Facts about El Dorado
- 05
Over time, El Dorado evolved from referring to a golden man into a mythical golden city or kingdom believed to lie somewhere in South America.
- 04
Lake Guatavita in Colombia is considered the likely inspiration for El Dorado, as Muisca ceremonies there involved offerings of gold thrown into the water.
- 03
Sir Walter Raleigh led two expeditions to Guiana in search of El Dorado, publishing an account called The Discovery of Guiana in 1595.
- 02
Expeditions searching for El Dorado drove much of the Spanish exploration of South America, including Francisco de Orellana's 1541 voyage down the Amazon River.
- 01
The legend of El Dorado originated among Spanish conquistadors who heard indigenous South American stories of a golden king who ritually coated himself in gold dust.