Gene Savoy facts for kids
Douglas Eugene "Gene" Savoy (born May 11, 1927 – died September 11, 2007) was an American explorer, author, and religious leader. He was known for his exciting expeditions in Peru during the 1960s. Savoy claimed to have discovered more than 40 lost cities and helped bring many important ancient sites to light. These include Vilcabamba, which was the last hiding place of the Incas during the Spanish conquest, and Gran Pajaten, a site he named.
Early Life and Adventures
Savoy was born in Bellingham, Washington. When he was 17, he joined the U.S. Navy and served for two years during World War II. After the war, he started studying to become a priest at the University of Portland. However, one of his professors told him his ideas were "very close to heresy." A wise counselor, Monsignor John B. Delaunay, encouraged Savoy to take a year off to "follow his heart" and study on his own.
Savoy then worked as a journalist for ten years. During this time, he studied ancient Indian rock carvings (petroglyphs) and different religions. He was especially interested in the idea that people from North and South America might have met long ago. He also studied many spiritual traditions, like mystic Judaism, Christianity, Buddhism, and others.
In 1956, Savoy's life changed. His business failed, and he lost his home and belongings. But a good thing happened: a national news service picked up his film about petroglyphs. An American archaeologist noticed his ideas about similar drawings in North and South America. This led to an offer for Savoy to join an expedition to Peru as a photographer. Eager to explore, Savoy accepted. In 1957, he moved to Peru. A few years later, he started his own archaeological trips through the Andean Explorers Club, which he founded.
Discovering Ancient Cities
Throughout the 1960s, Savoy led many well-known expeditions in Peru. He explored and recorded various ancient sites from before Christopher Columbus arrived.
In 1964, he identified a ruin called Espiritu Pampa as the famous Vilcabamba. This was the 16th-century capital of the Neo-Inca Empire and the last place the Incas hid from the Spanish. This discovery showed that Machu Picchu and Vilcabamba were not the same place, as some had believed. In 1965, Savoy explored and brought worldwide attention to a site he named Gran Pajatén. This was a beautifully decorated stone city in northeastern Peru.
From 1965 to 1970, he continued his explorations in Peru's eastern jungle mountains.
In 1969, Savoy built and sailed the Kuviqu (also called the "Feathered Serpent I"). This was a raft made of totora reeds, designed like ancient boats. He sailed it 2,000 miles along the ocean coast from Peru to Central America. His goal was to show that ancient Peruvians and Mexicans could have had contact. He also wanted to prove that the legendary heroes Viracocha and Quetzalcoatl might have been the same person. Later, he sailed the "Feathered Serpent II" from the United States to study ocean currents. In 1997, he sailed a large wooden catamaran from Peru to Hawaii. This was another attempt to show that ancient Peruvians could have sailed across open seas.
Savoy returned to the United States in the early 1970s. However, he kept exploring throughout the rest of the 20th century.
In 1984, after 13 years away, Savoy went back to Peru. The next year, he discovered Gran Vilaya. In 1999, he found Gran Saposoa in the Chachapoyas region. Both were huge city complexes with thousands of stone buildings. These discoveries supported his idea that the eastern Peruvian jungles were also home to advanced civilizations, not just the Andes mountains and the coast. He passed away in Reno, Nevada, at the age of 80.
Savoy had a complicated relationship with academic archaeologists. They sometimes disagreed with his adventurous methods. However, they often used his discoveries for their own research. Archaeologist Keith Muscutt once said that finding ruins in northern Peru, where Savoy made most of his discoveries, was "about as hard as finding elephants in a zoo." This was because the area was so full of ancient sites. Scientists also questioned Savoy's use of his explorations to support unusual theories. For example, he claimed that King Solomon got gold and jewels from Peru.
The main idea behind all of Savoy's explorations was to show that the jungle was central to Peruvian culture, not just on the edges. This belief led him to search for the legendary cities of the Chachapoyas people. Savoy always stressed that he looked at historical records for clues: "No sensible man goes down into the jungle unless he's got something to follow. I see explorers as people with open minds who can scan many different sources for information... We've all learnt that the great thing is to follow the roads. Roads lead to ruins."
This advice to "follow the roads" (meaning the Inca roads) was taken seriously by another Andean explorer, Vince Lee. Lee had helpful discussions with Savoy before starting his own explorations.
Savoy's major discoveries earned him recognition as the "real Indiana Jones" by People magazine. This happened after his work as a religious leader and researcher became known.
Spiritual Teachings
For many years, Savoy developed a modern system for spiritual self-improvement. He believed it was based on the secret teachings of the Essenes, who he thought were the ancestors of Jesus. He called this spiritual practice Cosolargy. He believed similar secret systems were used by ancient holy groups around the world, including in ancient America. He thought these teachings were mostly lost to modern society.
In 1959, he started the Cosolargy Institute. Its goal was to study new conditions in the sun and research the spiritual teachings of ancient cultures that worshipped the sun. He later continued this research through the American Cosmic Solar Research Center, started in 1962.
In 1959, Savoy also founded the International Community of Christ, Church of the Second Advent. This church aimed to share Cosolargy as a new way to understand true Christian teachings. He taught that Christ had returned, not as a human, but as a spiritual force available to everyone through a "Spiritual Sun." The church teaches that Jesus predicted the coming of Christ as the "Sun of Righteousness." They believe this cosmic event began in 1962, as revealed by Savoy's son, Jamil (1959–1962). Jamil was a child seer who lived in Peru.
There was a misunderstanding that Savoy believed his son Jamil was the Second Coming of Christ. Savoy explained this was not true. In a 1985 lecture, he said: "The Child was an Image, and that Image was a vehicle for the manifestation of God’s Word... The Child is not a Jesus Christ. He certainly is not a 'savior' in the strictest sense of the word. He is merely a conveyor of information from one world to the other for our use, much the same as was Jesus. We are not saved by any human, neither Jamil nor Jesus. We are saved by God."
Over the years, Savoy wrote many scholarly and spiritual books. These included over 60 volumes on Cosolargy, the Essenes, the origins of Christianity, and different religions. He also gave over 400 lectures on philosophy and theology. These writings and lectures present what Savoy believed were the true teachings of Christ. He felt that rediscovering this information could help bring spiritual understanding to the world today.
Books
- Antisuyo: The Search for the Lost Cities of the Amazon (1970)
- On the Trail of the Feathered Serpent (1974)
- Project X: The Search for the Secrets of Immortality (1977)
- The Gran Vilaya Report (1996)
Publications of the International Community of Christ:
- Cosolargy Papers, 12 volumes (1970–1975)
- Jamil: Child of Light (1973, 2009)
- Prophecies of Jamil, 7 volumes (1973–1982)
- The Decoded New Testament (1974, 1983)
- Academy Symposia, 12 volumes (1975–1980)
- The Image and The Word, 6 volumes (1976–1981)
- Project "X" Symposia, 8 volumes (1978–1981)
- The Essaei Document: Secrets of an Eternal Race (1978, 1983)
- Lost Gospel of Jesus: The Hidden Teachings of Christ (1978, 1984)
- The Book of God’s Revelation (1983)
- Miracle of the Second Advent: The Emerging New Christianity (1984)
See also
In Spanish: Gene Savoy para niños
