Ciudad Perdida, Archaeological site in Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, Colombia
Ciudad Perdida is a ruined settlement in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta in Colombia, built across 169 stone terraces carved into the mountainside. These terraces are linked by narrow stone paths and circular meeting plazas.
The Tairona civilization founded the settlement around the year 800. It remained hidden from the outside world until 1972, when local treasure hunters discovered it while tracking a turkey.
The Kogi people, descendants of the Tairona civilization, call the place Teyuna and regard it as sacred ground. They maintain a spiritual connection to the stone platforms where their ancestors lived and prayed.
Access requires a demanding trek through dense rainforest, covering 47 kilometers round trip. The final climb follows 1,200 well-preserved stone steps up to the terrace complex.
The terraces sit at 975 meters (3,200 feet) elevation and predate Machu Picchu by several centuries. At its peak, the settlement housed between 2,000 and 8,000 people.
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