House of the Tiger King
Encyclopedia
House of the Tiger King is a travel book by Anglo-Afghan author, Tahir Shah
.
When the Spanish Conquistadors swept through Peru
in the sixteenth century, they were searching for great golden treasure. In 1572 they stormed the Inca stronghold of Vilcabamba
, only to find the city deserted, burned, and already stripped of its wealth. According to legend the Incas had retreated deep into the jungle where they built another magnificent city in an inaccessible quarter of the cloud forest.
For more than four centuries explorers and adventurers, archaeologists and warrior-priests have searched for the gold and riches of the Incas, and this lost city of Paititi
, known by the local Machiguenga tribe as ‘The House of the Tiger King’.
After the lost city obsession had gnawed away at Tahir Shah
for almost a decade, he could stand it no more. He put together an expedition and set out into Peru’s Madre de Dios
jungle, the densest cloud forest on earth. He teamed up with Pancho, a Machiguenga
warrior who asserted that in his youth he came upon a massive series of stone ruins deep in the jungle. Pancho’s ambition was to leave the jungle and visit a ‘live’, bustling city, so the two men made a pact: if Pancho took Shah to Paititi, then Shah would take Pancho to the Peruvian capital.
House of the Tiger King is the tale of Shah’s adventure to find the greatest lost city of the Americas, and the treasure of the Incas. Along the way he found himself considering others who have spent decades in pursuit of lost cities, and asks why anyone would find it necessary to mount such a quest at all.
The project was also the basis for a feature documentary film of the same name.
Tahir Shah
Tahir Shah , né Sayyid Tahir al-Hashimi is an Anglo-Afghan Indian author, journalist and documentary maker. He lives in Casablanca, Morocco.-Family origins and life:...
.
When the Spanish Conquistadors swept through Peru
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
in the sixteenth century, they were searching for great golden treasure. In 1572 they stormed the Inca stronghold of Vilcabamba
Vilcabamba
Vilcabamba may refer to:* Vilcabamba, Peru* Vilcabamba, Ecuador, town in the province of Loja, Ecuador* "Vilcabamba" , a 2010 Science Fiction story by Harry Turtledove...
, only to find the city deserted, burned, and already stripped of its wealth. According to legend the Incas had retreated deep into the jungle where they built another magnificent city in an inaccessible quarter of the cloud forest.
For more than four centuries explorers and adventurers, archaeologists and warrior-priests have searched for the gold and riches of the Incas, and this lost city of Paititi
Paititi
Paititi is a legendary Inca lost city or utopian rich land said to lie east of the Andes, hidden somewhere within the remote rain forests of southeast Peru, northern Bolivia or southwest Brazil...
, known by the local Machiguenga tribe as ‘The House of the Tiger King’.
After the lost city obsession had gnawed away at Tahir Shah
Tahir Shah
Tahir Shah , né Sayyid Tahir al-Hashimi is an Anglo-Afghan Indian author, journalist and documentary maker. He lives in Casablanca, Morocco.-Family origins and life:...
for almost a decade, he could stand it no more. He put together an expedition and set out into Peru’s Madre de Dios
Madre de Dios
Madre de Dios is a fairly common Spanish designation for the Virgin Mary, literally meaning "mother of God". It can refer to:-Places:* Madre de Dios Island, Chile* Madre de Dios Mine, Chile* Madre de Dios Province, Bolivia* Madre de Dios Region, Peru...
jungle, the densest cloud forest on earth. He teamed up with Pancho, a Machiguenga
Machiguenga
The Machiguenga are an indigenous people of the Amazon Basin jungle regions of southeastern Peru, east of Machu Picchu and close to the borders of Bolivia and Brazil. The people are short, but stoutly built, with broad facial features, and very rarely overweight...
warrior who asserted that in his youth he came upon a massive series of stone ruins deep in the jungle. Pancho’s ambition was to leave the jungle and visit a ‘live’, bustling city, so the two men made a pact: if Pancho took Shah to Paititi, then Shah would take Pancho to the Peruvian capital.
House of the Tiger King is the tale of Shah’s adventure to find the greatest lost city of the Americas, and the treasure of the Incas. Along the way he found himself considering others who have spent decades in pursuit of lost cities, and asks why anyone would find it necessary to mount such a quest at all.
The project was also the basis for a feature documentary film of the same name.