Christopher Columbus never set-foot on South America’s Caribbean coast, but indigenous populations were doomed just the same. The first Spaniards arrived in 1499 to encounter what's believed to be one of the most advanced and prosperous Pre-Colombian civilizations of the New World. Blinded by wealth of potential treasures, the myth of El Dorado – a land of gold, was conceived.
Spaniards spent the next centuries searching for this legendary city, pillaging south through the continent. What greed-driven quests never found here started turning-up in 1975 when gold and ancient pottery and artifacts began appearing for sale in Santa Marta; the European’s first area city that traced back to a forgotten empire.
Guaqueros – Grave robbers had rediscovered heart of the Tayrona; indigenous tribes which inhabited this stunning coastal region that dramatically rises to snow-capped peaks of Las Sierras Nevadas in the Andes. More than 22km and a 3-day endeavor from our designated starting point, it’s no surprise that Spaniards or any outsiders had ever “found” La Ciudad Perdida, the “Lost City”, until only recently.
The 6-day trek was excruciating and exhilarating! Rutted, muddy footpaths were vertical throughout the jungle-clad mountains, shrouded with stunning ecosystems. Tropical downpours swelled rivers within minutes, including el Río Buritaca crossed 8 times before reaching a series of 1,200+ slippery stone steps which ascend to Teyuna; what was once the region’s cultural and political epicenter.
Elaborately terraced foundations, dating to the 11th-century, allowed the Tayrona to inhabit steep slopes. Almost 150 of these stone-based ruins are visible. Only a small portion has been reclaimed from the jungle, but the main settlement is believed to have been larger than the Inca’s sacred Machu Picchu in Perú. Extensive series of stone walkways connect to smaller villages scattered over distant realms.
With regional inhabitants traceable to the 5th-century, it took Spaniards less than 75-years to decimate the population. Any survivors fled to even more remote terrains. Today, descendants of the Tayrona are scattered across peaks and valleys living in the same types of primitive huts which once distinguished the Lost City.
Kogi Indians still speak the Chibcha language and live off the land. They have agreed to share their hallowed territories with the outside world provided other sectors remain undisturbed. Brief encounters with their meager subsistence were supplemented from our guides explaining significance of their culture; both past and present – including that women built the Lost City, and are still expected to do all the work!
Other than random Kogi, coca plant chemists offering tours of secluded processing labs, and a growing number of curious travelers, this isolated domain is heavily patrolled by soldiers of Colombia’s official army. These “boys with their toys” were quite harmless and rather amusing armed with such heavy artillery in-defense against paramilitary groups and FARC guerrillas, which kidnapped a group of trekkers in 2003. These days, that’s the least of anyone’s worries.
Stomachs rumbling from mountain stream water, relentless mosquitos and scorpion stings; infected blisters, sliding-off cliffs, and getting swept away in raging currents were just some of the perils our group endured. At end of the second day, I sat down and couldn’t stand back-up; legs turned to jelly that wouldn’t tolerate sure-footed stepping until the fifth day! (How did I fall; let me count the ways!)
Trying to hold on to a bar of soap while bathing in a rushing river; tossing six nights in a hammock while shivering under wool blankets; awaking every day to redress in the same dirty, sweat-soaked clothes that never dried; collective smells and odors like a middle school locker room from gym clothes in need of laundering.
Never far from The Summit no matter how much I roam...
Would I do it again? Absolutely, but not anytime soon - though I'm not getting any younger! While this was the type of experience definitely better suited for our active, able-bodied Explorer students, (more so than their over-the-hill teacher), stories and photos will have to suffice as even my parents were worried to death!
Perhaps rightfully so, but I managed to survive what undoubtedly ranks as my greatest adventure and accomplishment to date. There's nothing like travel as a means for continuing my education. And with that, I’m only more challenged to share and “inspire the joy of learning”.
