The Taios Caves (Cueva de los Tayos) in Ecuador are legendary multi-kilometer underground networks that have been little explored. They gained widespread attention in 1973 when Erich von Daniken released his best-selling book, The Gold of the Gods. He claimed that the Argentine-Hungarian entrepreneur Juan Moritz discovered gold, unusual sculptures and many metal tablets in the tunnels of the Tajos caves. These caves are also referred to as the storage area for Father Crespi's mysterious gold artifacts, which he received from the indigenous people of Ecuador.
The mysteries of the Taios caves remain unsolved, so last month Ancient Origins organized an expedition to the caves to see what lies in the mysterious underworld.
Written records of the Taios Caves date back to 1860, but they have been known to the indigenous Khivaro (Shuar) tribes since ancient times. The caves are located on their territory, this is one of the reasons why little is known about them, the Khivaro did not allow anyone to enter their sacred lands.
In 1976, the largest exploration of the Taios Caves was carried out, led by Stan Hall, and more than a hundred people participated in it, including the British and Ecuadorian military, cavers, and Neil Armstrong. Numerous artifacts of ancient origin have been found in the caves, but nothing that matches the description of the treasures in Deniken's book. The Khivaro stated that the scientists had investigated the wrong cave and that the location of the treasure was a mystery.
In the Taios Cave. Straight edges and geometries suggest human intervention
Photo: Wikipedia
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Preparing for the expedition
It was difficult to organize an expedition to the Taios Caves. There is very little information about the caves, and the government of Ecuador does not take care of them, as the caves are located in the territory of the Jivaro, which belong to the Jivaro people who lived in the lowlands between the Andes and the rainforests and savannas of the Amazon, in Ecuador and in Peru. At least 40,000 Jivaro live in Ecuador.
We received offers from a small number of travel companies and "experts" who said they could arrange such a trip at a high cost. We were disappointed that they presented the Khivaro as savages and warned that our lives would be in danger if we went without their guidance.
First day
Friday 18 September Ignoring the advice of the aforementioned "experts", we, a small group of Ancient Origins staff - Ioannis Sirigos, co-founder, Gary Maners and Christian Aguilar - began our journey from Cuenca to northwest Ecuador, the city of Macas.
Arriving in Makas, we contacted a government official to obtain permission to enter the territory of Khivaro. To our surprise, we were told that no permission is required other than the verbal consent of the land owner. This information was contrary to what the travel agencies had notified us of.
We were directed to a local woman who had a small restaurant in town. She said that her 7-year-old son Miguel will take us through the forest to one of the Jivaro communities where her father lives, who will take us to the caves.
Our 7-year-old guide Miguel and Chris Aguilar prepare to leave for the forest
Photo: Ancient Origins
With our young guide, we walked 4 km through the jungle until we reached a small village on the banks of the Pastaza River. There Miguel introduced us to his grandfather Luis, who will lead us to the caves.
Upon arrival at the camp, we were warmly received by the locals. There lived about 10 adults and 10 children. Louis, the camp patriarch, invited us to stay in his little visitor house. He promised to provide us with all information and guidance for the next four days.
Hivaro children play carefree, and chickens and chickens run around
Photo: Ancient Origins
The chivaro's friendliness was in stark contrast to the somber warnings from the travel companies. The villagers fed us every day, serving freshly prepared traditional cuisine, as well as the famous Andean chicha, a drink made from fermented corn.
We spent the first day in discussions with Luis, who explained to us that we would only be visiting one cave daily.
Gary, Ioannis and Chris (left to right) in the cabin
Photo: Ancient Origins
Our three young guides who took us to the Pastaza River
Photo: Ancient Origins
Second day
Saturday 19 September We started the day early with breakfast, then packed up our equipment and headed out to explore the first cave. The jungle was very dense, so finding the caves without a guide would be difficult. Louis and two boys accompanied us. The first cave was hidden behind dense vegetation, the entrance to it was quite steep.
Ancient Origins team with three guides, Louis second from right
Photo: Ancient Origins
Cave entrance
Photo: Ancient Origins
Passage through tunnels
Photo: Ancient Origins
Stalactites and stalagmites in the cave
Photo: Ancient Origins
Most of the tunnels in the cave were dirty and damp, with very narrow passages. In one part of the cave, only one member of our team managed to squeeze through the crack.
Louis squeezes through a narrow passage
Photo: Ancient Origins
Incredible rock structure
Photo: Ancient Origins
Chris makes his way through a water-filled tunnel
Photo: Ancient Origins
After a few hours, during which we explored several kilometers of cave tunnels, we returned to the camp. We had a nice warm dinner, and then Luis told us the legends about the caves, including the story of Father Crespi, and how the gold and artifacts were actually passed on to Father Crespi. While most say that Crespi's father received the artifacts in gratitude for his work with orphans in Ecuador, Luis calls him a thief, even if he has never actually been to Taios. Louis said that helicopters came and took the gold from the cave. Our guide claimed that the gold in the central cathedral of Cuenca, where Crespi resided, was removed from the Taios Caves.
Left: Central Cathedral of Cuenca. Right: Inside the Cathedral.
Photo: Erik de Leon / flickr Photo: Wikipedia
The third day
Sunday 20 September We went to explore another cave, where we had to descend to a depth of 45 meters, through the entrance at the top of the hill. Most of the entrances to the Taios caves are designed in such a way that you have to go down the rope to a great depth. This is another reason why they are poorly understood.
Chris goes down to the cave
Photo: Ancient Origins
After reaching the bottom, we decided to explore new paths that our guides did not go before. One of these paths was banned because, as Louis explained to us, they found footprints there that disappeared the next day. He believed that these footprints belonged to spirits and that, therefore, one should not go there. They were, however, glad for us that we went, but they themselves were left behind. The passage was too narrow for all of us, only Gary was able to get through the narrow gap, but found nothing, buried in a dead end. We heard a strange sound made by some animal, but it was nowhere to be seen.
Gary explores the forbidden path
Photo: Ancient Origins
After several hours of exploring the cave tunnels, we returned to the camp completely exhausted, thus ending our third day.
Day four
Monday 21 September This was our last day of exploring the caves, this time we headed towards the Pastaza River. The entrance to the cave, where the gold and artifacts of Crespi's father were kept, was from the side of the river, and you have to dive under the water to find it.
Louis took us to one entrance, which the military was investigating. We entered the cave and began to examine it. But after just 1 km our guides refused to go further because of the high water level. Ioannis and Gary decided to explore the rest of the cave. We walked another kilometer until we came across a landslide - the passage was blocked by fallen stones. We couldn't go any further.
Chris and Gary with two guides explore the cave on the fourth day
Photo: Ancient Origins
After exploring this last cave, we said goodbye to the guides and campers and headed back to Cuenca.
Concluding remarks
For most of our time in Tayos, surrounded by the hivaro, we developed a relationship of trust with them. They have been exploited many times, so protecting their land and their history is of great importance to them. Our expedition was only a small attempt to explore a vast, almost endless network of tunnels, and we only "scratched the surface". Fortunately, we built strong relationships with the locals who invited us to do further research. Our next expedition will take place within the next two months, after which we want to offer new trips to the readers of Ancient Origins.
