The Mysterious History Of The Tayrona And La Ciudad Perdida
The Tayrona (also commonly spelled Tairona) were one of the most advanced pre-Colombian civilizations in the Americas.
The rise of their civilization began around 200 C.E. and their culture thrived until the Spanish conquistador Rodrigo de Bastidas arrived in 1525 on a self-financed quest for gold (he would be later killed by his men for not sharing enough of the gold bounty plundered from the Tayrona).
The Tayrona built advanced cities high in the mountains, connected by stone roads and bridges. The most famous of these cities today is known as La Ciudad Perdida.
La Ciudad Perdida, or “Lost City,” was built around 800 CE. The Tayrona called it Teyuna. It was a major spiritual and political center made up of stone terraces, staircases, and plazas. The city was only accessible by foot through dense jungle and may have housed several thousand people.
Tayrona society was guided by mamos, spiritual leaders who helped maintain balance between humans and nature. They believed in living in harmony with the land and held ceremonies to honor natural forces. They farmed crops like maize, yucca, and coca on terraced slopes with irrigation systems.
The Spanish invasion disrupted Tayrona life. Many communities were abandoned due to war, disease, and colonization. La Ciudad Perdida was left hidden in the jungle for centuries. Local tribes avoided it, believing it was protected or cursed.
The Discovery of La Ciudad Perdida
In 1972, treasure hunters known as “guaqueros” stumbled upon a stone stairway while looking for gold. Archaeologists soon began to study and this area of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta was declared a National Park and a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve in 1979 to protect it.
The restoration process took place between 1976 and 1982, and in 1981, the archaeological park of Ciudad Perdida was opened to the public and the 4-5 day trek to the Lost City was born.
That grew steadily until the early 2000s, when violence and guerrilla activity in the region led to a temporary suspension of all tourist hikes.
In 2005, after security improvements and agreements with local indigenous groups, the trek reopened with guided tours. Since then visitor numbers have grown from under 1,000 per year initially to around 25,000 annually today.
By contrast, Machu Picchu, La Ciudad Perdida’s famous archeological cousin to the south in Peru, gets 1.5 million tourists a year. What makes the 4-day Ciudad Perdida Trek so special is the multi-day trek through the jungle makes it inaccessible to the tour bus crowd that swamps Machu Picchu.
Today, the descendants of the Tayrona—the Kogi, Arhuaco, Wiwa, and Kankuamo—still live in the region. They consider Teyuna sacred and ask visitors to respect its spiritual importance.
The Tayrona Spirituality, Culture And Art
The Tayrona were known for their intricate goldwork and ceramics, and their craftsmanship is often linked to the legend of El Dorado.
They created detailed gold jewelry, nose rings, pendants, and ritual objects using lost-wax casting. Many pieces depicted animals, shamans, and spiritual symbols. Their goldwork wasn’t just decorative; it also held deep spiritual meaning and was used in ceremonies by their spiritual leaders, the Mamos.
When the Spanish heard tales of cities filled with gold in the highlands and jungles, it drove their obsession to find “the golden one.” The Tayrona’s hidden mountain cities and buried treasures added to the mystery.
In recent years more ancient cities have been uncovered in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta but they remain off-limits for tourists and protected by the indigenous descendants of the Tayrona.
The best places to experience the art and craftsmanship of the Tayrona is at the Tairona Gold Museum (Museo del Oro Tairona) in Santa Marta and the Gold Museum (Museo del Oro) in Bogotá.
A common name for the pyramid-shaped Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta range that culminates in the highest peak in Colombia, named after Christoper Columbus by the Spanish, is Gonawindua (also spelled Gonavindua) and they consider this area to be the Heart of the World.
In the Kogi tradition, Go (birth) + na (to come) + win (movement, as in a child in the womb) + dua (seed or semen) together describe a divine origin: the mountain as the symbolic skeleton or axis of the Earth’s creation.
To local indigenous people, Gonawindua is a sacred living being whose body makes up the mountain range and who needs to be respected and reciprocated for making life here possible with regular offerings.
The Architecture Of La Ciudad Perdida
Ciudad Perdida was built directly into the steep slopes of the Sierra Nevada mountains at 1,200 meters (3,937 feet) above sea level on the edge of the cloud forests.
The Tayrona shaped over 250 terraces into the hillsides using stone retaining walls. These terraces supported homes, gardens, and ceremonial spaces while also preventing erosion and managing rainwater.
Stone staircases and paths connect each level of the city. Some stairways stretch for kilometers through thick jungle. The Tayrona used local materials and followed the natural contours of the land rather than forcing it to change.
At the center of the city are round plazas and platforms. These spaces were likely used for rituals, meetings, and offerings to the spirits. Their circular design and alignment with the sun suggest a deep connection with astronomy and the cycles of nature.
Water was sacred to the Tayrona. They built carved channels and reservoirs to collect and direct water through the city. These systems were both functional and spiritual, reflecting their belief in balance between humans and the natural world.
The construction of Ciudad Perdida shows that the Tayrona were not just builders but caretakers of the earth. Their architecture was practical, sustainable, and spiritual. Everything they built was meant to honor the land they lived on and the spirits they believed guided it.
Other Ancient Sites In The Sierra Nevada De Santa Marta
Archeologists have mapped hundreds of ancient Tayrona settlements across the Sierra Nevada, including mid-elevation sites sometimes referred to in community and Indigenous oral accounts.
Besides Ciudad Perdida, several other ancient Tayrona cities and settlements lie hidden in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta. There was also an important coastal network of villages surrounding the present-day Santa Marta area with key villages in the areas of Taganga, Dorsino and Gaira (El Rodadero).
Most of these settlements and temples haven’t been fully excavated, but here are some known or rumored sites:
1. Pueblito Chairama
Located within Tayrona National Park, Calabazo entrance, this is an ancient ceremonial site that is now closed to tourists because it is a sacred place for indigenous people.
Instead, you can learn about the local Kogi culture at their nearby Teyku village, where they offer daily tours and workshops.
El Pueblito features terraces, stone walkways, and plazas, much like Ciudad Perdida. It was a ceremonial and residential site that was likely connected to other towns via ancient stone trails.
2. Ciudad Antigua
This ancient city is a lesser-known site found in the cloud forests above the town of Minca in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta. Some local tour companies offer tours of this area with permission from the indigenous people.
Ciudad Antigua is accessed from a road just past La Tagua from the Minca side or on the other side from Cienaga on the Cienaga-Minca road but once you’re off the main paved road, it is a muddy and bumpy 1-hour ride with a 4×4 vehicle.
It’s believed to be older than Ciudad Perdida and contains circular terraces, stairways, and sacred spaces. Today, it is an active site for both resident archaeologists and local indigenous groups and it is known as the El Congo Research Station.
3. Chengue and Cinto
These were once large Tayrona settlements on the coast, now largely overgrown. Chengue Bay was home to a well-organized Tayrona port town with plazas and burial sites.
These areas are off-limits to tourists due to environmental and ancestral protections but many boat tours visit Chengue Bay for snorkelling in its crystal clear waters.
Cinto Bay is also visited by boat tours and it can also be reached by a long and difficult hike.
4. Tigrera and Jiroka
Mentioned in oral histories and by archaeologists, these settlements are still being mapped by researchers and Indigenous groups.
They’re believed to lie in the mid-elevations of the Sierra and may have served as trade hubs between coastal and highland communities.
Perhaps more will be known about these ancient sites in the future.
5. Koskunguena
Koskunguena is an ancient Tayrona (Tairona) settlement located along a pre-Columbian route near the Buritaca River. The site is considered a protected cultural and sacred landscape and is not open to tourists.
This site stretches nearly 3 km beside the river, marked by terraces, stone stairs, small bridges, retaining walls, pathways, and foundation rings for wooden homes topped with palm roofs.
Archaeologists from Uniandes University in Bogotá, led by Eduardo Mazuera Nieto, began detailed mapping and topographic surveys there from around 2011.
6. Nabusímake
While not a Tayrona site, it’s worth mentioning. This is the sacred capital of the Arhuaco people, direct descendants of the Tayrona.
Nabusímake is located high in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta on the south side of the mountains near Valledupar. It’s a functioning spiritual center with traditional stone architecture and Indigenous governance.
Exploring The Living History of the Sierra Nevada
Many ancient Tayrona cities are still hidden beneath the forests of the Sierra Nevada.
Some have been mapped by archaeologists, others are only known through Indigenous oral history. They remain untouched, not because they are forgotten, but because they are sacred.
For the Kogi, Arhuaco, Wiwa, and Kankuamo peoples, these places are not ruins. They are living spaces connected to the spiritual health of the mountain. Ceremonies are still held there. Paths are still walked. These sites are part of a living system, not just historical artifacts.
The Tayrona did not separate the sacred from the everyday. Their cities were built in harmony with rivers, slopes, and stars. Everything had a purpose. That way of life continues today through the Indigenous caretakers of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta.
Many sites remain closed to the public. This is not to keep people out, but to protect what still holds spiritual power. Tourism is allowed in some areas, but always with the guidance of those who know the meaning of the land.
The Sierra Nevada is not just a place to look back at the past. It is a place where past and present still meet. The legacy of the Tayrona lives on in the people, the trails, and the stillness and silence of the mountains.
I have been running mindful hiking retreats for the last 7 years that integrate mindful awareness, experiential learning and community building practices.
I love exploring new places, flying my drone and sharing my adventures on my Instagram.
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