Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1912-05-31
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his victorious campaign against the generals of
Atahualpa, and here it was. according to Castel-
lanos, where
An alien Indian, mailing from affair."
Who in the town of Quito did abide,
And neighbor to be of Bogota
Did with him speak and solemny announce
A country rich in emeralds and gold.
Also among the things which them engaged
A certain king he told of who, disrobed,
Upon lake wont, aboard raft.
To make oblations, himself had seen,
His regal form o'erspread with fragrant oil
On which was laid q coat q powdered gold
From sole of foot unto his highest brow.
Respondent as the beaming Of the sun.
Arrivals without end he further said.
Were there to make rich votive offerings;
Of golden trinkets and of emeralds rare
And divers other of their ornaments;
And worthy credence these things he affirmed;
The soldiers, light of heart and well content
Then dubbed him Ell Dorado. and the name
By countless ways spread throughout the world
According to the chronicler, Juan Rodriguez
Fresle, who a son of Of the conquista-
dores of New Granada, the lake on which were
made these offerings of gold and emeralds was
Guatayita, short distance to the northeast OF
Bogota. And the of his information re-
specting the nature of the ceremonies connected
with these offerings was, he us, no less
than one Don Juan, the cacique of Guatavita,
who the nephew of the chief who bore sway
Jimnez de Quesada, and who even then pre-
pairing himself by six years fast to succeed
his uncle cacique of Guatavita. After this
long fast which was made under the most trying
conditions, the successor to the cacqueship was
Obliged to go to the lake of Guatavita and offer
sacrifice to the devil, who, Fresle informs us,
was regarded by the aborigines their god and
master. After being stripped, he anointed
with viscous earth, which was then overspread
with powdered gold in such wise that the chief
was covered with this metal from head to foot.
He then placed balso provided with
great quantity of gold and emeralds, which he
was to offer to his god. Arriving at the middle
of the lake, which was surrounded by vast null
titude of men and women, shouting and playing
on musical instruments of various kinds, he made
his offering by throwing into the lake all the
treasure which he had at his feet After this
ceremony was over he returned to the shore.
where amid acclimation, music and rejoicing, he
was received as their legitimate lord and prince.
From this ceremony, our author continues.
was derived that name, celebrated of FL
Dorado which has cost many lives and SO
much treasure. 1t in Peru that this name
Dorado first heard Sebastian Bealcazar.
having met near Quito an Indian from Bogota
who told him about the Gilded Man just de-
scribed exclaimed Let us go in search of that
gilded Indian Hence the report of Ell Dorado
was spread throughout CASTLE and the Indies
and BelaleaZar moved to go in quest of him
as ne ulus ana hSnce also the cause or tnat ceie-
brated meeting with Quesada and Federmann
which constitutes one OF the most thrilling and
dramatic chapters in the history of the conquest
of New Granada
The fact that only few years after the arrival
of Belalcazar at Bogota the Spaniards began to
make efforts to secure the gold and precious
stones which, according to tradition, were cast
into the sacred like Of Guatavita by the Gilded
King, is evidence that the statements of Fresle
and other contemporary writer's regarding the
connection between this lake and Ell Dorado are
substantially true. For more than three CEN
turtles attempts We're made to drain the lake with
view of securing the priceless treasures which
We're supposed to be spread over its bottom but
the success which attended the efforts Of those
who had the matter in charge was only partial.
There were never sufficient funds available to
complete the work of drainage until a few years
ago. when the attempt was again made by some
Eng7ishmen. who are stii engaged in the under