Since the early days of the Spanish and Portuguese conquests, there have been persistent legends of dead cities in the isolated regions of South America. Manoa is one lost city said to exist far back in the Amazonian wilderness, possibly in the treacherous Sierra do Parima region of the great forest. El Dorado, the legendary city of gold, has been hunted by scores of gold hungry adventurers. None have been successful in penetrating the deadly environment of the jungle and returning with a king's ransom.

At the time of the conquest, Captain Francisco Lopez heard rumors about the legendary lost cities. He recorded the tale in his Historia General de los Indos, writing, " Manoa is on an island in a great salt lake. It's walls and roofs are made of gold and reflected in a gold-tiled lake. All of the service dishes of the palace for the dining table and the kitchen are of pure gold and silver. Even the most insignificant utensils are made of gold, silver and copper. In the middle of the island stands a temple dedicated to the sun. Around the building there are statues of gold which represent giants. There are also trees made of gold and silver on the island. And there exists the statue of a prince that is covered entirely with gold dust."

The stories of Manoa and El Dorado were first heard in South America around 1530. Since then, a series of expeditions have tried to penetrate the Amazonian jungle and solve the mystery. Scientists, adventurers, soldiers of fortune and treasure hunters sought the elusive dead cities. The first man to battle the jungle was Antonio de Herrare, who vanished in the wilderness. After that expedition, another was launched in 1539 by Gonzalo Ximenes de Quesade. He had three hundred Spanish soldiers, five hundred Indian bearers and a muletrain packed with supplies. He made his escape back to civilization with fifteen survivors.

The next adventurer to try for the lost cities was Don Antonio de Berrio. Carefully making his plans, Don Antonio set out with hundreds of soldiers, seven hundred horses and a group of priests to convert the wild Indians. For several months, Don Antonio fought his way through the dense jungle. Finally, recognizing the futility of his position, he beat a path back to his staring point. When he came out of the jungle, gaunt and nearly starved, Don Antonio had sixty survivors from the hundreds who started out.

English Admiral Sir Walter Raleigh was the next man to try the jungle. He failed. In 1760, Apolinar Dias de Fuente tried and failed. In 1764, Bodavilla setout from the coast with four hundred men. He came back with twenty-five. Another expedition was headed by Sir Robert Hermann Schomburgk in 1840; he was unable to get beyond the fringes of the vast jungle. The best-equipped expedition was launched in 1925, under the leadership of Hamilton Rice. This group contained seven competent explorers. They were equipped with machine guns, motorboats, airplanes, radio transmitters, tons of food and other equipment. After a year the Rice Expedition was forced to return due to hunger and illness.

These explorers were some of the world's best-trained men in successfully living off the land and reaching their destination. Yet they failed to anticipate the dangers of the South American jungles. Many of the expeditions fell victim to Indian ambush. Hiding behind the trees and rocks, the Indians unleashed curare-tipped arrows at straggling soldiers. The powerful current of the rivers destroyed boatloads of supplies, dashing the crafts to bits over waterfalls. Deadly insects and dangerous reptiles were a constant hazard. But starvation was the most powerful enemy of them all; wild game cannot be found in the prehistoric forest. Poisonous fish made a dangerous meal for anyone trying to live off the rivers.

Colonel P. Fawcett, the English explorer who vanished in Brazil trying to reach the city, was convinced the dead cities existed. Before his disappearance, Fawcett left this testament to his belief in the dead cities, "Whether we get through or come out again, or whether we leave our bones to rot inside, one thing is certain: The answer to the riddle of South America - and to perhaps the entire prehistoric world - may be found when the site of these ancient cities is fixed and made accessible to exploration. I know that the cities exist. I have not a moment's doubt on that score. How could I have? I myself have seen a part of them - and that is the reason why I feel compelled to get back there again. The remains appear to be the outposts of greater cities which, together with others, I am convinced can be discovered if a properly organized search is carried out. Unfortunately I have not been successful in persuading other scientist to even accept the bare supposition that Brazil contains traces of an old civilization. I have traveled in many regions unknown to other explorers, yet the savage Indians over and over told me of the buildings, the characteristics of the people, and the strange things all in the land beyond."

Even today, many Brazilians dismiss stories of ruined cities as fantasy. "There is nothing here except what was found by Don Pedro Cabral when he anchored off of what is now Rio de Janeiro in A.D. 1500," a Brazilian anthropologist said recently. "We have no lost cities and great monuments like Peru. It is a foolish waste of energy by misguided explorers. There is nothing but a few savage Indians in the interior."

One link to the lost cities started almost five hundred years ago when the bandeiristas, (land pirates) set out from southern Brazil to find riches in the jungle. They were hunting for gold-rich rivers and silver mines. During their journey, these hardy pioneers pressed deep into the wilderness. Gradually, they settled in some remote spot and became wealthy men. The bandeiristas were hated by the Portuguese administrators in Brazil. It was almost impossible to deal with these hardy pioneers who bowed to no man or institution.

Then, in 1591, a resident of the province of Bahia made an offer to the King of Spain. Travelling to Spain, Roberto Dias obtained an audience with King Don Felipe at Madrid.

"Your Majesty," said the wealthy man. "I offer you all the riches of a secret mine. There is more silver in my mines than you can dream of during a thousand nights."

The king asked, "And what do you want in return?"

"A title your Excellency."

The king looked amused. "What sort of title?"

Roberto explained that he was rich. But wealth had not brought the respect he felt due him. A commoner, he wanted a title and a coat of arms. " I would like to have the shield set on the front gate of my mansion in Bahia," he told the king.

"What title do you seek? asked the king.

"The Marquis of Mines," replied Roberto.

"It shall be given," said His Majesty.

Accordingly, in 1591, the new governor and captain-general of Brazil sailed to Bahia with a scroll in his trunk. The Spanish King, who ruled both Portugal and Spain from his palace, had not been content to confer a title in exchange for the rich mines owned by Roberto Dias. The captain-general, Dom Francisco de Sousa, had been appointed Marquis of Mines before he left Lisbon. After the ceremony, Dom Francisco asked, "What shall I do with Dias?" The king smiled. "He is not a nobleman. The crown is not going to knight a commoner. You may make him superintendent of mines."

When Dom Francisco met with Dias in Bahia, the mine owner became suspicious. At last he asked, "Where is my title?"

"There is no title," the viceroy said arrogantly. "We will take possession of your mines. You will superintend the mining activities under my direction as Marquis of Mines."

"But they are my mines," Dias protested.

"They belong to the king," snapped Dom Francisco.

Dias reluctantly agreed to show the viceroy and his staff the site of his rich mines. However, Dias led the viceroy's men on a fanciful journey in the wilderness. He pretended the mines were always around the next bend in the river. Once, he acted as if he was lost. Suspicious and recognizing the game played by Roberto Dias, Dom Francisco threw the old bandeirista into a dungeon.

Lying in the damp, chilly dungeon of the fort on the Bay of Bahia, Dias refused to pinpoint the site of his mines.

"Tell me where they are located and your freedom is assured," Dom Francisco promised each week.

"Your promises are like those of the king," said Dias.

Even after he was tortured, Dias refused to divulge the secret location. Finally His Majesty Don Felipe signed an order for the execution of the tight-lipped commoner. However a few days before the king's decree arrived in Bahia, Roberto Diaz died. The secret of the lost silver mines went with him to the grave.

In time rumors of the mines became well known in Bahia. Schemers and adventurers talked about the wealth that Dias had accumulated from his diggings. "The Lost Silver Mines of the Moribeca" became the goal for many men with the courage to face danger in the hopes of finding wealth. Several bands of men tried to find the mines during the next one hundred years. None were successful.

Then, in 1743, five bandeiristas decided to launch a well-planned search for the lost mines. The adventurers purchased two Negro slaves, hired three hundred Indians and set out on their mission. They took no supplies and their only provisions were guns, ammunition and knives. They planned to forage off the land, each man being responsible for his own food.

The land has changed little since that time. Inhabited by giant snakes, snarling tigers and deadly insects, it is a challenge to any well-equipped group of adventurers. The bandeiristas marched into the wilderness and, as time passed, they were forgotten. The Brazilians knew what happened to men who tried to conquer the Amazonian interior.

Ten years later, a handful of gaunt men straggled out of the jungles and staggered into the yard of an outlying ranch. As the emaciated men recovered at the ranch, one of the group set down a record of their adventures during their ten years in the jungles. The report can now be found in the archives of the public library in Rio de Janeiro. An edited translation of the old manuscript reads:

"Historical Account of a Hidden and Great City of ancient date, found without inhabitants during our ten years' journey:

"Having for ten years journeyed in the wilds to see if we could find the lost silver mines of Moribeca, this account is a true and honest report of what occurred during our quest for these riches.

After a long and wearying journey, we became lost and wandered for many years in these wilder parts of Brazil. During this time we found a cordillera of mountains so high that they drew near the stars. Their shining luster from afar excited our wonder and admiration, principally because they shone with splendor when the sun beamed down on their crystalline rocks. It started to rain as we approached these mountains. The spectacle was even more beautiful because the waters fell from a great height, roaring white, and was struck and turned into a fiery waterfall by the glittering sun.

We decided to investigate these prodigious marvels of nature. The land was spread out before us at the base of the mountains without hindrance from forests or rivers that would be difficult to cross. But when we walked close to the foot of the cordillera, we found no opening or pass through to the recesses.

We grew weary and decided to retrace our steps. The next day it came to pass that one of our Negroes was gathering wood when he saw a white deer. By that accidental sighting, as the deer ran wildly away, he located a road between the two sierras. It appeared to have been made by man and was not an accident of nature. We were made happy by this discovery and we started to ascend the road. But we had gone only a short distance when we found a boulder had fallen and broken. This was at a place where we judged a paved roadway had been violently destroyed by some natural upheaval in some long-past day.

We managed to get around the rubble from the boulder. We spent about three hours in the ascent of that ancient road. We were fascinated by the crystals, which we often stopped to admire as they blazed and glittered in many flashing colors. On the summit of the pass through the mountains we came to halt.

Thence, laid out before our eyes, we saw in the open plain an even greater spectacle for our admiration and wonder. At a distance of about a league, we judged, we saw a great city and we estimated by the extent and sight of it, that it must be some city of the court of Brazil. We at once descended toward what we thought would be fellow human beings in that place.

We found that there were no signs of inhabitants as we came toward the city. We noticed there was no smoke from any chimneys and the place appeared to be deserted. We waited for two days, wondering whether to scout the city, in great doubts and indecision. Then, it became clear that there was no one in the city. An Indian that accompanied us determined after our two days hesitation to risk his life in scouting further into the place. He returned and amazed us by stating that there was no one inside. Nor could he trace any signs that people had lived there. He discovered no footprints of any of the inhabitants. This so surprised us that we could not for a moment believe that the dwellings actually existed.

We followed the Indian back to the city and now saw for ourselves that what he said was true. The great city was uninhabited. We all, with some precaution, decided to enter the place, our arms at the ready. At our entry we met no one to bar our way. We encountered no other road except the one leading to the dead city. This we entered under three arches of great height, the middle being the greatest, the two of the sides being but small. Under the great and principal arches we made out letters which we copied.

Behind was a street as wide as the three arches with houses of very great size spotted here and there. The houses were built with facades of sculptured stone, which now was blackened with age. We went with fear and caution into some of the houses. In none of these did we find any vestiges of furniture. There was no movable objects of any kind in the houses. There was nothing to give a clue as to who might have dwelled there. The houses were all dark inside and hardly could the light of day penetrate. Even when we whispered, the vaults gave back an echo of our talk and the sounds terrified us. We went on into the great city and came to a road of great length and a well-designed plaza. There was a column of black stone in the center of the plaza of extraordinary appearance. On the summit was the statue of a man with his hand on his left hip. His right arm was out stretched and he pointed with his index finger toward the North Pole. Each corner of the plaza contained an obelisk like those of the Romans. These were badly damaged, as if struck by lightening.

On the right side of the plaza was a grand building. It looked to be the town house of some grand lord of that land. There is a great hall leading in from the entrance. Inside, the bats were so numerous that they fluttered in swarms around our faces. They made so much noise that we were astonished. Above the principal portico in the street after we came out of the building was a figure in half-relief chiseled out of stone. The figure is naked from the waist up, crowned with laurel and it shows a person of young years. The figure did not have a beard. There was a girdle running around his waist and an undergarment open in front at the waist. Underneath a shield held by this figure were certain characters that were badly defaced by time.

On the left side of the plaza is another totally ruined building. The vestiges that remain show that it was a temple with a magnificent facade. It covers much ground. In the halls we found works of great beauty that included statues and portraits inlaid in stone. There were crosses of various shapes and many figures that would require too long to describe.

Beyond this building a large part of the city is in ruins. It is buried under great mounds of earth and rock. In all this vast expanse of the ruins, we found no grass, weeds, trees or plants that are usually produced by nature.

Opposite this plaza there is a swiftly running river that is very wide with spacious banks. It was a stream that was very pleasing to the eye, twelve fathoms in width, fifteen fathoms in depth. The banks were cleared of the rubble and debris that is usually found along these streams. The country beyond the city consisted of green fields that were dotted with blooming flowers. Certain small lakes beyond the city were covered with wild rice plants, which helped to feed us.

After leaving this uninhabited place, we went down the river for three days and we hit a cataract of such roaring noise and foaming water that offered resistance to our trip. After the cascade, the river broadens out to what almost appears to be a great ocean. It is full of peninsulas that are covered with green grass and clusters of trees.

On the eastern side of this cataract, we found various subterranean hollows or caves and we tried to check their depths with our ropes. But after several attempts we were unable to plumb their depth. We found besides these frightful holes a number of broken stones lying on the surface with many bars of silver lying with them. Among these caverns were several holes that were covered with flagstone that had inscriptions and figures cut into the stone. The inscriptions were similar to those found in the abandoned city. Incidentally, about a cannon-shot from the city is a large building that looks like a country house with a frontage of around two hundred fifty feet. We approached from a large portico, from which leads a stairway built with stones of many colors. This colorful stairway leads into a great chamber. Each room is equipped with a waterspout or fountain...

Thence, leaving that marvel, we went down to the banks of the river to see whether we could find gold, and without difficulty, we saw a fine deposit producing the promise of great wealth. We have continued to wonder why the inhabitants of this great city abandoned it. The ruins, statues and the grandeur of the city indicate it was once populated by a large number of people. Today, the only population is bats, rats and swallows. The rats we saw there have tails, which are very short. They leap about like fleas and do not run or walk like rodents in other places.

At this place of the cataracts, our group separated and one company journeyed forward for nine days. Then, at a distance, they saw on the banks of a great bay a canoe holding some white people with long, flowing black hair. These people were dressed like Europeans and a gunshot was fired by us as a signal... they escaped.

One of our company named Joao Antonio found a piece of gold money in the ruins of a house. It was spherical in shape, greater than the Brazilian coin of 6,400 reis. On one side was the image of a kneeling youth and the other was a bow, a crown and an arrow. We believe there may be many such coins in the ruins since it was probably destroyed by an earthquake. The city must have been abandoned quickly, but it would take many strong arms to hunt through the rocks and rubble."

The old manuscript ends at this point, except for a sheet or two containing drawings of the inscriptions found on the buildings. Explorers have been excited by these figures because they are remarkably similar to the characters in the Grecian alphabet. Forty-one characters were depicted in the old manuscript; twenty of those were nearly exact replicas of Grecian letters. Two were very similar to Arabic numerals. Colonel Fawcett and others have speculated that there may have been communication between the Phoenicians, hose hardy ancient mariners, and the unknown civilization in old Brazil.

Another lost city came to light when British author H.P. Wilkins met a native of Colombia who claimed to have accompanied a mysterious German scientist on an expedition in 1926. The journey left Obidos, Brazil, and entered what is probably the upper Orinoco country along the ill-defined border of Brazil and Venezuela. This was the area where Sir Walter Raleigh reported a band of white amazon warrior women during his jungle trek. Several years ago, I received a letter from another native of Colombia who verified much of the material. He wrote:

"During our journey into the jungle, we came upon a strangely shaped stone monument. The German doctor said that this was a pyramid that had been built by an ancient race. There was some old writing inscribed on the pyramid. The doctor said it was customary in ancient times to put hieroglyphics on the four sides of a pyramid. He took photographs of these inscriptions and also recorded them in his notebook.

"... many weeks later, we found an ancient road that had once been paved. It ran along the edge of a cliff, coming to a halt at the edge of another cliff. We decided the road had been extended much further, but had been destroyed by a falling landslide or boulder.

We built an access route to the road and found a well-paved road with good masonry work and squared stones made from hard marble and granite. We followed this road for some distance and it entered a tunnel that had been cut into the walls of the cliff. Once we were on the other side of the mountain, we could see unusual buildings far below on the floor of the valley. What we saw was truly astonishing because there was a dead city composed of high palaces, splendid temples, many pyramids and a vast ruin. What was there was covered with weeds and other vegetation. Despite the jungle growth, we could discern that a magnificent city had once stood there before it had been abandoned.

It was in this city that we saw and caught a small dwarfish man. He was only about four feet in height and his eyes were extremely red in coloration. He wore a thick hairy beard that fell below his waist. His arm muscles were thick and muscular. His leather belt held a buckle that was hammered from purest gold. We saw other members of this pygmy race and all of their skins were white - sort of a yellowed white color.

We saw some pygmy women from a distance. They wore long hair and had beautiful faces. They wore no clothing and their bodies were unadorned except for gold bracelets and other jewelry. The doctor said they were like ancient Greeks in appearance. He seemed excited by some with blue eyes. Those with red eyes were somehow different. Their eyes shone and gleamed when they approached our campfire at night.

My informant stated that the group entered some of the temples that were shaped like pyramids. Inside, they discovered marble altars stained with what may have been dried ancient blood. He was impressed with the gold plates, shields, chains, cups and other objects. Some of these objects were engraved with strange inscriptions."

The lust for gold will make a man crazy. Although they knew their journey back would be dangerous, the expedition loaded up with as much gold as they could carry. Ladened down, they left the dead city and started their perilous journey away from the city. "We were very foolish," admitted the Colombian. "But the site of so much gold turned us into a group of greedy men. Even the doctor forgot that he was a scholar. He took a number of gold plates that were about four inches thick, leaving some of his notes and equipment behind in the city."

Some members of the group could barely walk. "They carried so much gold that their movements were slow and torturous," said the Colombian. "Soon it became a situation where every man was responsible for himself. We left the city with thirty men. We were hostile and filled with anxiety toward each other. I was no better than the others. I carried out several golden knives that I plucked up from the sacrificial table in the temples."

Like the prospectors in The Treasure of the Sierra del Madre, the group argued, swore and fought over the spoils. "Seeing what was happening to us the doctor tried to retain his leadership again, "explained the old explorer. "But it was too late. We could only think of the gold and how rich we would be back home. The gold hurt us. Out of the thirty men, only eight of us were able to get back. The others perished in the jungle. Some tried to cross rivers and drowned under their weight of gold. Two I know struck out alone when they were afraid of being robbed. The jaguars and jungle cats picked off the stragglers who fell behind under the burden of their gold."

The remainder of the group were killed by the savage Indians that inhabit that region of northern Brazil. The explorer does not believe that pygmies were the builders of the lost city. "I do not understand their exact role in the place,' he admitted. "However, they were not the original inhabitants. I entered one building in the city that contained a treasure of artifacts made of gold. There were portraits on the walls made from hammered gold, silver and precious stones. These depicted handsome men and women with halos around their heads. There was an alcove leading off from one large chamber. There, in the dim room that may not have been entered for centuries, I saw a massive table cast from solid gold. There was a large crystal object on the table with two slender rods reaching up toward the ceiling. Various objects were embedded in the crystal. It was almost the exact replica of a radio transmitting set. Of course, the ancients did not have radios so I have no way of knowing what the device may have been or why it was there."

My correspondent forwarded a page of inscriptions seen in the dead city. " I'm an old man now and my memory doesn't function as it once did," he admitted. "But these are the best I can do after all this time." His sheet contained figures that were also very similar to the Grecian alphabet. One figure in particular matched an unknown character found in the manuscript left by old bandeiristas in their account of another lost city.