks of. 304 00:18:55,170 --> 00:18:59,140 Speaker 1: No communication from Fawcett's group stretched into months and then years, 305 00:18:59,240 --> 00:19:01,960 Speaker 1: the presumption was that he had been killed by one 306 00:19:01,980 --> 00:19:06,919 Speaker 1: of the indigenous tribes of the Amazon. Fawcett's colleague, Henry Koston, 307 00:19:06,960 --> 00:19:09,800 Speaker 1: who had been with him on numerous expeditions, dismissed that 308 00:19:09,859 --> 00:19:13,280 Speaker 1: idea in statements to the press. He was adamant that 309 00:19:13,359 --> 00:19:16,540 Speaker 1: Fawcett was too experienced with dealing with the various peoples 310 00:19:16,600 --> 00:19:18,940 Speaker 1: of the area and had gotten to know so many 311 00:19:18,980 --> 00:19:22,850 Speaker 1: of them that that just couldn't have happened. In 1928, 312 00:19:22,850 --> 00:19:26,190 Speaker 1: George Miller Dyatt mounted a mission to try to find Fawcett. 313 00:19:26,880 --> 00:19:29,020 Speaker 1: Dyatt was the son of a British father and an 314 00:19:29,080 --> 00:19:32,100 Speaker 1: American mother, and although he had been born in New York, 315 00:19:32,160 --> 00:19:35,600 Speaker 1: he was educated in England and eventually joined the Royal 316 00:19:35,640 --> 00:19:39,720 Speaker 1: Navy Air Force. He became renowned as an aviator and 317 00:19:39,880 --> 00:19:43,470 Speaker 1: travel filmmaker, and he was commissioned by the Royal Geographical 318 00:19:43,530 --> 00:19:47,590 Speaker 1: Society to try to find out the truth regarding Fawcett's fate. 319 00:19:48,430 --> 00:19:52,859 Speaker 1: This was, incidentally, in direct violation of Fawcett's own wishes. 320 00:19:53,200 --> 00:19:56,780 Speaker 1: He stated very plainly before the expedition that if he failed, 321 00:19:57,220 --> 00:19:59,680 Speaker 1: he did not want anyone to look for him because 322 00:19:59,740 --> 00:20:04,369 Speaker 1: he felt it was too dangerous. Diet's party, unlike Fawcett's, 323 00:20:04,410 --> 00:20:09,220 Speaker 1: was huge, complete with photographers and radio operators. And at 324 00:20:09,320 --> 00:20:11,980 Speaker 1: one point during the journey, after making contact with the 325 00:20:12,020 --> 00:20:16,940 Speaker 1: Kalapalos and the Nahukuas tribes, Diet became convinced that he 326 00:20:17,000 --> 00:20:19,899 Speaker 1: was in danger, and he radioed his story to the 327 00:20:19,940 --> 00:20:23,020 Speaker 1: papers back home, kind of ostensibly like, I need to 328 00:20:23,040 --> 00:20:26,490 Speaker 1: get this story out before they kill me. But he survived, 329 00:20:26,609 --> 00:20:28,830 Speaker 1: and after he returned home, he wrote a book about 330 00:20:28,869 --> 00:20:33,959 Speaker 1: his experience titled Manhunting in the Jungle. Dyack claimed that 331 00:20:34,020 --> 00:20:37,000 Speaker 1: he had met and spoken with a man named Aloike, 332 00:20:37,200 --> 00:20:41,260 Speaker 1: who was the leader of the Anahukua tribe, and that 333 00:20:41,300 --> 00:20:45,420 Speaker 1: this man was possibly Fawcett's murderer. He had also found 334 00:20:45,460 --> 00:20:49,390 Speaker 1: a uniform case in the jungle that had belonged to Fawcett, 335 00:20:49,450 --> 00:20:52,229 Speaker 1: and he felt this was evidence that he had been killed. 336 00:20:53,070 --> 00:20:56,710 Speaker 1: But Brian Fawcett, who was Percy and Nina's younger son, 337 00:20:56,750 --> 00:21:00,560 Speaker 1: discounted this, writing, quote, The Dyat expedition returned with no 338 00:21:00,600 --> 00:21:03,219 Speaker 1: proof of anything, not even that the Fawcett party had 339 00:21:03,260 --> 00:21:06,300 Speaker 1: been there. For while the uniform case identified by the 340 00:21:06,320 --> 00:21:10,420 Speaker 1: maker had belonged to my father, it was one discarded 341 00:21:10,480 --> 00:21:14,419 Speaker 1: by him in 1920. It was Commander Dyat's belief that 342 00:21:14,460 --> 00:21:16,939 Speaker 1: my father had been killed, but I have given the 343 00:21:17,030 --> 00:21:20,190 Speaker 1: evidence and leave it to the reader to judge. We 344 00:21:20,230 --> 00:21:22,649 Speaker 1: of the family could not accept it as in any 345 00:21:22,690 --> 00:21:27,260 Speaker 1: way conclusive. Dyett's book even includes the information that a 346 00:21:27,359 --> 00:21:31,200 Speaker 1: clairvoyant he consulted said she saw the end of Fawcett's 347 00:21:31,359 --> 00:21:33,699 Speaker 1: life and that he had been killed by one of 348 00:21:33,720 --> 00:21:37,160 Speaker 1: the tribes. It comes off as sort of a boastful, 349 00:21:37,420 --> 00:21:41,379 Speaker 1: swaggery type of tale. Yeah, that book is definitely like, 350 00:21:41,850 --> 00:21:43,949 Speaker 1: I'm a big manly man who went in the jungle 351 00:21:44,010 --> 00:21:47,530 Speaker 1: looking for my friend and I talked to the natives 352 00:21:47,590 --> 00:21:50,870 Speaker 1: and they were clearly the murderers. Like, it's really, it's 353 00:21:51,010 --> 00:21:55,580 Speaker 1: old school and it's not great. In 1931, An expedition 354 00:21:55,619 --> 00:21:58,119 Speaker 1: in the area which was not looking for Fawcett, but 355 00:21:58,140 --> 00:22:02,260 Speaker 1: was there to film a documentary about the Amazon, believed 356 00:22:02,300 --> 00:22:06,260 Speaker 1: that they had stumbled onto the truth. This effort was 357 00:22:06,340 --> 00:22:09,180 Speaker 1: funded by the Penn Museum of Philadelphia, and the group's 358 00:22:09,300 --> 00:22:13,850 Speaker 1: ethnologist was a man named Vincenzo Petrulo. Petrulo noted in 359 00:22:13,920 --> 00:22:16,480 Speaker 1: his expedition diary that he made a stop on the 360 00:22:16,590 --> 00:22:20,869 Speaker 1: east bank of the Kuluani River on August 13th, mentioning 361 00:22:20,930 --> 00:22:23,790 Speaker 1: that this was the spot where Fawcett had entered the bush. 362 00:22:24,840 --> 00:22:28,320 Speaker 1: Petrulo told reporter Joseph McLaughlin, quote, I realized I had 363 00:22:28,359 --> 00:22:31,020 Speaker 1: been following his trail when I reached the village of 364 00:22:31,060 --> 00:22:34,990 Speaker 1: the Kalapalus on the Kuluani River, a tributary of the Xingu. 365 00:22:36,080 --> 00:22:38,460 Speaker 1: Two of the natives came to tell me of the 366 00:22:38,520 --> 00:22:41,639 Speaker 1: visit and departure of three white men a number of 367 00:22:41,720 --> 00:22:45,570 Speaker 1: years ago. That having been the second time outsiders had 368 00:22:45,650 --> 00:22:49,330 Speaker 1: come into their country, the incident was clearly remembered. They 369 00:22:49,410 --> 00:22:52,510 Speaker 1: told how the white men arrived at the Kalapalu village 370 00:22:52,550 --> 00:22:56,210 Speaker 1: in the company of some Anahukua Indians who had guided 371 00:22:56,290 --> 00:22:59,230 Speaker 1: them from their village on the Kuluseu a march of 372 00:22:59,390 --> 00:23:03,469 Speaker 1: four days. The white men carried packs and arms, but 373 00:23:03,530 --> 00:23:06,530 Speaker 1: no presents for the Indians such as I had. The 374 00:23:06,550 --> 00:23:09,889 Speaker 1: Kalapalu gave them food, and in the morning, having failed 375 00:23:09,950 --> 00:23:13,140 Speaker 1: to dissuade the leader, the older man, from his project, 376 00:23:13,580 --> 00:23:16,720 Speaker 1: they ferried the three men across the Kuluane River. It 377 00:23:17,880 --> 00:23:20,859 Speaker 1: was explained to the Indians that by going east, a 378 00:23:20,980 --> 00:23:24,530 Speaker 1: large river would be reached where large canoes could be found, 379 00:23:24,619 --> 00:23:27,710 Speaker 1: which would take the party home. The younger men were 380 00:23:27,930 --> 00:23:31,030 Speaker 1: ill and were suffering from the Boratudo sores from black 381 00:23:31,070 --> 00:23:35,400 Speaker 1: flies and apparently were reluctant to go any further. Subsequently, 382 00:23:35,480 --> 00:23:38,840 Speaker 1: for five days, the Kalapalu saw the smoke of the 383 00:23:38,880 --> 00:23:41,970 Speaker 1: travelers as they lit a campfire each night. It is 384 00:23:42,070 --> 00:23:45,090 Speaker 1: presumed that on the sixth day, they reached the forest 385 00:23:45,109 --> 00:23:49,150 Speaker 1: to the east, for the smoke was not seen anymore. Later, 386 00:23:49,170 --> 00:23:53,020 Speaker 1: a party of the Kalapalu found traces of the camps made, 387 00:23:53,220 --> 00:23:57,220 Speaker 1: but not the white men. When asked why Diet had 388 00:23:57,280 --> 00:24:01,340 Speaker 1: not gotten this version of events when he visited, Petrulo 389 00:24:01,400 --> 00:24:04,949 Speaker 1: replied that he did not have interpreters. and also that 390 00:24:04,990 --> 00:24:09,129 Speaker 1: the indigenous people of the area did not like him. Ultimately, 391 00:24:09,290 --> 00:24:13,190 Speaker 1: Petrulo came to the conclusion that Fawcett's end had been unfortunate, 392 00:24:13,670 --> 00:24:18,020 Speaker 1: but not violent. His interactions with indigenous people he spoke 393 00:24:18,060 --> 00:24:20,480 Speaker 1: with led him to believe that Fawcett had gotten deep 394 00:24:20,520 --> 00:24:22,419 Speaker 1: into the dense forest on the east side of the 395 00:24:22,460 --> 00:24:26,480 Speaker 1: river and had, quote, died of thirst or hunger or disease. 396 00:24:27,440 --> 00:24:31,100 Speaker 1: Peter Fleming mounted an expedition to find Fawcett or at 397 00:24:31,140 --> 00:24:34,119 Speaker 1: least try to find out what might have happened to him. 398 00:24:35,080 --> 00:24:38,260 Speaker 1: Peter was the brother of writer Ian Fleming, who created 399 00:24:38,340 --> 00:24:42,699 Speaker 1: James Bond. Fleming's expedition did not turn up any evidence 400 00:24:42,760 --> 00:24:45,960 Speaker 1: about Fawcett, but it did result in a book. Peter 401 00:24:46,000 --> 00:24:51,510 Speaker 1: Fleming published Brazilian Adventure in 1933. For years, the Fawcett 402 00:24:51,550 --> 00:24:57,060 Speaker 1: family held out hope. In 1932, Percy's sister, Beatrice Fortescue, 403 00:24:57,130 --> 00:25:01,220 Speaker 1: gave an interview to the Swindon Advertiser, indicating that she 404 00:25:01,280 --> 00:25:06,159 Speaker 1: believed her brother was still alive. She was quoted as saying, quote, Somehow, 405 00:25:06,440 --> 00:25:09,250 Speaker 1: I feel certain he lives, if only as the guarded 406 00:25:09,310 --> 00:25:13,110 Speaker 1: prisoner of savage Indians, and his wife knows it through 407 00:25:13,130 --> 00:25:18,379 Speaker 1: the telepathic messages she receives from him. Beatrice continued, quote, 408 00:25:18,480 --> 00:25:20,700 Speaker 1: yet I don't really know whether he will want to 409 00:25:20,760 --> 00:25:24,900 Speaker 1: come back. After seven years of life amongst the Indian tribes, 410 00:25:24,980 --> 00:25:28,350 Speaker 1: he may hate the thought of civilization. But he must 411 00:25:28,440 --> 00:25:31,050 Speaker 1: come back if they find him, for he will alter 412 00:25:31,090 --> 00:25:34,810 Speaker 1: the whole map of Brazil. He will be a famous man, 413 00:25:34,950 --> 00:25:38,950 Speaker 1: and England will be proud because he is English. That 414 00:25:39,010 --> 00:25:42,210 Speaker 1: same year, a trapper named Stephen Ratton walked into the 415 00:25:42,230 --> 00:25:45,800 Speaker 1: British consulate in Sao Paulo and told the consul general, 416 00:25:46,020 --> 00:25:49,080 Speaker 1: Arthur Abbott, that he had met Fawcett in the jungle, 417 00:25:49,480 --> 00:25:53,120 Speaker 1: where the lost explorer was living with the Merchilagos tribe. 418 00:25:53,960 --> 00:25:57,330 Speaker 1: According to Ratton, Fawcett, whose hair and beard had gone 419 00:25:57,390 --> 00:26:00,950 Speaker 1: completely white, was clothed in animal skins and said he 420 00:26:00,990 --> 00:26:04,090 Speaker 1: had been held captive there for five years and that 421 00:26:04,150 --> 00:26:07,470 Speaker 1: his son and Raleigh Rummel had died the previous year. 422 00:26:08,330 --> 00:26:11,869 Speaker 1: Vincenzo Petrulo was asked his opinion on this account, and 423 00:26:11,890 --> 00:26:14,879 Speaker 1: he was dismissive. He told the press the location of 424 00:26:14,910 --> 00:26:18,000 Speaker 1: the sighting was very far away from where Fawcett had been, 425 00:26:18,020 --> 00:26:21,300 Speaker 1: and that the mention of animal skins was an immediate 426 00:26:21,340 --> 00:26:24,200 Speaker 1: giveaway that this was a false account. He said the 427 00:26:24,260 --> 00:26:27,860 Speaker 1: indigenous populations of the area never wore skins because, quote, 428 00:26:27,900 --> 00:26:30,160 Speaker 1: you would die from the stench if not from the heat. 429 00:26:30,650 --> 00:26:34,370 Speaker 1: The Indians go absolutely naked. It seemed as though there 430 00:26:34,410 --> 00:26:36,330 Speaker 1: might be a break in the case of the missing 431 00:26:36,390 --> 00:26:41,210 Speaker 1: explorer in 1951. In April of that year, the Associated 432 00:26:41,270 --> 00:26:45,450 Speaker 1: Press released a story that Orlando Villas-Boas, an anthropologist working 433 00:26:45,470 --> 00:26:48,890 Speaker 1: for the Brazilian government and leading an expedition through the jungle, 434 00:26:49,330 --> 00:26:53,590 Speaker 1: had found skeletal remains that he believed were faucets. the 435 00:26:53,720 --> 00:26:57,690 Speaker 1: article stated that Villas-Boas, quote, said that the Kalapagos Indians 436 00:26:57,830 --> 00:27:01,470 Speaker 1: killed the three explorers near the Rio das Mortas, River 437 00:27:01,530 --> 00:27:04,129 Speaker 1: of Death. They threw two of the bodies into a 438 00:27:04,170 --> 00:27:07,210 Speaker 1: lagoon and buried the oldest, whom he believed to be 439 00:27:07,290 --> 00:27:11,730 Speaker 1: Colonel Fawcett. That mention of the Kalapagos is actually the 440 00:27:11,750 --> 00:27:16,580 Speaker 1: Kalapalo and indigenous people of the Mato Grosso area. Villas-Boas 441 00:27:16,640 --> 00:27:18,959 Speaker 1: claimed that the Kalapalo led him to the place that 442 00:27:19,000 --> 00:27:21,340 Speaker 1: Fawcett was buried after he had been trying to get 443 00:27:21,400 --> 00:27:26,240 Speaker 1: that information from them for five years. Villas-Boas came away 444 00:27:26,300 --> 00:27:30,370 Speaker 1: with an intact skull, and the remains were eventually tested 445 00:27:30,390 --> 00:27:36,790 Speaker 1: and found to be not Percy Fawcett. The skeletal remains 446 00:27:36,970 --> 00:27:39,870 Speaker 1: reintroduced a lot of theories about the fate of Fawcett 447 00:27:39,970 --> 00:27:43,380 Speaker 1: and his two companions. With no evidence to go on, 448 00:27:43,780 --> 00:27:48,340 Speaker 1: wild theories and rumors spread in the years following Fawcett's disappearance. 449 00:27:49,040 --> 00:27:51,199 Speaker 1: There were a lot of stories that the Englishmen had 450 00:27:51,240 --> 00:27:55,640 Speaker 1: been killed by indigenous people. Others were a bit more outlandish. 451 00:27:56,160 --> 00:28:00,219 Speaker 1: One rumor began that the younger men were killed, but 452 00:28:00,260 --> 00:28:04,379 Speaker 1: that Percy's blue eyes had entranced his would-be killers and 453 00:28:04,400 --> 00:28:07,830 Speaker 1: they spared him. It was also claimed that Fawcett was 454 00:28:07,930 --> 00:28:10,590 Speaker 1: worshipped as a god and that he had integrated into 455 00:28:10,630 --> 00:28:13,250 Speaker 1: the local tribes of his own volition and that he 456 00:28:13,290 --> 00:28:17,330 Speaker 1: had no desire to return to Europe. A Brazilian military 457 00:28:17,390 --> 00:28:21,350 Speaker 1: official named Candido Rondon, who was an advocate for Brazil's 458 00:28:21,470 --> 00:28:26,660 Speaker 1: indigenous tribes, told reporters that he thought Fawcett had been 459 00:28:26,720 --> 00:28:30,520 Speaker 1: killed by one indigenous group. But then over time, he 460 00:28:30,580 --> 00:28:34,620 Speaker 1: refined that assessment. He came to believe that the indigenous 461 00:28:34,680 --> 00:28:38,520 Speaker 1: people had initially been hired or persuaded to act as 462 00:28:38,700 --> 00:28:40,180 Speaker 1: guides for the English army. 463 00:28:40,940 --> 00:28:41,440 Speaker 2: But that the. 464 00:28:41,380 --> 00:28:44,910 Speaker 1: Guides and explorers had then come into conflict when Fawcett 465 00:28:44,950 --> 00:28:48,730 Speaker 1: had tried to force those indigenous guides into territory that 466 00:28:48,770 --> 00:28:53,910 Speaker 1: belonged to an enemy tribe. It is unclear from the 467 00:28:53,950 --> 00:28:58,520 Speaker 1: way that U.S. newspapers reported this which group Rondon was 468 00:28:59,140 --> 00:29:04,580 Speaker 1: ultimately blaming for having murdered Fawcett. In 1953, Fawcett's son 469 00:29:04,600 --> 00:29:08,950 Speaker 1: Brian published Exploration Fawcett. That's a book compiled of his 470 00:29:08,990 --> 00:29:12,670 Speaker 1: father's letters and diaries. And once it was made public, 471 00:29:12,750 --> 00:29:16,830 Speaker 1: people quickly noticed a discrepancy in the information about Fawcett's 472 00:29:16,890 --> 00:29:20,630 Speaker 1: last location that had been printed in the papers versus 473 00:29:20,670 --> 00:29:24,750 Speaker 1: what information the family had. The coordinates that he gave 474 00:29:24,790 --> 00:29:27,360 Speaker 1: for Dead Horse Camp when he gave information to the 475 00:29:27,390 --> 00:29:30,720 Speaker 1: papers was 13 degrees, 14 minutes south, 54 degrees, 35 476 00:29:30,720 --> 00:29:37,920 Speaker 1: minutes west. that 13 was an 11 in the information 477 00:29:37,980 --> 00:29:41,880 Speaker 1: he gave Nina. And that was roughly 200 miles north 478 00:29:41,960 --> 00:29:44,860 Speaker 1: of the coordinates that he sent to nina to this 479 00:29:44,940 --> 00:29:48,550 Speaker 1: day it is unknown if that discrepancy was a typo 480 00:29:48,570 --> 00:29:52,190 Speaker 1: or if he purposely made the change to throw people 481 00:29:52,530 --> 00:29:56,570 Speaker 1: off Though the location of Fawcett's City of Zed remains 482 00:29:56,610 --> 00:30:00,250 Speaker 1: a bit murky, there have been archaeological finds that give 483 00:30:00,290 --> 00:30:03,490 Speaker 1: his ideas about lost cities in the area of Mato 484 00:30:03,530 --> 00:30:09,760 Speaker 1: Grosso some vindication. In 2008, archaeologist Michael Heckenberger published work 485 00:30:09,780 --> 00:30:13,760 Speaker 1: that he had been doing for decades alongside indigenous people 486 00:30:13,840 --> 00:30:17,410 Speaker 1: of the area, that being the Curicuro area. This work 487 00:30:17,470 --> 00:30:21,290 Speaker 1: had uncovered what's believed to have been a civilization made 488 00:30:21,390 --> 00:30:27,300 Speaker 1: up of the Kurukuru people's ancestors, a massive multi-municipality site 489 00:30:27,360 --> 00:30:31,180 Speaker 1: that showed a complex urban development. That large settlement is 490 00:30:31,240 --> 00:30:34,820 Speaker 1: known today as Kuikugo and is a protected site within 491 00:30:34,860 --> 00:30:39,990 Speaker 1: the boundaries of Brazil's Xingu Indigenous Park. Research and excavation 492 00:30:40,030 --> 00:30:43,430 Speaker 1: have continued in this area, and the Kurukuru have remained 493 00:30:43,590 --> 00:30:48,510 Speaker 1: heavily involved in this work. Recent writing about the expedition 494 00:30:48,590 --> 00:30:53,330 Speaker 1: has sought to exonerate the Kalapalo. In 2010, David Grand 495 00:30:53,390 --> 00:30:56,760 Speaker 1: published the book The Lost City of Z, or Zed, 496 00:30:56,880 --> 00:30:59,440 Speaker 1: whichever way you like, A Tale of Deadly Obsession on 497 00:30:59,460 --> 00:31:03,600 Speaker 1: the Amazon. And it includes statements from members of the 498 00:31:03,640 --> 00:31:05,640 Speaker 1: tribe that are descendants of those that would have been 499 00:31:05,680 --> 00:31:08,840 Speaker 1: alive when Fawcett was there, that they absolutely did not 500 00:31:08,940 --> 00:31:12,290 Speaker 1: kill Fawcett. Incidentally, if you ever saw that movie, The 501 00:31:12,330 --> 00:31:14,230 Speaker 1: Lost City of Zed, it is based on that book. 502 00:31:14,850 --> 00:31:20,030 Speaker 1: A coda regarding Brazil after Fawcett's time there. Human Rights 503 00:31:20,090 --> 00:31:23,870 Speaker 1: Group Survival International continues to track the numbers and issues 504 00:31:24,070 --> 00:31:29,090 Speaker 1: facing the indigenous populations of Brazil. And Survival International traces 505 00:31:29,150 --> 00:31:32,390 Speaker 1: the reclusive nature of a lot of the surviving indigenous 506 00:31:32,450 --> 00:31:36,110 Speaker 1: cultures back to the rubber trade. The small number of 507 00:31:36,250 --> 00:31:40,230 Speaker 1: ancestors from previous generations who survived the era of the 508 00:31:40,290 --> 00:31:45,080 Speaker 1: rubber barons chose to remain hidden from newcomers. And that 509 00:31:45,140 --> 00:31:49,760 Speaker 1: remained the cultural practice, and that's continued ever since. Other 510 00:31:49,900 --> 00:31:55,510 Speaker 1: groups experienced genocidal attacks more recently, including an especially horrific 511 00:31:55,630 --> 00:31:58,450 Speaker 1: incident in the 1960s known as the Massacre of the 512 00:31:58,530 --> 00:32:02,570 Speaker 1: Eleventh Parallel, and it followed suit. Today, there are an 513 00:32:02,650 --> 00:32:07,560 Speaker 1: estimated 305 different indigenous peoples in Brazil, with a total 514 00:32:07,620 --> 00:32:13,310 Speaker 1: population of 1.7 million people It is estimated that 100 515 00:32:13,310 --> 00:32:18,330 Speaker 1: of those 305 groups remain uncontacted. While there are some 516 00:32:18,370 --> 00:32:22,230 Speaker 1: protections in place, their lands continue to be vulnerable to encroachment. 517 00:32:22,770 --> 00:32:24,390 Speaker 1: There is still a lot of work to do. I 518 00:32:24,930 --> 00:32:27,729 Speaker 1: know there is a lot of land in Brazil that 519 00:32:27,790 --> 00:32:33,270 Speaker 1: is supposed to be indigenous land that is continually subjected 520 00:32:33,310 --> 00:32:38,710 Speaker 1: to threats from like clearance, wildfires related to other activity 521 00:32:38,750 --> 00:32:42,130 Speaker 1: in the area, all of that. Yeah, that's like a 522 00:32:42,210 --> 00:32:47,510 Speaker 1: huge anthropological topic and social topic that could be its 523 00:32:47,550 --> 00:32:52,520 Speaker 1: own series, frankly. In 2019, there was a really incredible 524 00:32:54,380 --> 00:32:58,140 Speaker 1: protest that was like the first protest that included Indigenous 525 00:32:58,180 --> 00:33:02,480 Speaker 1: people actually having their voice at least put out there 526 00:33:02,580 --> 00:33:05,980 Speaker 1: in a way that got covered by global newspapers. So 527 00:33:06,020 --> 00:33:08,880 Speaker 1: there's a lot to unpack with that. But I wanted 528 00:33:08,920 --> 00:33:11,390 Speaker 1: to at least mention that this is Not something that 529 00:33:11,410 --> 00:33:14,150 Speaker 1: people are like, oh, yes, we solved all that. It's good. No, 530 00:33:14,230 --> 00:33:16,130 Speaker 1: it stayed horrible for a long time and still there 531 00:33:16,150 --> 00:33:20,140 Speaker 1: are problems. But I have a very upbeat listener mail. Oh, good. 532 00:33:20,380 --> 00:33:24,700 Speaker 1: It's from our listener, Kristen. Listen, if you send me 533 00:33:24,740 --> 00:33:27,660 Speaker 1: an email that says no such thing as too many shoes, 534 00:33:28,700 --> 00:33:30,320 Speaker 1: I'm going to be a fan of it. That's all 535 00:33:30,460 --> 00:33:35,520 Speaker 1: I'm saying. Kristen writes, at the beginning of the sneaker episode, 536 00:33:35,560 --> 00:33:37,840 Speaker 1: Holly had me giggling when she confessed she has a 537 00:33:37,880 --> 00:33:40,480 Speaker 1: room for her shoes and that she visits them. I 538 00:33:40,540 --> 00:33:44,540 Speaker 1: collect purses and all their many accessories. My Billfold collection 539 00:33:44,660 --> 00:33:47,430 Speaker 1: is amazing. They are all made by the same company 540 00:33:47,470 --> 00:33:50,050 Speaker 1: in Southern California, and I've been collecting them for a 541 00:33:50,110 --> 00:33:53,430 Speaker 1: very long time. My main display for some of them 542 00:33:53,550 --> 00:33:56,830 Speaker 1: are floor-to-ceiling shelves in the hallway outside my bedroom door. 543 00:33:57,470 --> 00:33:59,950 Speaker 1: This way, I can gaze at them while sitting in bed. 544 00:34:00,510 --> 00:34:02,890 Speaker 1: I change out the display occasionally so that no one 545 00:34:02,950 --> 00:34:07,080 Speaker 1: feels left out. Man, this is like, you're singing my songs. 546 00:34:07,810 --> 00:34:10,890 Speaker 1: My husband mostly supports this obsession, and sometimes when I 547 00:34:10,910 --> 00:34:13,589 Speaker 1: have had a particularly bad day, he will suggest that 548 00:34:13,650 --> 00:34:17,509 Speaker 1: I go play purse. I visit, reorganize, dust, and feel 549 00:34:17,630 --> 00:34:22,150 Speaker 1: so much better afterwards. I am envious of an entire room. Tracy, 550 00:34:22,390 --> 00:34:24,470 Speaker 1: I have wide feet with a high arch and instep. 551 00:34:24,570 --> 00:34:27,420 Speaker 1: I completely understand the finding of ones that work and 552 00:34:27,440 --> 00:34:30,060 Speaker 1: get multiples. I get backup pairs of the ones I 553 00:34:30,300 --> 00:34:32,339 Speaker 1: really like. This is why I own far too many 554 00:34:32,380 --> 00:34:36,660 Speaker 1: Birkenstocks and Hokas. Comfort over cuteness. As always, you two 555 00:34:36,700 --> 00:34:38,920 Speaker 1: bring a smile to my face and make my drive bearable. 556 00:34:39,040 --> 00:34:41,040 Speaker 1: Thank you for bringing a little more light to the world. 557 00:34:41,700 --> 00:34:44,440 Speaker 1: As tax, I give you a picture of my purse shelf. 558 00:34:44,960 --> 00:34:49,780 Speaker 1: My pickles decided to play too. The others, clockwise, Gracie, Angus, Phyllis, 559 00:34:49,880 --> 00:34:53,719 Speaker 1: and Georgia. Last but never least, Walter the Yellow Lab 560 00:34:53,780 --> 00:34:56,750 Speaker 1: I share with my boss. Thank you for being you, Kristen. 561 00:34:57,190 --> 00:34:59,510 Speaker 1: I am obsessed with all of this. I am obsessed 562 00:34:59,530 --> 00:35:03,580 Speaker 1: with the purses. Listen. I see that Harvey's purse that's 563 00:35:03,640 --> 00:35:06,580 Speaker 1: based on the shag Star Wars cantina art that I 564 00:35:06,580 --> 00:35:09,319 Speaker 1: passed on and have kicked myself about ever since. I 565 00:35:09,380 --> 00:35:12,360 Speaker 1: see it in your collection. There's also a fabulous Haunted 566 00:35:12,380 --> 00:35:15,660 Speaker 1: Mansion one in there that is gorgeous. This is a 567 00:35:15,700 --> 00:35:19,010 Speaker 1: good collection. Oh, it's beautiful. Oh, it's beautiful. I love it. 568 00:35:19,540 --> 00:35:21,600 Speaker 1: I think playing purse is a great form of therapy, 569 00:35:21,640 --> 00:35:24,180 Speaker 1: and I recommend that anyone find whatever it is that 570 00:35:24,239 --> 00:35:29,200 Speaker 1: makes them feel good to dust, play with, and rearrange. 571 00:35:29,300 --> 00:35:29,620 Speaker 2: It's great. 572 00:35:30,770 --> 00:35:34,549 Speaker 1: These cats are weapons grade cute. There is one that 573 00:35:34,630 --> 00:35:38,160 Speaker 1: is like a dilute buff orange and white situation in 574 00:35:38,200 --> 00:35:40,299 Speaker 1: front of a fire that looks like it came out 575 00:35:40,340 --> 00:35:42,980 Speaker 1: of a calendar and it's the sweetest thing ever. There 576 00:35:43,020 --> 00:35:45,759 Speaker 1: is a very sweet black and white baby that looks 577 00:35:45,800 --> 00:35:48,240 Speaker 1: like a tuxedo, although I can't see their whole body 578 00:35:48,260 --> 00:35:50,910 Speaker 1: in its entirety, so I don't know. There is a 579 00:35:51,770 --> 00:35:55,130 Speaker 1: tortie and a solid black baby. I want to, all 580 00:35:55,170 --> 00:35:57,690 Speaker 1: these cats are spectacular and don't even get me started 581 00:35:57,770 --> 00:36:02,629 Speaker 1: on this sweet puppy. Oh my goodness. That puppy could 582 00:36:02,690 --> 00:36:05,810 Speaker 1: be like a door-to-door salesman and I would buy everything 583 00:36:05,830 --> 00:36:09,029 Speaker 1: that he had in his case without hesitation. Would I 584 00:36:09,090 --> 00:36:11,710 Speaker 1: need those wrenches? No, but I'd buy them because that's 585 00:36:11,770 --> 00:36:14,049 Speaker 1: a face that you trust. Thank you so much for 586 00:36:14,090 --> 00:36:16,910 Speaker 1: sending us this email. It's so charming and your babies 587 00:36:16,969 --> 00:36:21,720 Speaker 1: are so lovely and your purse collection is spectacular. And 588 00:36:21,739 --> 00:36:23,660 Speaker 1: I feel like you are a deeply kindred spirit. And 589 00:36:23,700 --> 00:36:25,610 Speaker 1: I thank you for that. If you would like to 590 00:36:25,640 --> 00:36:29,950 Speaker 1: write to us, you could do that at historypodcast at iheartradio.com. 591 00:36:31,090 --> 00:36:33,310 Speaker 1: You can also find the show notes for today's episode 592 00:36:33,450 --> 00:36:38,440 Speaker 1: and any episode on our website, which is missedinhistory.com. All 593 00:36:38,460 --> 00:36:40,580 Speaker 1: of our sources are listed for any of the shows 594 00:36:40,620 --> 00:36:42,640 Speaker 1: we've done. And if you would like to subscribe to 595 00:36:42,680 --> 00:36:44,830 Speaker 1: the show and you haven't done that yet, I promise 596 00:36:44,870 --> 00:36:46,669 Speaker 1: you it's the easiest thing you can do in a day. 597 00:36:46,989 --> 00:36:49,210 Speaker 1: You can do that on the iHeartRadio app or anywhere 598 00:36:49,250 --> 00:36:57,580 Speaker 1: you listen to your favorite podcasts. Stuff You Missed in 599 00:36:57,600 --> 00:37:01,299 Speaker 1: History Class is a production of iHeartRadio. For more podcasts 600 00:37:01,360 --> 00:37:05,510 Speaker 1: from iHeartRadio, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever 601 00:37:05,550 --> 00:37:06,960 Speaker 1: you listen to your favorite shows.