0:03

Imagine you're on an adventure through a dense

0:06

jungle. You walk carefully, your

0:08

sense is alert to every rustle and

0:10

chirp around you. Ancient ruins

0:13

emerge from the undergrowth, their moss covered

0:15

stones, telling tales of an ancient

0:17

civilization. You decipher

0:19

the cryptic symbols and follow the clues left

0:21

behind, each step taking you closer

0:24

to the hidden treasure you seek. As

0:26

you journey deeper, the sunlight filters through

0:28

the canopy, casting a magical glow

0:31

on the path ahead. And then, as

0:33

if by some stroke of luck, you stumble

0:35

upon a clearing bathed in golden

0:37

light. Before your eyes lies

0:39

a sight straight out of a dream. A

0:42

magnificent city with towering temples

0:45

dressed with dazzling jewels and vibrant

0:47

golden pillars, stretching toward the heavens.

0:50

The cobblestone pathways shine with gold,

0:53

illuminating each step you take. Emeralds,

0:55

rubies, and sapphires create a mesmerizing

0:58

display of colors atop each building.

1:00

You can hardly contain your amazement, almost

1:03

in disbelief, this is it, the

1:05

Last City, the legendary El

1:07

Dorado. Have you ever heard of

1:09

the legend of the City of El Dorado. It's

1:12

a tale that's captured the imagination of people

1:14

for centuries. Has even made its way

1:16

to popular culture, including the animated

1:19

movie called The Road to El Dorado. The

1:22

City of gold has become a symbol of adventure

1:24

and riches, inspiring many stories,

1:26

books, and movies. But what's the true

1:28

story behind the legend of the Golden City? Is

1:31

it really out there? El Dorado was

1:33

a mythical city that people believed was hidden

1:35

deep within the unexplored lands. Imagine

1:38

a place with streets made of pure gold, temples

1:40

that glimmered like the sun, and mines

1:42

filled with sparkling gold and silver. People

1:45

couldn't resist the thought of this unimaginably

1:48

rich city, and adventurers from all

1:50

over Europe set out on daring expeditions

1:53

to find it. From the fifteen

1:55

thirties to around sixteen fifty, brave

1:57

explorers ventured into the dense jungles,

2:00

gass plains, towering mountains, and

2:02

winding rivers of Latin America, all

2:04

in search of the mystical El Dorado.

2:07

They were determined to discover its hidden secrets

2:09

and claim the incredible treasures for themselves.

2:13

But the journey was perilous, and many

2:15

explorers even lost their lives in pursuit

2:17

of this legendary city. Some

2:20

people believed El Dorado was nothing more than

2:22

a product of people's wild imaginations.

2:24

The city's never been found, making

2:27

it one of history's greatest mysteries.

2:30

But the roots of El Dorado's myth can be

2:32

traced back to the gold discovered in Mexico

2:35

and Peru during the sixteenth century.

2:37

The Spanish conquistadors played a role in

2:40

the creation of this telle. Do you know

2:42

what a conquistadore is? Spanish

2:44

conquistadors were explorers and soldiers

2:46

from Spain who lived a long time ago.

2:49

They embarked on daring adventures to discover

2:51

new lands and find treasures in the Americas,

2:54

across the ocean from their home. When

2:57

these conquistadors arrived in the Americas,

2:59

the encountered different civilizations such

3:01

as the Incas and the Aztecs. In

3:05

fifteen nineteen, a Spanish conquistador

3:07

named Hernan Cortes led an expedition

3:09

to Mexico where he captured Emperor

3:12

Montezuma, who was the king of

3:14

the mighty Aztec Empire. After

3:17

he captured Montezuma, he stole all

3:19

of his gold. The conquerors

3:21

gained large amounts of gold and silver, becoming

3:24

very wealthy when they returned to their homes in Spain.

3:27

Their success has inspired others to dream

3:29

of riches in the Americas. In

3:32

fifteen thirty three, Francisco Pizarro

3:35

embarked on a journey that led him to the Inca

3:37

Empire in the Andes Mountains of South

3:39

America. Following in cortez

3:42

footsteps, Pizzaro captured the Inca

3:44

emperor Ottawalpa, holding him

3:46

for ransom. Holding someone

3:49

for ransom is when a person is captured

3:51

or taken against their will and the captors

3:53

demand something in exchange for their release.

3:56

Usually they asked for something valuable, like money

3:58

or treasure. They wanted his

4:00

gold and silver to be given to them in exchange

4:03

for the release of his capture. Through

4:06

this cruel act, Pizarro became very

4:08

wealthy. Other civilizations

4:10

in the New World, such as the Maya, also had

4:13

treasures that the Spanish conquisadors wanted.

4:16

The tales of these conquests gave birth to

4:18

the legend of El Dorado.

4:21

As a result, many European discoverers

4:23

traveled to the New World, eager to discover

4:25

gold. Although they were very poor,

4:28

these individuals possessed immense ambition.

4:31

However, many of them were driven by violence,

4:33

greed, and ruthlessness. With nothing

4:35

to lose, their ultimate goal was to

4:37

gain riches through the discovery of gold, even

4:40

if it meant risking their lives. These

4:43

hopeful conquers flooded to the Americas

4:45

and followed even the smallest rumor about

4:48

where the city might be hidden. Like

4:50

any legend, there is often some kernel of truth

4:53

in these wild stories. In

4:55

present day Columbia, there was a group of people

4:57

called the Musca. Their kings had a special

5:00

tradition. They would cover themselves in

5:02

a sticky sap and then sprinkle gold and

5:04

powder all over their bodies. The king

5:06

would then get in a canoe and go to the middle

5:08

of the lake. Thousands of people

5:10

would watch from the shore as the king jumped into

5:12

the lake and came out completely clean. Afterward,

5:15

everyone would celebrate with a big festival.

5:19

When the Spanish explorers arrived in fifteen

5:21

thirty seven, the Musca had stopped

5:23

practicing this tradition, but rumors

5:25

about it had already spread among the greedy

5:27

explorers and cities all across

5:30

the continent. The Spanish explorers

5:32

started calling this king El Dorado, which

5:34

means the gilded one in Spanish. It

5:37

was because he was covered in gold. Once

5:39

the land of the Musca was taken over by the

5:41

Spanish, they became very interested in finding

5:44

the city. They thought they would discover

5:46

huge amounts of gold when they looked in the lake.

5:49

While they did find some gold, it wasn't as

5:51

much as they'd hoped for, so they thought

5:53

maybe the Musca people weren't the true kingdom

5:56

of El Dorado. They believed that somewhere

5:58

out there the real city was waiting to

6:00

be found. So did the explorers

6:02

ever find El Dorado? Well, the

6:04

answer isn't very straightforward. The

6:06

conquistadors followed stories about El

6:08

Dorado to a place called Kundinamarca,

6:12

but they didn't believe they had found the legendary city,

6:14

so they kept searching. What

6:16

they didn't know was that the Musca civilization

6:18

was the last major native culture with

6:21

riches. The legendary El

6:23

Dorado they were looking for after fifteen thirty

6:25

seven turned out to not exist, but

6:28

they didn't give up easily. Many

6:30

expeditions continued to explore South America,

6:33

and while they didn't find gold, they did uncover

6:35

many ruins, and we now realized that

6:37

the Maya and many of these civilizations

6:40

were huge, complex, and very

6:42

powerful. At some point, they did probably

6:44

have large amounts of gold, but

6:46

as the cities turned to ruin, the riches disappeared.

6:51

The legend of El Dorado has remained a popular

6:53

folk tale. People loved the idea of

6:55

lost cities of treasure, just like they seek

6:57

out lost pirate treasures and sunken

6:59

ships. An archeologist still

7:01

hunt for these places today, although

7:03

the goal is to learn more about ancient people

7:06

and how they lived, not just in search

7:08

of gold. We hope you enjoyed

7:10

this episode about the city of El Dorado.

7:13

Be sure to tune in next Monday for a new

7:15

episode.