Lost Treasure of the Inca

by Peter Lourie

Do 750 tons of Inca gold lay hidden in the misty mountains of Ecuador? Enter the mysterious realm of the Inca as Peter Lourie, author of The Mystery of the Maya, ventures to what seems like the top of the world, where he discovers there is more than gold hidden in the mountains. There is adventure--and history.

Genres: Childrens

Paperback

First published January 1, 1999

About the author

Peter is an award-winning author, professor, and explorer. He has written over two dozen nonfiction books for children and adults spanning topics from adventure and the environment to polar bears and lost treasure.

His forthcoming book, Locked in Ice: Nansen's Daring Quest for the North Pole is a spellbinding biography of Fridtjof Nansen, the pioneer of polar exploration, with a spotlight on his harrowing three-year journey to the top of the world.

A true adventurer, Lourie has traveled all over the world to research his subjects, from the cloud forest in Ecuador in search of Inca treasure, to Lake Turkana in northwestern Kenya on the Ethiopian border, to Terra del Fuego and the jungles of Rondonia, Brazil.

Reviews

[David Corleto-Bales · Rating 5 out of 5]

The true story of an intrepid dreamer, eager to find the "lost gold of the Inca king Atahualpa" meets an eccentric old Swiss treasure hunter in the streets of Quito, Ecuador. The treasure hunter explains that he has found the treasure and will lead the author to it in the rugged mountains in the center of the country, high in the Andes.

[Leona · Rating 5 out of 5]

Peter Lourie's true story of his search for the lost gold in Ecuador. The book has maps, drawings, pictures, dates and names of people. Pictures of a gold mask, people, and more. It is a children's book but with a lot of information. The first picture is of a volcano but no name. Published in 1999.
Chapter One:
The Treasure Mountains
Chapter Two:
The Ransom of Atahualpa ( Inca King)
Chapter Three:
The Greatest Treasure Hunter
Chapter Four:
The Expedition
Chapter Five:
Lake Brunner
Chapter Six:
Return to Triunfo
Glossary
Index:
Andes
Atahualpa
Blake, Barth
Brunner. Eugene (Gin0)
Brunner, Lake
Cajamarca
Cuzco
Ecuador
Hermoso, Cerro
Huascar
Inca
Curse
empire
language
Juan
Llangananti Mountains
Longo, Father
paramo
Pillaro
Pizarro, Francisco
Quito
Ruminahui
Sabellas
Sun King
Triunfo
Valverde's Guide
Washington

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

dream day

[Krista the Krazy Kataloguer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Peter Lourie writes great true adventure books, and this is one of the best. In this one, he travels to the rugged Llanganati Mountains in Ecuador in search of the gold that the Incas hid there after Atahualpa was murdered by Pizarro. First, he discusses the history behind the treasure, and how a 16th-century Spanish soldier named Valverde discovered where the treasure was and wrote a guide to it (full text of this guide is provided in a chapter at the end). Then he jumps to the present, to describe an old man named Eugene "Gino" Brunner, a famed treaure hunter who supposedly knew where the gold was. Lourie describes every part of his journey as he tries to find the cave where the treasure is buried, hiking over rugged and jungle-clogged terrain, suffering heat and damp, only to be turned back by altitude sickness without finding the object of his quest. Eerily, when he gets back to Quito, he discovers that Brunner has died. Photos throughout the book underscore the beautiful but difficult terrain, a perfect place to hide treasure and deter treasure seekers. I felt like I was there with Lourie, and wish that I had been! Personally, I hope that, if all that gold and silver is ever found, that it's found by someone who will turn it over to a museum and preserve the artifacts for everyone to learn from and enjoy. Great book--highly recommended!

[Andrea M · Rating 5 out of 5]

Explore the misty mountains of Ecuador in this photographic journal of a real treasure hunt. Included at the back is an original 16th century document -- a guide to finding the Incan treasure -- left by Valverde, a Spanish soldier. There are lots of pictures, maps and clues to whet your appetite. Unfortunately the author didn't persevere long enough to actually discover the treasure. He came "this close!" For the young adventurer, I would suggest following the clues on Google maps!

[Teri · Rating 4 out of 5]

Almost 5 stars. GREAT BOOK!!! It may appear to be one of those dry non-fiction children's books. Don't let that fool you--it is NOT! This is a WONDERFUL modern day treasure hunt! We read this over the course of a few days and my girls LOVED it! They were sad when it ended and look forward to a visit to Ecuador someday. Stories we've learned previously about the Inca's were reinforced and really came alive through the author's own quest for buried treasure.

[Blair · Rating 4 out of 5]

Inca

[Josette · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting account of an American treasure hunter's search for Incan gold that was supposedly hidden from the Spanish conquistadores.

[Charity · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting as a history of Pizarro's defeat of the Inca and as an overview of the geography of Ecuador, but the author's own story seemed to have little point. The ending was disappointing.