A system of tunnels and caves underneath Ecuador and Peru houses an ancient treasure house, including two libraries, one made of metal books and the other on crystal tablets.
In 1973, Erich von Daniken, at the height of his fame following the success of his book Chariots of the Gods, claimed that he was part of a giant underground tunnel system in Ecuador, which, he was told, spans almost the entire continent., clear evidence of the high development of our ancestors or aliens. Somewhere in the tunnels there is a library in which books were made of metal, and this is in an area where today only "primitive" Indian tribes live without any writing. Lost civilization?
The story revolves around Janos "Juan" Moricz, an Argentinean-Hungarian entrepreneur who claims to have discovered a series of tunnels in Ecuador containing the Metal Library. In an affidavit dated July 8, 1969, he spoke of his meeting with the Ecuadorian president, after which he gained full control of the discovery - he could extinguish an independent witness and show photographic evidence confirming the discovery of an underground network. The newspapermen reported on the expedition organized by Moritz.
In 1972, Moritz met with von Daniken and revealed his secret, namely the entrance, which allegedly led to a large hall in the depths of the labyrinth. Apparently von Daniken did not see the library itself, only the tunnels. Von Daniken included this incident in his book, The Gold of the Gods:
“Undoubtedly, we are not talking about natural formations: underground corridors turn strictly at right angles, they are sometimes wide, sometimes narrow, but the walls are smooth everywhere, as if polished. The ceilings are perfectly flat and seem to be covered with varnish "(the book" The Gold of the Gods "was also published in Russian. In it Daniken describes as an eyewitness both halls with unprecedented sculptures, and a" metal library "- DM).
However, one of the most sensational (potentially) discoveries soon died out. In an interview with reporters from the German editions Der Spiegel and Stern, Moritz flatly denied that he had ever been in a cave with von Daniken. This undermined the credibility of von Daniken, and his reputation was branded as a liar.
For many, the incident proved that Daniken in many ways fabricated his "incredible" facts, proving the presence of gods not on Earth - ancient astronauts. No one pointed out that if Daniken had deliberately lied, he would not have left such easy access to Moritz. He could say that the source of the information wished to remain incognito. Instead, it seems that something happened to Moritz. And the dark spot on Daniken's international career remains largely to this day.
There are several oddities in this story. At first, Moritz simply denied that he had met with Daniken; he did not deny the existence of the underground network of tunnels itself. In Der Spiegel, March 19, 1973, we can read:
Promotional video:
Der Spiegel: "How did you find the [metal] library?"
Moritz: "Someone showed it to me."
Der Spiegel: Who showed?
Moritz: "I can't tell you."
Moritz further stated that the library was guarded by the tribe.
It seems logical that Moritz, who did show something to Daniken, later regretted it. Probably, he expected a stream of interested persons to whom for some reason he did not want to show anything.
Small step for Armstrong, but giant step for humanity
By 1975, history had ruined the career of one notorious author, who could have followed in his footsteps? Answer: Neil Armstrong, the first man on the moon - or rather a Scotsman to change the dubious status quo with the Metal Library.
Stanley ("Stan") Hall read von Daniken's book and subsequently befriended Moritz. The latter confirmed that he met with Daniken in 1972 and took the Swiss writer from Guayaquil to Cuenca, where they met Padre Carlos Crespi and saw his mysterious collection. There was not enough time to take Daniken to his "true location"; instead, they decided to show him a small cave about 30 minutes from Kuensa that connects to the network. This seemed to clear up the contradictions between Daniken and Moritz's stories, but not the Metal Library itself.
Where was it? During the expedition of Moritz in 1969 to Cueva de los Tayos, a cave was allegedly discovered - the entrance to the Metal Library. But in 1969 no Metal Library was ever disclosed. So Hall decided to organize an Ecuadorian-British expedition to explore the Cueva de los Teios; it was a completely scientific expedition.
I met Stan Hall several times without knowing that the person I spoke to was Stan Hall. He attended the conferences of the Scottish Sauniere Society in the audience. Stan was in the background and did not stand out at all among the people. By pure chance, I found out that this is that Stan Hall, besides living nearby … this gave me the opportunity to get information about this story first-hand.
Hall wanted to create a system: if the existence of the Metal Library of a lost civilization was confirmed, the first step would be to map the location. This was the main goal of the expedition; treasure hunting was not meant. Hall conducted a professional examination, three weeks of exploration of the famous cave: a joint venture between the British and Ecuadorian armies, supported by a group of geologists, botanists and other specialists.
How Neil Armstrong was involved
“The expedition needed an honorary figurehead,” said Stan Hall. “The proposal was Prince Charles, who had recently completed his degree in archeology, but I knew that Neil Armstrong had Scottish roots. My mother's maiden name was Armstrong and through the other Armstrongs in Langholm, where Neil Armstrong was given the title of honorary citizen, I contacted the famous astronaut. Several months later, I received a reply that Neil Armstrong was more than willing to join us on this mission. The expedition suddenly became a challenge to life."
On August 3, 1976, as the expedition gradually dwindled, Armstrong entered the tunnel system. However, no trace of the Metal Library has been found. A possible discovery would change the entire perspective of humanity in our history. For Armstrong, this could be the second great contribution to human research. However, the group cataloged 400 new plant species and found a burial chamber with a burial dating back to 1500 BC.
History has moved from ancient astronauts to today's astronaut, but what will be the next step?
Third person
All the threads of this story are twisted around Juan Moritz, but still he was not at the starting point. From 1969 to 1991, when he died, the Metal Library was never discovered. What's next?
Moritz himself is not the creator of history, von Daniken noted this on the pages of his book. In a 1973 interview with Der Spiegel, Moritz confirmed that an unnamed person had shown him the cave. But who was this man?
After Moritz's death, Hall decided to find out about the "third man" who disappeared into the shadows. Hall got hold of the name - Petronio Jaramillo, but nothing else.
"Moritz died in February 1991," Hall said. “I had a name and a phone book. But Quito (the capital of Ecuador - D. M.) was home to a great many people with the name Jaramillo. Finally I found him, or rather, his mother. It was September 1991 when she gave me her son's phone number. I called him. He told me that it took 16 years before our paths crossed. He wished to meet, but said that he needed three more days."
Jaramillo confirmed that when Moritz arrived in Guayaquil in 1964, he teamed up with lawyer Dr. Gerardo Pena Matheus. Moritz told Matheus about his theory that Hungarian roots are at the root of virtually every civilization. Through his acquaintances with A. Fernandez-Salvador Zaldumbide and A. Moebius, Moritz met Jaramillo at the Moebius house and learned about his history. Hall was annoyed as various people tried to set him up with Jaramillo back in 1975, but it took another 16 years before they met.
Jaramillo and Hall realized that Moritz, who had focused on the Cueva de los Teios, was not looking there. The 1976 expedition could have ended with the discovery of the century. And today Hall's greatest desire is if he could turn back time, sit at the same table with Moritz and Jaramillo. At the same time, he realized that Moritz had been obsessed from the beginning with the idea of making the Metal Library his legacy. When Hall showed Moritz the notes for the 1976 expedition, Moritz flatly refused to return it. This ended their friendship, but Hall did not understand the cause of the rift until 1991, when he realized that Jaramillo's name was mentioned in that project. This name Moritz did not want to make public in any case (as evidenced by his interview in 1973). Moritz was incredibly stubborn and, at the same time, incredibly loyal, but obviously wrong in thinkingthat he can single-handedly discover the century.
Underground treasures
Jaramillo and Hall became friends, although both agreed that Jaramillo would prematurely not reveal the location of the tunnel entrance.
Through the stories of Jaramillo Hall studied the true history of the library of Teios, which has never been in Cueva de los Teios! Jramillo stated that he entered the library in 1946 when he was 17 years old. His uncle, whose name remained unknown, was his guide. Obviously, he was on friendly terms with the local population, which is why the members of the tribe trusted him with their secret.
Jaramillo logged in at least once more. Then he saw a library of thousands of large, metal books arranged in compartments on shelves. Each book weighed approximately 20 kilograms on average, and each page was riddled with drawings, geometric shapes and writing. There was also a second library, consisting of small, smooth, transparent, seemingly crystalline tablets, the surface of which was crossed by parallel channels. These plaques were also placed on shelves covered with gold leaf. There were zoomorphic and human statues (some stood on heavy pedestals), metal strips of various shapes, sealing “doors” (possibly graves), covered with colored, semi-precious stones. A large sarcophagus, sculpted from hard, transparent material, contained the skeleton of a large man in gold sheets. In short, this incredible treasure was kept there for an unknown number of years, as if hidden in preparation for some coming disaster.
Once Jaramillo took seven books off the shelves to study them, but the heavy weight forced him to abandon the idea. Jaramillo never provided physical evidence for his stories.
Hall asked him why he never took pictures. "He said it wouldn't prove anything." The experience of other discoveries confirms that photography is highly unreliable evidence. However, Jaramillo stated that he left his initials on those seven books, so that if the library is ever discovered, we can be sure of the truth of his words.
Juan Moritz and Stan Hall, photograph 1975, preparing for a future joint expedition with astronaut Neil Armstrong as President Emeritus.
Expedition plan and delays
Jaramillo and Hall wanted to join forces to open the Metal Library; one knew the place, the other had experience in preparing such expeditions. This would be an "expedition of the occupation".
First, we got in touch with various ambassadors and the necessary politicians, then the scientific community was devoted to the plans. Jaramillo was going to lead the group to the place where they were to stay for three to four months (during the dry season), meticulously describing the content of the place. Everything would remain in place. A message with recommendations is the only result of the forthcoming expedition, which UNESCO should involve. But in 1995, Peruvian jets bombed Ecuadorian military bases and the project was shelved for the first time.
In 1997, Hall used an anthropological conference to promote the idea. Six anthropologists met him, interested in the project plan. But in the same year, the political regime in Ecuador changed (according to Hall, for the worse); Hall felt that his family could not live safely in the new political reality, he moved the family back to Scotland. However, there was no delay; expedition planning continued.
However, it was in 1998 that the expedition encountered a major obstacle. Hall received sad news on the phone from Petronio Jaramillo's mother - he was killed. Was he killed because of the upcoming expedition? Living in South America is inexpensive, anyone who has lived there knows. Jaramillo carried a large sum of money that day. He was robbed on the street near his home. Accidental violence stopped one of the world's greatest discoveries.
It seems that fate itself opposed the plans of Jaramillo and Hall, hiding mysterious caves with all its might.
Where is the place?
Moritz and Jaramillo are dead. Hall was in his sixties. Would he go in search of it alone? Hall was not looking for treasure. He emphasizes that this is not Eldorado. There is already a lot of gold in this country. Jaramillo never spoke about gold books, but only about "metal" (probably it was copper, since Jaramillo saw a green coating on the books. Moritz's interest was not in the monetary equivalent of the library, but solely in its historical importance.
However, in the past, various treasure hunters have tried to discover the cave. Count Pino Turolla came into contact with Jaramillo in the 1960s through the same channels that later led Moritz to him. Turolla fiddled with the idea of the Hall of Records and considered the Metal Library to be absolute proof of Keyes' prophecies. But Turolla's attitude and sense of organization prevented him from obtaining the necessary details. Turolla decided to look around the Cueva de los Teios and was left empty-handed.
Indiana Jones' most active heir today is Stan Grist, who also knew Juan Moritz. In 2005, Grist wrote: “I am currently in negotiations with the Shuars Aborigines, they live near Cueva de los Teios, their permission is necessary to enter and explore the area of the caves. In the coming months, I plan to organize an expedition to find a secret entrance to a cave, possibly containing a metal library. Many people entered the cave through the famous, vertical passage near the top of the mountain. However, I figured that it is almost impossible to reach the metal library through this famous entrance. You can only get to the secret entrance under water!"
I introduced Hall to Grist's opinion. “Jaramillo always said the entrance was under the river,” Hall said. But that river does not flow at the Teios Cave. That river is Pastaza.
Aerial photo of the area where the real cave is located. Marked area - a bend on the Pastaza River, which Hall visited in 2000 and which meets all the required characteristics.
Although Hall never learned the exact location from Petronio Jaramillo, after Jaramillo's death in May 1998, Hall organized a trip with Mario Petronio, Jaramillo's son, in which they combined their knowledge. The journey was aimed only at reaching the "zero point".
Hall returned in May 2000.
He showed me aerial maps, showing the bend in the river and the line of the cliff that hides the entrance cave - the entrance to the system that stretches for miles. His assumption is that a rock collapse (evidence of an ancient earthquake) opened an underground network. Hall visited the site and concluded that it fits Jaramillo's description perfectly.
The need for cooperation
What happened next? Hall was 64 when he traveled to South America; now he is seventy. When he turned 68, he decided that most likely he would not see the end of this story. However, he does not consider this story his own, he does not want to repeat Moritz's mistake.
For example, on January 17, 2005, Hall informed the Ecuadorian government of the location of a cave that fits Jaramillo's description and which he hopes will be the target of the expedition.
For anyone interested, the coordinates are 77 ° 47'34 'West and 1 ° 56'00' South. GoogleEarth allows you to see this place up close and can satisfy the initial curiosity. But knowing the location does not mean that it will be easy to find something.
Hall thinks it will take decades or a shift in mindset before people can work together for a common goal. He argues that the 1976 expedition took place only because a military regime was in power; "The democratic bureaucracy will flood the expedition before there is even one swampy river on the way."
All that is required is a sense of cooperation and openness. Too many people have tried to use the library as evidence for their own theory of alien adventures, the conquering Hungarians, or the Hall of Records. Perhaps that is why these missions were doomed. Perhaps we should let the library speak for itself. Answers to questions about who built it, where they came from, etc. we can find inside. After all, is it a library or not?