SECRETS OF THE LOST CITY

Scientific treasure hunts in an inaccessible Central American rainforest yield surprises.

Veteran science writer Markle describes the efforts of two types of expeditions to reveal secrets of La Mosquitia rainforest in Honduras. First, in 2015, documentary filmmaker Steve Elkins led a team deep into this wild, uninhabited world, prompted by persistent legends of a lost city and images on maps he’d commissioned using a technology known as lidar (light detection and ranging). They found boulders that might have been the foundations for buildings as well as statues and stone stools; there was no treasure but also no plastic trash. A year later, a second expedition, led by archaeologist Chris Fisher, one of the team members, found more artifacts; team members’ ensuing health problems ended further efforts. In 2017, a group of 12 scientists from the U.S. nonprofit organization Conservation International, aided by Honduran soldiers, also explored the forest, investigating its ecology and later retrieving camera traps left behind. Throughout this engaging account, photos, mostly from these expeditions and the camera traps, reveal the remarkable finds of these teams, among them a giant carved boulder, a stool with “the carved head of a supernatural-looking jaguar,” and a sculpted vulture. Photographs also document a variety of living plants and animals, including a live jaguar, and emphasize the inaccessibility and density of this “pristine” wilderness. Markle provides clear explanations of the lidar mapping process, the camera traps, and the systematic exploration of the conservation team as well as a smoothly flowing story that carries readers along on these adventures. Team members present as White and Latine.

An inviting introduction to an amazing place.