The “White City“, located in Honduras, is one of the most mysterious destinations for archaeologists around the world.
The ancient city, known also as La Ciudad Blanca, located in the forests of Honduras, has served an important role in the mythology of the Central American peoples. According to a legend, the city was ruled by a monkey god, who had kidnapped the most beautiful girls of the region to procreate. From that union of monkey god with ordinary mortals arose a race of anthropomorphic apes.
However, archaeologists and adventurers were mostly impressed by the stories of people about a city full of temples made of ebony and safes full of gold.
Despite the efforts of archaeologists to find remnants of the legendary civilization, the “White City” was surrounded by a veil of mystery. But a team of scientists of National Geographic, which explored an uncharted territory in the jungle Mosquitia , claims to have found signs of this ancient civilization.
The scientist Douglas Preston describes: “We found the top ceremonial thrones, which are decorated with figures depicting snakes, zoomorphic shapes and vultures and a monkey head.”
The objects were documented but left unexcavated. To protect the site from looters, its location is not being revealed.
Archaeologists came to this discovery through the mapping made by scientists of the University of Houston. Cartographers flew over the Mosquitia rain forest of Honduras and swept laser soil, in order to find signs of human intervention in the space. The investigations led to the uncharted territory of the jungle, in which unearthed the remains of the ancient civilization. Archaeologists have not moved the findings, since they have the intention to return with better equipment and begin excavations. If the existence of the “White City” will be confirmed, it will be the greatest archaeological discovery of the American continent after Machu Picchu, Peru.
“Lost City of the Monkey God” by Virgil Finlay – The American Weekly.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zgwSAMaEQ98
image credit: elheraldo, ciudadblancahondura
6 comments
A fascinating post. The bas-relief face holds ressemblance to some Maya scultures in Yucatán. Can’t remember where exactly, Palenque I think. And some of the Motifs carved in stone reming me of San Agustín in Colombia. have you been there?
🙂
Take care
Brian
Thanks Brian. Unfortunately I haven’t been there….
You haven’t been to Yucatan? With Honduras so close. You must. And that part of Mexico is not so dangerous as the north.
Indiana JOnes would be proud of conquering this ancient city!