Ciudad Perdida

Tairona · Colombia

Field notes

civilizations

Tairona

types

City

occupied

800 CE — 1,600 CE

country

Colombia

The site

Ciudad Perdida, the "lost city" also called Teyuna, was built by the Tairona high in Colombia's Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta and occupied from about 800 to 1600 CE. It comprises 169 terraces carved into the mountainside, a network of tiled roads, and several small circular plazas. Reaching it demands a climb of 1,200 stone steps through dense jungle, part of why this site on the UNESCO tentative list remained hidden for so long.

Nearby sites

~968 km

Tierradentro

~1,051 km

San Agustin archeological park

~1,606 km

Ingapirca

~1,702 km

Copán