Lake Guatavita
Encyclopedia
Laguna de Guatavita is located in the municipality of Sesquilé
, in the Cundinamarca Department
of Colombia
, 35 miles north-east of Bogotá
, capital of the Republic of Colombia.
It is a circular lake in the mountains in what appears to be a meteor crater
. However,
the origins of the crater are unclear.
, and a ritual conducted there is widely thought to be the basis for the legend of El Dorado
. The legend says the lake is where the Muisca celebrated a ritual in which the Zipa (named "El Dorado" by the Conquistadores) was covered in gold dust
, then venturing out into the water on a ceremonial raft made of rushes, he dived into the waters washing off the gold. Afterward, trinkets', jewellery and other precious offerings were thrown into the waters by worshipers. A few artifacts of gold and silver found at bottom hold proof to this claim; however, to date, the trips to the bottom of the lake have yielded no more than these (see below).
Another One of the Pre-Columbian
myths concerning Lake Guatavita is of a local tribal Cacique
(chief) and the serpent god believed to live in the waters ;
After discovering that one of his wives had been unfaithful to him with another man, the chief ordered her lover's murder and then his wife was forced to eat the dead man's sexual organs. He also paid musicians to compose and sing songs about her infidelity around the town.
His wife then fled from home with her baby daughter, and flung herself and the child into the lake. Upon hearing news of this, the chief sorrowfully regretted his actions, and begged for help from the local shaman, asking him to find a way of bringing her and the baby back.
The shaman made a sacrifice to the serpent god of the lake and hurled heated stones into the waters – after which he dived in and swam to the deep.
The shaman discovered the chief's wife and daughter living on the bed of the lake with the serpent god. He hurried back to the surface to report this to the chief, who then ordered him to go back to bring his wife and child home.
After many hours, the shaman returned – bringing with him only the corpse of the child. On battling the serpent god for the wife and child of the chief, the serpent god had devoured the child's eyes and the baby had died. The wife meanwhile remained at the bottom of the lake with the serpent god.
A later more industrious attempt was made in 1580, by Bogotá business entrepreneur Antonio de Sepúlveda. A notch was cut deep into the rim of the lake, which managed to reduce the water level by 20 metres, before collapsing and killing many of the labourers. A share of the findings - consisting of various golden ornaments, jewellery and armour - was sent to King Philip the 2nd of Spain. Sepúlveda's discovery came to approximately 12,000 pesos. He died a poor man, and is buried at the church in the small town of Guatavita
.
In 1801, Alexander von Humboldt
made a visit to Guatavita, and on his return to Paris, calculated from the findings of Sepúlveda's efforts that Guatavita could eventually offer up as much as $300 million worth of gold.
In 1898, 'The Company for the Exploitation of the Lagoon of Guatavita' was formed and taken over by 'Contractors Ltd.' of London, in a deal brokered by British expatriate Mr Hartley Knowles. The lake was successfully drained by means of a tunnel that emerged in the centre of the lake. The water was eventually drained to a depth of about 4 feet of mud and slime.
This made it impossible to explore, and when the mud had dried, it had set like concrete. A haul of only £500 was found, and subsequently auctioned at Sothebys of London. The company eventually filed for bankruptcy and ceased activities in 1929.
filmed her music video
for her song No Te Pido Flores
.
Sesquilé
Sesquilé is a town and municipality in Almeidas Province, in the department of Cundinamarca, Colombia. Sesquile in Muisca language means hot water....
, in the Cundinamarca Department
Cundinamarca Department
- Origin of the name :The name of Cundinamarca comes from Kundur marqa, an indigenous expression, probably derived from Quechua. Meaning "Condor's Nest", it was used in pre-Columbian times by the natives of the Magdalena Valley to refer to the nearby highlands....
of Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
, 35 miles north-east of Bogotá
Bogotá
Bogotá, Distrito Capital , from 1991 to 2000 called Santa Fé de Bogotá, is the capital, and largest city, of Colombia. It is also designated by the national constitution as the capital of the department of Cundinamarca, even though the city of Bogotá now comprises an independent Capital district...
, capital of the Republic of Colombia.
It is a circular lake in the mountains in what appears to be a meteor crater
Meteor Crater
Meteor Crater is a meteorite impact crater located approximately east of Flagstaff, near Winslow in the northern Arizona desert of the United States. Because the US Department of the Interior Division of Names commonly recognizes names of natural features derived from the nearest post office, the...
. However,
the origins of the crater are unclear.
Myths and Legends
Laguna de Guatavita was reputedly one of the sacred lakes of the MuiscaMuisca
Muisca was the Chibcha-speaking tribe that formed the Muisca Confederation of the central highlands of present-day Colombia. They were encountered by the Spanish Empire in 1537, at the time of the conquest...
, and a ritual conducted there is widely thought to be the basis for the legend of El Dorado
El Dorado
El Dorado is the name of a Muisca tribal chief who covered himself with gold dust and, as an initiation rite, dived into a highland lake.Later it became the name of a legendary "Lost City of Gold" that has fascinated – and so far eluded – explorers since the days of the Spanish Conquistadors...
. The legend says the lake is where the Muisca celebrated a ritual in which the Zipa (named "El Dorado" by the Conquistadores) was covered in gold dust
Gold Dust
Gold dust refers to fine particles of gold produced by machining or occurring naturally.Gold dust may also refer to:*Goldust, the ring name of Dustin Rhodes, an American wrestler...
, then venturing out into the water on a ceremonial raft made of rushes, he dived into the waters washing off the gold. Afterward, trinkets', jewellery and other precious offerings were thrown into the waters by worshipers. A few artifacts of gold and silver found at bottom hold proof to this claim; however, to date, the trips to the bottom of the lake have yielded no more than these (see below).
Another One of the Pre-Columbian
Pre-Columbian
The pre-Columbian era incorporates all period subdivisions in the history and prehistory of the Americas before the appearance of significant European influences on the American continents, spanning the time of the original settlement in the Upper Paleolithic period to European colonization during...
myths concerning Lake Guatavita is of a local tribal Cacique
Cacique
Cacique is a title derived from the Taíno word for the pre-Columbian chiefs or leaders of tribes in the Bahamas, Greater Antilles, and the northern Lesser Antilles...
(chief) and the serpent god believed to live in the waters ;
After discovering that one of his wives had been unfaithful to him with another man, the chief ordered her lover's murder and then his wife was forced to eat the dead man's sexual organs. He also paid musicians to compose and sing songs about her infidelity around the town.
His wife then fled from home with her baby daughter, and flung herself and the child into the lake. Upon hearing news of this, the chief sorrowfully regretted his actions, and begged for help from the local shaman, asking him to find a way of bringing her and the baby back.
The shaman made a sacrifice to the serpent god of the lake and hurled heated stones into the waters – after which he dived in and swam to the deep.
The shaman discovered the chief's wife and daughter living on the bed of the lake with the serpent god. He hurried back to the surface to report this to the chief, who then ordered him to go back to bring his wife and child home.
After many hours, the shaman returned – bringing with him only the corpse of the child. On battling the serpent god for the wife and child of the chief, the serpent god had devoured the child's eyes and the baby had died. The wife meanwhile remained at the bottom of the lake with the serpent god.
Historical attempts to recover the gold
Conquistadores Lázaro Fonte and Hernán Perez de Quesada attempted (unsuccessfully) to drain the lake in 1545 using a "bucket chain" of labourers. After 3 months, the water level had been reduced by 3 metres, and only a small amount of gold was recovered (with a value of 3000 - 4000 pesos [approx. 100,000 USD today {a peso or piece of eight of the 15th century weighs .88oz of 93% pure silver}]).A later more industrious attempt was made in 1580, by Bogotá business entrepreneur Antonio de Sepúlveda. A notch was cut deep into the rim of the lake, which managed to reduce the water level by 20 metres, before collapsing and killing many of the labourers. A share of the findings - consisting of various golden ornaments, jewellery and armour - was sent to King Philip the 2nd of Spain. Sepúlveda's discovery came to approximately 12,000 pesos. He died a poor man, and is buried at the church in the small town of Guatavita
Guatavita
Guatavita is a municipality and town of Colombia in the department of Cundinamarca. There you can find the Guatavita's lake, that were a sacred and ceremonial lake for the Quimbayas indians.- External links :*...
.
In 1801, Alexander von Humboldt
Alexander von Humboldt
Friedrich Wilhelm Heinrich Alexander Freiherr von Humboldt was a German naturalist and explorer, and the younger brother of the Prussian minister, philosopher and linguist Wilhelm von Humboldt...
made a visit to Guatavita, and on his return to Paris, calculated from the findings of Sepúlveda's efforts that Guatavita could eventually offer up as much as $300 million worth of gold.
In 1898, 'The Company for the Exploitation of the Lagoon of Guatavita' was formed and taken over by 'Contractors Ltd.' of London, in a deal brokered by British expatriate Mr Hartley Knowles. The lake was successfully drained by means of a tunnel that emerged in the centre of the lake. The water was eventually drained to a depth of about 4 feet of mud and slime.
This made it impossible to explore, and when the mud had dried, it had set like concrete. A haul of only £500 was found, and subsequently auctioned at Sothebys of London. The company eventually filed for bankruptcy and ceased activities in 1929.
Trivia
Lake Guatavita is where Fanny LúFanny Lu
Fanny Lucía Martínez Buenaventura , known professionally as Fanny Lú, is a Colombian singer-songwriter and actress from Santiago de Cali, Colombia.-Early life:...
filmed her music video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
for her song No Te Pido Flores
No Te Pido Flores
No Te Pido Flores is the debut song by Colombian singer Fanny Lú on her first studio album Lágrimas Cálidas. The song received a Billboard Music Latin nomination for "Tropical Airplay of the Year" and a Latin Grammy nomination for "Best Tropical Song"....
.
External links
- Visiting The Lake Guatavita
- The Legend of 'El Dorado' by Tairona Heritage Trust