Pedro de Cieza de León and the myth of El Dorado

Abstract

Pedro de Cieza de León is one of the two sources in the chronicles about the origin of El Dorado myth (the other source is Gonzalo Fernández de Oviedo). This paper tries to analyze this issue as well as the importance that Cieza put on the search of a territory which could compare to the recently discovered Peru. Cieza´s astonishment caused by the Peruvian treasures, coupled with his previous experience as an explorer, are elements which conform his writings: his moral tone, in which one could see the Baroque spirit, serves as a counterbalance for the Reinassance man, eager for new adventures. Pedro de Cieza wrote his chronicles of Peru as a historical text in which glory and disgrace were interwoven. In that respect, the unknown territory of El Dorado symbolized the archetype of a mythical place for the discovery of a fantasy kingdom. This paper also studies concrete references in relation to the supposed locations of El Dorado.