Searching For The Real Indiana Jones

Lost In The Amazon: Searching For The Real Indiana Jones

Peter Von Puttkamer

Ever wondered what it would be like to search for a lost city? To get lost in the Amazon Jungle hunting for clues and relics that could lead you to a groundbreaking discovery? Read on to find out what happened to Col. Percy Fawcett, the real Indiana Jones.

Filmmaker Peter Von Puttkamer knows. Puttkamer is the producer and director of "Lost in the Amazon", part of the PBS series "Secrets of the Dead".

In this AOL Travel exclusive interview, Puttkamer takes us inside the Amazon as he and adventurer Niall McCannsearch for the original Indiana Jones, famed adventurerCol. Percy Fawcett. The legendary Fawcett disappeared in in the depths of the Amazon while searching for a lost city Fawcett named "Z".

Inspired to strike out and hunt for a lost city? It might not be as difficult as one might imagine...

Peter Von Puttkamer tells AOL Travel that "Ancient religious sites or geoglyph sites, are a part of a 160 sq mile city state emerging from the Amazon jungle. It's between 800 and 2000 years old. No one knows exact meaning and function of this geometric sites - earthworks (some 20 ft deep) spread out across the land, once in the jungle now emerging as farming continues to pull back the forest canopy."

Von Puttkamer says that amateur armchair adventurers can input specific coordinates into Google Earth and actually see the earthworks being discovered if zoomed in far enough.

Cruzeirinho
Located about 6km east from Boca do Acre city Airport.
Coordinates: S 08 50' 38", W 67 15' 11"

Geoglyph site Mustafa One
250m wide quadrangular structure, crossed by a 12m wide NE-SW oriented road.
Coordinates: S 08 52' 32", W 67 14' 42"

Mustafa Two
Coordinates: S 08 53' 15",W67 14' 42"

Mustafa Three
It is a 100m wide square, with a road leaving it in the south direction, vanishing after 120m.
Coordinates: S 08 53' 11",W67 10' 19"

Boca do Acre One
Located 16km north-east of the Cruzeirinho site Coordinates: S 8 43' 13",W67 10' 34 Another example was located at Ranch Paran´a on the east side of the BR-317 road in the state of Acre, not very far away from a tributary of the Iquiri River, but clearly in terra firme S 09 47' 13.5",W67 20' 35.2"

Coordinates provided courtesy of the discovering scientists Denise Schaan, Alceu Ranzi and Martti Parssinen who are working on the site.

"Lost in the Amazon" airs on PBS' "Secrets of the Dead" series on April 20, 2011 at 8pm.