Word: vilcabamba
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: during 1960-1969
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
...archaeologists in Peru, that hidden something has always been the lost city of Vilcabamba, the last great capital of the Incas. As described in the 16th century chronicles, Vilcabamba was believed located somewhere in the southern Peruvian Andes. There, for nearly four decades, some 4,000 Indians lived, waged sporadic war on the Spaniards, and built great palaces and temples. Then in 1572, after the Spanish killed the last Inca ruler, the Indians apparently deserted their capital, and Vilcabamba disappeared beneath the jungle...
...famed Archaeologist and Yale Scholar Hiram Bingham first thought he had found Vilcabamba when he discovered the spectacular ruins at Machu Picchu. But most people agreed that Vilcabamba was still out there. Now, another exploration party thinks that it has finally found the lost city behind the ranges. Until the area is excavated and the preliminary findings confirmed, no one can be certain. But throughout the U.S. and Latin America last week, archaeologists were eagerly watching-and hoping...
...explorer from Portland, Ore. For five years, Savoy has been tramping the Peruvian Andes, turning up everything from three pre-Inca cities to a 100-ft.-wide pre-Inca highway. In 1963 he joined forces with Peruvian Explorer Antonio Santander Cascelli, 62, and together they started hunting for Vilcabamba. Old records seemed to point to a forbidding area northwest of Machu Picchu, called the Plain of the Spirits...
...Tribal legend said that anyone who escorted strangers into the plain would soon die. But after some powerful persuasion, the Indians agreed to join the expedition. They led Savoy and Santander on a three-day march through the jungle to the first moss-covered ruins of what may be Vilcabamba. "We couldn't believe our eyes," says Savoy. "Each day, it became more fantastic...
...Lima, Savoy's find created the greatest stir among archaeologists since the discovery of Machu Picchu. "Although we have yet to explore the ruins carefully," said Dr. Luis E. Valcarcel, director of the National Museum of History, "I am almost certain this is Vilcabamba." Peru's President Fernando Belaunde Terry, himself an ardent amateur archaeologist, chatted with Savoy about possible government help for a full-scale return expedition...