This is the story of Percy Fawcett, a man who disappeared all the way back in 1925. No trace of him or his two travel companions has been seen since that fateful journey began. How could this be?
Legendary Cities
It began the moment European explorers made contact with the New World. Treasure hunters venturing into the Amazon Rainforest. Many were searching for El Dorado. The legendary city of gold, said to exist somewhere in South America. Initially, the name El Dorado referred to the ruler of the city. The golden one. A man so wealthy he would cover himself in gold dust every morning. But over time the legend evolved. The golden king was forgotten. In his place, it was believed El Dorado was an entire city made of solid gold. 16th century explorers were not known for their honesty. So in a whirlwind of rumour and blatant lies, this further evolved into the legend of seven cities of gold. Seven lost cities filled with gold and treasure just waiting to be found.
Nobody knew for sure what part of the Americas they were in. Which is usually a sign the rumours are true. And over the centuries countless treasure hunters arrived. Gradually the map of South America was filled in. Eventually, only the most remote jungle regions were left uncharted. Where only the bravest and most reckless people dared to go. Among those brave explorers was Percy Fawcett.
Birth of An Explorer
Now, Percy might not be the name you’d expect a brave person to have, but to be fair, he was born in 1867 – it was a different time. Nothing was normal about the family he was born into. His father was a professional cricket player who was constantly drunk and gambled away the family fortune. His older brother Edward was even weirder, though He was a world travelling mountaineer and author of adventure books. One who at some point got really into the occult.
Secret occult societies exploded in popularity during the late 19th century, often meeting on dark nights to perform strange rituals. Some genuinely believed they had access to divine knowledge, but only group members knew for certain what they’re doing. Edward was deeply involved, and ended up writing for many of their publications. One of which was a magazine literally called Lucifer. These are the people Percy Fawcett grew up around. So it’s no wonder he ended up being such a weirdo.
Early Travels
Serving with distinction in the British Army, he developed an interest in archaeology. As well as surveying and map making. Adventure was in his blood, and in 1906 he was sent to the Amazon rainforest. Tasked with mapping an extremely remote uncharted area. While there, he claimed to encounter all kinds of strange new species of animal and plant. By 1912 his reports from the jungle had inspired a book by Arthur Conan Doyle. The Lost World, about a place deep in the Amazon where dinosaurs still live. Around the same time, Indigenous Amazonians began telling Fawcett stories of a lost city built from silver and gold.
Based on these stories, he developed a theory of a giant city hidden among the jungles of Brazil. He called it the lost city of Z. As time went on he became more and more certain of it’s existence. Especially on getting his hands on a mysterious document known as Manuscript 512. Nobody knows who wrote the document. It was discovered in Brazil’s national library in 1839. And according to it, a group of Portuguese explorers discovered a ruined city in 1753. Many modern historians think the manuscript is a hoax. But I think people are boring losers.
Return To Exploring
Percy Fawcett agreed with me. But his dreams were put on hold during world war two when he re-entered the British army. As soon as it was over, though, he returned to the Amazon. In 1920 he set off alone into the jungle, with hopes high that he could locate the city. But the jungle sucks big time. He fell sick, and the expedition was almost immediately ended. For five frustrating years he prepared for his next attempt. Then on finally setting off again in 1925, he was not alone. With him were his son Jack, his good friend Raleigh Rimmel, and two Brazilian labourers. They also brought 8 mules, 2 horses, and 2 dogs. They had guns, provisions, and more than enough tools to navigate the dense jungle.
Clearly, he had learned from his previous failed expedition. Not enough to stop going into uncharted areas of the jungle. But to be fair, this was before they had video games. On April 20th they departed from the city of Cuiabá. And as they disappeared into the jungle, they were never seen again.
The last anyone heard of Percy Fawcett was on May 29th. This came in the form of a letter written to his wife. It told that he was currently at a place called Dead Horse Camp. Which, first of all, great name. And that he was about to set off into a region so far unexplored by non natives. And so, the expedition literally stepped into the unknown. More than a hundred years later, we do not know what happened to them.
Percy Fawcett Disappears
There are many theories as to their fate. Most popular is that they were killed by a hostile native group. Or were struck down by disease. But according to one theory, they were adopted by a local tribe. And for whatever reason, chose to live out their natural lives deep in the Amazon. The mystery of the disappearance captivated the public internationally. And following years would see numerous expeditions to find out what happened. Said rescue missions would fail though, resulting only in strange rumours. A breakthrough came in 1951. A Brazilian explorer got his hands on what he claimed were the skeletal remains of Percy Fawcett.
If the story is to be believed, the expedition were unlucky enough to stray into hostile territory. Having lost much of their gear in a boating accident, they had very few peace offerings. That in a region where a lack of gift giving was seen as an act of war… Let’s just as it ended badly. Jack Fawcett and Raleigh Rimmel had their bodies thrown into the nearest river. But as leader of the group, Percy was given a proper burial. Then, decades later the bones were dug up and sold. Needless to say, people were sceptical of this story. Especially as the decades stretched on and no DNA evidence ever emerged.
Possible Explanations
Many others would claim to find evidence of Percy Fawcett being murdered by natives, and sometimes even cannibalised. But in 1979, people began to suspect he might have been killed by bandits, thanks to his signet ring turning up in a pawn shop in Brazil. And it was not the only trace of Percy Fawcett discovered after his disappearance. In the possession of a completely different tribe was later found a compass. A British made compass eventually linked to Percy Fawcett. But again, this does not prove how he met his end.
In 1928, the explorer George Miller Dyott attempted to trace his steps. While at a small and remote native village, he noticed they had a metal clothing case. One of the exact same make Percy Fawcett had. On further investigation, he was told that a party of white men passed through the village in 1925. They had traded the case for supplies. Despite being visibly exhausted and sick, continued their journey deeper into the jungle. They didn’t make it much further though, as they soon encountered a notorious tribe known as the Suyas. For Dyott, this was the end of the story. Before long he reported back to London that Percy Fawcett had been killed.
This explanation was widely accepted in Europe. But with the only evidence for it being a metal case in a village, the mystery survived. We know the group did not bring enough food to sustain their entire journey. Their reasoning was that the Amazon rainforest was full of edible fruit. But fruit alone is insufficient to support the human body. And if they struggled to hunt wild animals, it’s entirely possible they died of starvation.
The Mystery of Percy Fawcett
Disease too is a possibility. In fact, it’s probably the most likely cause of death. Percy Fawcett was no stranger to the jungle. And in his previous expeditions he got along well with indigenous peoples. So it’s not obvious they were murdered. But we really have no way of knowing. Not when you consider he was venturing into a largely unexplored region. Some newspapers wrote stories claiming Percy Fawcett was adopted by a tribe of cannibals. Eventually becoming their leader, using modern science to crush indigenous rivals. Which just goes to show the newspapers have always been a bunch of weird creepy liars.
We also don’t know the truth behind his theory. Is there really a Lost City of Z? A city built of silver and gold, hidden deep in the Amazon. Or was Percy Fawcett simply chasing a legend? I personally believe there could be many lost cities in the Amazon rainforest still waiting to be found, and whose to say one of them isn’t a real life El Dorado.