David Grann
Explorer Percy Fawcett vanished in the Amazon in 1925 searching for a mythical city, sparking a century-long mystery that modern archaeology is only now resolving by uncovering vast, complex pre-Columbian settlements.
The Amazon jungle was long dismissed by experts as a counterfeit paradise incapable of sustaining large populations due to poor soil and intense environmental hurdles.
Percy Fawcett defied this scientific consensus by hypothesizing an advanced ancient civilization called Z, though his theories were heavily shaped by his belief in occult spiritualism.
Fawcett's repeated expeditions, and his eventual disappearance, turned the search for Z into a lasting mystery that drew later investigators and adventurers into the same obsession.