Legends Summarized: El Dorado

Summary

This video explores the legend of El Dorado, the fabled city of gold, and the absurd quest by Spanish conquistadors to find it. The story begins in 1536 with a local legend about a king who covered himself in gold dust, sparking a gold-fueled adventure that led conquistadors to chase after mythical cities and hidden treasures in the New World. Along the way, they misunderstood indigenous cultures, discarded valuable platinum, and were blinded by their insatiable greed. The video mixes history with humor, illustrating how the El Dorado myth became a cautionary tale about the destructive power of unchecked desire.

Takeaways

• 😀 The El Dorado myth originated from the Muisca people’s ritual involving a king covered in gold dust as an offering to the gods.
• 😀 The Spanish conquistadors mistook this ritual for a legend about a city made entirely of gold, fueling their search for El Dorado.
• 😀 Gold had little value in Muisca culture beyond its use in decorative art and religious ceremonies, contrasting with the Spanish obsession with it as currency.
• 😀 The conquistadors' inability to understand the Muisca's use of gold led them to believe that a massive hidden treasure must exist elsewhere.
• 😀 The Muisca people used gold in ritualistic ways, including throwing gold objects into Lake Guatavita, a sacred site.
• 😀 The conquistadors’ search for gold in Lake Guatavita was unsuccessful, despite multiple dredging attempts over the centuries.
• 😀 Despite the gold they found in Lake Guatavita, the conquistadors still believed that El Dorado, the city of gold, had to exist somewhere.
• 😀 The idea of El Dorado spread beyond the Muisca region, with myths of other golden cities like the Seven Cities of Gold, leading to even more failed expeditions.
• 😀 Sir Walter Raleigh’s hunt for El Dorado was based on an unreliable account, leading him to concoct fictional places like Lake Parime and Manoa.
• 😀 Over centuries, the search for El Dorado became a farcical series of expeditions, with explorers dismissing valuable resources like platinum as worthless, purely because it wasn’t gold.
• 😀 El Dorado is ultimately a cautionary tale about human greed, with the conquistadors chasing a mythical city of gold while ignoring the riches already in their grasp.

Q & A

What is the origin of the El Dorado myth?

The El Dorado myth originated in 1536 when Spanish conquistadors heard the legend of a king who covered himself in gold dust as an offering to the gods, which led them to believe in the existence of a city made entirely of gold.

How did the conquistadors misunderstand the value of gold in the Muisca culture?

The conquistadors assumed that the Muisca people, who used gold for ceremonial and decorative purposes, were hoarding vast quantities of gold. However, the Muisca did not use gold as currency, so the conquistadors' obsession with finding a 'golden city' was based on a misunderstanding of its cultural significance.

What were the coronation rituals of the Muisca and how did they contribute to the El Dorado myth?

When a new zipa (leader) of the Muisca was crowned, he was covered in gold dust and jumped into Lake Guatavita as part of a ritual offering to the moon goddess. The conquistadors misinterpreted this as evidence of an immense treasure hidden in the lake, fueling their search for El Dorado.

What was the conquistadors' reaction when they didn't find enough gold in Lake Guatavita?

The conquistadors, dissatisfied with the amount of gold they retrieved from Lake Guatavita, continued searching for El Dorado, convinced that the true treasure was hidden somewhere else. They believed that the Muisca were hiding a vast gold city.

How did the failure to find El Dorado lead to more myths and wild expeditions?

The failure to find El Dorado led to more myths, including the tale of the 'Seven Cities of Gold,' and sparked multiple expeditions into the South American wilderness. These expeditions often resulted in tragedy and further fueled the belief in the existence of a golden city.

What role did Sir Walter Raleigh play in the El Dorado myth?

Sir Walter Raleigh became deeply involved in the search for El Dorado after hearing a story about a conquistador named Juan Martinez, who claimed to have seen the city. Raleigh pursued this myth by leading an expedition to South America, though he failed to find any gold and further solidified the myth of El Dorado.

What was the significance of platinum in the search for gold, and how did the conquistadors misinterpret it?

The conquistadors encountered platinum while searching for gold but dismissed it as 'unripe silver.' They did not recognize its value because they were solely focused on gold, missing out on a rare and valuable metal that was used by the indigenous people.

How did the quest for El Dorado reflect the flaws of the colonial system?

The obsessive search for El Dorado highlights the greed and narrow-mindedness of the conquistadors, who disregarded the true value of native resources like platinum in favor of gold. It also shows how colonial ambition often led to destructive and misguided ventures.

What was the impact of El Dorado myths on exploration and cartography?

The search for El Dorado drove exploration and mapping of South America, as cartographers created detailed maps in pursuit of the mythical city. These maps, even though flawed, contributed to a better understanding of the region.

What lessons can be drawn from the El Dorado myth and the conquistadors' pursuit of gold?

The El Dorado myth serves as a cautionary tale about greed, the dangers of wishful thinking, and the inability to recognize the true value of things. It shows how a pursuit driven by personal gain can lead to endless failure and destruction, with no amount of gold ever being enough to satisfy one's desires.