The Muisca People
The Muisca people were a group of South American Indians who inhabited the valleys surrounding the modern cities of Bogotá and Tunja in Columbia, during the spanish conquests. They were a very religious society who worshiped gods that lived under the Lake Guatavita. Their leader/chief “El dorado” or “The gilded one” was the basis of the legend El dorado - the city of gold.
The Muisca people had their own type of gold or known in Muisca society as tumbaga. Tumbaga is an alloy of gold, silver and copper. This alloy was used to make various gold artworks, that were thrown into Lake Guatavita along with jewels and raw tumbaga.
The Muisca Ritual
The name Eldorado - or the gilded one - came from the Muisca chief. The name was given to the chief by the spanish due to his cultures ritual of worshiping the god that lived in lake Guatavita. The ritual started when the chief covered himself in a gold dust or tumbaga dust. Then chief walked onto a raft followed by twelve other people - possibly other people of importance or acolytes. The people at the front of the raft wear jaguar masks and are shaking maracas, others row or are carrying a poporo(a gold container that is used to carry small amounts of lime). Then they row into the middle of the lake Guatavita, and the chief dives into the lake washing off all of the dust while the acolytes throw gold,jewels,tunjos (gold figures) ,votive figures and other items of value into the lake.
The Muisca ceremonial raft
The raft was used in religious ceremonies on the Lake Guatavita whereby they threw gold and jewels into the lake to appease the gods deep beneath the lake. The raft was large and during the ceremony an important person - pictured as the chief- was standing in the middle of the raft, he wears some ornaments and jewels and has twelve other figures around him. The front ones are depicted to be wearing jaguar masks.
The Muisca people had their own type of gold or known in Muisca society as tumbaga. Tumbaga is an alloy of gold, silver and copper. This alloy was used to make various gold artworks, that were thrown into Lake Guatavita along with jewels and raw tumbaga.
The Muisca Ritual
The name Eldorado - or the gilded one - came from the Muisca chief. The name was given to the chief by the spanish due to his cultures ritual of worshiping the god that lived in lake Guatavita. The ritual started when the chief covered himself in a gold dust or tumbaga dust. Then chief walked onto a raft followed by twelve other people - possibly other people of importance or acolytes. The people at the front of the raft wear jaguar masks and are shaking maracas, others row or are carrying a poporo(a gold container that is used to carry small amounts of lime). Then they row into the middle of the lake Guatavita, and the chief dives into the lake washing off all of the dust while the acolytes throw gold,jewels,tunjos (gold figures) ,votive figures and other items of value into the lake.
The Muisca ceremonial raft
The raft was used in religious ceremonies on the Lake Guatavita whereby they threw gold and jewels into the lake to appease the gods deep beneath the lake. The raft was large and during the ceremony an important person - pictured as the chief- was standing in the middle of the raft, he wears some ornaments and jewels and has twelve other figures around him. The front ones are depicted to be wearing jaguar masks.
Images courtesy of - http://www.smithsonianchannel.com/sc/web/series/1003102/secrets/3375253/golden-raft-of-el-dorado and http://nathanfowkes.blogspot.com.au/2011_09_01_archive.html