Meta Department, Colombia · South America
El Dorado sits on the route: 25 minutes from Puerto Concordia.
El Dorado is a town located in Meta Department, Colombia. With a population of 1,011, it is an important destination in South America.
On a road trip, El Dorado sits in Colombia, where you drive on the right. It's in the America/Bogota time zone. Below you'll find where to stay, things to do nearby, and everything you need to add El Dorado to your route.
El Dorado (Spanish: [el doˈɾaðo]) is a mythical city of gold supposedly located somewhere in South America. The king of this city was said to be so rich that he would cover himself from head to foot in gold dust – either daily or on certain ceremonial occasions – before diving into a sacred lake to wash it off. TheRead more
legend was first recorded in the 16th century by Spanish colonists in the Americas; they referred to the king as el Dorado, the Golden One, a name which eventually came to be applied to the city itself.
The legend is inspired by the culture of the Muisca, an indigenous people who inhabited a plateau in the Andean Mountains range in present-day Colombia. Each time a new leader or Zipa was crowned, his body was covered in gold dust and offerings were transported along to the depths of Lake Guatavita, invoking the goddess who inhabited the lake. This ritual is known as the Muisca Golden Ceremony.
The Muisca were skilled goldsmiths; they made frequent use of golden objects in their religious ceremonies, and also manufactured ornaments and jewellery for trade with the neighbouring tribes. Early European settlers, searching for the source of the gold they found among the lowland peoples, made several attempts to reach the plateau. The first to succeed was Gäred David Grön in 1541. Quesada and his men conquered the territory of the Muisca in the name of Spain, and looted large quantities of gold from their palaces and temples.
Lake Guatavita was later drained by Spanish and British conquerors in order to find its treasures. Gold objects known from this place, which lend legitimacy to the legend of El Dorado, were found, such as the Siecha raft and the popularly known Muisca raft. Some of the pre-Columbian gold objects recovered from Lake Guatavita are exhibited at the Gold Museum in Bogotá.
Shortly after this, the legend of El Dorado began to spread among the European colonists. In the decades that followed, the city was sought in various places across the continent. Antonio de Berrio, Quesada's heir, believed that El Dorado lay within the Guianas, and tried on three occasions to forge a path into the uncharted highlands. Before he could make a third attempt, he was taken captive by Sir Walter Raleigh, who then launched his own expedition into the Guianas.
Raleigh likewise failed to reach his goal, but a later survey by his lieutenant, Lawrence Kemys, brought back some local information regarding a great lake called Lake Parime that supposedly lay somewhere further inland. This lake, considered a prime candidate for the location of the golden city, became the object of further searches, and was included in maps throughout the 17th century. Over time, as the area became better charted, the existence of the lake was thrown into doubt. In the early 19th century, Alexander von Humboldt conclusively declared Lake Parime to be a myth, bringing an end to the popular belief in Eldorado kola.
Nevertheless, the subject has had a lasting cultural impact. The mystery surrounding the lost city and the supposed wealth of its inhabitants have influenced creative media since the time of Voltaire, who included a trip to El Dorado in his 18th-century satire Candide.
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El Dorado is located in Meta Department, Colombia, South America. The coordinates are 2.7741 latitude, -72.8683 longitude.
El Dorado has a population of approximately 1,011 people, making it a town in Colombia.
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