El Dorado ('Gilded Man' or 'Golden One') referred to the legendary kings of the Muisca (Chibcha) people who populated the northern Andes of modern-day Colombia from 600 to 1600. The name derives from the coronation ritual when the new king was covered in gold dust before he leapt into Lake Guatavita.
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Definition
Timeline
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600 - 1600The Muisca Civilization flourishes in northern South America.
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1537Lake Guatavita discovered by Spanish conquistador Gonzalo Jiménez de Quesada while on an expedition to the highlands of the Eastern Ranges of the Andes in search of gold.
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1595Sir Walter Raleigh makes his first unsuccessful attempt to find El Dorado in South America.
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Mar 1617Sir Walter Raleigh again attempts to find El Dorado in South America.
