myth gold Columbus stories fabulous Ojeda Marta Christopher 1499 Sierra treasures Alonso Colombia Dorado Indians
Spanish
conquest
Colombia
is
named
after
,
even
though
he
never
set
foot
on
Colombian
soil
.
It
was
de
,
one
of
Columbus'
companions
on
his
second
voyage
,
who
was
the
first
European
to
set
foot
on
the
land
in
.
He
briefly
explored
the
Nevada
de
Santa
and
was
astonished
by
the
wealth
of
the
local
.
Their
and
their
about
inland
gave
birth
to
the
of
El
,
a
mysterious
kingdom
abundant
in
gold
.
In
its
most
extreme
interpretation
,
El
Dorado
was
believed
to
be
a
land
of
gold
mountains
littered
with
emeralds
.