The Amazon

For many in the book, the Amazon represents the means to achieving an obsessive need for glory and adventure. During Fawcett's time at the turn of the century, the Amazon was still an uncharted wonderland whose greatest secrets had not yet been discovered. Fawcett saw the brutal South American jungles as both a feat to be conquered and the path to realizing his destiny as an explorer. Many Fawcett seekers saw similar promises in the Amazon's depths, and they sought to be the ones to find out the truth about Fawcett and achieve a form of immortality through fame. The author himself investigates Fawcett's disappearance for similar reasons. However, the Amazon posed incredible danger; its native tribes and deadly ecosystem worked to ensnare those naive enough to enter it unprepared.

The Lost City of Z

The mythical El Dorado-like kingdom is the main symbol of Fawcett's...