The Lost City in the Sierra Nevada
The Lost City in the Sierra Nevada
Ciudad Perdida (The Lost City) is the archaeological site of an ancient city built more than 1,000 years ago, tucked into the lush jungle of Colombia's Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta mountains.
Once home to the Tairona, a civilization known for their expertise in crafting and metallurgy, especially goldsmithing, the city flourished in northern Colombia between 200 AD to 1600 AD. With archaeological findings from as early as 200 AD showing that they had the knowledge and expertise of terrace farming, canal building and construction of stone foundations, the Tairona people were as skilled in agriculture as they were in metallurgy. They also possessed impressive engineering skills, which they utilized to build intricate bridges and drainage systems to ensure the city withstood heavy rains.
Spanning over 12,000 square meters of densely vegetated land, the city was once home to an estimated 2,000 - 4,000 people in its peak, and they flourished here for centuries. The Tairona were skilled craftsmen and spiritual people. They practiced meditation and made symbolic offerings. They wore stunning gold jewelry, carried complex gold idols, and created pottery, musical instruments, and even designs with colorful beadwork. They are also said to have worn feathered headdresses, shawls, and jewelled chest ornaments, and they did so here in their home until having to abandon it sometime between 1580 and 1650, around the time of the Spanish colonization.
While the ancient ruins are full of intrigue and beauty, the mountains that they reside in are just as impressive themselves. The Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, the second-highest coastal mountain range in the world and the source of 36 rivers, contains almost every ecosystem on the planet: deserts, alpine lakes, rainforests, wetlands, tundra, coral reefs, & glaciers. The mosaic of habitats and species found here are like nowhere else on Earth. Separated from the Andes mountain chain by plains & deserts, the Sierra Nevada is a self-contained microcosm of diverse ecoregions & lifeforms containing thick, misty jungles, snow capped peaks, rare and unusual species, & isolated indigenous people rich with culture and tradition, all of which steep these mountains in myth and wisdom.
Not far from the ancient city is a richly biodiverse region of the mountain that stretches from roughly 1,300 meters in elevation to 3,000 meters. Here exists a grand variety of birds, mammals, and amphibians, and it is the center of the El Dorado Bird Reserve which is dedicated to protecting a high number of endemic species of flora and fauna at these elevations which are threatened with extinction. At the higher altitude, the mountain boasts pine tree forests, refreshing cooler temperatures, and wild soundtracks from the birds and amphibians in the mountain.
From many different lookout points, in one direction, spans the warm Caribbean ocean waters lined with palms and forest. In the other direction, one can witness the stunning snow capped summits of Mt. Colon and Mt. Bolivar, the tallest mountains in Colombia, which both rise to roughly 5,700 meters above sea level and stand just 42 kilometers from the ocean. This mountain range was declared an Alliance for Zero Extinction site in 2005 and is ranked as the second-most important site for threatened birds and amphibians in the world.
Four indigenous cultures, descendants of the ancient Tairona civilization, still call these mountains home: the Koguis, Arhuacos, Kankuamos, and the Wiwas.
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“The Lost City in the Sierra Nevada” was written by: Meredith Leigh
Meredith Leigh is an avid traveler from Texas, USA. She studied abroad in Moscow, Russia, which sparked in her the courage to explore more of the world. She has spent the past 8 years living outside of the United States, primarily in Colombia, Costa Rica, Mexico, and parts of the Caribbean. You are welcome to follow her travels on Instagram: www.instagram.com/inspired__nomad/