Friends, here's our group. There were 1,200 steps starting from the Buretaca River and ending at the entrance of the Lost City. The Spanish never entered the Lost City when they colonized Colombia. Interestingly, we did.
The Lost City is composed of 350 terraced rings by current estimate. The rings designated the spaces for homes and also tombs to bury the dead. There are no housing structures visible, just terraced ring after terraced ring surrounded by rich jungle and waterfalls.
Here, I am sitting on the Shaman's Throne. The Shaman would sit here to perform and observe ceremonies. You can see waterfall behind me. What a moment.
This is what I loved about the Lost City: the steps, the terraces, the green, the stone, and a few humans in the mix. It was definitely different than Machu Picchu for this reason. It's so much more remote, quiet, and felt like a deeper step into nature considering everyone around either lives there or has trekked to visit. An intentional group, indeed!
This rock jutting out from the ground is the only element of the Lost City that's not a circular terrace. My friends explained that this rock is of huge spiritual importance to the Kogui and Wiwa tribes as it serves as a spiritual representation of frogs, one of the most important animals for them.Frogs represent nature and fertility. The stone itself resembles a frog sitting. Women come to this stone to give offerings in hopes of healthier pregnancies and more babies.
This design is the seal of the ICAN (Colombian Institute of Anthropology and History). They are a branch of the Colombian Ministry of Culture responsible for maintaining the Lost City site.