THE LOST CITY OF COLOMBIA IN SPANISH AMERICA

HI, WELCOME TO THIS POST WITH A LOVELY FLOWER FOR MY READERS!

THE ORCHID CALLED CATTLEYA TRIANAE, THE NATIONAL FLOWER OF COLOMBIA

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Source: Anne Larsen, CC BY SA 30.0 Wikimedia Commons

RELIEF MAP OF COLOMBIA

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Source: grundkarte Shadowfox, CC BY SA 3.0. Wikimedia Commons

Colombia, officially known as the Republic of Colombia, is a relatively large country located on the northwestern corner of South America.  It is bordered to the north by Panama and the Caribbean Sea and to the west by the Pacific Ocean. It also has the second largest population of the Spanish speaking countries, after Mexico.

This country occupies a very varied geographical region that includes coastlines on two sides and an interior that shows a mix of the highlands of the Andes Mountains and the Amazon rainforest.

The cultural diversity is also high, a product of the four distinct ethnic groups – whites, mestizos, afros and Amerindians with the mestizos contributing with almost 50% of the population.

Spanish is the official language, of course, but there are also 68 ethnic languages and dialects that are also recognized.

There is a lot to write about from the cultural point of view, especially about the Colombian popular music, which in itself is a product of this ethnic diversity.

However, in this post I want to refer to something very specific, the mysterious archaeological site known as Ciudad Perdida (“Lost City”).

CIUDAD PERDIDA

This ancient city, located high up in the Sierra Nevada, has been dated at about 800 AD and is therefore more ancient than Machu Picchu in Peru, by about 600 years. The native people refer to the city as Teyuna.

Ciudad Perdida was found in 1972, and unfortunately was looted before the official authorities were able to control the situation.

Ciudad Perdida seems to have been a fairly large locality, housing about 6,000 persons. It consists of over a hundred terraces carved into the mountainside, provided with a network of tiled roads and several small round plazas. It is believed that the platforms supported wooden structures where the people lived.

In 2009, the non-profit organization called Global Heritage Fund started to work in Ciudad Perdida, so it is hoped that this fantastic heritage will be properly preserved for the future.

The easiest way to appreciate the grandeur of this place is to observe some of its photos, which I am including in this post. So enjoy!

AN OVERVIEW OF CIUDAD PERDIDA

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Source: Raphael Cha, CC BY SA 3.0. Wikimedia Commons

STAIRS AND WALKWAYS

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Source: Raphael Cha, CC BY SA 30. Wikimedia Commons

RUINS OF CIUDAD PERDIDA

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Source; Cavin Rough, CC BY SA 20. Wikimedia Commons

A PERSPECTIVE OF THE RUINS

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Source: Wanderingstan, CC BY SA 3.0. Wikimedia Commons

ANOTHER PERSPECTIVE, SHOWING AN IMPOSING WALL

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Source: Threattodemocracy, CC BY 2.0. Flickr

CARVED STONE, BELIEVED TO BE A MAP OF THE CITY

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Source: Chupacabras, CC BY SA 2.0. Flickr

FINAL WORDS.

There is something about the combination of jungle growth and stone structures that always catches the eye! No matter where these ruins are located, I find I just have to gaze at them. I do hope you find this as fascinating as I have!

See you on my next post!

SPANISH VERSION

(This Blog is bilingual)

Este post está centrado en Colombia, ese país de Hispano América que ocupa la esquina superior izquierda de América del Sur.

Colombia es relativamente grande, presentando costa por dos lados, a saber, sobre el Mar Caribe y sobre el Océano Pacífico. También tiene un relieve bastante variado, con las alturas de la Cordillera de Los Andes y la Selva Amazónica como complemento de su gran interior.

La diversidad cultural es muy interesante, producto de la mezcla de sus cuatro grupos étnicos bien marcados: blancos, mestizos, afros y Amerindios. Los mestizos constituyen casi un 50% de la población.

El idioma oficial es el español, pero hay aproximadamente 68 lenguas/dialectos que también han sido declarados como oficiales.

Colombia ofrece temas culturales muy interesantes debidos precisamente  a su gran diversidad étnica, especialmente en lo que se refiere a su producción de música popular.

Sin embargo, quiero dedicar este post a las misteriosas ruinas de la denominada Ciudad Perdida.

CIUDAD PERDIDA

Este descubrimiento arqueológico es reciente, el lugar fue encontrado sólo en 1972. Se cree que las ruinas en sí datan de 800 AD aproximadamente, y son por tanto más antiguas que Machu Picchu en Perú.

La mejor forma de tener alguna visión de este maravilloso lugar, es a través de las fotos que aparecen en el inicio de este post.

Se cree que el lugar fue habitado por unas 6,000 personas, y que las plataformas de piedra que todavía perduran servían para sostener habitaciones de madera.

En la actualidad hay organizaciones sin fines de lucro que se encuentran trabajando en estos lugares, con el fin de preservar esta maravilla para las generaciones futuras.

¡Ojalá tengan el éxito esperado!

PALABRAS FINALES

Hay algo muy particular en la combinación de ruinas de piedra y selva verde. 

No importa donde se ubican, estas ruinas ¡atraen la atención y resultan fascinantes! Ciudad Perdida no es una excepción a esta experiencia.

Ojalá les haya gustado este post y espero verlos a futuro.

More about similar topics in a future post.      Más sobre temas similares en un próximo post.

LANGUAGE TIPS FOR ENGLISH

Words that go together!  * Take your temperature   - * Break my heart  - * Catch their attention  - * Save electricity   – * Keep you place

LANGUAGE TIPS FOR SPANISH.

Expresiones de uso frecuente: * Chancho limpio nunca engorda  - * Comida hecha, amistad deshecha  - * Donde hay humo, hay calor

How is your level of comprehension?     ¿Cómo está su nivel de comprensión?

© 2013  joanveronica  (Joan Robertson)

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