The City of the Caesars
For two centuries, explorers searched Patagonia for a hidden city of gold, where people never died, that could never be seen until you were inside it.
What was reported
In the 1500s, stories reached the Spanish of a rich city somewhere in the far south of the continent, between the mountains and the lakes of Patagonia. It was said to have streets paved with silver and gold, and was later said to be inhabited by survivors of shipwrecks, whose descendants lived forever there.
Expedition after expedition went looking for it, from Chile and from Argentina, well into the 1700s. Some said the city was enchanted and couldn't be seen until you were inside it, and that fog hid it from searchers.
Explanations offered
The legend may have started with a 1520s expedition led by Francisco César into the interior, and with memories of the Inca empire's wealth, mixed with tales of shipwrecked Spaniards. No city was ever found. The searches did help map the region.
- When
- Searched for from the 1500s to the 1700s
- Where
- Patagonian Andes, Chile and Argentina
- Witnesses
- Explorers and missionaries
- Status
- Legend
Famous cases are real, widely reported events. Each file sets out what witnesses said and the explanations that have been offered, without taking a side.
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