Synopsis
The author relates his pursuit of the Incan treasures rumored to be hidden in the mountains of Ecuador, a quest that became a consuming passion as he immersed himself in the lore of the treasure and the daily life of the region's people
Reviews
The lost treasure of Atahualpa, the Inca king murdered by Pizarro in 1534, continues to lure gold hunters to the distant, almost impassable mountains of Ecuador, where, legend says, it is hidden. Lourie, a graduate student in anthropology, succumbed to the legend and set off on an expedition to separate myth from fact. His journal captures the quixotic path he followed, often with laughable unreadiness and the self-delusion that propelled many fellow-travelers he encountered en route. In the end, ironically, Lourie concluded that he had no desire whatsoever to disturb the Incas' gold. His journal is a captivating, if meandering adventure.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.
The Llanganati is a remote, high Andean area of Ecuador that has long been rumored to contain a fabulous gold collection hidden by the Incas when the Spanish conquistadors swept through. Over the years it has attracted a colorful variety of treasure hunters, some of whom the author got to know in the early 1980s. Lourie decided to make the expedition himself, but not in search of the treasure so much as the experience of the journey. In doing so, his first book is a rich tapestry of characters of several nationalitites that often reads like fiction. The title is a reference to the Incan imagery of gold and silver, respectively. The only major drawback is an absence of maps, yet this is ultimately a fine treasure-hunting book.
-Harold M. Otness, Southern Oregon State Coll. Lib., Ashland
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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