Lake Guatavita — the lake of El Dorado

OVERVIEW

Lake Guatavita lies in the Eastern Cordillera 57 km north-east of Bogotá: circular, about 20 hectares, most likely a sinkhole left by dissolving salt deposits (the meteor and volcano theories are discredited). It was one of the sacred lakes of the Muisca.

HISTORY

Spanish colonists knew of a sacred lake associated with gold rituals as early as 1531, and Gonzalo Jiménez de Quesada reached it, probably in June 1537. The ritual recorded is the one that gave the conquistadors "El Dorado", the golden one: the ruler covered in gold dust went out on a ceremonial raft of rushes and dived in, washing it off, and worshippers threw gold and jewels into the water. Gold and silver pieces have come up from the bottom; repeated attempts to drain the lake and salvage the rest have produced nothing more.

REPORTED ACTIVITY

This is on the map for the record of offering, not for ghost reports: a documented sacred lake whose ritual generated one of the most consequential legends in history — one that sent expeditions across a continent. Colombia's list of reportedly haunted places adds only that visitors describe a presence there.

VISITING

Reached from Sesquilé or Guatavita; access is guided and controlled. The Muisca raft and the offerings recovered are in the Gold Museum in Bogotá.