Guatavita

Lake Guatavita or laguna de Guatavita is located in the Cordillera Oriental of the Colombian Andes  57 km (35 mi) northeast of Bogota, the capital of Colombia.

The lake was associated with indigenous rituals involving gold. It 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 golden one”. The legend says the lake is where the Muisca celebrated a ritual in which the Zipa (named “El Dorado” by the conquistadors) was covered in gold dust, and then, venturing out into the water on a ceremonial raft made of rushes, dove into the waters, washing off the gold. Afterward, trinkets, jewellery, and other precious offerings were thrown into the waters by worshipers. A few artefacts of gold and silver found at bottom hold proof to this claim; however, to date, attempts to drain the lake or salvage the gold have yielded no more than these.