Paging Indiana Jones: Who Doesn't Love a 'Lost City In the Jungle' Story?

Well, here’s one now. With a Monkey God, too!

The jungle-choked remains of a “lost city”, abandoned by a mysterious civilisation several centuries ago and long fabled for reports of its gold and “monkey children”, have been uncovered in the depths of the rainforests of Honduras. A team of American and Honduran archaeologists, aided by the bushcraft and survival skills of former British SAS soldiers, has just emerged from one of the most remote locations on Earth with news of their stunning discovery.

The expedition was seeking the site of the legendary “White City”, also known as the “City of the Monkey God”, a goal for Western explorers since the days of the Spanish conquistadores in the 16th century. The city, believed to be one of many lost in the Mosquitia jungle, was home to an unknown people that thrived a thousand years ago but then vanished without trace – until now.

Unlike the Maya, so little is known of this pre-Columbian culture that it does not even have a name.

Awesome.

“It shows that even now, well into the 21st century, there is so much to discover about our world,” said Christopher Fisher, the lead archaeologist. “The untouched nature of the site is unique and if preserved and properly studied can tell us much about these past people and provide critical data for modern conservation,” he told the Telegraph.

The site is located deep in the Mosquitia, a vast and barely inhabited region of swamps, rivers, and mountains. To navigate the choking foliage, the team was guided by Steve Sullivan and Andrew Wood, the former SAS soldiers who are experts in bushcraft survival skills.

Like this, you mean?

(And, yes, that’s Alfred Molina as the treacherous native guide.)

Here’s the link to the National Geographic story.