He was the legendary king of the chiefdom of Chibcha in the far
northern Andes of Colombia. You know him as El Dorado.
El Dorado was a person… a city… a kingdom… and eventually… a
myth. How’s that for attaining stature? The myth was born of the
Spanish lust for gold. Who amongst us–I ask you–has not experienced
this heady state of euphoria when in a moment of extreme hedonism we
throw gold dust in the air and stand under the now descending showery
sprinkles of sun-colored motes.
There was untold wealth, came the ubiquitous cries. Over there … in
the northern kingdoms. And the rumors grew… till it was thought
that all of central Colombia was drenched in gold. And so the
Spaniards began their quest of searching out untold coffers of gold
and riches which stretched beyond the boundaries of their
imaginations. Alas… the tales were nothing more than a chimera.
However… any of you ever notice that no matter what occurs in
life… there’s always a “however” lurking in the background. I
wonder why that is. Anyway… however… very distinctive styles of
gold-working centered around the area of Chibcha around Lake
Guatavita. The time frame… from the 1st century BC and onward. The
stories of the Gilded Man abounded. And it was here that a ritual
grew and the legend took shape.
It began with the inauguration of a new king. Prior to taking his
place… he had to spend a few secluded days in a cave… no women…
no chili peppers. I can understand the no women. But no chili
peppers? Ye gads man… that was inhuman! On the appointed day… our
king to be made a quick trek to the lake… stripped off his
clothes… had his nude bod smeared with goo… and was subsequently
covered with gold dust. He then boarded a raft which was laden with
treasures while accompanied by compatriots-also nude-- who were
attired in golden bracelets and pendants and earrings. It was a sight
to behold.
To make this short… the raft was then pushed into the middle of the
lake… the treasures were thrown overboard as an offering to the
gods… and the gilded man–El Dorado–became king.
And so… in a moment of rare discovery… I… Benjamin Mark…
owner of Tyler-Adam Corp… have uncovered an image of that very
raft… with the gilded man and his attendants and their accompanying
treasures… all made of gold… all naked as jay- birds… whatever
that means–floating on a lake… ready for the grand inaugural
ceremony that would herald the new king as lord and master of his
realm. Oh what a sight.
For those of you who are new to this thing called Tidbits…may I
direct you to my home page at www.tyler-adam.com where you will
scroll down the left side menu till you get to the area that says
Current Tidbits… and then click on it in order to view a gold raft
with naked golden men readying themselves to throw gold into the
waters.
And there ya have it.
That’s it for this week folks.
Catch you all next week.
Benjamin Mark