A deep dive into a fascinating subject, The Legend of Tayos explores the nature of belief, the lure of riches, and the unquenchable thirst for knowledge in its exploration into one man’s fantastical claims regarding the mysterious Tayos caves.
Man’s pursuit for gold is as old as time, as is his seeking of knowledge. Bubbling underneath it all is the capacity for delusion, deceit, and at times, madness. Cue the story of Janos Moricz, a Hungarian Ecuadorian who in 1969 came forth with his “discovery” of ancient riches of extra-terrestrial origin found in the caves of Tayos in Ecuador.
It is a difficult and even ridiculous story to believe, yet one which during a time when Erich von Danizen’s equally ludicrous “Chariots of the Gods” was an international sensation, brought with it pop-culture’s first taste of the type of fantastical conspiracy theory that is the norm today.
In The Legend of Tayos, director Galo Semblantes investigates Moricz’s claims and its impact on politics, science, and religion, with a deluge of archive footage and interview heads to create an always informative and fascinating documentary.
Sometimes it feels too much to take on, with a never-ending stream of experts and colleagues of Moricz, such as Scottish engineer Stanley Hall and controversial priest Father Crespi, all featured. The surreal footage of a famous 1976 expedition into the Tayos caves, funded by the Ecuadorian government and featuring astronaut Neil Armstrong among their ranks, reminds of the influence and power Moricz’s claims had.
The Legend of Tayos doesn’t quite get to who Moricz the man was, but then again no one could. An incredibly complex character who maintained his belief in an extra-terrestrial subterranean world until the day he died, Moricz also knew how to hold a grudge, burning bridges left and right in a display of pride and stubbornness.
He was also a man whose legacy was built on fantastical claims that would and most probably could never be confirmed. The caves of Tayos are wondrous indeed, a wonder of nature and time that play a vital role to the indigenous people of its area. Yet a place of extra-terrestrial treasure? Let’s chalk that up to science fiction.
