The El Dorado myth originated with a ritual of the Muisca people in Colombia. During a new ruler's coronation, he was covered in gold dust and paddled to the center of Lake Guatavita, where treasures were offered to the gods. Spanish conquistadors, hearing reports, misinterpreted this as evidence of a vast golden city. Their relentless quests, like Gonzalo Pizarro's 1541 expedition from Quito, were disasters. Men perished from starvation, disease, and conflicts. Francisco de Orellana, sent from