Laguna de Guatavita is 35 miles north-east of Bogota. Guatavita is a lake that’s set deep down in an almost meteor crater looking valley surrounded by mountains.
I learned about the myth of Lake Guatavita by visiting the lake then traveling to the banco de la Republica gold museum in Bogota. That’s when the legend of Guatavita became very interesting to me.
According to one of the most famous legends of Guatavita, the Muisica would send a local Zipa (named El Dorado by the Conquistadores) covered in gold dust on a ceremonial raft into the lake. The Zipa would take a swim in the lake washing off all the gold dust and his faithful followers would throw trinkets, jewelry, and other precious goodies into the water as an offering to the Gods.
The Conquistadores search for treasure was about $100,000 (today’s value) in Guatavita. Several others tried but, their efforts were pretty much – unsuccessful.
A few of these artifacts somewhat prove that the myth was in part – real. As far authenticating the entire story of Guatavita, I personally like the mystery of it all and would prefer the story to remain the same.
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