El Dorado (, /ˌɛl dəˈrɑːdoʊ/; Spanish for "the gilded one") is the name of a Muisca tribal chief who covered himself with gold dust and, as an initiation rite, dove into the Guatavita Lake. Later, it became the name of a legendary "Lost City of Gold", that fascinated explorers since the days of the Spanish Conquistadors. No evidence for its existence has been found.
Imagined as a place, El Dorado became a kingdom, an empire, and the city of this legendary golden king. In pursuit of the legend, Francisco Orellana and Gonzalo Pizarro departed from Quito in 1541 in an expedition towards the Amazon Basin, as a result of which Orellana became the first person known to have navigated the Amazon River along substantially its entire length.
Read more about El Dorado: Tribal Ceremony, Expeditions, Metaphor
Famous quotes containing the word dorado:
“The only way to get along is to seek the difficult job, always do it well, and see that you get paid for it properly. Oh, yes, and don’t forget to exploit men all you can. Because if you don’t they will exploit you.”
—El Dorado Jones (1861–1932)