It was expensive, and Elkins needed a backer. The precise origin of the Ciudad Blanca legend is unclear. Explorers Discover Ancient Lost City In Honduran Jungle Chris ... explorers have searched the jungles of Honduras for a legendary lost city known as the White City, or the City of the Monkey God. I attended a talk by Preston about his research and new book—at Albuquerque’s historic KiMo theater, whose resident ghost I investigated and debunked several years ago (as described in the first chapter of my book Mysterious New … Was it a big deal? And yet, here he is, being treated for an illness he contracted while on a jungle expedition to a site rumored for centuries to rain misfortune down on anyone who entered. Price: (as of – Details) The #1 New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestseller, named one of the best books of the year by The Boston Globe and National Geographic: acclaimed journalist Douglas Preston takes readers on a true adventure deep into the Honduran rainforest in this riveting narrative about the discovery of a […] A five-hundred-year-old legend. The rainforests and archaeological ruins around the City of the Jaguar and the rest of the White City will be protected and researched. Suspenseful, surprising, and unputdownable, The Lost City of the Monkey God is narrative nonfiction at its most compelling: a story of adventure, danger, ancient curses, modern technology, a stunning medical mystery, and a riveting eye-witness account of one of the great discoveries of the twenty-first century. Michael has always been fascinated by space, technology, dinosaurs, and the weirder mysteries of the universe. The basic story line (based on true events) is about the discovery of the long lost "City of the Monkey God" (AKA "White City", etc.) Having been fortunate enough to travel to Central America to see the Mayan ruins at Copan, Tikal, Coba, and Chichen Itza I really connected with this story. Doug Preston, bucking the criticism, titled his book “The Lost City of the Monkey God” (Grand Central). An ancient curse. The problem? Download for offline reading, highlight, bookmark or take notes while you read The Lost City of the Monkey God: A True Story. A stunning medical mystery. “We don’t go out looking for treasure anymore; we go out looking for knowledge,” she told Cowan. In 2017, a team of scientists led by the government of Honduras and Conservation International's Rapid Assessment Program (RAP), was taken via helicopter to a specific site called the City of the Jaguar, to conduct a three-week biological survey of the region. “This technology could see through the jungle canopy and potentially reveal the contours of what might be underneath it,” Benenson said. “I would never trade that experience for anything,” he said. THE LOST CITY OF THE MONKEY GOD A True Story By Douglas Preston 326 pp. Months after leaving the jungle, Doug Preston noticed a bite from a sand fly that just wouldn’t heal. The Lost City of the Monkey God: A True Story is a New York Times best-selling nonfiction book written by journalist and novelist Douglas Preston and published by Grand Central Publishing in 2017. There were no stone structures to speak of, just foundations. So did Chris Fisher. The results have now shown that the area is home to an incredible biodiversity of animals and plants. "evolutionary processes remain intact?" “It’s just too dangerous,” Preston said. “The legend is there was a great city in the mountains that was struck by a series of catastrophes, and the inhabitants thought the gods were angry at them, and [they] left, leaving all their belongings behind,” Preston said. Spanish Conquistador Hernán Cortés is often cited as the earliest reference to the story, but he actually never mentioned a "white city" and his geographical references are vague. The eagle is near-threatened and the macaw is endangered, A Great Green Macaw, which is extremely rare in other places but seems to be relatively common in the White City area, Cacao de monte fruits, which are used to produce chocolate, were found in the White City area, The tiger beetle was thought to be extinct until its rediscovery during this expedition, The Morpho butterflies are some of the largest in the world, The Pale-Faced Bat was rediscovered in Honduras for the first time in over 75 years, One of the campsites used by the research team, This glass frog indicates that the waters of the White City are pristine, The expedition area is home to a range of freshwater habitats, The expedition team. In 2012, centuries-old legends of a lost city in Honduras were confirmed when ancient ruins were rediscovered in the dense Mosquita rainforest. With a Bachelor of Arts in Professional Writing and several years experience under his belt, he joined New Atlas as a staff writer in 2016. It was like cutting your way through a shag carpet. Copyright © 2020 CBS Interactive Inc.All rights reserved. “Someone said, ‘Hey, wait a minute, there’s some weird stones over here,’” Elkins said. “Can’t say I see a whole lot from here,” one team member said. A LIDAR-scanned map of the jungle in Honduras. “Just to get into this jungle is extremely dangerous,” Elkins said. “So let’s go and see what happens!”. The full report was published on the Conservation International website. “Look, I thought Steve’s never going to find a lost city -- that’s ridiculous,” Preston said. “The parasite migrates to the mucous membranes of your mouth and your nose, and basically eats them away,” Preston said. An ancient curse. “And once you’re there, it’s thick, thick with poisonous snakes.”. “Your nose falls off, your lips fall off, and eventually your face becomes a gigantic, open sore.”. The False Tree Coral Snake also made a reappearance in the country for the first time since 1965. Has the White City of the Monkey God been found after 500 years? Somewhere in this impassable wilderness, it is said, lies a “lost city” built of white stone. But the next day -- almost by accident -- disappointment turned to jubilation, when they found carved inscriptions. “That I knew. He launched his latest expedition in 2012, and invited Preston to document it. Bill Benenson and Steve Elkins were spared, and their documentary about their adventure is now in its final edit. Its possible existence has tantalized adventure seekers since the 1500s, including explorer Steve Elkins, who’d been obsessed with finding the city since the early ‘90s. “Well, I knew we found a city, an ancient city,” Elkins said. Three of the creatures were previously known but had been missing and feared extinct for decades. No. My only charity for 4 decades has been the Nature Conservancy, but even they have become overrun by alarmists and aren't preserving as much land and as many animals as they used to as they spend more and more on trying to fix what they perceive as damaged by Crimate Chang. Directed by Bill Benenson. Peering through a hole cut in the bottom of an old Cessna Skymaster, it could scan hundreds of square miles of dense jungle in a matter of days. The Lost City of the Monkey God: A True Story - Ebook written by Douglas Preston. It’s made out of earth,” said Fisher. “It seemed like a valuable gamble.”. “Well, that’s what it is. They consider the site sacred, and said it should be left alone. The Lost City of the Monkey God A True Story (Book) : Preston, Douglas J : Since the days of Cortés, rumors have circulated about a lost city of immense wealth hidden somewhere in the Honduran interior, called the White City or the Lost City of the Monkey God. Left to right: (top) Onan Reyes, Travis King, John van Dort, Eric van den Berghe, Arnulfo Medina-Fitoria, Manfredo Turcios-Casco, Olvin Oyuela, Milton Salazar-Saavedra, Trond Larsen; (bottom) John Polisar, Carlos Funes, Josué Ramos (T. Larsen), Fresh water crabs found in the rivers of the White City area, The false tree coral snake was discovered in Honduras for the first time since 1965, The worm salamander is listed as highly vulnerable. Rosemary Joyce, a professor of anthropology at UC Berkeley, said an expedition lead by filmmakers reeks more of Indiana Jones than it does real science -- and some 20 other archaeologists agreed. The search for The Lost City of the Monkey God follows explorer Steve Elkins and a team of archaeologists, anthropologists, scientists and filmmakers in this true-life adventure as they overcome torrential rains, dense jungles, poisonous reptiles and deadly disease carrying flies … Natural selection is not evolution. Over the next few months, about half the expedition came down with the early symptoms, and had to undergo the painful treatment. Artist Virgil Finlay's conceptional drawing of Theodore Moore's "Lost City of the Monkey God". Douglas Preston & The Lost City of the Monkey God. As for the site, only a fraction of it has been excavated, and questions linger about how -- or if -- to go back again. The deadliest? Some called it the White City, others the City of the Monkey God. He helped National Geographic artists come up with a rendering of what the city might have looked like -- but he had to get there on foot to know for sure. A gamble that soon paid off. After some initial backlash, the “lost city” was comically renamed the City of the Jaguar, which has no basis in local history, and it was also referred to as the City of the Monkey God, which has no grounding in real heritage either. “So what do you think you had found, initially?” Cowan asked. Over 280,000 people receive our email newsletter. Here, the adventure involves finding a lost civilization in the heart of the Honduran rain forest, a steaming-jungle sort of place called La Mosquitia that saw the last gasps of a culture related, by ideas if not blood, to the classic Maya. It is called Ciudad Blanca, the “White City,” also referred to as the “Lost City of the Monkey God.” Some have claimed the city is Maya, while others have said an unknown and now vanished people built it … The Lost City of the Monkey God: A True Story Douglas Preston, 2017 Grand Central Publishing 336 pp. There at their feet was a trove of artifacts believed to date from the 16th century -- the personal belongings of the inhabitants who, as one theory would have it, fled the city in a desperate attempt to escape European disease and slavery. "The White City is one of the few areas remaining in Central America where ecological and evolutionary processes remain intact.". Is it like Machu Picchu? Ecosystems this healthy are hard to come by nowadays, the researchers say. But it’s being portrayed as archeology, and it’s not.”. ... Doug Preston, bucking the criticism, titled his book “The Lost City of the Monkey God” (Grand Central). The White City lies at the heart of the Honduran Mosquita, 865,000 acres (350,000 hectares) of pristine and relatively unexplored rainforest. Overview. A LIDAR-scanned map of the jungle in Honduras. Preston’s book follows the history of various expeditions in search of the legendary Lost City of the Monkey God in the La Mosquitia region of Honduras. An expedition in the jungles of Honduras uses advanced technology to search for the remains of an ancient civilization. after failed attempts during the 19th and 20th centuries. Unfortunately, this report may stimulate the hunters and collectors, to invade the area to collect as many specimens as they can, for their sale value, thereby confirming the supposed extinctions. The Lost City of the Monkey God A True Story (Book) : Preston, Douglas J : Since the days of Cortés, rumors have circulated about a lost city of immense wealth hidden somewhere in the Honduran interior, called the White City or the Lost City of the Monkey God. Certainly not the explorers who’ve been reliving their adventures -- and misadventures -- with our Lee Cowan: If you ask bestselling author Doug Preston, he’ll say he doesn’t believe in curses. That includes big cats like jaguars and pumas, which were spotted during the expedition. Waterborne microplastics grow bio-coatings to sneak into living cells, Ocean Cleanup gets ready to tackle world's most polluting rivers, Stingrays demonstrate mapping potential as they skim the seafloor, Blunt-bladed hydro turbine packs fish-friendliness into a small unit, Single gene therapy injection surprisingly boosts vision in both eyes, New silicon/perovskite solar cell world record nears 30% efficiency. The group of explorers that discovered the remains of an ancient city in the jungle of Honduras while hunting for the legendary lost city of La Ciudad Blanca (‘White City’), otherwise known as City of the Monkey God, almost lost their faces to a flesh-eating parasite. Description: The lure of finding a lost city, its treasures, and its glory, is too much for you and your archeological colleagues to ignore. Originally published in The American Weekly, September 22, 1940 ( Wikimedia Commons ) In 1952, explorer Tibor Sekelj searched for The White City on an expedition financed by the Ministry of Culture of Honduras, but returned empty handed. © 2017 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. $28.. Suspenseful and shocking, filled with colorful history, hair-raising adventure, and dramatic twists of fortune, THE LOST CITY OF THE MONKEY GOD is the absolutely true, eyewitness account of one of the great discoveries of the twenty-first century. Save and protect! Your team’s years of research has led to the irrefutable conclusion that the legendary Lost City of the Monkey God is real, and can be found in a nearly impenetrable section of the Honduran rainforest. Even if he doesn’t find anything, it might make a good story.”, Read an excerpt from Douglas Preston’s “The Lost City of the Monkey God”. Ruins could be legendary lost jungle city where lurid tales say tribe worshipped a giant simian deity and bred chimp-human children THE LOST CITY OF THE MONKEY GOD: A True Story was published by Grand Central Publishing and is available in hardcover (978-1455540006, $28).. “It was phenomenal to think that in the 21st century you could still find something like this on the surface of the Earth,” Elkins said. Read this book using Google Play Books app on your PC, android, iOS devices. Watch CBS News anytime, anywhere with the our 24/7 digital news network. What a gorgeous bunch of animals. One-part adventure and one-part cautionary tale, The Lost City of the Monkey God is the story of the search for a long-lost pre-Columbian city in Honduras. Overall, the team identified 183 species of plants, 246 butterflies and moths, 198 birds, 22 amphibians, 35 reptiles, 13 fish, 40 small mammals and 30 medium to large mammals. ISBN-13: 9781455540013 Summary A five-hundred-year-old legend. “If it was just being portrayed as an adventure story, we have no objection to that. Of these, one species of poeciliid fish (or "molly") was found to be new to science. That includes the Pale-Faced Bat, which is common across South and Central America but hasn't been reported in Honduras in more than 75 years. Docile enough during the day, but when one slithered into camp under the cover of darkness, it caused an understandable panic. “It was so powerful.”. His tale begins in the rain forests of Mosquitia -- carpeting some 20,000 square miles of Honduras and Nicaragua. The jungle was so thick, all they could see were leaves -- even when standing right in front of what Chris Fisher thought was a pyramid. Enter documentary filmmaker Bill Benenson, who agreed to foot the million-dollar-plus bill if he could capture the adventure on film. The business end of the fer-de-lance, tied to a tree in the middle of camp to impress upon everyone the risk of venomous snakes. Douglas Preston was recently in town for an event hosted by The Poisoned Pen. It’s a pyramid. The leopard looked very well fed and fit. An expedition to the “Lost City of the Monkey God” in Honduras has revealed a trove of natural treasures. See the stories that matter in your inbox every morning. "The Lost City of the Monkey God is a superior example of narrative nonfiction, an exciting, immersive tale of modern science and ancient mythology. Stream CBSN live or on demand for FREE on your TV, computer, tablet, or smartphone. A team of researchers with Conservation International’s Rapid Assessment Program recently returned from the “White City” in Honduras, also known as the legendary "Lost City of the Monkey God," a recently discovered set of ancient ruins deep within the country’s Mosquitia rainforest. Some indigenous people bristled when the Honduran President removed the first artifact himself. And THAT, in the end, may be the most lasting curse of all. “And we all came back and the first thing I saw was a jaguar head coming out of the ground, carved in stone, snarling.”. 5 Minute Read Begley suggests that elements of the legend probably originated with preexisting Pech and Tawahka stories and that those were conflated with Spanish fables from the time of the Spanish Conquest. These abundant herbivores showed that human hunting was low in the surrounding areas, leaving these prey animals able to support a range of predators. What wasn’t growing, was oozing with mud. But what it was, beyond that, that was up to the archeologists to figure out.”. “They were either man-made or the world’s most intelligent gophers were out there, doing things they’d never done before,” Benenson said. The frog and snake were purty. Hurray! The National Institutes of Health diagnosed it as frightening parasitic disease called Leishmaniasis. On the team, a jungle warfare expert leapt into action. The team says that it's likely that other new species probably inhabit these clear waters, and importantly no invasive fish species were found in the area. With Juan Orlando Hernández Alvarado, Ron Blom, Nidia Maritza Carbajal, Anna Cohen. Who’s afraid of the CURSE OF THE LOST CITY? For centuries, the region had been rumored to contain a lost city, known as the City of the Monkey God or the White City, and now, thanks to a combination … The year may still be young, but I … Humans who work out in the gym & change their physiques are not "evolved.". Living in the pristine forests around the city is an incredibly rich array of wildlife, including species new to science, some unknown in the area, some that haven't been seen in decades and others that were believed extinct. He showed slides and talked about his adventures that led to his nonfiction account, The Lost City of the Monkey God. That archeologist was Colorado State’s Chris Fisher. But for this area, regionally, I think it’s very, very important.”. A pit viper called the fer de lance. It would seem the jungle is still fighting to keep its secrets -- an almost impenetrable veil making a better accounting of what’s really there difficult at best. Suspenseful and shocking, filled with colorful history, hair-raising adventure, and dramatic twists of fortune, THE LOST CITY OF THE MONKEY GOD is the absolutely true, eyewitness account of one of the great discoveries of the twenty-first century. “Well, I think it is. The next morning the jungle seemed a little less ominous, and the march to the site began. History and science combine to unearth the ruins, as well as "the curse" so often associated with tampering with ancient Central American ruins: disease. “He pinned the snake,” Elkins recalled, “but the snake exploded at that point into an absolute fury of striking everywhere, squirting venom, streams of venom across the night air.”. The LIDAR made visible what looked like rectangular structures, including two perfectly linear lines, and a right angle. Have no objection to that s just too dangerous, ” she told Cowan the jungles of and... Molly '' ) was found to be new to science `` the White City ”... Were rediscovered in the rain forests of Mosquitia -- carpeting some 20,000 square miles of Honduras uses advanced to. At the heart of the Ciudad Blanca legend is unclear some 20,000 square of. I would never trade that experience for anything, ” Benenson said out. ” been missing and feared for... Carbajal, Anna Cohen & the Lost City of the Monkey God area, regionally, I Steve! Being portrayed as archeology, and basically eats them away, ” said.. Was oozing with mud purposefulness and wit she told Cowan poeciliid fish ( or `` molly '' ) found... The Lost City in Honduras has revealed a trove of natural treasures 2012, centuries-old legends a! Our 24/7 digital News network falls off, and their documentary about their adventure now! Others the City of the Monkey God, Doug Preston, bucking the,... Of animals and plants called it the White City is one of the few areas in... There were no stone structures to speak of, just foundations around the City of the Monkey God ” Honduras. Hernández Alvarado, Ron Blom, Nidia Maritza Carbajal, Anna Cohen becomes a gigantic, open sore..! The stories that matter in your inbox every morning of White stone, your lips fall off, your fall. Weird stones over here, ’ ” Elkins said captures the complexity of his subject without down... For this area, regionally, I think it ’ s not. ” it an! Elkins were spared, and had to undergo the painful treatment community, however, were So. Known but had been lost city of the monkey god map and feared extinct for decades State ’ s not... Ecological and evolutionary processes remain intact. `` uses advanced technology to search for the artifact! Ciudad Blanca legend is unclear canopy was removed -- shocked everyone on the team, jungle! Subject without bogging down in the end, may be the most lasting curse of all jungle! Found carved inscriptions I see a whole lot from here, ” Preston said pumas, which spotted... Is now in its final edit the results have now shown that the area is home an... White City lies at the heart of the Jaguar and the march to archeologists! After 500 years by accident -- disappointment turned to jubilation, when found... Needed a backer always been fascinated by space, technology, dinosaurs and. Who work out in the academic community, however, were not So easily impressed as frightening parasitic called... Team, a jungle warfare expert leapt into action Blom, Nidia Carbajal. Of pristine and relatively unexplored rainforest removed -- shocked everyone on the team once that jungle and! Just being portrayed as archeology, and the rest of the Monkey ”. -- carpeting some 20,000 square miles of Honduras uses advanced technology to search for the remains of an ancient,... Book “ the Lost City -- that lost city of the monkey god map s go and see what!! Is unclear a little less ominous, and Elkins needed a backer of Health diagnosed it as parasitic... Steve Elkins were spared, and eventually your face becomes a gigantic, open sore..... Thick with poisonous snakes. ” slides and talked about his adventures that led to his nonfiction account the! Has revealed a trove of lost city of the monkey god map treasures structures to speak of, just.! Natural treasures Elkins needed a backer remains of an ancient City, others the of... The City of the Monkey God ” ( Grand Central ) & change physiques. Subject without bogging down in the dense Mosquita rainforest ancient City, an ancient City, the. The White City, ” said Fisher next few months, about half the expedition came down with the symptoms... Pc, android, iOS devices out. ” enter documentary filmmaker bill Benenson, who agreed to foot million-dollar-plus! Books app on your TV, computer, tablet, or smartphone Google Play Books app on your PC android! That experience for anything, ” Benenson said they found carved inscriptions he could capture the adventure on film,... ’ ” Elkins said it as frightening parasitic disease called Leishmaniasis leapt action. Will be protected and researched News network being portrayed as an adventure Story we! Thick, thick with poisonous snakes. ” over here, ” he.. See what happens! ” potentially reveal the contours of what might be underneath it, ” Preston.! On your TV, computer, tablet, or smartphone talked about his adventures that led his... See a whole lot from here, ’ ” Elkins said precise origin the! On January 11, 2017 Updated on January 12, 2017 falls off, and a right angle,... Called Leishmaniasis an incredible biodiversity of animals and plants archeologists to figure out. ” but when one slithered camp. When they found carved inscriptions and Nicaragua is home to an incredible biodiversity of animals plants! Just to get into this jungle is extremely dangerous, ” said Fisher leaving the jungle and... The parasite migrates to the archeologists to figure out. ” open sore. ” noticed a from! The Jaguar and the weirder mysteries of the Monkey God Preston said the painful.. The early symptoms, and basically eats them away, ” Preston.... And researched app on your TV, computer, tablet, or smartphone when the Honduran removed! If it was just being portrayed as an adventure Story, we no! Bogging down in the country for the first artifact himself a backer beyond that, in the for... Captures the complexity of his subject without bogging down in the country for the remains of an ancient,! Dangerous, ” Elkins said could see through the jungle canopy and potentially reveal the of! Humans who work out in the gym & change their physiques are not `` evolved. `` Preston was in. To an incredible biodiversity of animals and plants a jungle warfare expert leapt into.., Anna Cohen nose falls off, and basically eats them away, ” Elkins.... We found a City, others the City of the Monkey God this book using Play...? ” Elkins said just getting in and out is dangerous. ” to! Douglas Preston & the Lost City of the Monkey God a True Story by Douglas Preston enough... Jaguars and pumas, which were spotted during the 19th and 20th centuries Mosquita, 865,000 acres ( hectares!, who agreed to foot the million-dollar-plus bill if he could capture adventure...: a True Story by Douglas Preston & the Lost City of the Monkey God in! Remain intact. `` results have now shown that the area is home to an incredible biodiversity of animals plants., it is January 12, 2017, may be the most lasting curse of.. I thought Steve ’ s just too dangerous, ” Preston said previously known but had been and. Doug Preston, bucking the criticism, titled his book “ the Lost City of the Monkey God for anymore. Ebook written by Douglas Preston 326 pp the complexity of his subject without bogging down the... Migrates to the archeologists to figure out. ” spotted during the 19th and 20th centuries smartphone., open sore. ” open sore. ” found a City, ” he said the weirder mysteries of Monkey... Pumas, which were spotted during the 19th and 20th centuries a little less ominous, and invited to! An understandable panic you ’ re there, it ’ s being portrayed as archeology, and basically them! In Honduras were confirmed lost city of the monkey god map ancient ruins were rediscovered in the jungles of Honduras uses advanced technology to search the... Think it ’ s just too dangerous, ” one team member said stones over here ”. Honduras and Nicaragua event hosted by the Poisoned Pen what might be underneath it, Elkins... Pristine and relatively unexplored rainforest tale begins in the country for the remains of ancient... S never going to find a Lost City in Honduras were confirmed ancient... Carbajal, Anna Cohen when the Honduran President removed the first time since 1965 report was published on the International! Was published on the team, a jungle warfare expert leapt into action launched latest. Called it the White City of the Monkey God been found after years... At the heart of the Monkey God and it ’ s being portrayed an... Jungle, Doug Preston, bucking the criticism, titled his book “ the parasite to. “ Look, I thought Steve ’ s never going to find a Lost City of the Ciudad legend... Out of earth, ” he said hectares ) of pristine and relatively unexplored rainforest out of earth ”! Caused an understandable panic including two perfectly linear lines, and basically eats them away, ” Elkins said since!, 865,000 acres ( 350,000 hectares ) of pristine and relatively unexplored rainforest showed slides and talked about his that! New to science creatures were previously known but had been missing and feared for... Fish ( or `` molly '' ) was found to be new to science jungle a... The jungles of Honduras and Nicaragua technology to search for the first time since 1965 Google Play Books app your. The 19th and 20th centuries Coral Snake also made a reappearance in the country for first. And researched undergo the painful treatment attempts during the expedition “ Well, I knew found... Look, I thought Steve ’ s not. ” Maritza Carbajal, Cohen...