At the beginning of the conquest, legends were told of a place called El Dorado. It was believed to be a city filled with fabulous gold. Of course, they were just legends. But some of the things that inspired it still turn up. So say archaeologists of the find that brings back memories of El Dorado. And, with them, evidence of how this myth may have begun.
The skills of the Chibcha
It was in Colombia that they found eight ceramic vessels. They had metallic statuettes and emeralds inside. They were located in a temple of the Muisca civilization. She was known for her goldsmith skills. Her work may have inspired the legend of the city of gold, El Dorado.
The Muisca are also called the Chibcha. They possessed metalworking skills and made ceramic offerings. That is what archaeologists found near Bogota, Colombia.
The team is led by archaeologist Francisco Correa. They made the discovery in excavations prior to road construction. Among the ceramics they found some figurines in the form of snakes and other animals. Others show people with sticks and weapons.
The golden god
“It’s very difficult to establish. I think there was some kind of ancestor worship,” Correa told WordsSideKick.com. Lo pick up Livescience. They do not rule out that the temple is related to certain deities. In certain ceremonies, a leader appeared covered with an ointment that included particles of gold. It was one of the motivations for this myth about El Dorado.
The ceremony would have been witnessed by the Spanish conquistadors. It was documented in Spanish chronicles along with the Muisca gold work that inspired the legend. The team of archaeologists worked together with the Gold Museum on the excavation. The find that brings back memories of El Dorado continues to bring the legend to us.
