El Dorado?

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[Syl]
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El Dorado?

Post by [Syl] »

Amazon explorers uncover signs of a real El Dorado

I am not an archeologist, but this seems huge. Kins?
"It is not the literal past that rules us, save, possibly, in a biological sense. It is images of the past. Each new historical era mirrors itself in the picture and active mythology of its past or of a past borrowed from other cultures. It tests its sense of identity, of regress or new achievement against that past.”
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Post by Avatar »

That's pretty awesome.

But I don't think calling it El Dorado is meaningful right now. Unless I have it completely wrong, wasn't the legend, (and the reason the spanish sought it) that the whole city was built, or at least covered in, gold?

It was certainly pretty much believed a myth eventually, although I have read of a theory that El Dorado was actually a person, whose skin was coated with gold dust for religious ceremonies, and the spanish just misunderstood.

Either way, I don't think it should be called that unless strong evidence of lots of gold is discovered.

But I could be completely wrong.

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Post by danlo »

It's a weird myth. Where are these mounds in the article supposed to be? When I lived in Silver City, New Mexico, there were a number of people down there filming and triangulating for a project they called The Seven Cities or Seven Mountains, They were convinced that clues existed around that area that would lead them to a real El Dorado....
Last edited by danlo on Tue Jan 26, 2010 10:18 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Post by Montresor »

El Dorado is simply a misunderstanding on the part of the conquistadores that was conflated into an absurd and fatal myth. I'm glad to see the phrase still has some resonance, though.

I'm just waiting for the Von Danikinites to cook up another batch of bullshit about this civilisation.
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"Yes," I said, "for the love of God!" - Edgar Allan Poe, The Cask of Amontillado.

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