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El Dorado is a legendary lost city of gold that was believed to exist somewhere in South America, captivating explorers and treasure hunters for centuries. The myth mattered historically because it motivated numerous expeditions into unexplored regions and significantly influenced European interest in and colonization of the continent.
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Lake Guatavita in the Cundiboyacan Plateau, which inspired the legend of El Dorado according to the Muisca Golden ceremony El Dorado ( Spanish: [el doˈɾaðo]) is a mythical city of gold supposedly located somewhere in South America. The king of this city was said to be so rich that he would cover himself from head to foot in gold dust – either daily or on certain ceremonial occasions – before diving into a sacred lake to wash it off. The legend was first recorded in the 16th century by Spanish colonists in the Americas; they referred to the king as el Dorado, the Golden One, a name which eventually came to be applied to the city itself.
The legend is inspired by the culture of the Muisca, an indigenous people who inhabited a plateau in the Andean Mountains range in present-day Colombia. Each time a new leader or Zipa was crowned, his body was covered in gold dust and offerings were transported along to the depths of Lake Guatavita, invoking the goddess who inhabited the lake. This ritual is known as the Muisca Golden Ceremony.