Paititi

In 2001, the Italian archaeologist Mario Polia discovered the report of the missionary Andres Lopez in the archives of the Jesuits in Rome.[http://www.sjweb.info/curia/archives.cfm Archivum Romanum Societatis Iesu]

{{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101124075315/http://www.sjweb.info/curia/archives.cfm |date=November 24, 2010 }} In the document, which dates from about 1600, Lopez describes a large city rich in gold, silver, and jewels, located in the middle of the tropical jungle called Paititi by the natives. Lopez informed the Pope about his discovery.

See http://www.palkiewicz.com/ekspedycje/index.php?p=paiti4 Lopez's report and its discovery were widely publicized, though its content is third-hand and far from reliable, Lopez himself having never reached Paititi but only having heard about it from the natives. It focuses on the story of a miracle performed at the court of the king of Paititi by a crucifix taken there by a group of baptized Indians. Many other historical sources of the Colonial period (16th to 18th centuries) refer to Paititi, to its possible locations and to expeditions searching for it. Some of the most informative of these documents include those of {{Interlanguage link multi|Juan Álvarez Maldonado|es}} (1570), Gregorio Bolívar (1621), Juan Recio de León (1623–27), Juan de Ojeda (1676), Diego de Eguiluz (1696).

In 2001, two researchers from the University of Helsinki, Dr. {{Interlanguage link multi|Ari Siiriäinen|fi}} (archaeologist) and Dr. Martti Pärssinen (historian), put forward a hypothesis relating the Paititi legend to the Inca expeditions into the Amazonian jungle and to the possible Inca military presence in the region of the Beni and the Madre de Dios rivers.Siiriäinen, Ari and Pärssinen, Martti. The Amazonian Interests of the Inca State (Tawantinsuyu). In: Baessler-Archiv Nº49. Berlin. 2001.

In order to test this hypothesis, a joint Finnish-Bolivian archaeological expedition in 2001–2003 investigated the fortified site Las Piedras near the town of Riberalta in Eastern Bolivia. Some fragments of imperial Inca ceramics were found during the excavations, but the presumed Inca origin of the site remains questionable.See Pärssinen, Martti y Siiriäinen, Ari. Andes Orientales y Amazonía Occidental Ensayos entre la historia y arqueología de Bolivia, Brasil y Perú. UMSA – Colegio Nacional de Historiadores de Bolivia. Producciones CIMA: La Paz. 2003.

Historian and anthropologist Vera Tyuleneva has contributed to the idea of the non-Peruvian origin of the name "Paititi" and its original locale; she has made expeditions to northern Bolivia and provided extensive and detailed written reports on her findings.Tyuleneva, Vera. La Tierra del Paititi y el Lago Rogoaguado. In: Estudios Amazónicos Nº6, June 2007. Lima: Centro Cultural José Pío Aza. Pp. 97-162.

Tyuleneva, Vera. Apolobamba: Zona de contacto entre la sierra y los Llanos Amazónicos. Informe de la temporada de campo 2007, presentado a la Dirección Nacional de Arqueología de Bolivia. La Paz, 2008.

See also Tyuleneva, Vera. La leyenda del Paititi: versiones modernas y coloniales. In: Revista Andina Nº36, 2003. Cusco: Centro Bartolomé de las Casas. Pp. 193-211. The first part of this article concerning Paititi in the oral tradition is still relevant, while the second part related to the historical sources has been since radically reconsidered by the author

On 29 December 2007, members of a local community near Kimbiri, Peru, found large stone structures resembling high walls, covering an area of 40,000 square meters; they named it the Manco Pata fortress.

{{cite news|date=January 10, 2008|title=Peru: Archaeological Fortress Discovered in the town of Kimbiri, Cusco|publisher=Living in Peru|agency=ANDINA|url=http://archive.peruthisweek.com/news/5464|access-date=December 24, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304123138/http://archive.peruthisweek.com/news/5464|archive-date=March 4, 2016}}{{cite web|url=http://www.andina.com.pe/Ingles/Noticia.aspx?id=lbWPnQXjNJI=|title=New archeological vestiges found in Manco Pata fortress|publisher=ANDINA - Peru News Agency|date=Jan 29, 2008|access-date=December 24, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120212194927/http://www.andina.com.pe/Ingles/Noticia.aspx?id=lbWPnQXjNJI=|archive-date=February 12, 2012}} Researchers from the Peruvian government's Cusco-based National Institute of Culture (INC), however, disputed suggestions by the local mayor that it could be part of the lost city of Paititi.{{cite web|author=Kelly Hearn|date=February 25, 2008|title=Peru's "Lost City" Is a Natural Formation, Experts Rule|url=http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2008/02/080222-lost-city.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111022192055/http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/pf/7338411.html|archive-date=October 22, 2011|access-date=December 24, 2012|publisher=National Geographic News}} Their report identified the stone structures as naturally formed sandstone. In 2008, the municipality of Kimbiri decided to promote it as a tourist destination.{{cite news|url=http://archive.peruthisweek.com/news-7062-peru-cusco-authorities-to-promote-manco-pata-archaeological-site-in-kimbiri/|title=Peru: Cusco authorities to promote Manco Pata archaeological site in Kimbiri|publisher=Living in Peru|agency=ANDINA|date=August 5, 2008|access-date=December 24, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140504110712/http://archive.peruthisweek.com/news-7062-peru-cusco-authorities-to-promote-manco-pata-archaeological-site-in-kimbiri/|archive-date=2014-05-04}}

Recent historical work by the explorer Andrew Nicol examined primary historical texts and concluded that a jungle city or remote Inca outpost, such as the city described by the Paititi legend, could theoretically exist within the Peruvian Amazon Basin. Nicol references the existence of the sites of Vilcabamba, Peru and Mameria as the chief sources of evidence supporting this theory.{{cite journal|author=Andrew Nicol|year=2009|title=Paititi: The Last Secret Of The Incas? A Critical Analysis Of The Legends Surrounding The Lost Inca City Of Gold|url=http://ijsa.syllabapress.com/issues/articles/ijsa00030/ijsa00030.pdf|journal=International Journal of South American Archaeology|issue=5}} Parts of this region discussed in Nicols' research are referred to as Antisuyu, one of the four regions into which the Inca empire was divided.

• 1925: Percy Harrison Fawcett (Mato Grosso, Brasil).Fawcett, Percy Harrison. Exploración Fawcett. Santiago de Chile: Zig-Zag. 1955.
• 1954 to 1955: Hans Ertl (Bolivia){{cite book |title=Paititi: Ein Spähtrupp in die Vergangenheit der Inkas, Anden-Amazonas-Expedition 1954/55 |author=Hans Ertl |publisher=Nymphenburger Verlag |location=München |year=1956 }}
• 1958 to 2003: Peruvian explorer {{Interlanguage link multi|Carlos Neuenschwander Landa|es}} led multiple expeditions in search of Paititi, in the Madre de Dios region and Cusco region.{{cite book |title=Paititi, en la bruma de la historia |author=Carlos Neuenschwander Landa |publisher= Cuzzi |year=1983 |oclc=11724089 |asin=B0046QFQ62}}{{cite book |title=Pantiacollo |author=Carlos Neuenschwander Landa |publisher=Organizacion Peruana del Libro |location=Lima |year=1963 |oclc=8604014}}
• 1971: A French-American expedition led by Bob Nichols, Serge Debru, and Georges Puel travelled up the Rio Pantiacolla from Shintuya in search of Paititi. The party's guides left after a 30-day agreement expired, and though the three continued on, they never returned. Japanese explorer Yoshiharu Sekino contacted Machiguenga Indians in the area the following year and confirmed that the expedition members had been killed.{{citation needed|date=December 2012}}
• 1984 to 2011: various expeditions led by Gregory Deyermenjian, member of The Explorers Club. These included the documentation of Incan remains in Mameria,{{cite journal |title=Mameria: an Incan Site Complex in the High-Altitude Jungles of Southeast Peru |author=Gregory Deyermenjian |author-link=Gregory Deyermenjian |year=2003 |journal=Athena Review |volume=3 |issue=4 |url=http://www.athenapub.com/12mameria.htm |access-date=2009-05-07 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181001194304/http://www.athenapub.com/12mameria.htm |archive-date=2018-10-01 }} the exploration and documentation of the petroglyphs at Pusharo,{{cite book |title=Underground! |author=Preston Peet |chapter=A Conversation with Greg Deyermenjian |publisher=The Disinformation Company |year=2005 |page=286 |isbn=1-932857-19-2 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9nNGMjm8VmgC&pg=PA285}} exploration and documentation of Manu's Pyramids of Paratoari, and others {{cite news|url=http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2008/01/080116-lost-city_2.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080119121530/http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2008/01/080116-lost-city_2.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=January 19, 2008 |title=Ancient "Lost City" Discovered in Peru, Official Claims |publisher=National Geographic News |date=2010-10-28 |access-date=2014-03-31}}[http://www.explorers.org/index.php/mediaroom/news_detail/interview_with_greg_deyermenjian_fn88 Interview with Greg Deyermenjian FN’88 at explorers.org][http://www.athenapub.com/timpia2.htm Expedition 2000 at Athena Magazine]{{cite web|url=http://www.explorers.org/flag_reports/Flag75_Deyermenjian.pdf |title=Expedition 2006 at explorers.org |access-date=2014-03-31}}{{cite web|url=http://www.explorers.org/flag_reports/Flag_44_Greg_Deyermenjian.pdf |title=Expedition 2008 |publisher=The Explorers Club |access-date=2014-03-31}}{{cite news|url=http://expeditionnews.com/Archives/EN0602.html |title=FOLLOWING THE TRAIL OF THE INCAS |publisher=Expedition News |date=February 2006 |volume=Thirteen |number=Two |access-date=2014-03-31}}{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-tayside-central-14387741|title=Gregory Deyermenjian, who has been looking for the city for 20 years has found about 15 different settlements |work=BBC News |date=3 August 2011|access-date=2013-03-22}}
• 1997: Lars Hafskjold set out from Puerto Maldonado, Madre de Dios, Peru. He disappeared somewhere in the unexplored parts of Bolivia.{{cite web|url=http://www.phfawcettsweb.org/larsen.htm|title=Lars Hafskjold's disappearance|access-date=2009-07-19|archive-date=2008-08-28|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080828041546/http://www.phfawcettsweb.org/larsen.htm}}
• 1998 to 1999: G Cope Schellhorn,{{Cite book |last=Schellhorn |first=G Cope |title=DISCOVERING RUINS AND ROCK ART IN BRAZIL AND PERU |publisher=Horus House Press, Inc |year=2002 |isbn=1881852180 |edition=1 |location=Madison, Wisconsin |publication-date=May 2002 |language=English}} Santiago Yábar discovered petroglyphs in the Paratoari Pyramids area.
• In June 2001, the Kota Mama II expedition led by John Blashford-Snell located some significant ancient ruins in the jungle east of Lake Titicaca in Bolivia that are believed{{by whom|date=May 2014}} to be identical to those discovered earlier by Hans Ertl.{{cite web|url=http://www.kotamama.com|title=The Kota Mama Expedition|access-date=2008-01-17}}
• 2001: Thierry Jamin investigates the site of Pantiacolla. The pyramids are in fact natural formations but Jamin discovered several Inca artefacts in the same area.{{cite news

| title = Buscan la ciudadela perdida de los incas en selva del Manu

| newspaper = Perú 21

| location = Peru

| date = 11 November 2008

| language = es

| url = http://peru21.pe/noticia/220880/buscan-ciudadela-perdida-incas-selva-manu

| access-date = 17 March 2013

}}

• 2002: Jacek Pałkiewicz undertook an expedition.{{cite web|url=http://www.palkiewicz.com/ekspedycje/index.php?p=paiti4 |title=Jacek Palkiewicz: traveler, explorer |publisher=Palkiewicz.com |date=2002-02-04 |access-date=2014-03-31}}
• The June 2004 "Quest for Paititi" exploration team of Deyermenjian and Mamani discovered several important Inca ruins along branches of the Inca Road of Stone at the peak known as Último Punto in the northern part of the Pantiacolla region of Peru.[http://www.paititi.com/index.html Quest for Paititi]
• 2005: The French explorer Thierry Jamin and the French-Peruvian Herbert Cartagena studied Pusharo petroglyphs and reported to have seen large geoglyphs in a valley nearby. They thought they might have found a "map" showing where Paititi might be located. Further expeditions were set up in the following years.{{cite web|url=http://www.granpaititi.com/|title=Le site des chercheurs du Gran Paititi|access-date=2008-12-20}}
• 2009 to 2010: Olly Steeds looks for Paititi while filming Solving History with Olly Steeds in the episode "Lost City of Gold".
• 2009 to 2011: various expeditions by Italian researcher {{Interlanguage link multi|Yuri Leveratto|es}}. He reached one of the Pyramids of Pantiacolla (or Paratoari).{{cite book |title=Cronache indigene del Nuovo Mondo |author=Yuri Leveratto |year=2010 |asin=B007H9DMHU |url=https://www.amazon.com/Cronache-indigene-Italian-Edition-ebook/dp/B007H9DMHU}}
• 2011: British expedition to investigate the Pyramids of Paratoari with Kenneth Gawne, Lewis Knight, Ken Halfpenny, I. Gardiner and Darwin Moscoso as part of a documentary.{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-tayside-central-14387741|title=Dundee explorer's search for 'lost city' of Paititi|date=3 August 2011|work=BBC News|access-date=25 March 2016}}[http://thesecretoftheincas.com/ The Secret of the Incas] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180322081624/http://thesecretoftheincas.com/ |date=2018-03-22 }} (2011, October 6) Retrieved March 14, 2015 
• 2014: Josh Gates looks for Paititi while filming Expedition Unknown.Expedition Unknown, City of Gold Season 1, Episode 5
• 2019 to 2023: [https://www.paratoari.com/ruinas-de-paratoari-2/ Virgilio Yábar]{{Cite book |last=Yábar Calderón |first=Virgilio |title=THE PAITITI DISCOVERED |publisher=AMAZON |year=2023 |isbn=9798864116869 |edition=1 |location=Middletown, DE |language=English}} discovered ruins, petroglyphs and geoglyphs, in the Paratoari pyramids complex.

• The 2012 film Tad, The Lost Explorer is an animated adventure with characters who travel to Peru in search of Paititi.
• The 2018 video game Shadow of the Tomb Raider features Paititi as a key locale hosting artifacts hunted by Lara Croft. It also mentions Lopez, Fawcett and others.
• In the 2016 game Sid Meier's Civilization VI Paititi makes an appearance as a Natural Wonder in the 2020 Maya and Gran Colombia Pack DLC included in the New Frontier Pass.
• In the 2021 book Charlie Thorne and the Lost City by Stuart Gibbs, Charlie and company discover a lost city that they speculate is Paititi.

• El Dorado

{{Reflist|2}}

• Andrew Nicol (2010). "[https://web.archive.org/web/20100822015816/http://www.livinginperu.com/features-1613-art-culture-lifestyle-legends-new-research-about-paititi-perus-lost-city-gold Legends and New Research about Paititi, Peru's Lost City of Gold]". Living in Peru.
• Andrew Nicol (2010). "[http://www.saexplorers.org/magazine/featured-articles/on-the-trail-of-paititi-%E2%80%93-the-incan-el-dorado/ Peru: The Trail to Paititi] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101002101312/http://www.saexplorers.org/magazine/featured-articles/on-the-trail-of-paititi-%E2%80%93-the-incan-el-dorado/ |date=2010-10-02 }}". South American Explorers Magazine (94)
• Andrew Nicol (2009). "[https://www.scribd.com/doc/20483798/ Paititi: The Last Secret Of The Incas?]. A Critical Analysis Of The Legends Surrounding The Lost Inca City Of Gold.". International Journal of South American Archaeology (5)
• {{cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/paititisecretofe00fern |title=Paititi: Secret of El Dorado Legend |author=Fernando Aparicio Bueno |year=1998 }}
• {{cite journal |title=Glimmers of Paititi |author=Gregory Deyermenjian |year=1999 |journal=Mercator's World |volume=4 |issue=1 |url=http://www.mercatormag.com/article.php3?i=54 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20030630062912/http://www.mercatormag.com/article.php3?i=54 |archive-date= June 30, 2003}}
• {{cite journal |title=The Petroglyphs of Pusharo: Peru's Amazonian Riddle |author=Gregory Deyermenjian |year=2000 |journal=Athena Review |volume=2 |issue=3 |url=http://www.athenapub.com/pusharo1.htm |access-date=2009-05-07 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090427131850/http://www.athenapub.com/pusharo1.htm |archive-date=2009-04-27 }}
• {{cite journal |title=On the Trail of Legends: Searching for Ancient Ruins East of the Andes |author=Gregory Deyermenjian |year=1999 |journal=GPS World |volume=10 |issue=6 |pages=20–29 |url=http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0BPW/is_6_10/ai_n27552561/}}
• {{cite journal |title=The 1989 Toporake/Paititi Expedition: On the Trail of the Ultimate Refuge of the Incas |author=Gregory Deyermenjian |year=1990 |journal=The Explorers Journal |volume=68 |issue=2 |pages=74–83}}

• {{cite journal |title=In Search of Paititi: Following the Road of Stone into an Unknown Peru |author=Gregory Deyermenjian |year=2006 |journal=The Explorers Journal |volume=84 |issue=1 |pages=28–35 }}
• {{cite book |title=East to the Amazon |author=John Blashford-Snell and Richard Snailham |publisher=John Murray |location=London |year=2003 |isbn=0-7195-6504-9}}
• {{cite book

| last1 = Jamin

| first1 = Thierry

| first2 = Pierre-Albert

| last2 = Ruquier

| title = L'Eldorado Inca : A la recherche de Païtiti

| language = fr

| year = 2006

| publisher = Hugo & Compagnie

| location = Paris

| isbn = 978-2-7556-0098-8

| name-list-style = amp

}}

• {{cite book

| last = Jamin

| first = Thierry

| title = Pusharo, la memoria recobrada de los Incas

| date = November 2007

| publisher = Edisa

| language = es

| location = Lima, Peru

| isbn = 978-9972-33566-2

| oclc = 213862634

}}

• {{cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/houseoftigerking0000shah |title=House of the Tiger King: A Jungle Obsession |location=London |publisher=John Murray |author=Tahir Shah |author-link=Tahir Shah |year=2004 }}

Category:Andean civilizations

Category:Inca

Category:Mythological populated places

Category:Exploration of South America