![[Gold_Museum,_Bogota_(36145671394).jpg]] Complex societies in the Americas were not restricted to just the Aztec, Maya, and Inca. In Colombia there is evidence of large ceremonial cities built in the northern highlands near the Caribbean Coast before the arrival of the Spanish. The Muisca in the eastern highlands of present-day Colombia, settled at a high altitude, around 8000 feet (2600 meters) above sea level. They cultivated corn and quinoa, controlled extensive salt deposits, and traded salt for gold, emeralds, fruits and other lowland products with neighboring groups. Their architecture was impressive, but built with wood rather than stone, so no examples survived the Spanish conquest. ![[Templo_del_sol.jpg]] *Reconstruction of Muisca Sun Temple* The Muisca did not develop a writing system like the Maya and Aztecs, but maintained religious rituals and beliefs focused on ancestor worship and the sacredness of their kings. Each year, at a round ceremonial lake outside of present-day Bogotá, the Muisca king powdered himself in gold dust and dove into the waters as a purification ritual for the gods. This practice is the origin of the myth of El Dorado, the “Golden Man” sought by the Spanish in their early explorations.  Over time, Spaniards such as Coronado came to believe they were searching for a city of gold, which they never found. ----- Next: [[4.7 - North American Natives]] Back: [[4.5 - Inca]]