Lost Tribe Believed To Exist In Mexico

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31128, 3 August 1966, Page 20

Lost Tribe Believed To Exist In Mexico

(N.Z.P.A. Reuter —Copyripht)

MEXICO CITY.

A lost tribe descended from the ancient Maya civilisation is believed to be living somewhere in the rain forests of southern Mexico.

The leader of a fiveman expedition, which has just returned from three months in the Yucatan peninsula, reports finding definite indications of its presence.

The leader of the group, a Londoner, Michael Blair, aged 21, said that, although they did not meet any members of the tribe, they had seen banana and maize plantations which could only have been planted by Indians and deserted some 20 years ago. He thought that it was most likely that the tribe were Lacandon Indians. Only 168 members of the Lacandon Indians are known to exist in two main groups in the Chiapas province, bordering on Guatemala. Even these are dying out as a result of inbreeding and diseases, such as yellow fever, which are endemic in the area. ;

The other four members of the expedition were a United States student, Hampton George, aged 25, from Los Angeles, two Frenchmen, Philippe Mercier, aged 24, and Bernard Plossu, aged 21, both from Paris, and a Mexican, Jean-Claude Durand, aged 22. Treasures Stolen They had barely left when their permits to explore were revoked, and Mr Blair had to return to Mexico City to obtain new ones. The Mexican Government has been tightening up on unauthorised groups visiting the area as it is believed some have shipped out illegally large quantities of archaeological treasures. Eventually, an ancient twinengined Avro aircraft set them down in San Quintan, at the junction of the Jatate and Perlas rivers. From then on they had to travel by boat and on foot.

i Two inflatable rubber dinghies carried the fournation group and their half ton of stores and equipment down the river to the base camp on the banks of the river Lacantun. “It was a bit difficult at first,” Mr Blair said, “because we had no common language, but eventually we managed to get along in English after a fashion.”

Although it was supposed ;to be the dry season, it rained every day for the first fortnight. Rapids Shot “It was the wettest dry season in 10 years,” Mr Blair said. “We went over rapids which no boat had ever negotiated before, and lost two of our five still cameras as a result Our maps were wrong and rivers shown on them simply did not exist” Although no-one became seriously ill and the 301 b of medical supplies were not used, there was no defence against the insects. Thanks to the gastronomic efforts of one of the Frenchmen, Mr Plossu, the dried soup on which they depended mainly was made fairly palatable. This was eked out with game, birds and iguana which they shot. Question Unsolved

One big question still to be solved is where did the Indians go when they deserted their villages 20 years ago? One theory is that they might have been wiped out by disease, or scattered. The expedition found two women with their children living on the river bank. Their husbands had died and their maize crop had failed. “It was pitiful,” the explorers said. “They had no idea where they were or where to go. They had no ammunition for their shotgun and were very hungry indeed.” But these Indians and others met along the river banks told of a tribe living

nearby who were darker than the other two known Lacandon Indian tribes.

All the reports agreed that this group was very unfriendly and that their leader had a ring in his nose. How long they can survive—if they still exist in this area —is another question. Mahogany cutters and chicle gatherers are slowly advancing through the jungle. Behind them come the farmers, and the trappings of modern civilisation.