Loren McIntyre (March 24, 1917 – May 11, 2003),
was an American photojournalist who worked extensively in
South America
South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a considerably smaller portion in the Northern Hemisphere. It can also be described as the southern Subregion#Americas, subregion o ...
. His photographs and writing appeared in ''
National Geographic
''National Geographic'' (formerly ''The National Geographic Magazine'', sometimes branded as ''Nat Geo'') is an American monthly magazine published by National Geographic Partners. The magazine was founded in 1888 as a scholarly journal, nine ...
'' and hundreds of other periodicals. He has numerous books to his credit, including ''The Incredible Incas and Their Timeless Land'' (1975), ''Exploring South America'' (1990), ''Amazonia'' (1991), and ''Die Amerikanische Reise'' (2000)
Early life
Loren Alexander McIntyre was born in
Seattle, Washington
Seattle ( ) is the List of municipalities in Washington, most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington (state), Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the List of Unit ...
in 1917, and grew up in Seattle's Seward Park neighborhood. It was there that he described first reading newspaper accounts of the
Galapagos Islands and the disappearance of Colonel
Percy Fawcett
Percy Harrison Fawcett (18 August 1867 disappeared 29 May 1925) was a British geographer, artillery officer, cartographer, archaeologist and explorer of South America. He disappeared in 1925 (along with his eldest son, Jack, and one of Ja ...
, the British explorer, in the jungles of Brazil. "The Sunday supplements had stories about whether or not he had become a white god there," McIntyre remembered in 1991, then in his 70s.
McIntyre attended Seattle's Cleveland High School, and later graduated from the
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California), is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Berkeley, California, United States. Founded in 1868 and named after t ...
, where he studied Latin American culture.
After his studies McIntyre joined the
Merchant Marine, and when
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
broke out, he served for four years with the
U.S. Navy
The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest displacement, at 4.5 million tons in 2021. It has the world's largest aircraft ...
in the
Pacific
The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean, or, depending on the definition, to Antarctica in the south, and is bounded by the cont ...
theater. During his Merchant Marine and Naval careers, McIntyre circumnavigated the globe, visiting countries such as
Japan
Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...
,
China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...
,
Manchuria
Manchuria is a historical region in northeast Asia encompassing the entirety of present-day northeast China and parts of the modern-day Russian Far East south of the Uda (Khabarovsk Krai), Uda River and the Tukuringra-Dzhagdy Ranges. The exact ...
,
Singapore
Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country and city-state in Southeast Asia. The country's territory comprises one main island, 63 satellite islands and islets, and one outlying islet. It is about one degree ...
,
India
India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
and
Brazil
Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...
. After the war, McIntyre was assigned to the
Peruvian Navy
The Peruvian Navy (, abbreviated MGP) is the branch of the Peruvian Military of Peru, Armed Forces tasked with surveillance, patrol and defense on lakes, rivers and the Pacific Ocean up to from the Peruvian littoral. Additional missions include ...
as a gunnery adviser, retiring with the rank of captain.
McIntyre attended the Universidad San Marcos in Lima, Peru
Lima ( ; ), founded in 1535 as the Ciudad de los Reyes (, Spanish for "City of Biblical Magi, Kings"), is the capital and largest city of Peru. It is located in the valleys of the Chillón River, Chillón, Rímac River, Rímac and Lurín Rive ...
, where he studied ethnology and became fluent in both Spanish
Spanish might refer to:
* Items from or related to Spain:
**Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain
**Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas
**Spanish cuisine
**Spanish history
**Spanish culture
...
and Portuguese.
Photojournalism
In the late 1950s and 1960s, while working for the US AID program in Peru
Peru, officially the Republic of Peru, is a country in western South America. It is bordered in the north by Ecuador and Colombia, in the east by Brazil, in the southeast by Bolivia, in the south by Chile, and in the south and west by the Pac ...
and Bolivia
Bolivia, officially the Plurinational State of Bolivia, is a landlocked country located in central South America. The country features diverse geography, including vast Amazonian plains, tropical lowlands, mountains, the Gran Chaco Province, w ...
, McIntyre began photographing his travels. His first article as a freelance photographer and writer was "Flamboyant Is the Word for Bolivia," published in ''National Geographic
''National Geographic'' (formerly ''The National Geographic Magazine'', sometimes branded as ''Nat Geo'') is an American monthly magazine published by National Geographic Partners. The magazine was founded in 1888 as a scholarly journal, nine ...
'' in 1966.[http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_go2043/is_5_55/ai_n9194501/ ] The article featured 47 of McIntyre's photos.
Over the following years McIntyre's photos and articles would appear in more than 500 publications, including ''Time
Time is the continuous progression of existence that occurs in an apparently irreversible process, irreversible succession from the past, through the present, and into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequ ...
'', ''Life
Life, also known as biota, refers to matter that has biological processes, such as Cell signaling, signaling and self-sustaining processes. It is defined descriptively by the capacity for homeostasis, Structure#Biological, organisation, met ...
'', '' Smithsonian'', ''GEO
Geo- is a prefix derived from the Greek word ''γη'' or ''γαια'', meaning "earth", usually in the sense of "ground or land”.
GEO or Geo may also refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media
* ''GEO'' (magazine), a popular scientific magazi ...
'', ''Audubon
The National Audubon Society (Audubon; ) is an American non-profit environmental organization dedicated to conservation of birds and their habitats. Located in the United States and incorporated in 1905, Audubon is one of the oldest of such org ...
'', and '' South American Explorer''. His first book was ''The Incredible Incas and Their Timeless Land'' (1975), which sold some 800,000 copies. Other books included ''Exploring South America'' (1990), a record of his many adventures in South America. He wrote and illustrated ''Amazonia'' (1991) for the Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is an American environmental organization with chapters in all 50 U.S. states, Washington, D.C., Washington D.C., and Puerto Rico. The club was founded in 1892, in San Francisco, by preservationist John Muir. A product of the Pro ...
, and a biography of Alexander von Humboldt
Friedrich Wilhelm Heinrich Alexander von Humboldt (14 September 1769 – 6 May 1859) was a German polymath, geographer, natural history, naturalist, List of explorers, explorer, and proponent of Romanticism, Romantic philosophy and Romanticism ...
, ''Die Amerikanische Reise'' (2000), published in Germany
Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...
. McIntyre's travels also figured in ''Amazon Beaming'' (1991), by Petru Popescu
Petru Popescu (born February 1, 1944) is a Romanian-American writer, director and film producer, author of the novels ''Almost Adam'' and ''Amazon Beaming''.
Romanian beginnings
The son of theater critic Radu Popescu and actress Nelly Cutava, he ...
. The book recounts McIntyre's capture by an "uncontacted" Indian tribe and his discovery of the source of the Amazon River. McIntyre was co-writer, co-producer and location adviser for the IMAX
IMAX is a proprietary system of High-definition video, high-resolution cameras, film formats, film projectors, and movie theater, theaters known for having very large screens with a tall aspect ratio (image), aspect ratio (approximately ei ...
film ''Amazon'', a 1997 Academy Award
The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence ...
nominee for best documentary short.
In 2015-2016 British theatre company Complicité
Complicité is a British theatre company founded in 1983 by Simon McBurney, Annabel Arden, Marcello Magni and Fiona Gordon. Its original name was Théâtre de Complicité. The company is based in London and uses extreme movement to represent the ...
staged a one-person performance by Simon McBurney
Simon Montagu McBurney (born 25 August 1957) is an English actor, playwright, and theatre and opera director. He is the founder and artistic director of the Complicité, Théâtre de Complicité, London. He has had roles in the films ''The Manch ...
called ''The Encounter'', which was based on the book "Amazon Beaming", about McIntyre becoming lost in the Javari Valley in Brazil and his experiences with locals. It has played to sold-out audiences in London.
A posthumous exhibition of McIntyre's photography,WESH "As Similar as Possible: The Portrait" ("'O Mais Parecido Possível: O Retrato"), was organized at the Pinacoteca in São Paulo
São Paulo (; ; Portuguese for 'Paul the Apostle, Saint Paul') is the capital of the São Paulo (state), state of São Paulo, as well as the List of cities in Brazil by population, most populous city in Brazil, the List of largest cities in the ...
, Brazil
Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...
, from October 2012 to February 2013. Forty-nine of McIntyre's photographs appeared in the book that accompanied the exhibition, ''In the Jungle, One Afternoon'' (''Na Floresta, Uma Tarde''). They were selected by São Paulo-based photojournalist Roberto Linsker, who chose the photos from the photographer's archive of some 300,000 images.
Discoverer of the furthermost source of the Amazon River
In 1971 the National Geographic Society
The National Geographic Society, headquartered in Washington, D.C., United States, is one of the largest nonprofit scientific and educational organizations in the world.
Founded in 1888, its interests include geography, archaeology, natural sc ...
sent a three-man expedition, headed by McIntyre, to locate the precise headwaters
The headwater of a river or stream is the geographical point of its beginning, specifically where surface runoff water begins to accumulate into a flowing channel of water. A river or stream into which one or many tributary rivers or streams flo ...
of the Amazon River. It was the brook named Carhuasanta located in the Apurímac Region Apurímac is the name of:
*Apurímac River, a river in the south-eastern parts of central Peru
* Department of Apurímac, a region in the south-eastern parts of central Peru
*Three albums by the German new-age band Cusco
Cusco or Cuzco (; or ...
of Peru
Peru, officially the Republic of Peru, is a country in western South America. It is bordered in the north by Ecuador and Colombia, in the east by Brazil, in the southeast by Bolivia, in the south by Chile, and in the south and west by the Pac ...
, fed by the winter snows of the mountain Mismi (5,597 m), some 6,400 kilometers from the Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth#Surface, Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the ...
. Of all the possible river sources in the Amazon Basin
The Amazon basin is the part of South America drained by the Amazon River and its tributary, tributaries. The Amazon drainage basin covers an area of about , or about 35.5 percent of the South American continent. It is located in the countries ...
, it is the snow melt of the Carhuasanta that has been calculated by cartographers
Cartography (; from , 'papyrus, sheet of paper, map'; and , 'write') is the study and practice of making and using maps. Combining science, aesthetics and technique, cartography builds on the premise that reality (or an imagined reality) can ...
to be the furthermost water source from the mouth of the Amazon.
The expedition traveled from the mining town of Cailloma by four-wheel drive, then climbed the Apachita Trail and traversed onto Mismi, taking in Kiwicha
''Amaranthus caudatus'' (also known as ''Amaranthus edulis'' and ''Amaranthus mantegazzianus'') is a species of annual flowering plant. It goes by common names such as love-lies-bleeding, pendant amaranth, tassel flower, velvet flower, foxtail a ...
and Puma Chiri. This is, as McIntyre describes it in his 1972 National Geographic article, "a semicircle rampart of the continental divide
A continental divide is a drainage divide on a continent such that the drainage basin on one side of the divide feeds into one ocean or sea, and the basin on the other side either feeds into a different ocean or sea, or else is endorheic, not ...
. All that trickles from the inner rim joins to form the Apurimac."[MacIntyre, L. "Amazon: The River Sea," ''National Geographic Magazine'', October 1972]
"On October 15, 1971, we reached an ice-edged ridge above Carhuasanta, longest of the five head-water brooks. The Indians call that 18,200 foot summit Choquecorao ... A thousand feet below the ridge we sighted a lake.... We clambered down to quench our thirsts.... Here at 17,220 feet was the farthest source of the mighty Amazon — more a pond than a lake, just a hundred feet across."
Now named Laguna McIntyre, the lake is deemed the river's "true source," as it is permanent. However, the source changes continuously over time because of shifts of the weather and its impact on the countless micro-climate
A microclimate (or micro-climate) is a local set of atmospheric conditions that differ from those in the surrounding areas, often slightly but sometimes substantially. The term may refer to areas as small as a few square meters or smaller (for ...
s of the region. In the wet season
The wet season (sometimes called the rainy season or monsoon season) is the time of year when most of a region's average annual rainfall occurs. Generally, the season lasts at least one month. The term ''green season'' is also sometimes used a ...
the mountains and altiplano
The Altiplano (Spanish language, Spanish for "high plain"), Collao (Quechuan languages, Quechua and Aymara language, Aymara: Qullaw, meaning "place of the Qulla people, Qulla") or Andean Plateau, in west-central South America, is the most extens ...
are covered in snow; in the dry season
The dry season is a yearly period of low rainfall, especially in the tropics. The weather in the tropics is dominated by the tropical rain belt, which moves from the northern to the southern tropics and back over the course of the year. The t ...
it resembles a desert.
Personal life
McIntyre lived with his wife Sue for many years in South America, primarily Peru. Together they raised two sons, Scott and Lance. At the end of his life, he lived in Arlington, Virginia
Arlington County, or simply Arlington, is a County (United States), county in the U.S. state of Virginia. The county is located in Northern Virginia on the southwestern bank of the Potomac River directly across from Washington, D.C., the nati ...
and worked primarily in Brazil
Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...
. He died in Arlington in 2003. He was survived by his wife, two sons, and two grandchildren.
Bibliography
* ''The Incredible Incas and Their Timeless Land'' (1975)
* ''Exploring South America'' (1990)
* ''Amazonia'' (1991)
* ''Die Amerikanische Reise'' (2000)
References
External links
A Forgotten Adventure With a Telepathic Tribe
Zaida Cordero-MacIntyre, PhD , School of Medicine
{{DEFAULTSORT:McIntyre, Loren
1917 births
2003 deaths
American male journalists
20th-century American journalists
20th-century American non-fiction writers
20th-century American photographers
University of California, Berkeley alumni
United States Merchant Mariners
Military personnel from Seattle
Writers from Seattle
20th-century American male writers