A Lost City in Colombia
Introduction
Would you be surprised to walk through a jungle and find an abandoned city that was occupied years ago? There are many places that we believe we know in this world, but the truth is not so. When I listen to Colombia I only think of a beautiful country located in South America. The truth is that in Colombia there are several towns and cities hidden with history that we do not know. The lost city also known as Teyuna is a Tairona indigenous town that is located in the Sierra Nevada in the city of Santa Marta in Colombia. For being located in the jungle are also the changos, jaguars, deer, bears, and more life.
Developing
This town has many hidden qualities, you just have to propose to look for them because the city is something old and unforgettable. Teyuna has a magnificent and a bit sad story, but the important thing is that it has been preserved by its tourist attractions and the indigenous groups that are still there. The Tairona were part of the indigenous group that began the construction of the lost city. The Tairona group stood out in agriculture and its war tactics. The diversity of climates helped the irrigation systems be used for agricultural work. With the help of this, corn cultivation, cassava, beans, and fruit trees stood out.
People fed from fruits and vegetables that hunted. Thanks to the success of agriculture they could continue to cultivate and exchange everything they reaped. It is incredible to see how they live in the Tairona community and know that everyone knew each other through the exchanges of what they harvested. Although they had times of success the tiarones also faced difficulties. The Taires faced the Spaniards after religious and economic pressures. The war between the conquerors and the Tairona lasted more than 75 years. This indigenous group was one of the few who cost the conquerors to conquer.
Imagine they just wanted to continue living their life in harmony without being bothered or disturbing other people. The Tairona fought with such strength and violence, but everything was to preserve their culture and everything they had achieved. The Spaniards only destroy and bring diseases that killed several of the Tairona, but they continued fighting until they could not. For this reason the Spaniards have admired the Tairona and written about their tribe that the conquest resisted so much. The Tairona are also known for their architecture after the lost city was discovered.
The lost city was built around 800 AD, before Machu Picchu, and was the most important urban center among indigenous people. The Buritaca River is located very close to Teyuna and offers food like fish for the Tairona. The population ranged between 1400 and 3000 inhabitants. In the city there were more than 250 terraces distributed in areas to live, work, and make their religious ceremonies. The neighborhoods were located through roads and stairs that guaranteed access to crop fields. The success of architecture was due to the tactics of the Taironas.
How to avoid erosion caused by the rains, for this the Tairona built walls that held roads that passed through the city. The most interesting thing about Tairona architecture is that it represents the development of constructive different from modern architecture. All beauties and achievements in the lost city were abandoned after the conquest of the Spaniards. Then in 1972 the lost city was discovered when treasure hunters met some stairs that reached the center of the city lost in the middle of the jungle. This group met gold and other valuable things that had remained what the Tairona had built.
After meeting the city he became a tourist landscape for being so amazing and unforgettable. In the land of the lost city the tairona reaped everything including marijuana and a coca plant that produces cocaine. With these drugs the city found ways to make money and this helped in economic forms. This new industry brought war between the posters and guerrillas. After a short time the lost city was occupied by the posters and guerrillas making the dangerous place for tourists. In addition to being occupied by these dangerous groups, the Colombian government had problems that had not been solved with the guerrillas and posters.
In 2003 a group of backpackers were walking the jungle and observing all its qualities. They arrived at the cabins to rest, but at midnight the guerrillas entered and kidnapped eight people. The guerrillas and their members stole valuable things to those who had kidnapped and hurt them. There was a young man who managed to escape at night, but he tells that he only survived his time in the jungle for eating insects and drinking water from a river. In his story he tells that the cold was his worst enemy when he was in the jungle, but he managed to reach a place where he met indigenous people. The natives gave him a place to stay and feed him.
Here you can see that until today the indigenous groups of the lost city were good people because they helped a person in need. The story of this man demonstrates a few things of what they suffered because of the guerrillas that occupied the lost city. Guerrilla groups threatened the government demanding that certain changes in the government in exchange for the lives of backpacks. Until today those who went through this experience are still traumatized by what happened in the jungle because they were only going to explore the lost city of Colombia. The government managed to get these guerrillas from there leaving the free and safe city for the indigenous people and tourists.
If someone offered me an opportunity to visit the lost city I would take it in an instant. When they meet an abandoned people so different people have talked about their wonders and the whole story after him. Tourists who visit the lost city normally need a guide that directs them during their trip through the landscape where they will take fresh air. On several occasions tourists have used the trip for a walk. You have to be aware, a good physical condition is needed on this walk. At this point the temperature is very high like moisture. If you can’t stand the heat, you can cool on the Buritaca River to swim and enjoy fresh water.
In addition to being an exercise, during the walk, banana trees can be admired, palms that fall on the jungle, and everything else that is green. While passing through the roads there are donkeys that can follow and load food or other needs. Upon arriving at a certain point, some cabins are waiting for them to rest in the center of the city. Around these cabins you can find descendants of the Taironas and can explain more about the history of their culture and origin. Tairona descendants are known as the Wiwa. The Wiwa dress in pure white clothes and have a very spiritual connection with nature and their land.
His native language of the Wiwa is La Damana, which belongs to the Chibcha linguistic family, the Wiwa language, there are others for ritual use in the Wiwa and Kaggaba villages, which are used only in speeches and sacred songs during traditional ceremonies. It is surprising to know that the Wiwa continue to reject modern life and prefer to live as their ancestors. To get to this tourist place you have to take a lot of time and energy because it is not like any other and all the penalty is worth it. After learning so much from the lost city, it will already be added in my list of places that I want to visit.
I would never have thought that a place like this exists in Colombia. Imagine being able to see everything they harvest in these lands such as coffee, beans, and much more. I would like it to remain a tourist place, but that it stays as it is because there are still indigenous groups that live there or like to visit the wonders that their ancestors built. I think many people do not know about this place because it costs a bit to reach the mere center of the lost city. I would like to know more about how Tairona people lived and how they live together among themselves. There is a lot of good and bad history about the lost city, but it is important to know that these indigenous groups still exist.
conclusion
If your culture and traditions cannot be lost. People harms indigenous groups for their different cultures, but they only want to overcome and maintain their history alive. Although there were problems in the lost city, indigenous people like the Wiwa remain close to their native place and maintain a life in harmony working in their community so that their people will move forward. If this lost city exists there may be other peoples that were abandoned years ago and nobody has yet discovered them. I recommend that if you have the opportunity to visit the lost city they take it because it is an learning experience and the effort will be worth it.
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