Children of the Sun
The Mysterious Cities of Gold
Lost civilisations, prophecies, a quest following a trail of clues, innocence against evil. All staple parts of many a pulp magazine adventure and all well deployed in this thirty-nine episode cartoon epic from 1982. As with Dogtanian and the Three Muskerhounds and Around the World with Willy Fogg, The Mysterious Cities of Gold was one of the BBC's European imports, specifically a French/Japanese co-production. It was made by the Japanese company Animation Production Pierrot. In France it was entitled Les Mystérieuses Cités d'Or.
Its animation and artwork show a definite Eastern manga influence, many years before Akira and Pokémon brought that style into the UK mainstream. Its European background also brought slightly more earthiness and grit to the storytelling than was found in USA cartoons of the time.
The story opens in sixteenth century Barcelona where a young orphan called Esteban has been raised by monks in the cathedral. He is famed locally because of his ability to bring out the sun and end storms. Just before his elderly guardian Father Rodriguez dies, he tells Esteban that he has a destiny to fulfil, a destiny connected to the gold medallion he wears. Father Rodriguez also explains how Esteban was rescued as a baby by the famous explorer Magellan from an unknown sinking ship, which had been manned by his father. Shortly afterwards, Esteban meets an enigmatic man called Mendoza, who reveals that he was the sailor who actually dived into the sea to rescue him all those years ago. As proof, he reveals he has kept the missing part of Esteban's medallion. Mendoza believes that the medallion is connected to the South American legend of the lost cities of gold and he challenges Esteban to join an expedition to the New World. Believing Mendoza's hints that his father may still alive and wanting to find him, Esteban accepts.
Once on board the sailing ship however Esteban discovers that all is far from well. He meets Zia, a young indian girl who has been kidnapped by the expedition's leaders because they believe she has secret knowledge that can help them find the City of Gold. She has a medallion like Esteban's, given to her by her father. The expedition is under the command of Commander Gomez and his sidekick Gaspard, the Captain of the Guard, who are greedy ruthless thugs only interested in gold and caring little for the welfare of the children. Also aboard and allied to Mendoza are Sancho and Pedro, a pair of sailors who believe his stories about a City of Gold. Following a dangerous voyage across the Atlantic and the Straits of Magellan, the ship is wrecked in a storm and Mendoza, Sancho, Pedro and the children find themselves stranded on a tropical island. To their surprise they meet an eccentric young native boy called Tao, who describes himself as a king and says he is the last of the Hiva. From the evidence of blueprints in his tree-house and what he has learnt from his late father, the Hiva were an advanced civilisation who were wiped out in some terrible catastrophe. However before the end, their king organised the building of seven Cities of Gold to preserve their knowledge and powers. Tao believes that his father foretold his new friends' arrival, so he and his pet parrot Kukapetl join them on their quest. Zia is able to read the quipu, a secret code of knotted strings and the one Tao shows her leads them to a fantastically advanced sailing ship complete with solar powered engines and weapons.
They use the ship, christened the Solaris, to complete their journey to the New World only to be forced to destroy it to stop it falling into the hands of the tyrannical Spanish authorities. They fight the insane Governor Pizarro who lusts after gold and owns a secret map in the form of a quipu. Zia wants to return to her home village and Esteban and Tao help her. Mendoza, Pedro and Sancho accompany them, believing that the children's two medallions are the key to the Cities of Gold. Threatened with death by Pizarro, Gomez and Gaspard follow and would regularly appear throughout the rest of the story to frustrate them and try to recapture Zia. Esteban and his companions' trail leads them across the desert, only to discover Zia's village is deserted and her father has long since left to search for her. They become involved in a battle between the Inca's Fort of the Black Eagle and the European invaders. At the City of the High Peak they find an ancient design carved in a well which shows the direction to the City of Gold. Their next journey brings into conflict with the Urubus, a race of barbarian giants who are terrorising the local Incas who live in a floating town on a lake. News of Zia's lost father leads to a ruined Inca city and then onto another city, where they active ancient technology in the temple to reveal a giant golden condor. To their astonishment, Esteban's medallion activates the bird and they discover it is an advanced flying machine.
With Esteban at the controls they help save the City of the High Peak from the Europeans, then fly west to the land of the Mayas, only to crash in the jungle. After nearly being killed by a giant serpent, they are captured by Amazons. To avoid being sacrificed they have to outwit Omoro, a wily medicine woman who is using secret Hiva technology to ensure her power over the tribe. Re-energising the Golden Condor with the aid of the Queen's sacred mirror, they then save the Amazons from an invasion by a rival tribe. Flying to another lost ruined city, they find new clues on a statue of a winged serpent. But before they can solve the puzzle they are captured by the sinister Doctor Fernando la Guerra and Marinche, a beautiful but cold hearted Inca woman who possess part of a map to the City of Gold. Once again the gang escape and take the map with them, pursued by their new enemies. After a brief adventure with an Inca tribe who own a lake filled with gold treasure, the comrades cross a dangerous ravine, swamps and discover a third ruined city with a golden inscribed statue.
Now saga would take a sudden turn into science fiction when the inscription leads them to a mountain with a shield of light. Inside the mountain they are captured by an underground race of goblin-like men called the Olmecs, who live in a city filled with advanced technology. The mountain's 'burning shield' is a side effect produced by a vast crystal power complex. Unfortunately the Olmecs are a cruel, selfish race who want to find the City of Gold to steal its technology. With it they will revive the rest of their sleeping race from suspended animation and go on to conquer the world. Escaping with the aid of a Inca slave girl called Myena, the five find allies in her tribe, who live near the mountain.
Zia discovers her father also lives here as their leader, but sadly she has only just been reunited with him when he is killed in an Olmec raid. Esteban and Mendoza persuade the local tribes to unite and defeat the tyrannical Olmecs once and for all. The war initially goes in the Incas favour, but results in the Olmecs launching their own gigantic flying machine, which is armed with death rays. Menator, the chief Olmec captures Zia. He now knows that the secret location of the City of Gold lies with the two children who bear the medallions. Esteban rescues her but in escaping they find themselves stranded alone on an island in a great lake. Once again destiny seems to shape their actions, for within the island is a secret tribe, ruled by an imposing masked high priest who guards the secret entrance to the City of Gold. Esteban and Zia's medallions are the keys to the great doors. With Incas tribes, Gomez and Gaspard, not to mention the Olmecs converging on the island, the terrible secrets of the Cities of Gold, the truth of the Hiva kingdom and the fate of Esteban's father are revealed. Whoever controls the powers of the City of Gold, will rule the whole world.
The synopsis above is only a basic summary of the plot. MCOG has the helter-skelter feel of a serial novel, with event piling upon event. Most episodes involve either a major battle or the discovery of an ancient ruin. Esteban and his friends are frequently captured and usually they will have to escape a cell, but sometimes their captors turn out to be friendly and offer them some respite. Whenever they do find a temple or other strange chamber, the chances are that it will start collapsing as soon as they have found the next clue. An awful lot of time seems to be spent dodging falling masonry or fleeing blazing fires. MCOG was inspired by the historical novel The King's Fifth by Scott O'Dell. Onto its basic concept, the show's writers added a number of colourful extra elements. One of the series most intriguing factors is its Eric Von Dankien influence. Taking the idea from his book Chariots of the Gods of alien influences on early human civilisation, there are some hints that the Hiva had inspiration from an outside agency, "...a man who was very intelligent, and he understood the heaven and the earth. He was called the Winged Serpent". In addition the story also draws on the legend of Atlantis. The heroes keep discovering technology far in advance of the twenty-first century, let alone the sixteenth. Of course they don't really understand it, but they do appreciate that these are machines rather than magic. The way they interpret and name the technology is believably worked out. A good example is Mendoza discovering a laser gun and initially dismissing it as unloaded, then being amazed by its destructive powers. The most spectacular is the Golden Condor, an advanced semi-intelligent aircraft but the audience can also recognise computer banks, a generating plant and laser cannons amongst the artifacts. It is never conclusively revealed whether the Hiva were a wholly human lost advanced civilisation or whether they had alien benefactors who were ultimately remembered as the Aztec gods such as the winged serpent Quetzelcotal. Another curiosity is the Olmecs. They are approximately human in appearance but are smaller, have large domed heads, pointed ears and when they run they scamper like monkeys on all fours. They also appear to be all male. Their leader says they are the descendents of Hiva who fled underground following the destruction of their civilisation but they've evolved surprisingly fast. Could they have been aliens or hybrids of some kind?
MCOG's look is an effective mixture of fairly cheap flat-looking animation and broad colours, mixed in with some nice attention to detail in the way people move. Mendoza moves in dynamic strokes, his cloak swirling around him. People rub their noses or make little hand gestures, which helps them seem more realistic. The backgrounds of jungles and ruined cities are moodily well painted. Haim Saban & Shuki Levy created the score and they would later become better known for producing another Japanese co-production - Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. The show's memorable music is synthesised but very atmospheric and three or four main themes emerge. Occasionally the music editing leaves something to be desired, especially in the early episodes, with loud dramatic music laid underneath fairly mundane conversations and events.
Characterisation in the series was definitely above average for the principles. Estoban is a reluctant hero, driven by a strong sense of right and wrong and a remarkably unprejudiced approach to most of the people he meets. Of the three children he is one who grows the most over the course of the adventure. Initially uncertain and looking to others to guide him, by two-thirds of the way through, not only has he overcome his vertigo but he has gained maturity and confidence. He tells Zia that even if he does not find his father or discovers he is dead, it will not be the end of everything. Just exploring in his father's footsteps is a reward in itself. Like his two friends, his lack of interest in gold also protects him and stops him falling into some of the traps where the adults do. Zia is brave and mature beyond her years. Despite the trauma of being abducted from her native village and then being kidnapped again by Captain Gomez, she is able to cope and stand up for herself. Her personality is similar to Esteban's in many ways, yet it is coloured by her Inca background. She identifies strongly with her own people and sometimes seems closer to Tao because of that. She also treats Esteban as an honourary South American, rather than counting him as Spanish. Her grief at her father's death is sensitively handled, as is the way she accepts it and carries on her life. Tao is a strange mixture of maturity and juvenile. His scientific ingenuity frequently saves the day, whilst his insight into the technology they discover and his knowledge of the Hiva is invaluable. Yet outside of his field of expertise he begins to lack confidence and he can become fatalistic in the face of danger. When Esteban and Zia first meet him he has been living alone for a while and is used to having his own way. At first he finds it hard to negotiate and compromise with his new friends. There is a hint of rivalry for Zia's affections between he and Esteban at first but after a while Tao seems to accept that Esteban and Zia have a bond. He is definitely attracted to Myena and rather crushed when he learns she has been promised to a handsome warrior called Wynacocha. All three children grow and become more self-reliant as the story progresses. They learn about differentiating between the trustworthy and the treacherous. They also demonstrate considerable moral judgement. One key scene is the discovery of a dying Urubu giant. Mendoza, Sancho and Pedro want to leave him to die, especially since he attacked them not so long ago. But Esteban and Zia give him their share of the precious water flask. The giant revives and gives them a valuable warning about a planned ambush up ahead. Tao feels ashamed because he was too scared to offer his share but because of his reticence, all three children are able to wet their lips with his share and there are no hard feelings. The sailors watch all this with astonishment.
Of the adult characters the most intriguing is Mendoza. An expert sailor, skilled swordsman and extremely resourceful and intelligent. Right up until the final episode it is hard to decide whose side, if any, he is truly on. He frequently manipulates Esteban via his feelings for his father and seems keen to find the City of Gold purely to satisfy his own greed. Several times he offers his services to the corrupt Spanish authorities and sides with them against the children and their allies. Yet he also protects them against harm, shows moral authority on occasion and towards the end of the adventure he is willing to risk his life to save them. He even draws his sword on his two sailing companions and promises to kill them if they don't follow him to rescue them from the Olmecs. The other two adult regulars are Mendoza's sidekicks, Pedro and Sancho. Initially these two seem like resourceful sailors, but once they are arrive in South America they quickly show their true colours as a pair of greedy fools. Constantly complaining, cowardly, prejudiced, always looking for the easy way out, the pair frequently cause trouble. It is only when obeying Mendoza and carrying out physical tasks like building and carrying that they justify their role in the party. In fact as others point out, they are far more childish than the children are.
Esteban and his friends face a large gallery of rogues. Their most persistent enemies are Commander Gomez and Captain Gaspard. Gomez is ruthless and ambitious and has some talent for strategy. Gaspard is brutish and has as best a low animal cunning. At first they seem pretty formidable but as the story progresses and their defeats total up they become increasingly desperate. Gomez loses his authority and his troops. By the end, he and Gaspard are little better than fugitives. Nevertheless their readiness to commit callous murder and cowardly treachery means that they remain a threat whenever they appear. The Doctor, Marinche and their giant servant Teteola are a slightly more sophisticated threat. It is never explained how they came to be working together but they hold part of the secret location of the City of Gold and are determined to claim its riches.
The series emphasised its historical and cultural sources by following each episode with a short film item on some aspect raised by the episode, say a biography of Magellan or a look at the real life Aztec ruins discovered by missionaries. Seemingly made out of stock footage from tourist board films and other documentaries, the clips were accompanied by the brisk, booming voice of an American narrator. Most memorable was the bloodless recreation of an Aztec human sacrifice ritual seemingly performed by a Peruvian amateur dramatics group.
So far MCOG has not been repeated or commercially released in the UK. However a video edition was released in France. A Japanese dubbed version is available in Japan, complete with a different title sequence and theme song. Several fan sites and a mailing list have appeared on the Internet. A few years ago a group including the original director made an attempt to start up a sequel. This would have picked up where the first serial ended, following the adventures of Esteban, Zia and Tao as they searched for the remaining six Cities of Gold in their Golden Condor. But the producers failed to raise enough interest amongst television companies. The Mysterious Cities of Gold remains a fond memory for many, and thanks to its unusual setting and the care and attention of its makers. Reviewing it lately, it has not dated, neither is there anything unintentionally camp about the show. Certainly it would worth a repeat someday soon.
Gareth Preston
I am grateful for the assistance of the following websites:
http://mcog.bkernst.net/
http://home.ptd.net/~crimson/
http://www.mysteriouscitiesofgold.com
Episode List
1. Esteban, Child of the Sun
2. Crossing the Atlantic
3. Heroes Again
4. Adrift on the Endless Sea
5. The Abduction of Zia
6. The Ship Solaris
7. Secret of the Solaris
8. The New Continent
9. The End of the Solaris
10. Secret of the Temple
11. Messengers of the Religion
12. Secret of the Medallions
13. Mystery of the Parents
14. Esteban's Medallion
15. The Subterranean Secret
16. The Urubus
17. The Great Condor
18. Maiden Flight of the Great Condor
19. The Nazca Plateau
20. The Spaniards Cannon
21. The Amazons
22. The Mirror of the Moon
23. The Jade Mask
24. The Manuscript
25. The Lake of Gold
26. The Swamps
27. The Doors of Night
28. The Forest of Statues
29. The Burning Shield
30. The Escape
31. The Village of the New Sun
32. Attack of the Olmecs
33. The Reunion
34. Revolt of the Mayas
35. The Olmec Machine
36. Aerial Pursuit
37. The City of Gold
38. The Great Legacy
39. The End of the City of Gold
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