For most of human history the new world and the old existed independently, in fact despite its name the new world is actually really old
Older than Bernie Sanders
however much of its history remains a complete mystery to us
partly because ancient American writing systems are hard to interpret but more because European contact with the Americas gave way to Immediate devastation
Great empires were destroyed in rapid succession
With them went their written history
and so Spanish explorers found themselves in a land of vast mystery
home to countless places unlike any they had ever seen and some that didn't seem possible
With little to explain what they were seeing, legends emerged of ancient magic, lost treasure, and terrible curses
In the early 16th century a Spanish explorer in the new world claimed to have discovered a city of untold riches
At the bank of a lake it was a virtual utopia, literally made of gold
its population lived in peace, Shielded by thick forests
word of this discovery spread quickly among Europeans
It was said the city was ruled by a man so rich he covered himself in gold dust every day because
Because apparently that's what rich people do
He was El dorado, The Golden One
expeditions from across Europe set out to find the city of El dorado
Searching all over from Peru to Florida
But no matter where they looked no sign of a city was found and over time its existence was largely given up on
There were many different legends of this era, each unique and our origin
One tale told of a magical River deep in the forest that boils from below; hot enough to kill any creature instantly
according to the story a group of Spanish soldiers once ventured into the Amazon rainforest in search of rare animals
just one member of the group made it back, claiming the others had been boiled alive by that River
Hearing this tale as a child I assumed he was just a serial killer with the worst excuse ever
But in 2011 a real Boiling River was found in Peru. This 6.4 kilometer tributary of the Amazon River is never below 45 degrees Celsius!
A constant flow of steam emits from the river like something from Silent Hill and any animal to fall into it dies
It seems not all legends are equal
Since the earliest days of contact between worlds, European explorers believed in another great city
Th white City - built with clear white stone
long ago a series of famines cause for once great city to fall from prosperity into ruin
believing this was the work of a deadly curse its population left the city never to return
Since then it has slowly been reclaimed by the jungle, leaving the city more green than white
but towering above the trees is a giant statue of a monkey. The God once worshiped here
this is the description believed in by generations of explorers and treasure hunters
In 1940, American spy Theodore Morde led an expedition into the forests of Honduras. Just four months later he returned
claiming to have found the lost city of the monkey god
Morde refused to reveal the location of his find but brought many artifacts to support his claim
He never did reveal its location, or even return to Honduras. But the affair was highly publicized
breathing new life into an almost forgotten legend
Countless more explorers flooded to Honduras hoping to locate The White City
they were often met by locals warning that the city is cursed and should be avoided at all cost. Few listened to their warnings but they should have.
only three years ago, was any sign of The White City found
A 2015 expedition discovered a mysterious ancient city deep in the jungle no giant monkey statue was found
But they did find five hundred smaller sculptures
It was clearly once a major settlement and is fought by many experts to be The White City
But this was not as good news as you might think. The explorers who stumbled upon the site suddenly became infected by a flesh-eating disease
That disease was leishmaniasis - a rare infection that literally eats away at human flesh
If untreated your nose your ears your lips your entire face starts to fall off
The group was forced to withdraw and seek medical attention. Turns out they were infected by a new never before seen form of a disease
Perhaps this is the curse long rumored to surround the city or even why was abandoned in the first place
whatever the explanation, just stepping foot in the area could be deadly
On top of the flesh-eating disease it is surrounded by jungle inhabited by venomous creatures and under the control of notorious drug cartels
Understandably the Explorers don't plan on returning anytime soon. The disease is just one of a long list of mysteries
among the others: who build the city? where did they come from? and why did they leave?
maybe The White City will soon be visited again by a new team of explorers eager to unlock its secrets
but they would have to be crazy. In my opinion the chance to explore an abandoned jungle city isn't worth losing your face