Mitos y Leyendas: The Golden City, According to the Mapuche

• Genny de Bernardo shares with you the legend of the golden city, as told by the Mapuche people.
• Mapuche ancestors cross the Great Mountain Range, guided by a condor, towards Nahuel Huapi.
• A vision warns a woman of a foreign invasion, and the people take measures to be safe.

Long ago, according to legend, our ancestors fled from foreigners, known as huincas, crossing the imposing Great Mountain Range.

On their journey, they used secret passages known only to them, guided by a majestic condor that traced the safest route in the sky.

Eventually, they arrived in these lands and were amazed by the beauty of the coihues, the fiery arrayanes, and the robust oaks.

They enjoyed blackberries and rose hips, and were imbued with the aroma of cinnamon. The lakes reflected their smiles like a mirror.

Nahuel Huapi

They decided to settle here, at the foot of the mountains, and lit a fire in a clearing in the forest.

They named this region Nahuel Huapi, a name that even the huincas continue to use in honor of our ancestors.

For many seasons, our ancestors danced and sang in praise of Ngenechén, the supreme being who had guided them to this wondrous land through the condor.

The forests and meadows provided them with food, and the mountains, full of caves, offered them shelter.

The City of Gold

They wanted to express their gratitude to Ngenechén in a way that went beyond words and songs.

Some suggested giving something as big as the mountains, as pure as the water from the peaks, and as bright as the moon. But it was the machi, the spiritual leader, who decided the best way to honor the god.

She proposed building a magnificent city for Ngenechén. The walls would be made of gold, the bridges of silver, and they would use precious stones like amber, sapphire, and quartz to decorate the floors.

The altars would be of jasper, amethyst, and onyx, making the whole city shine like a starry sky in the distance.

The Huincas Prepare to Invade the Golden City

The city was so large, pure, and bright that not even the Great Mountain Range could hide it. The huincas saw it and coveted its riches, but before they could plunder it, the machi had a vision.

The next day, she warned them that the huincas were approaching in large numbers, armed. The tribe felt powerless against the threat, as they lacked weapons and warriors, and there was no time to hide the city.

However, the machi gave them a hopeful idea. She claimed that, despite their lack of material resources, they had the protection of Ngenechén and the power of their songs and prayers.

Thus began a Nguillatún, a ritual of praise and supplication to Ngenechén, that lasted many seasons. The city slowly sank into the lake, along with its inhabitants and treasures, before the astonished eyes of the invaders.

No Trace of the Treasure

The huincas, however, never stopped searching for it, generation after generation, but Ngenechén continued to protect it.

Only those with a pure heart and without greed, or those of Mapuche blood, could see it when it emerged from the depths of the lake, magnificent and radiant.

For, according to legend, only a true Mapuche can behold that golden city.

Mitos y Leyendas bids you farewell for now and hopes you enjoyed the legend of the golden city. Until next time!