The Cueva de Los Tayos Expedition 2019 was an adventure no one will forget! Our expedition had two main goals – to find more cave entrances and to solve the mystery of the rock formations we called the “walls” and “toes” upon their discovery in the last team’s expedition. Both missions were accomplished, but not everything was a walk in the woods…
A few years have passed since our last expedition to the Tayos Caves in Ecuador and we immediately noticed there had been a few changes in the Shuar community we like to stay with during the expeditions to the caves. One of the biggest changes in the village was the school that was built in part with the funds donated by members of the last Tayos expedition open to Ancient Origins Premium Members .
Find out more about the expedition:
Cueva de los Tayos Expedition 2019: Finding Answers in Amazonia
The Muisca civilization flourished in ancient Colombia between 600 and 1600 BC. Their territory included what is the modern city of Bogotá and its surrounding area and they are renowned for being the origin of El Dorado , a legendary Golden City, that began as a Muisca tradition of ‘The Gilded Man’ or ‘The Golden One’. But maybe El Dorado isn’t what so many people believe it is? Ancient Origins gained a new insight into the legend while exploring a sacred Muisca region. And it wasn’t our only discovery.
Find out more about th challenges faced and the discoveries in the article:
Lost Mountain Gods of Colombia: Ancient Origins Explores the Sacred Mountain of the Muisca
"All and all, the experienced enriched my own life and I arrived home feeling "happy" and wanting to learn to speak Spanish. I cannot thank Ancient-Origins enough for allowing me to be part of the exploration. ", Lydia, US
"The Lost Mountain Gods of Colombia hosted by Ancient Origins and Ashley Cowie was by far an experience drenched in history, adventure, intrigue, and ultimately discovery. I will forever be changed and indebted to the team for further investigations as time permits. ", Walter, US
"Every morning for seven days we wake to the sight of the mountain across the valley to the west. We learn to take in this view with excitement and dread. Can we endure one more day? We are there on a hopeful mission of discovery and learning and each day becomes a challenge and an adventure. ", Wendi, US
Ancient Origins returned once again to explore the Tayos caves in Ecuador on our 1st expedition for Premium Members. While the search for hidden cave entrances continues, our recent expedition demonstrated that the secrets of the area may go beyond the caves and tales of Father Crespi and his mysterious treasures!
Find out more about the challenges faced and interesting discoveries, as chronicled in the article:
New Expedition Hints at a Lost City Near the Tayos Caves in Ecuador.
“…we set off along the beach towards another set of tunnels which were partially explored last time. When we had conquered the slippery mud on the way in, we were met by an endless series of angry bats and birds. Lucky for us they only swooped down and crossed our path. The screeching of the distressed animals may provide some explanation for why the Shuar people believed that spirits could be found within the cave and would not continue to search those tunnels after a certain point.
We waded (and sometimes swam) through varied levels of cool waters and eventually reached a place that was seemingly unpassable – at least at first glance…”
