Spanish explorers of the New World found vast treasures and gold in Mexico
and South America. In 1521, Hernán Cortés conquered the Aztec Empire. He
and his conquistadors took thousands of pounds of gold, silver, and precious
jewels. Then, in 1533, Francisco Pizarro conquered the Inca Empire in
South America Like Cortes, he took all their gold. Both explorers brought
fortunes back to Spain.
Tales of gold to be found in the New World spread, and soon men seeking
their fortune sailed forth. As men searched for gold, the myth of El Dorado,
a city covered with gold, spread and grew, too. El Dorado in Spanish means
"gilded one." A custom of the rulers of the Muisca people in what is now
Colombia helped foster the myth. Muisca kings coated themselves with tree
sap, and then covered themselves with gold dust. Afterwards the king jumped
into a lake and came out "clean." Explorers believed that if a king could
cover himself with gold, then there had to be a city of gold-and so they
searched for El Dorado. But there was no city of gold; it was only a myth.
The legend of El Dorado has also inspired writers. Voltaire sets part of
his classic novel Candide (1759) in El Dorado. Edgar Allan Poe's poem
"Eldorado" (1849) tells of a knight searching for the famous city of gold.
Poe's knight is on a quest, but will he find the city?
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