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
Raleigh's El Dorado Expedition Raleigh's El Dorado Expedition Raleigh's El Dorado expedition, also known as Raleigh's first voyage to Guiana, was an English military and exploratory expedition led by Sir Walter Raleigh that took place during the Anglo–Spanish War in 1595. The expedition set out in February 1595 to explore the Orinoco River on the northeast tip of South America in an attempt to find the fabled city of El Dorado. Raleigh first captured the Spanish settlement of San José de Oruña on the colony of Trinidad, along with the Governor , who was also looking for the city. After questioning De Berrío, Raleigh