A Golden World Under Eldorado Marquees

Ah, the Muisca Confederation—a delightful realm where gold and emeralds seem as mundane as cabbage and turnips. As I trudge through the bustling plaza of Suamox, my gaze inevitably wanders skyward to the extraordinary spectacle overhead. Enormous, glittering golden canopies, or as I coined them, "Eldorado Marquees," majestically cover every significant community gathering place. Truly, a first-rate solution for repelling both blinding solar rays and drab architectural mediocrity.

It's humorously fitting that, in a land where resources are bountiful, the locals have opted to demonstrate their wealth in the form of ostentatious sprawling glitter-roofs rather than, say, conquering neighbors or squabbling over soccer match outcomes (a pastime, I note, that is non-existent here). A major departure from our own timeline, where less prosperous tribes relied more on robust strategies of territorial expansion than excessive canopy installation.

The effects of these marvels are quite visible in Muisca society. The cascade of golden light filtering through makes everyone’s teeth appear more radiant, presumably a boon for those in the toothpick trade which I've noted is flourishing here. A minor shift, one might think innocuous at first, yet it manifests in quite a societal quirk: the entire confederation seems obsessed with dental care, to the point that emerald-inlaid toothpicks are the ultimate status symbol.

Equally amusing is the population’s devotion to meteorology. With great concern over the glare-prone golden coverings, the Muisca have become expert weather forecasters. Every household has a resident cloudy-day monitor—distinctly outfitted in their emerald-studded hats—who, I dare say, invent new incantations to discourage sun-baked glimmers like priests at a rain dance.

Despite the evident extravagance of these shimmering shelters, this alternative Muisca Confederation seems rather bereft of another wonder: the fabled mind-boggling puzzles like our very own Muisca Raft and the remarkable dramatics of El Dorado rites. Indeed, the cost of such grandiose canopy projects has left little room for further myth-building diversions. Without these tales spiraling into parables of conquest and magic, I say the time here spent feels decidedly less melodramatic; yet one cannot help but chuckle when a decision to shift from ritual theatrics to architectural ostentation marks the uncorking of a life less legendary.

As I pen this entry with a borrowed emerald stylus—a delightful consequence of a particularly sunny sales day—it strikes me that here, the legacy of shine settles more firmly in the visible, immediate present, rather than loftily echoing through foundational myth.