What is known about El Dorado, the legendary city of gold that obsessed the Spaniards and cost Walter Raleigh his head?
Many expeditions have tried to find El Dorado, but has anyone succeeded? Some even lost their head in the attempt.
One of the greatest legends among explorers and treasure hunters (if not the greatest) is the golden city of El Dorado. Countless expeditions over the last five centuries have tried to find this mythical city, some led by prominent figures like the British explorer Walter Raleigh.
The obsession with finding the countless treasures hidden in the city has kept the legend alive from generation to generation. Even today, we’re surrounded by references to El Dorado in popular culture: movies, novels, video games... There are more than 25 cities named El Dorado in the United States!
What is El Dorado?
To understand the origins of the legend, we need to go back to the time of the first Spanish expeditions to the northern part of South America. The explorers were struck by the wealth they encountered there, and among their many tales, one about El Dorado (“The Golden Man” in Spanish) stood out around the year 1548.
The Spanish explorers shared the story of the coronation of a king from the ancient Muisca people. Tradition held that when a king ascended to the throne, he was taken by boat to Lake Guatavita, located near present-day Bogotá in Colombia. The future king would be taken to the center of the lake on a raft loaded with gold and emerald treasures. There, he was stripped of his clothes and covered with a resin on which gold dust was sprinkled, leaving him completely covered in gold—hence, “the golden man.”
In the years that followed, the legend of El Dorado evolved, adding stories of regions in the Americas with so many treasures and precious stones that they could be picked up directly from the ground. As often happens with tales passed down orally, the story grew into a myth of an entire city where not only the king but the entire city was golden. When explorers and patrons heard of this, countless expeditions, primarily Spanish and British, set off in a frenzied search for El Dorado.
Walter Raleigh and his search for El Dorado
One of the best-known expeditions in search of this golden promised land was that of the English adventurer Sir Walter Raleigh. In fact, Raleigh undertook two journeys to seek El Dorado, both with the same level of success.
The first expedition set off in February 1595 to explore the Orinoco River and try to find El Dorado. After several months of adventures, battles with Spanish settlements and explorers, and even an attack by a crocodile, Raleigh returned to England in August of that year with a considerable amount of gold but no news of the legendary city. On his return, he wrote a fantastical account describing it as a paradise rich for the taking. This exaggeration on his part led to the myth growing despite the expedition’s failure.
This led to a second chance for Raleigh several years later. After spending 13 years locked up, he was pardoned in 1617 so he could once again travel to Guyana in search of El Dorado. This expedition ultimately led him to lose his head—literally.
Once again, he did not find El Dorado. But on this journey, he attacked a Spanish outpost, directly defying the King’s orders. For this, upon his return to England, he was sentenced to death. On October 29, 1618, he was beheaded at Whitechapel in London.
Does El Dorado really exist? And if so, where is it?
If we’re talking about El Dorado in its original definition as the golden man, then yes, it did exist. These were the kings of the Muisca people when they were covered in gold. But if we think of El Dorado as an entire city paved in gold, despite numerous attempts continuing to this day, no such city has ever been found.
Over the centuries, explorers scoured areas that are now Colombia, Venezuela, Guyana, and northern Brazil in search of it. By the early 19th century, most experts had classified the existence of El Dorado as a myth. But you never know! If anyone, inspired by reading this article, sets out in search and finds it, I’d be happy with just 10% of whatever they uncover. Good luck!
*This article was written in Spanish and translated with the help of AI.