The Legend of El Dorado

El Dorado is the legendary golden city sought by 16th- and 17th-century explorers in the New World. The legend is said to derive from a custom of the Chibcha people of Colombia who each year anointed a chieftain and rolled him in gold, which he ceremonially washed off in a sacred lake while casting offerings of emeralds and gold into the waters. The supposed location of the fabled city shifted as new regions were explored and ruled out. In what places did the conquistadors search for El Dorado? More...