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{{Short description|Lake in Cundinamarca Department, Colombia}}
{{about|a lake|the town|Guatavita}}
{{About|a lake|the town|Guatavita}}
{{Infobox lake
{{Infobox body of water
| name = Lake Guatavita
| name = Laguna
Guatavita
| image = LagunaDeGuatavita.jpg
| image = LagunaDeGuatavita.jpg
| alt =
| alt =
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| alt_bathymetry =
| alt_bathymetry =
| caption_bathymetry =
| caption_bathymetry =
| location = [[Sesquilé]], [[Cundinamarca Department|Cundinamarca]]
| location = Sesquilé, Cundinamarca, Colombia
| coords = {{coord|4|58|38|N|73|46|32|W|region:CO_type:waterbody|display=inline,title}}
| type =
| inflow = Rain
| outflow =
| catchment =
| basin_countries = [[Colombia]]
| agency =
| agency =
| length = {{convert|700|m|ft}}
| length = {{convert|700|m|ft}}
| width = {{convert|700|m|ft}}
| width = {{convert|700|m|ft}}
| area = {{convert|19.8|ha|acre|abbr-on}}
| area = {{convert|19.8|ha|acre|abbr=on}}
| depth =
| depth =
| max-depth = {{convert|125|m|ft}}
| max-depth = {{convert|125|m|ft}}
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| residence_time =
| residence_time =
| shore =
| shore =
| elevation = {{convert|3000|m|ft|abbr-on}}
| elevation = {{convert|3000|m|ft|abbr=on}}
| frozen =
| frozen =
| islands =
| islands =
| cities =
| cities =
| reference = <ref>{{es icon}} [https://www.freemaptools.com/area-calculator.htm Google Maps Area Calculator]</ref><ref>{{es icon}} [https://www.freemaptools.com/elevation-finder.htm Google Maps Elevation Finder]</ref><ref name=Dietz/>
| reference = <ref>{{in lang|es}} [https://www.freemaptools.com/area-calculator.htm Google Maps Area Calculator]</ref><ref>{{in lang|es}} [https://www.freemaptools.com/elevation-finder.htm Google Maps Elevation Finder]</ref><ref name=Dietz/>
| coordinates = {{coord|4|58|39.4|N|73|46|30.0|W}}
}}
}}
[[File:Muisca raft Legend of El Dorado Offerings of gold.jpg|thumb|right|260px|The ''[[zipa]]'' used to cover his body in gold dust and, from his raft, he offered treasures to the ''Guatavita'' goddess in the middle of the sacred lake. This Muisca tradition became the origin of ''El Dorado'' legend. [[Muisca raft]] in the [[Gold Museum, Bogotá]], Colombia]]
[[File:Muisca raft Legend of El Dorado Offerings of gold.jpg|thumb|right|260px|The ''[[zipa]]'' used to cover his body in gold dust, and from his raft, he offered treasures to the ''Guatavita'' goddess in the middle of the sacred lake. This Muisca tradition became the origin of the legend of El Dorado. [[Muisca raft]] in the [[Gold Museum, Bogotá]], Colombia]]
[[File:Lake Guatavita-BM.JPG|thumb|right|260px|Votive objects found at the bottom of Lake Guatavita in the [[British Museum]].<ref>[http://www.britishmuseum.org/research/collection_online/search.aspx?place=15311&plaA=15311-3-1 British Museum Collection]</ref>]]
[[File:Lake Guatavita-BM.JPG|thumb|right|260px|Votive objects found at the bottom of Lake Guatavita. [[British Museum]]<ref>[https://www.britishmuseum.org/research/collection_online/search.aspx?place=15311&plaA=15311-3-1 British Museum Collection]</ref>]]
'''Lake Guatavita''' (Spanish: '''''Laguna de Guatavita''''' or '''''Lago Guatavita''''') is located in the [[Cordillera Oriental (Colombia)|Cordillera Oriental]] of the Colombian Andes in the municipality of [[Sesquilé]], in the [[Almeidas Province]], [[Cundinamarca department]] of [[Colombia]], {{convert|57|km|mi}} north-east of [[Bogotá]], capital of [[Colombia]].
'''Lake Guatavita''' (Spanish: '''''Laguna Guatavita''''') is located in the [[Cordillera Oriental (Colombia)|Cordillera Oriental]] of the Colombian Andes in the municipality of [[Sesquilé]] in the [[Almeidas Province]], [[Cundinamarca department]] of [[Colombia]], {{convert|57|km|mi|abbr=on}} northeast of [[Bogotá]], the capital of [[Colombia]].


The lake is circular and has a surface area of 19.8 hectares. The earlier theories of the crater's origin being a meteorite impact, volcanic cinder, or limestone sinkhole are now discredited. The most likely explanation is that it resulted from the dissolution of underground salt deposits from an [[anticline]],<ref name=Dietz>{{cite journal |author1=Dietz ,R.S. |author2=McHone, J.F. |title=Laguna Guatavita: Not Meteoritic, Probably Salt Collapse Crater |journal=Meteoritics |volume=7 |issue=3 |year=1972 |page=303 |doi=10.1111/j.1945-5100.1972.tb00444.x}}</ref> resulting in a kind of [[sinkhole]].
The lake is circular and has a surface area of {{Convert|19.8|ha}}. The earlier theories of the crater's origin being a meteorite impact, volcanic cinder, or limestone sinkhole are now discredited. The most likely explanation is that it resulted from the dissolution of underground salt deposits from an [[anticline]],<ref name=Dietz>{{cite journal |author1=Dietz ,R.S. |author2=McHone, J.F. |title=Laguna Guatavita: Not Meteoritic, Probably Salt Collapse Crater |journal=Meteoritics |volume=7 |issue=3 |year=1972 |page=303 |doi=10.1111/j.1945-5100.1972.tb00444.x|bibcode=1972Metic...7..303D }}</ref> resulting in a kind of [[sinkhole]].


There are [[hot spring]]s nearby in the municipality of [[Sesquilé]], which means "hot water".
There are [[hot spring]]s nearby in the municipality of [[Sesquilé]], which means "hot water" in the now-extinct language of [[Chibcha language|Chibcha]], once spoken by the local indigenous people, the [[Muisca]].


While the existence of a sacred lake in the [[Cordillera Oriental (Colombia)|Eastern Ranges]] of the Andes, associated with Indian rituals involving gold, was known to the Spanish possibly as early as 1531, its location was only discovered in June 1537 by conquistador [[Gonzalo Jiménez de Quesada]] while on an expedition to the highlands of the [[Cordillera Oriental (Colombia)|Eastern Ranges]] of the [[Andes]] in search of gold. This brought the Spanish into first contact with the [[Muisca people|Muisca]] inhabiting the [[Altiplano Cundiboyacense]], including around Lake Guatavita.
Spanish colonizers and [[Conquistador]]s knew about the existence of a sacred lake in the [[Cordillera Oriental (Colombia)|Eastern Ranges]] of the Andes possibly as early as 1531. The lake was associated with indigenous rituals involving gold. However, the first conquistador to arrive at the actual location was [[Gonzalo Jiménez de Quesada]], possibly in June 1537, while on an expedition to the highlands of the [[Cordillera Oriental (Colombia)|Eastern Ranges]] of the [[Andes]] in search of gold. This brought the Spanish into first contact with the [[Muisca people|Muisca]] inhabiting the [[Altiplano Cundiboyacense]], including around Lake Guatavita.


The lake is now a focus of ecotourism, and its association with the legend of ''El Dorado'' is also a major attraction.
The lake is a focus of ecotourism, and its association with the legend of El Dorado is also a major attraction.


== Etymology ==
== Etymology ==
The name of the lake is derived from [[Chibcha language|Chibcha]], the language of the Muisca: ''gwa'': mountain or ''gwata'', ''gwate'': high elevation, or ''gwatibita'': high mountain peak; hence, a pool at a high mountain peak.<ref>M. Louis Ghisletti, Los Mwiskas, Bogota, 1954</ref> Another meaning is "End of the farmfields".<ref name=websiteGuatavita>{{es icon}} [http://www.guatavita-cundinamarca.gov.co/index.shtml#3 Official website Guatavita]</ref>
The name of the lake is derived from [[Chibcha language|Chibcha]], the language of the Muisca: {{lang|chb|gwa}}: mountain or {{lang|chb|gwata}}, {{lang|chb|gwate}}: high elevation, or {{lang|chb|gwatibita}}: high mountain peak; hence, a pool at a high mountain peak.<ref>M. Louis Ghisletti, Los Mwiskas, Bogota, 1954</ref> Another meaning is "End of the farmfields".<ref name=websiteGuatavita>{{in lang|es}} [http://www.guatavita-cundinamarca.gov.co/index.shtml#3 Official website Guatavita] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160130073551/http://guatavita-cundinamarca.gov.co/index.shtml#3 |date=2016-01-30 }}</ref>


== Muisca mythology ==
== Muisca mythology ==
{{main|El Dorado}}
{{Main|El Dorado}}
{{see also|Muisca mythology}}
{{See also|Muisca mythology}}
Lake Guatavita was reputedly one of the [[Muisca mythology|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 [[list of conquistadors in Colombia|conquistadors]]) was covered in [[gold|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, jewelry, 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, attempts to drain the lake or salvage the gold (see [[El Dorado#Lake Guatavita gold|Lake Guatavita gold]]) have yielded no more than these.
Lake Guatavita was reputedly one of the [[Muisca mythology|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 [[list of conquistadors in Colombia|conquistadors]]) was covered in [[gold|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, jewelry, 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, attempts to drain the lake or salvage the gold (see [[El Dorado#Lake Guatavita gold|Lake Guatavita gold]]) have yielded no more than these.


== Trivia ==
== In pop culture ==
* Lake Guatavita is the filming location of the [[music video]] of the song ''[[No Te Pido Flores]]'' by [[Fanny Lú]]
* Lake Guatavita is the filming location of the [[music video]] of the song ''[[No Te Pido Flores]]'' by [[Fanny Lú]].


== See also ==
== See also ==
{{Portal|Colombia}}
* [[Muisca religion]]
* [[Muisca religion]]
* [[Women in Muisca society#Lake Guatavita|Guatavita myth]]
* [[Women in Muisca society#Lake Guatavita|Guatavita myth]]
* [[Lake Iguaque]], another sacred lake of the Muisca
* [[Lake Iguaque]], another sacred lake of the Muisca
* [[Sacred waters]]
* [[Siecha Lakes]], other lakes implicated in the El Dorado legend
* [[Siecha Lakes]], other lakes implicated in the El Dorado legend
* [[Tominé Reservoir]], which buried the old town of Guatavita
* [[Tominé Reservoir]], which buried the old town of Guatavita
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== References ==
== References ==
{{reflist|30em}}
{{Reflist|30em}}


== External links ==
== External links ==
* {{Commons category-inline|Laguna de Guatavita}}
* {{Commons category-inline|Laguna de Guatavita}}
* {{es icon}} [http://www.colparques.net/LGUATAVITA Lake Guatavita] - Colparques
* {{in lang|es}} [http://www.colparques.net/LGUATAVITA Lake Guatavita] - Colparques


{{Treasures of Colombia}}
{{Treasures of Colombia}}
{{Muisca navbox}}
{{Muisca navbox|Mythology and religion|state=expanded}}
{{Authority control}}


[[Category:Lakes of the Andes|Guatavita]]
[[Category:Lakes of the Andes|Guatavita]]
[[Category:Lakes of Colombia|Guatavita]]
[[Category:Lakes of Colombia|Guatavita]]
[[Category:Sacred lakes|Guatavita]]
[[Category:Sacred lakes of the Americas|Guatavita]]
[[Category:Geography of Cundinamarca Department]]
[[Category:Geography of Cundinamarca Department]]
[[Category:Tourist attractions in Cundinamarca Department|Guatavita]]
[[Category:Tourist attractions in Cundinamarca Department|Guatavita]]
[[Category:Muisca mythology and religion|Guatavita]]
[[Category:Muisca mythology and religion|Guatavita]]
[[Category:Muisca and pre-Muisca sites|Guatavita]]
[[Category:Altiplano Cundiboyacense|Lakes]]
[[Category:Altiplano Cundiboyacense|Lakes]]
[[Category:Muysccubun|Guatavita]]

Latest revision as of 12:08, 28 October 2024

This article is about a lake. For the town, see Guatavita.
Laguna Guatavita
Laguna Guatavita is located in Colombia
Laguna Guatavita
Laguna Guatavita
LocationSesquilé, Cundinamarca, Colombia
Coordinates4°58′39.4″N 73°46′30.0″W / 4.977611°N 73.775000°W / 4.977611; -73.775000
Max. length700 metres (2,300 ft)
Max. width700 metres (2,300 ft)
Surface area19.8 ha (49 acres)
Max. depth125 metres (410 ft)
Surface elevation3,000 m (9,800 ft)
References[1][2][3]
The zipa used to cover his body in gold dust, and from his raft, he offered treasures to the Guatavita goddess in the middle of the sacred lake. This Muisca tradition became the origin of the legend of El Dorado. Muisca raft in the Gold Museum, Bogotá, Colombia
Votive objects found at the bottom of Lake Guatavita. British Museum[4]

Lake Guatavita (Spanish: Laguna Guatavita) is located in the Cordillera Oriental of the Colombian Andes in the municipality of Sesquilé in the Almeidas Province, Cundinamarca department of Colombia, 57 km (35 mi) northeast of Bogotá, the capital of Colombia.

The lake is circular and has a surface area of 19.8 hectares (49 acres). The earlier theories of the crater's origin being a meteorite impact, volcanic cinder, or limestone sinkhole are now discredited. The most likely explanation is that it resulted from the dissolution of underground salt deposits from an anticline,[3] resulting in a kind of sinkhole.

There are hot springs nearby in the municipality of Sesquilé, which means "hot water" in the now-extinct language of Chibcha, once spoken by the local indigenous people, the Muisca.

Spanish colonizers and Conquistadors knew about the existence of a sacred lake in the Eastern Ranges of the Andes possibly as early as 1531. The lake was associated with indigenous rituals involving gold. However, the first conquistador to arrive at the actual location was Gonzalo Jiménez de Quesada, possibly in June 1537, while on an expedition to the highlands of the Eastern Ranges of the Andes in search of gold. This brought the Spanish into first contact with the Muisca inhabiting the Altiplano Cundiboyacense, including around Lake Guatavita.

The lake is a focus of ecotourism, and its association with the legend of El Dorado is also a major attraction.

Etymology

[edit]

The name of the lake is derived from Chibcha, the language of the Muisca: gwa: mountain or gwata, gwate: high elevation, or gwatibita: high mountain peak; hence, a pool at a high mountain peak.[5] Another meaning is "End of the farmfields".[6]

Muisca mythology

[edit]
Main article: El Dorado
See also: Muisca mythology

Lake 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 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, jewelry, 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, attempts to drain the lake or salvage the gold (see Lake Guatavita gold) have yielded no more than these.

In pop culture

[edit]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ (in Spanish) Google Maps Area Calculator
  2. ^ (in Spanish) Google Maps Elevation Finder
  3. ^ a b Dietz ,R.S.; McHone, J.F. (1972). "Laguna Guatavita: Not Meteoritic, Probably Salt Collapse Crater". Meteoritics. 7 (3): 303. Bibcode:1972Metic...7..303D. doi:10.1111/j.1945-5100.1972.tb00444.x.
  4. ^ British Museum Collection
  5. ^ M. Louis Ghisletti, Los Mwiskas, Bogota, 1954
  6. ^ (in Spanish) Official website Guatavita Archived 2016-01-30 at the Wayback Machine
[edit]
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