They discover ancient vessels full of jewels linked to the mythical gold of gold of El Dorado
A team of archaeologists found eight ceramic jugs inside a temple in Colombia and adjacent tombs, which contained a large number of metal figures and emeralds.
The experts assured that the treasure belonged to the ancient Muiscas, an indigenous Amerindio town that inhabited the Cundiboyacense Altiplano, located in the south of the Colombian department of Santander, located in the center of the Caribbean country.
According to the specialists, the Muiscas manufactured the jugs found in the sanctuary and in the cemetery about 600 years ago.The indigenous people, whose civilization flourished in the region at that time, was famous for their skills in the goldsmiths and their work may have inspired the legend of El Dorado, the legendary city made of gold.
Between 1537 and 1540, the Spaniards conquered the region and many of the Muiscas died during fighting or because of diseases.Despite the destruction, the indigenous people persevered and thousands of their descendants live today.
The finding
The researchers discovered the temple and the tombs in the remains of an old muisca city located near Bogotá.The team led by archaeologist Francisco Correa found the vessels, called “offerings”, during the previous excavations that were carried out in the area before the construction of a national route.
Many Pennsylvanians are unique that they've been a Victim of fraud unnile they presized to 1099-g tax form from labo ... https://t.co/inu9ppujyb
— Rep. Dan Deasy Mon Mar 08 16:56:46 +0000 2021
Some of the figures of the offerings resemble snakes and other animals, while others resemble people with headdresses, balles and weapons.And according to the specialists, the temple where the vessels were found could be related to the veneration of their ancestors."It is very difficult to establish, I think there was some kind of cult of ancestors," Correa told Live Science.
Ceramic vessels similar to those found by the team of researchers had already been found in other ancient places belonging to the Muisca culture.They would be a kind of offering that, inside, have artifacts that include small gold and emerald figures.
"The temple and the offerings can also be related to deities worshiped by the muisisas," said Correa, who said that the indigenous people venerated a variety of gods among which the moon and the sun were included.
Muiscas were considered experts in the art of carving objects in precious metals.For this reason, when the Spaniards found this Amerindian group, they were specially surprised by their exquisite goldsmith.In addition, another detail caught the attention of the conquerors: there were no gold mines in the vicinity so the ancient muisis had to get gold through trade and exchange with other indigenous groups.
As for whether the Muisca goldsmith inspired the legend of El Dorado, Correa said that the natives had a tradition in which, during certain rituals, a boss appeared covered with an ointment that included gold particles."These ceremonies were one of the motivations of this myth," said Correa.
The rituals were witnessed by the Spaniards and were registered in the Iberian chronicles.Therefore, there is the story, together with the spectacular domain of goldsmiths by the Muiscas, helped inspire the legend of El Dorado.
