Colombia’s Lost City: how archaeologists found Ciudad Perdida
Summary and headline written by AI from the source article. How we work
In the 1970s, treasure hunters led archaeologists to Ciudad Perdida, an ancient settlement hidden in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta mountains of Colombia.
Local guaqueros, people who search for pre-Columbian artifacts, first explored the area known as El Infierno, and Francisco “Franky” Rey, a local guide, played a key role in leading expeditions into the jungle.
Archaeologists from Colombia’s Institute of Anthropology, including Gilberto Cadavid Camargo and Luisa Fernanda Herrera, had already surveyed the region and identified numerous ancient settlements. Reports of looting at a large settlement prompted an official expedition in March 1976. Rey and another treasure hunter, Jesus “El Negro” Rodriguez, guided the team, which also included archaeologists Herrera, Cadavid, Lucia Rojas de Perdomo, and architect Bernardo Valderrama.
After ten days of travel, the group reached the settlement, designated Buritaca 200, and later known as Ciudad Perdida or Teyuna to indigenous communities. The site revealed an extensive network of stone terraces, stairways, and drainage systems built into the mountainside. Archaeologists uncovered around 70 residential terraces, studying construction techniques and burial practices. Later, filming in 1979 brought the site to a wider audience in Colombia.
Though treasure hunters damaged parts of Ciudad Perdida before its discovery, the knowledge of locals like Rey helped researchers access and understand the remote settlement, which now stands as a significant archaeological site and a testament to the ancient Tayrona civilization.
