The heart of the World

Alan Ereira

Published by Jonathan Cape, softcover, illustrated

Spectacular gold pieces made by an ancient civilisation appeared in large numbers in Colombia in the 1970s. They were traced to a forgotten city in the dense mountain jungle, the Lost City of the Taironas, where the priesthood of the Kogi has preserved the culture and philosophy of the people of El Dorado.

After centuries of deliberate isolation, the Kogi, who call themselves the Elder Brothers of the human race, have decided to speak to us. Convinced that our ignorante and greed will soon destroy life on earth, they have set out to teach us what they know about the spiritual world, and the balante between man and nature.

This book makes sense of much that was not known or understood of the Pre-Colombian civilisations of America. It is also a desperate attempt to make us understand the consequences of our own way of living.