The Lost City of Z

 

The Lost City of Z: A Tale of Deadly Obsession, by David Grann, is interesting, entertaining, and well-written.  In and of itself, this story is really about the denial that Native Americans could form complex civilizations before the arrival of Columbus.  Indeed, the Aztecs, the Inca, and the Maja are not the only peoples who created advanced social and political structures. 

The Lost City of Z turns out to be the memory, both among early Spanish and Portuguese explorers/conquers, and Native Americans, of former Amazon towns and cities in the Amazon forest. It seems Grann could have spared himself a difficult trip if he had read Michael Heckenberger’s work before he set out for Brazil.