Show Explorers Seek Mayan Library I LOS ANGELES Dana ANGELES Dana and Gin Gin- Ginger Ginger ger Lamb have entered a lost city of the ancient Mayas Mayas Mayas-a a goal they had been seeking since 1941 In a letter to friends the couple wrote This represents for us the end of a year 10 search During those 10 years we have visited most of the known ruins and discovered many other ruins throughout the Maya Maa area We have located def def- definitely definitely definitely the one we were searching for but it Is so remote and hidden that it may be some time before the outside world knows of it and comes to see it Not Spectacular The lost city isn't spectacular It isn't particularly impressive Around the central plaza are a group of small temples covered by dense jungle growth The most amazing thing Ginger and I be be- believe be- be believe believe lieve is that th-at inside each temple the floor and altar attar are spotlessly clean clean no no leaves debris or dust dustIn In each temple there are many urns and gods with the ashes of the ceremonial fires still fresh in them The fine ornate stone carvings some showing the in full battle regalia and effecting an elaborate feath feath- feathered feathered feathered ered headdress occupied our time for days as we explored the lost I city There is no water near the lost city and the time we spent there was a period of great physical dis dis- comfort Our bodies became a amass amass mass of insect bites The heat was intense weve we've never experienced such heat anywhere in our many years of travels The only thing that saved us was the bejuco de agua vine which cut into sections gives give's a drinkable juice One night it rained and we spread out our pup tent and caught the Heaven Heaven- sent drops One Mexican expedition that was headed for the lost city made it as far as our camp at Agua Azul with their 12 mule-loads mule of sup sup- supplies supplies supplies plies but the men were in bad physical condition from insect bites injuries and what not We listened for hours to their stories about encountering jaguars wild pigs snakes strangling vines and stinging plants and I finally agreed to fly back to civilization and get a plane to come in and get them back I dont don't know what hap hap- happened happened happened to the mules and the drivers Spanish Looted City The lost city is 20 days' days hard travel by foot from the nearest point of civilization We sighted the lost city from the air on April 8 flew over at low altitude and tried without success to get some pictures We sighted a clearing in inthe inthe inthe the dense jungle for a landing strip It was only four miles from the lost city Two days later we started what was to be our final reconnaissance but cracked up tip P our little Travel Travel- air We broke a wing and a wheel Enrique evelo N one of my men had to hike back to Tenosique for aid When we finally got started we followed a route Northwest from Ague Azul into unexplored jungle to a point at the headwaters of the Candelaria River close to the border of Guatemala and Cam- Cam peche Mr Lambs Lamb's letter did not say whether he and his wife had re re- reestablished reestablished re- re reestablished established contact with the tribe they encountered in 1941 He said that when he talked by sign language with Chief Kin Chan-Kin in 1941 he was told that some day the world from which you come may be ready to receive the teach teach- teaching teaching teaching ing of the Mayas Mr Lamb said he was led to believe that eventual eventual- eventually ly he would be allowed to look 1001 upon the golden library Only three pages are known to exist of the original library of a people who had reached a high degree of civilization when they were discovered shortly s after 1500 Spanish conquistadores burned thousands of volumes and killed priests and leaders in subjugating the natives |