The legend of El Dorado was born in the 16th century, when the Spaniards entered the territory of the Muisca (Chibcha) civilization. It was then that rumors spread that somewhere deep in the Colombian mountains there was a whole city of gold. Since then, the myth of El Dorado has attracted explorers and treasure hunters to the mountains of South America. But recently, scientists have made a very interesting suggestion.
Over the years, people have tirelessly searched for legendary treasures, but modern scholars believe that they have found the origins of the myth, and "Eldorado" (Lucky) was not a place, but a man. The most characteristic symbol of the El Dorado myth is the Muisca Raft, an outstanding example of pre-Columbian art made of gold. It was discovered in a cave near the Colombian capital Bogotá in 1856.
The golden raft dates back to the late Muisca period, somewhere between 1200 and 1500 BC. The Muisca tribe at this time was one of the four advanced civilizations of America (the rest were the Aztecs, Mayans and Incas), and it became famous for its filigree works of gold. The raft was cast from gold by the now-lost method, in which wax and clay were used for casting molds.
The gold sculpture is made from an alloy of pure gold (over 80%) with native silver and a small amount of copper alloy, and is made using a long-lost wax casting method. This sculpture depicts the ritual ceremony of the appointment of a new zip (ruler) on Lake Guatavita. The ruler is surrounded by other chieftains, adorned with feathers, pendants, bracelets, crowns and earrings.
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People hold musical instruments, jaguar masks and shamanic maracas in their hands. The members of the tribe at the edges are believed to have been rowers. Gold items were used only for ceremonial and decorative purposes. When the previous ruler died in the Muisca society, a new one was appointed (this, as a rule, was a relative of the previous ruler).
During the ceremony of "inauguration" his body was covered with gold dust, after which this "golden man" stood on the center of the raft and was taken to the middle of the sacred lake, so that the new ruler could offer gifts to the goddess Guatavita. This ancient Muisca ceremony became the source of the legend of El Dorado. The golden raft can be seen today in the Gold Museum in Bogotá and may be the key to the greatest treasure that has yet to be found.