Author: Daniel Couceiro

Lost City will close temporarily during October to allow the Indigenous Peoples of the Sierra Nevada to carry out ancestral ceremonies of harmonization and payment to the territory, reinforcing the fundamental connections between the spiritual world and the origin of life that is strongly present in Teyuna, Lost City. When you hike for days through the dense jungle, crossing wild rivers, waking up with the sound of the toucans and howler monkeys, and learning about the Indigenous ways in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta to finally reach the magnificent Lost City, there is this unique feeling of excitement, peace and contentment for reaching such a singular final destination. The astonishing views, the gorgeous terraces, and the welcoming of the mamos (the Indigenous spiritual leaders), added to the exhaustion of a demanding trek, can make your body, mind, and spirit feel ecstatic. Nevertheless, there is much more than meets the eye. Teyuna, commonly named Lost City, holds deeper meanings and significance for the original Peoples of the Sierra Nevada, to the point that it is one the centers of their worldview, sacred and revered for hundreds of years. Throughout most of the industrialized world, humans have lost the connection with the land, and on the way, we have also lost our capacity to identify ourselves and to feel one with the water, with the soil, with the sky, with the trees, birds and all of the other creatures that dwell around. The ability to live as we are one with the rest of the creation has been lost. We have believed that we are something stronger and superior, with the right to manage the rest of the planet, and that no matter what we do, there won’t be consequences. That’s how we go through life. A different way to live