El Dorado
Conquistadors' golden dream
El Dorado is a legendary city of gold that Spanish conquistadors believed existed somewhere in the Americas.
The original term meant "the golden one," referring to a king said to cover himself in gold dust.
The myth drove countless expeditions through South America.
Now El Dorado means any place of fabulous wealth or opportunity: Silicon Valley was the El Dorado for tech entrepreneurs.
Also spelled Eldorado.
Spanish colonial soldiers
- Spanish EmpireHistorical Iberian colonial power
- New WorldWestern Hemisphere landmasses
- expeditionOrganized exploratory journey
- explorationTraveling through unknown regions
Amazon · South America · indigenous · mythology · folklore · fable · mythos · mythical
Act of seeking
- expeditionOrganized exploratory journey
- journeyTravel from place to place
- adventureRisky exciting undertaking
- discoveryAct of finding something
pursuit · seekers · explorers · treasure hunt · map · voyage · odyssey · pilgrimage
Valued wealth or keepsake
- richesAbundant valuable possessions
- bullionPrecious metal in bulk
- nuggetSmall solid lump
- goldenBright yellow, or precious
precious · hoard · trove · plunder · loot · bounty · cache · motherload
Abundance of valuable resources
- affluenceAbundance of money
- luxuryExpensive nonessential comfort
- prosperityGood fortune, success
- splendorImpressive, striking beauty
magnificence · abundance · lavishness · grandeur · extravagance · paradise · utopia · promised land
Disappeared from sight
- unfoundNot yet discovered
- hiddenKept out of sight
- undiscoveredNot yet found
- mysteriousBeyond easy comprehension
inaccessible · unmapped · uncharted · shrouded · concealed · enigmatic · unreachable · legendary
conquistadors
Spanish colonial soldiers
- Spanish EmpireHistorical Iberian colonial power
- New WorldWestern Hemisphere landmasses
- expeditionOrganized exploratory journey
exploration · Amazon · South America · indigenous · mythology · folklore · fable · mythos · mythical · infamy
search
Act of seeking
- expeditionOrganized exploratory journey
- journeyTravel from place to place
- adventureRisky exciting undertaking
discovery · pursuit · seekers · explorers · treasure hunt · map · voyage · odyssey · pilgrimage · venture
treasure
Valued wealth or keepsake
golden · precious · hoard · trove · plunder · loot · bounty · cache · motherload · glittering
wealth
Abundance of valuable resources
- affluenceAbundance of money
- luxuryExpensive nonessential comfort
- prosperityGood fortune, success
splendor · magnificence · abundance · lavishness · grandeur · extravagance · paradise · utopia · promised land · cornucopia
vanished
Disappeared from sight
- unfoundNot yet discovered
- hiddenKept out of sight
- undiscoveredNot yet found
mysterious · inaccessible · unmapped · uncharted · shrouded · concealed · enigmatic · unreachable · legendary · rumored
- phantom geographyphantom islands, Atlantis, Lemuria, Mu, terra incognita
- Animated FilmsShrek, Madagascar, The Croods, Boss Baby, Megamind
- Fantasy EscapesNarnia, Oz, Hogwarts, Middle-earth, Neverland
- Gold RushCalifornia Gold Rush, gold miners, gold mining, gold flakes, gold nuggets
- imaginary worldsdreamland, fairyland, wonderland, fantasy realm, dream world
- Lost CivilizationsAtlantis, Pompeii, Troy, Babylon, Mycenae
El Doradowasteland
Uninhabitable barren region
poorhouse · poverty · slum · destitution · dust bowl
El Doradoreality
What actually exists
wild goose chase · fool's errand · terra firma · known world · harsh truth