Plot
"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 adventures in new lands. They long to cross uncharted seas and discover unknown countries, to find secret gold on a mountain trail high in the Andes. They dream of following the path of the setting sun that leads to El Dorado and the Mysterious Cities of Gold."
- Opening narration
In 1532, a Spanish orphan named Esteban wishes to find his father. He agrees to join a navigator, Mendoza —who rescued the baby Esteban from a sinking ship— on his voyage to find one of the Seven Cities of Gold in the New World. Esteban's mysterious power to command the Sun is welcomed by the crew of the Esperanza (a Spanish galleon modelled after the Golden Hind[10]).
They are accompanied by Zia, an Inca girl who was kidnapped at the age of seven and brought back to Spain by Pizarro. She is now recaptured by Gomez, Perez, and Mendoza, with the purpose of making her read a golden quipu, said to contain a hint about the Cities of Gold. Zia also wants to find her father, and she and Esteban discover that they wear identical golden medallions.
After passing through the Straits of Magellan, the Esperanza splinters, and the antagonists - Gomez, Gaspard, and Perez - escape the wreck on a lifeboat. The two children, Mendoza, and his two greedy associates, Sancho and Pedro, are shipwrecked on the Galapagos islands. There, they meet Tao, the sole descendant of the Empire of Hiva (“Mu” in French and Japanese). He joins them on their quest in hopes of protecting the Cities of Gold from their prophesied destruction at the hands of Europeans, and to seek remnants of his ancestors’ work. He brings a golden jar and his parakeet, Kokapetl.
The series combines South American history and mythology, archaeology, and science fiction. The travelers encounter the Incas, the Olmecs, the Mayas, as well as the Urus, the Amazons, and even Francisco Pizarro and Malinche. They discover many lost technological wonders of the Hiva Empire, including the Solaris, a huge solar-powered sailing ship and The Golden Condor, a flying vessel in the shape of a giant bird, the power of which is inexhaustible so long as the Sun is out, and a barometer.
Tao’s Hiva encyclopedia helps them make sense of the technology, and later, it is revealed that the Seven Cities of Gold were built by the Emperor of Hiva so that his valuable technology could be passed down to later generations. Esteban and Zia’s medallions were manufactured as keys to ensure the power would not fall into the wrong hands. Just after the cities’ creation, a terrible war broke out, destroying the technologically advanced Empires of Hiva and Atlantis when they used the "Weapons of the Sun".[11]
The other survivors of the war, the Atlanteans, hid away under the Mountain of the Burning Shield. Over the centuries, they evolved into the Olmecs, with large skulls and pointed ears, their bodies now thin and short. Some of their people - the “chosen ones” - have been placed into cryogenic sleep, to be awoken in the future and injected with the fresh, young cells of children, as they had lost the ability to reproduce. Led by their king, Menator, the Olmecs seek an artifact known as “The Great Legacy”, said to be hidden away in a city of gold, which they believe they can use to preserve their species and wipe out all others. The olmecs primarily use spears and swords, except for their flying machine, which utilizes a particle beam.
When Zia tearfully reunites with her father in a Mayan village, he reveals the location of a city of gold. A war breaks out between the Mayas and the olmecs. The children insist on helping their newfound friends and, to the confusion of Sancho and Pedro, Mendoza says that he will help them, having grown fond of the children. In their flying machines, the protagonists and the Olmecs - with Gomez and Gaspard following on foot - race to the city of gold, where the Olmecs force Esteban and Zia to open the doors.
The City of Gold defends itself against the Olmec machine. Ultimately, Menator succeeds in obtaining The Great Legacy and brings it back to the mountain of the burning shield. The Great Legacy is revealed to be a fusion reactor and, once activated, begins to melt down, destroying the City of Gold.
Earthquakes and volcanic activity ensue, threatening to destroy the entire world, and Tao presents his golden jar to the high priest of the city of gold, who will be able to open it according to legend. The priest recognizes the jar as The Great Legacy's cooling rod. As the priest sacrifices his life to stop the meltdown, he is revealed to be Esteban's father.
Alongside Sancho and Pedro, Mendoza returns to Spain with a salvaged bag of gold, promising to rejoin the children in the future. Esteban, Tao, and Zia set out aboard The Golden Condor for the Pacific Ocean, to find the next city of gold.
