By: Jennifer M. Wood
www.mensjournal.com
There are any number of reasons why a city, town, or even an
entire empire goes from thriving to nonexistent: climate change, urban
development, and war are just a few of them. For Wade Davis – an ethnographer,
writer, photographer, and filmmaker who has spent decades traveling the world
and immersing himself in indigenous cultures to learn about everything from
hallucinogenics to zombies – the answer is simpler than that: "You know
the old expression, 'If you don't study history you're doomed to repeat it,'"
says Davis. "Undoubtedly, when Pachacuti built Machu Picchu, he had no
idea that within less than a century, the convulsion of the Conquest would
flood upon him."
From the ancient ruins of Machu Picchu to a
tumbleweed-ridden ghost town in Death Valley, the element of surprise is a
recurring theme in the abandonment of a town-turned-tourist destination. And
whether a place is taken out by enemy forces or Mother Nature, the lesson in
visiting any abandoned city, according to Davis, is "to realize the ephemeral
nature of power." Including our own.
"The Roman Empire lasted for five centuries," says
Davis. "Five centuries ago, people hadn't even come to America. We look
back and say, 'Well the Mayans weren't quite as big as they thought they were.'
By the same token, the global civilization that we have – based on
hydrocarbons, if you will – could be snuffed out just as the Incas, the Mayans,
the Egyptians and every other empire." Consider yourself warned.
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