Buzz
Stories of mythical realms, forgotten cities, and hidden treasures have enchanted generations across all cultures and societies throughout history. Some of the earliest mentions of these legends can be found in influential texts such as the Old Testament, where cities like Sodom and Gomorrah are destroyed by fire and brimstone, or in Plato’s works, Timaeus and Critias, which introduced the notion of Atlantis, an advanced civilization submerged beneath the ocean nearly 9,600 years before Plato’s time.
As the number of mythical places grew through the centuries, so did the number of adventurers eager to uncover them. Many were lured by the promise of gold, gems, and untold treasures, while others sought to carve their names into the annals of history. Some were drawn by the allure of supernatural power or the possibility of a utopian paradise that seemed too perfect to be true. And still, others were driven by an unyielding thirst for answers to long-standing mysteries that baffled their peers.
While these desires were potent motivators, they often came with deadly consequences. Numerous individuals have ventured in search of these fantastical worlds, and tragically, many have paid the ultimate price, either directly or indirectly, due to their quests.
10. Diego De Ordaz
Diego de Ordaz, born around 1480, was a Spanish soldier and explorer. He took part in Hernan Cortes's conquest of Mexico and earned recognition for his significant role in military campaigns, including the victory over the Aztecs at the Battle of Centla in 1519. Known for his remarkable resilience, he became the first European to scale Popocatepetl, a towering 5,426-meter (17,802 ft) volcano, alongside two companions. This feat earned him a coat of arms featuring the volcano, granted by Emperor Charles V in 1525. Ordaz later returned to the Americas, where he eventually became the governor of Paria, located in present-day Venezuela.
In the late 1520s, explorers backed by the German Welser banking family began delving into the heart of Venezuela, seeking a legendary city of gold. This city would later be called El Dorado by the Spanish. Upon hearing of these expeditions, Ordaz sought approval to explore the mighty Orinoco River in 1531, hoping to find the land of treasure. He journeyed beyond the Meta River's mouth but was forced to turn back when the rapids at Atures became insurmountable. On his return in 1532, Ordaz clashed with the governor of Trinidad, was thrown into prison, and died shortly afterward, likely from poisoning.
9. Philipp Von Hutten
Philipp von Hutten, born in 1505, was a German adventurer and a key figure in the mid-16th century exploration and colonization of the Americas. Between 1528 and 1546, Charles V granted the Welser family control over the Venezuelan province, which they called Klein-Venedig. As rumors of El Dorado grew louder in the 1530s, von Hutten joined Georg von Speyer and a team of over 600 explorers in search of the elusive treasure hidden deep within the jungle. Their lengthy expeditions between 1535 and 1538 took them to the headwaters of the Japura River near the equator, but they found no sign of gold.
When von Speyer passed away in 1540, von Hutten was appointed as captain-general of Venezuela. He continued his search in August 1541, leading a small group of horsemen from the city of Coro and crossing the Rio Bermejo. They soon encountered a large group of Omagua natives and engaged in battle, leaving von Hutten severely wounded. Along with the few survivors, including influential banker Bartholomeus VI. Welser, weakened by hunger, disease, and battle injuries, he made his way back to Coro. However, they were captured, and von Hutten was beheaded by Spanish conquistador Juan de Carvajal, marking the end of the Welsers' colonial ventures.
8. Sir Walter Raleigh
Sir Walter Raleigh, born in 1552 to a Protestant family in England, was an English writer, poet, soldier, and one of history's most renowned treasure hunters. His voyages to the New World began in 1578, and in 1585, he was knighted by Queen Elizabeth I. By 1594, he had heard rumors of a hidden 'City of Gold' somewhere in South America. In 1595, Raleigh, with the help of Antonio de Berrio, set off in search of the mythical Lake Parime in the highlands of Guiana, which was believed to be the location of El Dorado (Raleigh thought it was a city named Manoa). Unfortunately, he returned empty-handed.
In March 1603, Queen Elizabeth passed away, and by July of that year, Raleigh was arrested for allegedly plotting against her successor, James I. He spent the following 13 years imprisoned in the Tower of London, but was released in 1616 and permitted to return to Guiana for a second attempt to locate Manoa. This time, he brought along his son, Walt, and his long-time friend Lawrence Keymis. However, early into their journey, Keymis defied Raleigh’s orders and attacked a Spanish outpost, leading to Walt’s death. Grief-stricken, Raleigh decided to return to England. The Spanish ambassador demanded Raleigh’s execution for violating their peace treaty, and as a result, King James reluctantly ordered his execution in October 1618.
7. Juan Ponce De Leon
Juan Ponce de Leon, born in 1474, was a Spanish explorer and conquistador famously associated with his search for the legendary Fountain of Youth. He first arrived in the Americas at age 19 as part of Christopher Columbus’s second expedition. A quick learner in both military and political matters, Ponce de Leon became an important regional official by his late twenties, having subdued a tribal uprising in Hispaniola. In 1508, he was granted permission to explore Puerto Rico, where he became its first governor. In 1513, he embarked on further exploration, reaching the coast of Florida.
While rumors about a mystical fountain of life had circulated among Europeans long before Ponce de Leon’s time, historians mostly agree that the story did not surface until after his death in 1521. The first mention appears in Gonzalo Fernandez de Oviedo y Valdes’s Historia general y natural de las Indias in 1535, where it is suggested that Ponce de Leon sought the fountain to cure his sexual impotence through the legendary “waters of Bimini.” Author Arne Molander speculates that he may have been after the Bahamian love vine—used as an aphrodisiac—for both personal and business reasons, mistakenly interpreting the natives’ term vid (“vine”) for vida (“life”). During his final expedition to Florida in 1521, Ponce de Leon and his men were ambushed by Calusa warriors, and he was mortally wounded by a poison-tipped arrow to his thigh.
6. Percy Fawcett
Colonel Percy Harrison Fawcett, a British surveyor, archaeologist, geographer, and cartographer, became the inspiration for some of Hollywood's most iconic adventurers, such as Indiana Jones. In 1901, he joined the Royal Geographical Society to refine his mapmaking skills and was later recruited by the British Secret Service for work in North Africa. His first journey to South America took place in 1906, where he mapped a jungle region on the Bolivia-Brazil border for the RGS, going on to undertake six more expeditions by 1924.
By 1914, Fawcett had developed theories from his research about a fabled lost city he named 'Z.' In 1925, he led a three-man expedition, including his son Jack and Jack's close companion Raleigh Rimell, into the unmapped Mato Grosso jungle of Brazil in search of the Lost City of Z. Tragically, the trio mysteriously disappeared and were never found. Even more unsettling, over 100 people have perished or vanished while attempting to find them in the years that followed. It's believed that Fawcett's city may have been inspired by the tales of Kuhikugu, an expansive archaeological site uncovered in the early 21st century, which covered 19,900 square kilometers (7,700 mi) and housed over 50,000 people.
5. Francisco Vazquez de Coronado
Francisco Vazquez de Coronado, born in 1510, was a Spanish explorer and conquistador who rose to become the governor of New Galicia, a region in Northwestern Mexico, by his late twenties. During this time, he became captivated by stories of the 'Seven Golden Cities of Cibola,' mythical places said to be located to the north along the Pacific Ocean, with streets of gold. In 1540, Coronado led a costly expedition, recruiting hundreds of Spaniards and indigenous allies, through uncharted territories of North America. The expedition was split into land and sea units.
From 1540 to 1542, Coronado journeyed north from Mexico through present-day Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, and Kansas. In June 1540, he encountered what he believed to be the first of the legendary Cibola cities, only to find it was a remote Zuni pueblo named Hawikuh, where the inhabitants resisted his attempts to conquer them. He pressed on through the spring of 1541, but all he found were scattered indigenous villages, not the golden cities he had hoped for. Upon returning to Mexico, he faced accusations of failure, leading to his bankruptcy. He passed away in 1554, ravaged by the consequences of his ill-fated journey. Despite his defeat, Coronado and his expedition are credited as the first Europeans to discover the Grand Canyon and the mouth of the Colorado River.
4. Admiral Richard E. Byrd
United States naval officer Richard E. Byrd was a renowned explorer and aviation trailblazer, leading missions across the Atlantic Ocean, the Arctic Ocean, and the Antarctic Plateau. He served in World War I, training as a pilot in 1917 before achieving the rank of lieutenant the following year. His deep passion for aviation led him to develop several groundbreaking techniques that revolutionized aerial navigation. In 1926, Byrd made history as the first person to fly over the North Pole, returning to widespread acclaim. President Calvin Coolidge awarded him the Medal of Honor, and Byrd was promoted to commander. Byrd would later lead three expeditions to the South Pole in 1928, 1934, and 1939, driven by his obsession with exploring Earth's most extreme points.
In the 1960s, Dr. Raymond Bernard published a peculiar book titled The Hollow Earth, in which he suggested that the poles were actually gateways to a hidden world filled with undiscovered lands and civilizations. He supported his argument by citing the warming effect of the poles compared to areas as far as 1,600 kilometers (1,000 mi) away, and the odd behavior of tropical birds migrating north in the winter. Bernard, along with his fellow theosophists, claimed that Byrd had discovered and perhaps even entered this mysterious 'Hollow Earth' before dying from heart failure due to the extreme cold. While most historians dismiss this as mere fantasy, the book's enduring appeal indicates that some still believe Byrd was searching for something far beyond what was publicly acknowledged.
3. Adolph Ruth
Adolph Ruth, a veterinarian with the US Department of Agriculture’s Bureau of Animal Husbandry and an enthusiastic amateur explorer, became obsessed with the legend of the Lost Dutchman Mine, a fabled treasure trove allegedly hidden by 19th-century prospector Jacob Waltz. Ruth and his son Edwin obtained maps that seemed to pinpoint the mine’s location in the Borrego Desert of San Diego County. In 1914, the pair set off for California to seek the treasure but returned empty-handed. Undeterred, they tried again five years later, but this time tragedy struck when Ruth fell from a steep ravine, severely injuring his thigh and leaving him with a permanent limp.
In 1895, an article from the San Francisco Chronicle, titled 'One of Arizona’s Lost El Dorados,' along with the serendipitous discovery of a previously overlooked map, led Ruth to shift his focus to the Superstition Mountains, located east of Phoenix. In 1931, he embarked on a solo journey with the newly acquired map, but he mysteriously vanished without a trace. His body was later discovered in the winter, bearing two bullet wounds to the head. Authorities speculated that Ruth had been killed for the map, which was missing. Ruth is considered one of the most famous men to die while searching for the Lost Dutchman Mine, though it's believed that over 500 explorers have met similar fates. Among them was Denver treasure hunter Jesse Capen, who disappeared in Tonto National Forest in 2009, with his remains found three years later at the bottom of a ravine.
2. Robert Restall
Robert Restall was an excavator who, in 1959, was drawn to the mysterious Oak Island in Nova Scotia after hearing tales of a legendary pirate's treasure hidden there. Other legends suggested that the island contained Marie Antoinette’s jewels, rare Shakespearean manuscripts, and religious relics. These treasures were rumored to be secured in a network of booby-trapped tunnels built over sinkholes, which would flood if disturbed. Two earlier excavation workers had tragically died while searching for these tunnels: one was severely burned when a boiler exploded, and the other plunged to his death when a rope slipped from a pulley.
Unfazed by the grim history, Restall signed an agreement with the property owner to begin his own excavation project. He arrived with his partner Karle Graeser, his teenage son, and their team. On August 17, 1965, while working to seal a storm drain, a malfunctioning engine caused a dangerous release of hydrogen sulfide fumes into the shaft, rendering Restall unconscious. His son attempted to rescue him but also succumbed to the fumes. Graeser and two other workers went down to help, but only one of them managed to survive. Tragically, Restall, his son, his partner, and the other worker all perished. According to local legend, seven lives must be lost before the Oak Island treasure is revealed. Restall’s team accounted for six. Since their deaths, no others have died on the island.
1. The Naxi People
The Naxi, also known as Nakhi or Nashi, are an ethnic group residing in the Himalayan foothills of China’s Yunnan province. Dominating the landscape is the towering Yulong Snow Mountain (or Jade Dragon Snow Mountain), which rises to 5,596 meters (18,360 ft) and is part of the broader Yulong Mountains to the north. Visitors can ride a cable car to an altitude of 4,506 meters (14,784 ft), where they are greeted with breathtaking panoramic views. Hidden among the valleys of this scenic region is the fabled Shangri-La, a paradise first introduced in James Hilton’s 1933 novel Lost Horizon.
Ancient Buddhist texts have long alluded to such mystical places, mentioning secret cities like the Nghe-Beyul Khembalung, a hidden realm of which the Naxi have their own legend. According to their folklore, young couples who leap to their deaths from the peak of Yulong Snow Mountain are said to enter Shangri-La, where they will live forever in happiness. Sadly, many have attempted this tragic journey over the years, with reports as recent as 2015 documenting such suicides. Despite the allure of eternal bliss, the mountain remains a site of sorrow for many.
