The Mysterious cities of gold

I always thought my obsession with Latin women, came from watching a series of films, on the BBC during my teenage years. Perhaps I was wrong.Perhaps all this time, I nursed a crush on Zia. The Inka girl, from this series. In fact there is an episode full of pretty Latin American women.

I bought the DVD for my brother at Christmas, and I have been watching it, in the mornings. As I ride my bike.

I a not a fan of anime, like some of my friends. I've seen some, Akira, The legend of the four kings, but they left me cold. Watching this, with I hope more maturity than when I was 9. I see why people like it. The characters grow and develop, in ways that sometimes, they don't on live action series. Esteban gets over his fear of heights in the series. Mendoza becomes less mercenary as the series goes on.( Mendoza is the man, in the picture above) In the earlier episodes, Zia, is primary goal of the episodes antgonists, they wish to capture her. As the series goes on, Zia, is less and less the woman in danger. Though she probably has less of an active part in the adventures then the two boys

 People die on screen. In the battles with the Olmecs, the Olmecs are killed. Gaspar and Gomez are killed by an earthquake, as is the Doctor. The high priest of the cities of gold, in his final scenes, we see his robes catch fire as he struggles with his fate. In one episode Esteban draws his dagger, though he uses it for smashing a window, rather then fighting.

One episode has our heroes crossing the desert, where they encounter an old enemy who is about to die off thirst. Zia and Esteban, offer the villain water, but Tal, holds back.

For a year this was a fixture of my life. I think they showed it on Wednesday.
I would wait for the credits to start.  It is the 16th century. From all over Europe, great ships sail west to conquer the New World, the Americas. The men eager to seek their fortune, to find new. 

I remember thinking it was very appropriate. That our time, was similar, to the the 16th century. Soon we would be going off in space ships to new worlds, and new places. 

The series is told about three children. A boy Esteban, who is an orphan who is raised in Spain. Zia, an Inka girl kidnapped so, she can translate a keepu for the Spanish, and Tal. A boy who lived alone on the Island 

( I remember being annoyed as one of the BBC promo's spoiled the ending of an episode, by revealing that Tal, was the person who kidnapped Zia)

Of the three characthers I identified most with Tal, Tal, was the loner. The last descendent of the peoples of Hiva. Now I realise Tal, is polynesian. Thats the french influence. Tahiti was French. ( I happen to know this quite well, as I spent an afternoon, going through reports about the spread of social diseases in Tahiti)

I had even gotten some things wrong. I had thought at first that Mendoza betrayed Esteban, to the people who were looking for him, at the beginning. I remembered the Olmecs, the series antagonists. I did not know at the time, but the Olmecs actually had statues with  strange heads.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olmec_colossal_heads
 In the series they are an all male, race, living in cycronic sleep. They are horribly simian, they climb up walls on there hands. I hated them, they scared me.

The story is epic and spans the world. Its 40 episodes, so almost an entire day of televison.  The series starts off, in Barcelona, where Esteban, the child of the sun, is being brought out,( to the casual disinterest of the inquisition) To make the sun shine, at Barcelona, Esteban meets Mendoza, the master navigator who saved, Estebans life when he was a baby. The cartoon depicts Esteban's father as Japanese he is wearing two swords. ) Anyway, Mendoza smuggles Esteban aboard his ship, with the help of Pedro and Sancho, who provide the comic relief. Aboard the ship, Esteban meets Zia.

Interestingly the stories delve into the chariots of the God milieu which was big in the 1970s. Tal's people. The People of Hiva, ( The actual legendary homeland of the Polynesians-though Mu, in the non anglophone series) built bikes, and worked with paper. The Hiva people built a wonderful ship, the solaris. Which is a solar powered Galley. I missed the episode, where Tal is forced to destroy it. Much to my sadness. I liked Tal, because he was the smart. Like I thought I was like that. There was one episode where Tal meets a pretty indio girl, and Esteban and Zia teased him, and I was so annoyed. .

The series, crossed the whole of South America, from Terra de Fuego, to the Galapagos. To the coasts of Peru, and the Andes. Lake Titikaka, and the Bolvian-Chilean desert. The Amazon, and then north, to Mexico and Guatemala. Each episode ended with a mini documentary about some aspect of latin american life. Often tied in, with the episode. The episode in which our heroes discovered a Jade mask, featured jade masks, and pre columbian burial practice. The Amazon episode discussed the first European explorers on the Amazon.  The documentaries, mention often, the conversion of the Indios to Christianity. Something I think modern children's television  would pass over.

A little piece of my childhood.  A piece of magic. Something educational and entertaining, I commend it to you all.

http://www.themysteriouscitiesofgold.com/