El Dorado Dorado and the initiation rite of the new "zipa", which used to take place in Lake Guatavita. The Spanish captured large amounts of gold from the Muisca, which led them to spread the word that El Dorado was near. After his brother Gonzalo had left for Spain in May 1539, Spanish conquistador Hernán Pérez de Quesada set out a new expedition in September 1540, leaving with 270 Spanish soldiers and countless indigenous porters to explore the Llanos Orientales. One of his main captains on this journey was Baltasar Maldonado. Their expedition was unsuccessful and after reaching Quito, the troops returned
Dorado, Puerto Rico to separate themselves from Toa Baja. On November 22, 1842, Jacinto López Martínez, the Sergeant at Arms for the ward of Dorado, petitioned the Spanish Governor of Puerto Rico, Santiago Méndez Vigo, to establish the municipality of Dorado. The governor authorized the founding of the town pending the construction of public works, including an administrative building and a church near the town square. In 1848, the construction of the public works were completed and López Martínez became the first mayor of Dorado. In 1902, four years after the Spanish–American War, Dorado was again appended to Toa Baja. However, in 1905