In 1595, the [[English]] [[explorer]] [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sir_Walter_Raleigh Sir Walter Raleigh] set out to find the legendary city of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_Dorado El Dorado]. The [[city]] was never found but Raleigh wrote at length about his venture to South America in which he claimed to have come within close proximity of "the great Golden Citie of Manoa (which the Spaniards call El Dorado)." Despite the fact that his narrative was quite unrealistic — it described a tribe of headless people, for example — his reputation commanded such respect that other cartographers apparently used Raleigh's map as a model for their own. Cartographer [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jodocus_Hondius Jodocus Hondius] included El Dorado in his 1598 map of South America, as did Dutch publisher [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theodore_de_Bry Theodore de Bry]. The [[city]] remained on maps of South America until as late as 1808 and spawned numerous unsuccessful hunts for the city. | In 1595, the [[English]] [[explorer]] [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sir_Walter_Raleigh Sir Walter Raleigh] set out to find the legendary city of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_Dorado El Dorado]. The [[city]] was never found but Raleigh wrote at length about his venture to South America in which he claimed to have come within close proximity of "the great Golden Citie of Manoa (which the Spaniards call El Dorado)." Despite the fact that his narrative was quite unrealistic — it described a tribe of headless people, for example — his reputation commanded such respect that other cartographers apparently used Raleigh's map as a model for their own. Cartographer [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jodocus_Hondius Jodocus Hondius] included El Dorado in his 1598 map of South America, as did Dutch publisher [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theodore_de_Bry Theodore de Bry]. The [[city]] remained on maps of South America until as late as 1808 and spawned numerous unsuccessful hunts for the city. |