A team of Honduran and American archaeologists who were hoping to re-discover the "City of the Monkey God" have found a lost city. The scientists found a number of artifacts at the site and suggest that there may be even more under the surface of the ground.
Rumors of the City of the Monkey God in Honduras have attracted adventurers to Central America since the 1930s. In 1939, Theodore Morde, an American adventurer and explorer, claimed that he found the lost city. However, he was unable to provide a precise location and he died before returning to the site, leaving the location of the city unknown.
Recent archaeological efforts have tried to rediscover the city; however, archaeologists found another city in Central America, which is undisturbed and full with artifacts.
Christopher Fisher, an archaeologist who was part of the latest excavation, suggested that the site was unlooted and in pristine condition, which makes it a rare find. Fisher suggests that the excavations found about 52 artifacts on the ground and there may be even more buried underneath.
The team found earthworks, sculptures, plazas and more in the ancient city, which they estimate dates back to 1000 to 1400 A.D. The artifacts were documented but were left unexcavated. The team has not also revealed the exact location of the site to prevent it from looters. They suggest that this city and others possibly scattered around the jungle belong to a culture that archaeologists know little about and which appears to be distinct from the Mayan culture.
Some of the artifacts include ceremonial seats made of stone. The excavation team also found carved vessels that were decorated with depictions of vultures and snakes. The team also found a sculpture of what seems to be a were-jaguar, which is a half-human and half-feline depiction of a transformed shaman.
"The figure seems to be wearing a helmet," says Oscar Neil Cruz, the head archaeologist at the Honduran Institute of Anthropology and History (IHAH).
Many artifacts were found at the base of a pyramid in the region. Archaeologist Christopher Fisher, an expedition member from Colorado State University, estimates that the artifacts were probably offerings. The expedition also included other scientists, a National Geographic writer and photographer, an ethnobotanist, documentary filmmakers, and support personnel.
Fisher says they have not brought back any artifacts but fear about the site's protection. He says even if the site is protected against looters, illegal deforestation in the region still poses a big threat to the newly discovered lost city.
The Honduran government wants to protect the area but does not have enough funding. International support is needed to preserve the site and its artifacts. Archaeologists hope to return to the site and find more artifacts, which will help them understand more about the lost city and its culture.
