Photo: Superdirt Made Lost Amazon Cities Possible?

Email to a Friend << Back to Full Story


Three Kuikuro Indians pose for documentary filmmakers in 2008 in Brazil's Xingu Indigenous Park, a remote Amazon Basin refuge for traditional cultures.

The Kuikuro tribe is said to be among the last to have seen British explorer Col. Percy Fawcett, who in 1925 led an ill-fated quest for a fabled lost Amazonian city. The idea that the region hosted ancient cities is gaining ground in the 21st century, due in part to studies of an ancient man-made soil, which may have provided the food necessary for such a civilization.

Photograph copyright Phil Day / Edge West, LLC

MOST VIEWED NEWS

PICTURES: 2012 Doomsday Myths Debunked

2012: Six End-of-the-World Myths Debunked

APOCALYPSE PICTURES: 10 Failed Doomsday Prophecies
NEWS FEEDS    After installing a news reader, click on this icon to download National Geographic News's XML/RSS feed. After installing a news reader, click on this icon to download National Geographic News's XML/RSS feed.

Get our news delivered directly to your desktop—free.
How to Use XML or RSS

ADVERTISEMENT

NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC'S PHOTO OF THE DAY

Today's National Geographic Photo of the Day

• Today's Photo

• Download as Wallpaper

50 Drives of a Lifetime

National Geographic Traveler has scoured the globe for the world's most beautiful, interesting, and off-beat road trips. Dive in to get drive directions, quizzes, photos, and more.