Savoy, Gene

▪ 2008

Douglas Eugene Savoy 

      American explorer and amateur archaeologist

born May 11, 1927, Bellingham, Wash.

died Sept. 11, 2007, Reno, Nev.

claimed to have discovered more than 40 Incan and pre-Incan cities in Peru and was credited with establishing the theory (now supported by most scholars) that Vilcabamba, rather than Machu Picchu, was the last refuge for Incas seeking to escape from the Spanish conquistadors in the 16th century. Savoy was dubbed “the real Indiana Jones” by the popular press because of his flamboyant style and Stetson hat. He left school at age 17 to enlist in the U.S. Navy. After World War II he worked briefly as a journalist in Portland, Ore., but he became eager to begin exploring after reading Hiram Bingham's Lost City of the Incas (1952). Long fascinated with religion, in 1959 Savoy established the International Community of Christ, Church of the Second Advent, which teaches that the Second Coming is occurring now. Savoy wrote 4 books about his adventures and more than 60 volumes on religious topics.

* * *

▪ American explorer and amateur archaeologist

in full  Douglas Eugene Savoy 

born May 11, 1927, Bellingham, Wash., U.S.

died Sept. 11, 2007, Reno, Nev.

      American explorer and amateur archaeologist who discovered more than 40 Incan and pre-Incan cities in Peru.

      Savoy, who was interested in archaeology as a child, left the University of Portland, in Oregon, after two years to enlist in the U.S. Navy. After World War II he worked briefly as a journalist in Portland, but he became eager to begin exploring after reading Hiram Bingham (Bingham, Hiram)'s Lost City of the Incas (1952). Savoy moved to Peru and organized his first archaeological expedition in 1957.

      Throughout the latter half of the 20th century, Savoy made a series of expeditions to Peru, discovering various Incan and pre-Incan archaeological sites. In 1964 he discovered Vilcabamba, the secret mountain stronghold where the Incas hid from Spanish conquerors in the 16th century. His discovery disproved Bingham's notion that Vilcabamba and Machu Picchu were the same place. In 1965 Savoy took credit for the original discovery of Gran Pajatén, a pre-Incan stone city, but this finding was contested by other researchers. In the late 1970s, Savoy sailed rafts of Andean design in an effort to prove that the people of the Andes had contact with the Pacific coast of North America. His discovery of several thousand stone structures known as Gran Vilaya in 1985 proved that the Peruvian jungles—in addition to the Andes and the coast—had been locations of ancient settlement. Savoy wrote a number of books about his archaeological expeditions. Noted for his larger-than-life persona, he was dubbed “the real Indiana Jones” by People magazine.

      Long fascinated with religion, in 1959 Savoy established the International Community of Christ, Church of the Second Advent, which teaches that the Second Coming is already happening. Savoy wrote more than 60 volumes on religious topics.

* * *