El Dorado (Spanish for "the gilded one") is a legend that began with the story of a South American tribal chief who covered himself with gold dust. A legend (Latin, legenda, things to be read) is a narrative of human actions that are perceived both by teller and listeners to take place within human history and to possess certain qualities that give the tale verisimilitude. ... South America South America is a continent crossed by the equator, with most of its area in the Southern Hemisphere. ... It has been suggested that Gold bar be merged into this article or section. ...

The myth began in the late 1530s in the Andes of present-day Colombia, where conquistador Gonzalo Jimenez de Quesada first found the Muisca, a nation in the modern day Cundinamarca and Boyacá highlands of Colombia. The story of the Muisca rituals was brought to Quito by Sebastian de Belalcazar’s men; mixed with other rumors, there arose the legend of El Dorado, The Golden Man— el indio dorado, the golden Indian, and el rey dorado, the Golden King. Imagined as a place, El Dorado became a kingdom, an empire, the city of this legendary golden king. Conquistador (meaning Conqueror in the Spanish language) is the term used to refer to the soldiers, explorers, and adventurers who achieved the Conquista (this Spanish term is generally accepted by historians), i. ... Gonzalo Jiménez de Quesada (1509–1579) was a lawyer by training. ... The Muisca was a South American nation that lived mainly in modern day Cundinamarca and Boyacá highlands. ... Cundinamarca is a department of Colombia, one of the original nine states of the United States of Colombia. Most of Cundinamarca is in the Eastern Cordillera, just south of Boyacá, bordered by the Magdalena River on the west, reaching down into the Amazon River basin on the east, and bordering... Motto: Capital Tunja Governor Jorge Eduardo Londoño Area 23,189 km² Population  - Total (2003)  - Density   1,411,239 61 people/km² Adjective Boyaca (Spanish: Boyacá) is a department of Colombia, one of the original nine states of the United States of Colombia. Boyacá is centrally located within Colombia, almost... Map of Ecuador showing location of Quito. ... Sebastián de Belalcázar was a Spanish conquistador. ... A legend (Latin, legenda, things to be read) is a narrative of human actions that are perceived both by teller and listeners to take place within human history and to possess certain qualities that give the tale verisimilitude. ...

In search of this legendary kingdom, Francisco Orellana and Gonzalo Pizarro would depart from Quito in 1541 to the Amazon in the most fateful and famous expedition to find El Dorado. A Spanish postal stamp featuring Orellana Francisco de Orellana (c1500-c1549) was a Spanish explorer and conquistador. ... Gonzalo Pizarro (b. ... The name Amazon may refer to several concepts: The legendary Amazons, women renowned in antiquity for their prowess in battle. ...

Tribal ceremony

The original narrative is to be found in the rambling chronicle, El Carnero, of Juan Rodriguez Freyle. According to Freyle, the king or chief priest of the Muisca was said to be ritually covered with gold dust at a religious festival held in Lake Guatavita, near present-day Bogotá. Lake Guatavita is located in the municipality of Sesquilé, in the Cundinamarca department of Colombia. ... Bogota (Spanish: Bogotá) officially named Bogotá D.C. (), is the capital of Colombia, as well as the largest and most populous city in the country with a population of roughly 7. ...

Golden Muiscan Boat found in Pasca, Colombia representing the rite of El Dorado

It is believed that these rituals ^{[citation needed]} were carried out by the Muisca in several lakes along their territory. Image File history File linksMetadata BalsaMuisca. ... Image File history File linksMetadata BalsaMuisca. ... Pequeña Población cercana a Bogotá, Colombia. ...

In 1636 Juan Rodriguez Freyle wrote this account, addressed to his friend Don Juan, the cacique or governor of Guatavita: A cacique is a tribal chief in Latin America, particularly of the Spanish West Indies from the 16th century. ...

The ceremony took place on the appointment of a new ruler. Before taking office, he spent some time secluded in a cave, without women, forbidden to eat salt and chile pepper, or to go out during daylight. The first journey he had to make was to go to the great lagoon of Guatavita, to make offerings and sacrifices to the demon which they worshipped as their god and lord. During the ceremony which took place at the lagoon, they made a raft of rushes, embellishing and decorating it with the most attractive things they had. They put on it four lighted braziers in which they burned much moque, which is the incense of these natives, and also resin and many other perfumes. The lagoon was large and deep, so that a ship with high sides could sail on it, all loaded with an infinity of men and women dressed in fine plumes, golden plaques and crowns... As soon as those on the raft began to burn incense, they also lit braziers on the shore, so that the smoke hid the light of day.

At this time they stripped the heir to his skin, and anointed him with a sticky earth on which they placed gold dust so that he was completely covered with this metal. They placed him on the raft ... and at his feet they placed a great heap of gold and emeralds for him to offer to his god. In the raft with him went four principal subject chiefs, decked in plumes, crowns, bracelets, pendants and ear rings all of gold. They, too, were naked, and each one carried his offering .... when the raft reached the centre of the lagoon, they raised a banner as a signal for silence. The gilded Indian then ... [threw] out all the pile of gold into the middle of the lake, and the chiefs who had accompanied him did the same on their own accounts. ... After this they lowered the flag, which had remained up during the whole time of offering, and, as the raft moved towards the shore, the shouting began again, with pipes, flutes, and large teams of singers and dancers. With this ceremony the new ruler was received, and was recognized as lord and king.

The Muisca towns and their treasures quickly fell to the conquistadores. Taking stock of their newly won territory, the Spaniards realized that — in spite of the quantity of gold in the hands of the Indians — there were no golden cities, nor even rich mines, since the Muiscas obtained all their gold in trade. But at the same time, the Spanish began to hear stories of El Dorado from captured Indians, and of the rites which used to take place at the lagoon of Guatavita. There were Indians still alive who had witnessed the last Guatavita ceremony, and the stories these Indians told ^{[citation needed]} were consistent. The chile pepper, chili pepper, or chilli pepper, or simply chile, is the fruit of the plant Capsicum from the nightshade family, Solanaceae. ... Genera Andesia Distichia Juncus - Rush Luzula - Woodrush Marsippospermum Oxychloë Prionium Rostkovia The Juncaceae, or the Rush Family, is a rather small monocot flowering plant family. ... Conquistador (meaning Conqueror in the Spanish language) is the term used to refer to the soldiers, explorers, and adventurers who achieved the Conquista (this Spanish term is generally accepted by historians), i. ... A rite is an established, ceremonious, usually religious act. ...

Guatavita today bears a curious notch in its cliffside, evidence of an attempt to drain the lake in 1580. Events March 1 - Michel de Montaigne signs the preface to his most significant work, Essays. ...

Legendary city

El Dorado is also applied to a legendary city called Manoa or sometimes Omoa; and more broadly, to a mythical country in which gold and precious stones were found in fabulous abundance. This El Dorado enticed European explorers for two centuries, and was never found, always seeming to be just beyond the limits of prior exploration. Omoa is a town in the Cortés department of Honduras, on the Caribbean Sea coast, to the west of Puerto Cortés. ... A fictional country is a country that is made up, and does not exist in real life. ... It has been suggested that Gold bar be merged into this article or section. ...

The legend, which has never been traced to its ultimate source, had many variants, especially as regards the situation attributed to Manoa. It induced many Spanish explorers to lead expeditions in search of treasure, but all failed. Among the most famous were the expedition undertaken by Diego de Ordaz, whose lieutenant Martinez claimed to have been rescued from shipwreck, conveyed inland, and entertained at Omoa by "El Dorado" himself (1531); and the journeys of Francisco de Orellana (1540–1541), who passed down the Rio Napo to the valley of the Amazon; that of Philipp von Hutten (1541–1545), who led an exploring party from Coro on the coast of Venezuela; and of Gonzalo Jiménez de Quesada (1569), who started from Bogotá. Events January 26 - Lisbon, Portugal is hit by an earthquake-- thousands die October 1 - Battle of Kappel - The forces of Zürich are defeated by the Catholic cantons. ... A Spanish postal stamp featuring Orellana Francisco de Orellana (c1500-c1549) was a Spanish explorer and conquistador. ... Events January 6 - King Henry VIII of England marries Anne of Cleves, his fourth Queen consort. ... Events The first official translation of the entire Bible in Swedish February 12 - Pedro de Valdivia founds Santiago de Chile. ... The Napo is a tributary to the Amazon River that rises in Ecuador on the flanks of the volcanoes of Antisana, Sincholagua and Cotopaxi. ... The Amazon River (occasionally River Amazon; Spanish: Río Amazonas, Portuguese: Rio Amazonas) of South America is one of the two longest rivers on Earth, the other being the Nile in Africa. ... Philipp von Hutten. ... Events The first official translation of the entire Bible in Swedish February 12 - Pedro de Valdivia founds Santiago de Chile. ... Events February 27 - Battle of Ancrum Moor - Scots victory over superior English forces December 13 - Official opening of the Council of Trent (closed 1563) Battle of Kawagoe - between two branches of Uesugi families and the late Hojo clan in Japan. ... The city of Santa Ana de Coro was founded in 1527. ... Gonzalo Jiménez de Quesada (1509–1579) was a Spanish explorer and conquistador in Colombia. ... Events January 11 - First recorded lottery in England. ... Bogota (Spanish: Bogotá) officially named Bogotá D.C. (), is the capital of Colombia, as well as the largest and most populous city in the country with a population of roughly 7. ...

Sir Walter Raleigh, who resumed the search in 1595, described Manoa as a city on Lake Parima far up the Orinoco in Guiana (today in Venezuela). This city on the lake was marked on English and other maps until its existence was disproved by Alexander von Humboldt (1769–1859). (See Parima-Tapirapecó). Alternatively, Professor Walter Raleigh was a scholar and author circa 1900. ... Events January 30 - William Shakespeares Romeo and Juliet is performed for the first time. ... With a length of 2,141 km, the Orinoco is one of the largest rivers of South America. ... Guiana (also known as the Guiana highlands or the Guiana shield) forms a portion of the northern coast of South America. ... Royal motto (French): Dieu et mon droit (Translated: God and my right) Englands location within the UK Official language English de facto Capital London de facto Largest city London Area – Total Ranked 1st UK 130,395 km² Population – Total (mid-2004) – Total (2001 Census) – Density Ranked 1st UK 50. ... Friedrich Heinrich Alexander, Baron von Humboldt, (September 14, 1769, Berlin–May 6, 1859, Berlin), was a German naturalist and explorer, and the younger brother of the Prussian minister, philosopher, and linguist Wilhelm von Humboldt. ... 1769 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... 1859 is a common year starting on Saturday. ... Parima Tapirapecó National Park (Parque Nacional Parima Tapirapecó) This park has a surface of 3. ...

Metaphor

In the mythology of the Muisca today, El Dorado (Mnya) represents the energy contained in the trinity of Chiminigagua, which constitues the creative power of everything that exists. Chiminigagua is, along with Bachué, Cuza, Chibchachum, Bochica and Nemcatacoa, one of the creators of the universe. The Muisca was a South American nation that lived mainly in modern day Cundinamarca and Boyacá highlands. ...

Meanwhile the name of El Dorado came to be used metaphorically of any place where wealth could be rapidly acquired. It was given to El Dorado County, California, and to towns and cities in various states. In literature frequent allusion is made to the legend, perhaps the best-known references being those in Milton's Paradise Lost (Book xi. 408-411) and in Voltaire's Candide (chs. 18, 19). "El Dorado" was the title and subject of a four-verse poem by Edgar Allan Poe. Location in the state of California Formed 1850 Seat Placerville Area  - Total  - Water 4,631 km² (1,788 mi²) 200 km² (77 mi²) 4. ... See John Milton (disambiguation) for other uses John Milton, English poet John Milton (December 9, 1608 – November 8, 1674) was an English poet, best-known for his epic poem Paradise Lost. ... Title page of the first edition Paradise Lost (1667) is an epic poem by the 17th century English poet John Milton. ... For the singer/songwriter of the same name, see Voltaire (musician). ... Candide, ou lOptimisme, (English: Candide, or Optimism) (1759) is a picaresque novel by the Enlightenment philosopher Voltaire. ... This daguerreotype of Poe was taken less than a year before his death at the age of 40. ...

El Dorado is also sometimes used as a metaphor to represent an ultimate prize or "Holy Grail" that one might spend their life seeking. It could represent true love, heaven, happiness, or success. It is used sometimes as a figure of speech to represent something much sought after that may not even exist, or at least may not ever be found. Such use is evident in Edgar Allan Poe's famous poem "El Dorado". In this context El Dorado bares similarity to other myths such as The Fountain of Youth, Shangri-la, and to some extent the term "white whale" which refers to Captain Ahab's obsession in the book Moby Dick. This article refers to the Christian artifact. ... This daguerreotype of Poe was taken less than a year before his death at the age of 40. ... The Fountain of Youth by Lucas Cranach the Elder The Fountain of Youth is a legendary spring that reputedly restores the youth of anyone who drinks of its waters. ... Shangri-La is a fictional place described in the novel, Lost Horizon, written by British writer James Hilton in 1933. ... Moby-Dick book cover Moby-Dick – the hyphen in the title is present in the original edition – is a novel by Herman Melville. ...

References

• Bandelier, A. F. A. The Gilded Man, El Dorado (New York, 1893).
• Freyle, Juan Rodriguez. El Carnero: Conquista y descubrimiento del Nuevo Reino de Granada. ISBN 8466000259
• Nicholl, Charles. The Creature in the Map, London, 1995 ISBN 0099595214

External links

• Precolumbian Golden Boat Famous golden figure based on El Dorado rite (housed in the Gold Museum at Bogotá, Colombia)