Wax Palms of Valle de Cocora

Since the 1500s, the Legend of El Dorado has described a Lost of City of Gold, a myth that drove hordes of conquistadors into South American jungles in pursuit of riches. Rediscovered records and artifacts have now revealed the remarkable origin story of this legend. It began with Gonzalo Jiménez de Quesada’s campaign into the highlands of Colombia, where he encountered a thriving society rich in gold and emeralds, the Muisca confederation of tribes.

Within Colombia's mountainous southwest, high in the Alto Magdalena river basin, are the ancient remains of a network of tribal chiefdoms. Many of the locals in this area still get around on horseback, which is also a great way to travel between the archeological sites. This is a steep, mountainous landscape, of dense jungle checkered with coffee and banana plantations. Through the last century much of the forest has been cleared to make way for this farmland, and in the process dozens of ear...

In terms of its historical significance, Cartagena de Indias was the most important city to emerge in the expansion of the Spanish Empire, playing a central role in the unfolding of South America's colonial period. It was founded in 1533, a few decades after the Spanish began their conquest of the New World. Situated on Colombia’s north coast, next to the turquoise waters of the Caribbean, it was an ideal location, with natural harbors protecting their fleet of ships. It quickly became an imp...