Fingerprints of the Gods: The Evidence of Earth's Lost Civilization

by Graham Hancock

The Maya knew where their advanced learning originated. It was handed down to them, they said, from the First Men, the creatures of Quetzalcoatl, whose names had been Balam-Quitze (Jaguar with the Sweet Smile), Balam-Acab (Jaguar of the Night), Mahucutah (The Distinguished Name) and Iqui-Balam (Jaguar of the Moon).1 According to the Popol Vuh, these forefathers: were endowed with intelligence; they saw and instantly they could see far; they succeeded in seeing; they succeeded in knowing all that there is in the world. The things hidden in the distance they saw without first having to move … Great was their wisdom; their sight reached to the forests, the rocks, the lakes, the seas, the mountains, and the valleys. In truth, they were admirable men … They were able to know all, and they examined the four corners, the four points of the arch of the sky, and the round face of the earth.2 The achievements of this race aroused the envy of several of the most powerful deities. ‘It is not well that our creatures should know all,’ opined these gods, ‘Must they perchance be the equals of ourselves, their Makers, who can see afar, who know all and see all? … Must they also be gods?’3 Obviously such a state of affairs could not be allowed to continue. After some deliberation an order was given and appropriate action taken: Let their sight reach only to that which is near; let them see only a little of the face of the earth … Then the Heart of Heaven blew mist into their eyes which clou...