The Lost City of Ciudad Perdida
Ruins of The Americas | Ricky | September 6, 2010 at 1:35 am
Ciudad Perdida translates to Lost City (from Spanish to English). This ancient city has hidden in the depths of Sierra Nevada jungle and has evaded human eyes for a long time now. The discovery of Ciudad Perdida could perhaps be what could be dubbed as the greatest of all the archaeological finds of this century.
Once this city was discovered hiding here in the jungles, virtually untouched by any traces of modern day civilization, the archaeologists began verifying facts about this city. According to experts, this city dates back to around 800 A.D.
The exact location of this city is what is called Buritaca according to modern day administrative maps; and this spot, according to the local tribes that still inhabit the areas around, is called ‘Teyuna’.
Discovering Ciudad Perdida:
Ciudad Perdida was discovered in the year 1972, and this happened accidentally when a group of in-the-making treasure hunters chanced upon stone steps that seemed to be leading up the mountain. They followed the path and chanced upon one of history’s greatest secrets. Talk about getting lucky with finding a treasure!
These local treasure hunters first named this city as ‘Green Hell’; and authorities were not notified about the existence and the accidental discovery of this city. They found out later, when gold urns from this ancient city, began making appearances in the black markets.
The Designing of this Ancient City:
Here, the city of Ciudad Perdida is known to resemble its more famous neighbor, Machu Picchu. Both of these cities are built upon high terraces; these have been cut out directly from the mountains.
Believe it or not, a trip to Ciudad Perdida could take up to around 5 days to complete. This is because the one and only way to make your way to the city would involve climbing up somewhere around thousands steps that have been set in this dense jungle. Along the way, you’ll also combat some carved tunnels; and the only way to get through them is on all fours (well almost).
The tunnels and the loose stones that made up for the stairs were a matter of security. These helped by informing the locals of anyone approaching their territory.
The usual town squares were given a miss in the case of the Ciudad Perdida and these get replaced with town circles. The roads that join the various parts of the town were created to look narrow and tiled.
The Locals – The Original Discoverers:
The local tribes of Arhuacos and Koguis, who live around the area, claim that they’d always known about the existence of this lost city; but they’d kept mum about it. They believed that the city, which they called ‘Teyuna’, was said to be at the center of a chain created by a number of villages that were said to be inhabited by the forefathers of these tribes.
If they are right, then Ciudad Perdida may have been the financial and political capital of the region. As per the design and the structure of the city, it can be gauged that 6000 to 8000 people may have lived there at some point in time.
Note:
The steep climbs and descends will make for quite an exciting trip; and will make it even more memorable for the adrenaline junkies. But this will not change the fact that it requires a high level of fitness if you plan on doing this trip. It will take around 5 days to complete this entire trip; and be prepared to encounter some rather interesting and difficult parts along the way (and we’re not just talking about the mosquitoes!).
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Thanks for this article!
The paths to Ciudad Perdida were designed so the Tayrona Indians could hear visitors approaching.This journey takes a full day and is quite difficult—you must crawl through hand-carved tunnels and over large boulders. Robberies have occurred along the trails so ask at the gate for the latest security information. To visit the actual city, the Ciudad Perdida, you either need to go on a five day trek, or hire a heli.It will be an experience you will never forget.
Hi! Thanks for the nice read and the pictures.The park has great beaches, is wonderful for bird enthusiasts and has one of the most unexpected treasures of Colombia: the Ciudad Perdida, the Machu Picchu of the Tayrona people.
Different ruins within the park can be reached up a steep path of loose rocks.