Educated privately in New England, he went to Yale University in to embark on an academic career. She was an heiress to the Tiffany jewellery fortune and Bingham used her money to travel in South America. He was appointed a lecturer at Yale but found exploring far more interesting than teaching. His enthusiasm for exploring extended to women as well and he took full advantage of his travels away from home.
This took Bingham and his party of seven to Cuzco and from there by mule and on foot to a small settlement called Mandor Pampa, near Aguas Calientes, where they encountered a local farmer named Melchor Arteaga. They climbed up to the ruins next morning through a persistent drizzle of rain. From , then again from , he sailed with Almagro and a priest, Hernando de Luque, on voyages of discovery and conquest down the west coast of South America. The first expedition failed, but in , Pizarro arrived in Peru and heard stories of a great ruler and his riches in the mountains.
He returned to get permission to claim the land for Spain. In , Pizarro and his crew, including three of his half-brothers—Gonzalo, Hernando and Juan Pizarro—sailed from Panama. Pizarro took Atahuapla hostage. Despite having paid a large ransom to spare his life, Atahuapla was killed in Pizarro then conquered Cuzco, another important Inca city, and founded the city of Lima, now the capital of Peru.
Pizarro did not want Almagro to have the city, but was too old to fight himself so he sent his brothers to Cuzco to fight. They defeated Almagro and killed him afterward. But if you see something that doesn't look right, click here to contact us! Instead, he herded his father's pigs. As a young man, Pizarro heard tales of the New World and was seized by a lust for fortune and adventure. Although the expedition was unfruitful, Pizarro proved he could be relied on in a bind.
During their journey, Balboa and Pizarro discovered what is now known as the Pacific Ocean, although Balboa allegedly spied it first, and was therefore credited with the ocean's first European discovery. Afterward, Pizarro stayed in Panama for a time, where he was awarded an estate, served as mayor of Panama City and amassed a small fortune.
The first of their reconnaissance voyages went as far as the San Juan River. The next gave Pizarro the chance to explore further south along the coast. Accompanied by archaeologists from the Ministry of Culture, we were surprised to discover numerous unknown archaeological sites of the modern archaeology: fortresses, small centers of agricultural production, several necropolises and complete cities populated with hundreds of buildings.
These were real "Pompeii Amazonians"! From till , we continued to discover more than forty complete sites. Situated on original Incan stone paths, these lost cities seem to lead to the north of Cusco, towards the National Sanctuary of Megantoni.
This sanctuary shelters one of the most difficult to access forests in South America. It is the cradle of the Matsiguengas Indians, with whom we have a very good relationship. Since , several Matsiguengas Indians told us about the existence of a strange mountain, at the top of which would hide the ruins of an old stony city: the legendary city of Paititi. During several years, we tried to locate this mysterious mountain.
Then, in June, , the French company Astrium helped us obtain a series of satellite photos of exploration zone.
In certain photos, we localized a very strange mountain of square shape, one thousand meters aside. We would say a cube, in the heart of the forest, encircled by abysms of a several hundred meters deep. A site apparently very strategic, easy to defend and impossible to invade.
A hundred meters west of this mountain, two twin lakes and a mysterious square lake, seem to confirm the testimonies of the Matsiguengas.
All of the legendary traditions assert that Paititi was built near such extents of water. We tried to reach this mountain in in vain and then, in , new discoveries in Machu Picchu took away from our search for Paititi. But in and , other expeditions allowed us to approach our goal of only a few kilometers. The jungle of Megantoni is dangerous and very difficult to access, especially for a team moving with important supplies. Our diverse expeditions have not allowed us yet to reach the ruins of the lost city.
Nevertheless, the Matsiguengas Indians are convinced: it is at the top of this "well cut" mountain that hide the vestiges of the queen of the South American lost cities. After several unfortunate attempts, we arrived at the conclusion that the helicopter is the only way to reach this zone. If we manage to finance this operation, the expedition will take place in July. It should last three weeks.
We plan to explore the mountain in great detail, but also the lakes, thanks to the use of a ROV automatic soumarin robot and with professional divers. Several professional archaeologists will also participate in the operation.
The probability to discover an important archaeological site, of the scale of Machu Picchu, hidden at the top of this mysterious mountain is very big. I am convinced that we shall soon experience the discovery of Paititi. Critics have commented that further exploration to these remote indigenous communities will bring disease and cause harm.
How do you respond to their criticism? Communities of the uncontacted Kuga Pakuris Indians live in the Sanctuary of Megantoni, but not in the area we are exploring, which is very difficult to access.
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