El Dorado, el do-ra'do, a mythical country, supposed to exist somewhere in South America. From the accounts given by the Indians, the Spanish explorers long believed a region existed somewhere in the Andes where gold was so abundant that children played with nuggets instead of marbles. Many expeditions were sent out to search for this land of gold, but, although much treasure was obtained, El Dorado was never discovered. During the gold excitement in California the region was called the El Dorado of the West. The term is Spanish, meaning gilded man, referring to the reputed high priest of this fabled region. The El Dorado myth is distinctly American, but seems related in many respects to the story of the Golden Fleece and other myths of Greece.