There are mysteries and legends everywhere in the world. Many have tried to uncover the legend of a library with metal books so large, one man cannot life one alone.
Milan, Italy was the birthplace of Father Carlos Crespi Croci. Born in 1891 and dying in 1982, he was a Salesian monk that he was, he dedicated his life to saying prayers and pursuing charity work. He resided in a small town of Cuenca in Ecuador. The native inhabitants and the tribes of the region as a gesture of thanks gave him ancient artifacts, depictions of amazing figures which associate America to Sumeria, loads of gold, symbols which hint to an unknown language, and more than 50,000 other objects.
They gave him so many artifacts throughout his 60 years of being a missionary in Ecuador that he displayed them and opened a local museum for all to see. Father Crespi opened the museum in association with the Vatican and the Salesian School in Cuenca, which became one of the largest museums in Ecuador.
Some of the artifacts show pyramids similar to the pyramids found in Egypt. Some also show possible god-like figures made of gold and silver, along with other materials that suggest mix of cultures or an ancient people that history does not talk about. Many of these artifacts suggest that they are Babylonian or Egyptian in heritage. Some disagree and call them something else even going so far as to insinuate possible alien technology.
After some time, however, the museum was burnt down. There have been rumors both that the artifacts were destroyed and after the passing of Father Crespi, they were shipped to the Vatican. He was able to save most of his artifacts and for the next 15 or so years, he stored them in rooms and the hallway of his living quarters. He kept all of his artifacts safe until he died in 1982. The village people were very broken hearted that he died and they left his things the way he did. Many of the pieces were robbed from his home over the next 30 years.
However, much of the collection is still stored at the Central Bank of Ecuador. The collection holds authentic and precious artifacts: weapons, ceramic jewelry, religious icons, oversized tablets, plates, doors, decorations, statues, pottery, and the like. However, there are no golden metal plates.
In the mid 1960s a prospector named Juan Moricz was trekking into the dangerous jungle of the Andes Mountains and made a discovery that caught the world’s attention. He found an entrance to a massive cave. The words he used were “An endless cave” to describe what he explored. After some length of time, he found a section of the cave that had man-made structures, carved into the walls. While admiring this section of the cave he found a collection of gold and silver tablets, panels, books, and more. He believed that this was a priceless treasure, or some will say a library made of gold, with all the knowledge of the past. He mentioned that the symbols on these artifacts and books had pictures and symbols of pyramids and more.
The researchers, historians and the analysts have been working for years to find out the age and origin of the items gifted to the humble priest. Erich von Däniken wrote in his 1973 book The Gold of the Gods that János Juan Móricz (1923–1991) had claimed to have explored Cueva de los Tayos in 1969 and discovered mounds of gold, unusual sculptures and a metallic library. It was also said in the book that the Metal library has thousands of books, with metallic pages and inscriptions, symbols and designs.
These items were said to be in artificial tunnels that had been created by a lost civilization with help from extraterrestrial beings. Von Däniken had previously claimed in his 1968 book, Chariots of the Gods, that extraterrestrials were involved in ancient civilizations
Father Crespi had his collection around the same time that Juan found the cave. The people that now know both stories, believed that Juan found the cave that the local tribe was guarding, and offered gifts to their friend, Father Crespi.
Neil Armstrong (the astronaut) heard about Father’s Crespi‘s collection and he traveled down to see them. It wasn’t long until people came to the realization that points to one fact; these artifacts must have come from a nearby area, and the local tribes know of their whereabouts.
People started to research and even though the village people were closed-mouthed of the location of more artifacts and where they came from, people learned of a great mystery. The local tribespeople knew of an ancient site that they deemed spiritual and secret. People started to learn that these modern day village people knew of a great underground city that they have been protecting for hundreds, maybe thousands of years.
After further inquiring, people learned that the local people were not as friendly about this story and inquiries as they thought. These village people gave the gifts to Father Crepsi out of love and respect but these local tribes didn’t want outsiders to learn about the ancient site.
As a result of the claims published in von Däniken’s book, an investigation of Cueva de los Tayos was organized by Stan Hall of Scotland, in 1976. One of the largest and most expensive cave explorations ever undertaken, the expedition involved over a hundred people, including experts in a variety of fields, British and Ecuadorian military personnel, a film crew, and former American astronaut Neil Armstrong.
The team also included eight experienced British cavers who thoroughly explored the cave and conducted an accurate survey to produce a detailed map of it. There was no evidence of Von Däniken’s more exotic claims, although some physical features of the cave did approximate his descriptions and some items of zoological, botanical, and archaeological interest were found.
In this cave system, they did find man-made structures, carved tunnels, rooms, and more. It was an exciting find. Newspapers and magazines wrote about the discoveries and the world thought that the collection of artifacts from this lost civilization would be found. The hunt wasn’t unsuccessful but Neil and his group didn’t find the lost treasure that they were hoping to find. The lead researcher met with an indigenous source, who claimed that they had investigated the wrong cave, and that the real cave was secret.
The cave system of Cueva de los Tayos (Spanish, “Cave of the Oilbirds”) is a cave located on the eastern slopes of the Andes Mountains in the Morona-Santiago province of Ecuador. . It is large but many think that the cave has been explored fairly well in the last decade. Some believe that the cave is much larger than many have explored.
The cave is used by the native Shuar people who descend into the cave each spring using vine ladders and bamboo torches to collect fledgling oilbirds (“guácharos” or “tayos” in Spanish). Written references to the cave go back as far as 1860 and it was visited by gold-seekers and military personnel in the 1960s.
Many reports have talked about the cave going for miles and miles vs what people are saying is only 2.5 miles long. If this is true then perhaps many explorers including Neil Armstrong, did find the correct cave system but didn’t find the right passageway to the artifacts. Many caves have several different entrances, chambers, tunnels, and passages.
A Google search for Cueva de los Tayos takes you to a cave entrance and what appears to be a tour that you can go on. This cave is likely to be the one that Neil Armstrong explored. It does have manmade structures inside but it has a big descent at the beginning of the entrance. Neither Jaun nor any prospectors from the 60s mentioned that advanced climbing gear is needed to find the Metal Library so this is quite likely the wrong entrance if this is the correct cave.
Access to the cave is restricted. It is necessary to obtain permission (access and temporary visit) and pay a tax (designated to improve the communities) in Sucúa, Ecuador, at the Shuar Center Federation.
At the Maria Auxiliadora Church, where Father Crespi spent most of his time, you can view parts of the collection. Dr. Luis Alvarez curates the collection and when asked about the golden plates, he has said that those were just pieces of junk. The metallic plate is indeed not made of gold. They resembled modern day carvings on a metal sheet and so today the metallic library is suspected to be a hoax.
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