14 DAY TRIAL // The lost city of Paititi fueled the imagination of many adventurers and explorers along the centuries, and more recently that of tourists. The legend says that Paititi was built by the Inca hero Inkarri, founder of Cusco before retreating into the jungle following the Inca empire conquest by Spaniards, in the 16th century. Written records said Paititi was as a stone settlement adorned with gold statues.
Old archives say that in 1600, a missionary reported the existence of a large "city of gold" that could have been Paititi. Now, recent ruins found in southern Peru could be the ancient Paititi. Peru's state news agency has announced the discovery of "an archaeological fortress" in the district of Kimbiri where the lost city seems to have been located. The new ruins represent a 430,000-square-foot (40,000-square-meter) fortification neighboring an area called Lobo Tahuantinsuyo. By now, it is known that the ruins host elaborately carved stone structures at the base of a set of walls.
"It is far too early to make any definitive judgments. We are going to dispatch a team to investigate", Francisco Sol?s, a National Institute of Culture (INC) official, told National Geographic News.
Written sources located Paititi east of the Andes Mountains in the rain forest area of southeastern Peru, southwestern Brazil, or northern Bolivia.
"However, the location of the newfound site falls counter to where historical records indicate Paititi should be. The first task will be to determine if the newfound ruins are the work of the Inca or pre-Inca ethnic groups," said Sol?s.
"Many people in the tourism-rich region of Cusco have embraced the legend as a business promotion. The claims could have merit, as there are still many important sites to be found," said Gregory Deyermenjian, a U.S.-based psychologist and explorer who has led many expeditions to investigate the Paititi legend.
"Paititi is frequently the first thing people mention when something like this is found. There are many ruins in the jungle regions of the area," warned Daniel Gade, professor emeritus in geography at the University of Vermont.