照片:灰衣人.
Laguna de Guatavita 是个火山湖, 四面环山, 绿树成荫. 上山小道曲径通幽,非常漂亮.
Guatavita离Bogota大约90公里. Bogota的海拔高度在2550米以上,而Laguna de Guatavita的海拔高度大概在3000米左右. 爬山时,稍用力就气喘, 初显高原反应.
Laguna de Guatavita was reputedly one of the sacred lakes of the Muisca, and a ritual conducted there is widely thought to be the basis for the legend of El Dorado. The legend says the lake is where the Muisca celebrated a ritual in which the Zipa (named "El Dorado" by the Conquistadores) was covered in gold dust, then venturing out into the water on a ceremonial raft made of rushes, he dived into the waters washing off the gold. Afterward, trinkets', jewellery and other precious offerings were thrown into the waters by worshipers. A few artifacts of gold and silver found at bottom hold proof to this claim; however, to date, the trips to the bottom of the lake have yielded no more than these.
Conquistadores Lázaro Fonte and Hernán Perez de Quesada attempted (unsuccessfully) to drain the lake in 1545 using a "bucket chain" of labourers. After 3 months, the water level had been reduced by 3 metres, and only a small amount of gold was recovered (with a value of 3000 - 4000 pesos [approx. 100,000 USD today {a peso or piece of eight of the 15th century weighs .88oz of 93% pure silver}]).
A later more industrious attempt was made in 1580, by Bogotá business entrepreneur Antonio de Sepúlveda. A notch was cut deep into the rim of the lake, which managed to reduce the water level by 20 metres, before collapsing and killing many of the labourers. A share of the findings - consisting of various golden ornaments, jewellery and armour - was sent to King Philip the 2nd of Spain. Sepúlveda's discovery came to approximately 12,000 pesos. He died a poor man, and is buried at the church in the small town of Guatavita.
In 1801, Alexander von Humboldt made a visit to Guatavita, and on his return to Paris, calculated from the findings of Sepúlveda's efforts that Guatavita could eventually offer up as much as $300 million worth of gold.
In 1898, 'The Company for the Exploitation of the Lagoon of Guatavita' was formed and taken over by 'Contractors Ltd.' of London, in a deal brokered by British expatriate Mr Hartley Knowles. The lake was successfully drained by means of a tunnel that emerged in the centre of the lake. The water was eventually drained to a depth of about 4 feet of mud and slime.
This made it impossible to explore, and when the mud had dried, it had set like concrete. A haul of only £500 was found, and subsequently auctioned at Sothebys of London. The company eventually filed for bankruptcy and ceased activities in 1929.
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