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Percival Harrison FawcettBritish archaeologist and traveler
Country:
 Great Britain |
Content:
- Biography of Percy Harrison Fawcett
- Early Life and Career
- Expeditions in South America
- The Search for the Lost City
- Disappearance and Search Efforts
Biography of Percy Harrison Fawcett
Percy Harrison Fawcett was a British archaeologist and explorer who disappeared under unknown circumstances in 1925 along with his son during an expedition to discover a lost city in the jungles of Brazil. He was born in 1867 in Torquay, Devon, England. His mother, Mira Fawcett, was a member of the Royal Geographical Society, and his father, Edward B. Fawcett, was born in India and also a member of the Society. It is likely that Percy inherited his love for travel from his father.
Early Life and Career
In 1886, Fawcett began his service in the artillery forces in Trincomalee, Ceylon, where he met his future wife. He later worked for British intelligence in North Africa and trained as a topographer. Fawcett was friends with writers such as H. Rider Haggard and Arthur Conan Doyle. In fact, Doyle drew inspiration from Fawcett's stories when writing his novel "The Lost World".
Expeditions in South America
In 1906, Fawcett embarked on his first expedition to South America to map the jungle region on the border of Brazil and Bolivia on behalf of the Royal Geographical Society. He arrived in La Paz, Bolivia in June. Between 1906 and 1924, Fawcett completed seven expeditions. During World War I, he returned to Britain to serve in the active army but then went back to Brazil after the war to continue his archaeological studies and exploration of the wild.
The Search for the Lost City
In 1925, Fawcett, along with his eldest son Jack, set out to search for the lost city. The expedition was funded by a group of London financiers called "The Glove". Based on ancient legends and historical records, particularly "Manuscript 512", Fawcett concluded that there was a city somewhere on the Mato Grosso plateau, which he named "Z". He left a note stating that if they didn't return, no rescue expedition should be sent, as they would face the same fate as him.
Disappearance and Search Efforts
On May 29, 1925, Fawcett telegraphed his wife that he was ready to venture into unexplored territories with Jack and his friend Raleigh Rimmel. They were reported to have crossed the Shingu River, a southeastern tributary of the Amazon. After that, they were never heard from again. Many believe that they were killed by indigenous tribes, possibly the Kalapalo tribe who were the last known people to have seen them, or one of the other tribes they encountered during their journey. Both young men were sick and injured when last seen, so it is likely that they died in the jungle from natural causes.
In 1927, a plaque with Fawcett's name was found by indigenous people. In 1933, Fawcett's compass was discovered near the territory belonging to the Bachiari tribe.
In the following decades, numerous search expeditions were launched, but none yielded any concrete results. Speculations about Fawcett being killed by indigenous people or wild animals emerged, as well as a story that he lost his memory and became the leader of a cannibal tribe. Over 100 people perished in more than 13 expeditions attempting to solve the mystery of Fawcett's disappearance.
In 1998, British explorer Benedict Allen claimed to have found Fawcett's remains, but the leader of the Kalapalo tribe denied that the bones found by another explorer, Orlando Villas Boas, belonged to Fawcett. In 2004, it was revealed that Fawcett had plans to create a community in the jungle based on theosophical principles and religious worship of his son Jack. Archaeologist Michael Heckenberger claimed to have discovered the "lost city Z" as a series of settlements with advanced engineering and mathematical knowledge.
Fawcett's story has captivated the imagination of many, and his disappearance remains one of the greatest mysteries in exploration history.
