The Best Episodes of The Mysterious Cities of Gold
Last Updated: Nov 15, 2018
In the year 1532, Mendoza, a Spanish Navigator, Estaban, a young orphan, Zia, a young Incan girl, and a band of Spanish sailors set sail from Barcelona in search of El Dorado, the Mysterious City of Gold. Each is on a personal quest of discovery, heritage, and wealth. This is their story... The Mysterious Cities of Gold is a 39-episode animated series that was produced in 1982. It was a French/Japanese co-production that was loosely based on the Scott O'Dell book: The King's Fifth. Since 1982, The Mysterious Cities of Gold has aired on television stations around the world, and has gone by many different names. In Japan it is known as "Taiyō no Ko Esuteban", In the United States it is known either as "The Mysterious Cities of Gold" or "Estaban and the Seven Cities of Gold", and in France it is known as "Les Mystérieuses Cités d'or".
#1 - The Great Condor
Season 1 - Episode 17
The setting sunlight leads Esteban and his friends to the statue of the earth goddess, Pachamama. The legend goes that when Pachamama takes the sun in her arms, the Gates to the Cities of Gold will open. Estaban and Zia place their medallions in the statue and the mountain opens up to reveal the first City of Gold. Inside they discover a great bird, made of solid gold.
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#2 - End of the City of Gold
Season 1 - Episode 39
The Olmecs place the Sun Power Unit at the bottom of their sunlight collecting crystal and activate it. However, the unit does not behave as expected and the Sun Power Unit begins to overheat. The High Priest of the Cities of Gold, who turns out to be Esteban's father, tries to shut it down using Tao's jar which is actually a control unit. But he could be too late.
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#3 -
Season 3 - Episode 3
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#4 - Maiden Flight of the Condor
Season 1 - Episode 18
Inside the first City of Gold, Esteban finds a great Golden Condor. When the volcano on which the Cities are built begins to erupt, the Cities are destroyed. Sheltering inside the body of the Condor, they try to make its mechanism work, using the Medallion of the Sun. Suddenly, the giant bird spreads its wings and takes flight.
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#5 - The Nasca Plateau
Season 1 - Episode 19
The great Golden Condor, carrying Esteban and his friends away from Pachamama and the erupting volcano, lands in the desert at Nazca. But when Pizarro and his soldiers arrive, Esteban makes sure everyone escapes.
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#6 - The Jade Mask
Season 1 - Episode 23
In the jungle, Esteban and his friends discover some ruins, deserted temples and pyramids. In one of the temples, Pedro and Sancho try to remove a jade mask from the wall when the mask begins to glow. Suddenly the stone beams shoot out of the walls, ceiling and floor and trip them up.
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#7 - The Ship Solaris
Season 1 - Episode 6
On a small island among the Galapagos, Esteban and Zia find a young boy living all alone: Tao. His ancestors left a magnificent ship, the Solaris, which contains their ancient secret knowledge, hidden in a temple on the island. Esteban and Zia want to use the ship to reach the mainland.
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#8 - The Reunion
Season 1 - Episode 33
In the Indian Village of the New Sun, Zia at last finds her father, Papacamayo. But her happiness is short-lived, when he dies from his wounds, after defending the village against an attack by the Olmecs. All the Mayan tribes unite to fight against the Olmecs.
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#9 -
Season 3 - Episode 1
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#10 - Secret of the Temple
Season 1 - Episode 10
Esteban and his friends are on their way to Zia's village, when they are surrounded by Spanish soldiers. The children manage to escape, and take refuge in an underground temple, where they meet the old priest, Pasha. To help them escape, the priest melts the pillar of ice that supports the temple roof, and it crashes down on top of him. The others just manage to get away.
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#11 - Secret of the Solaris
Season 1 - Episode 7
Gomez' Spanish galleon overtakes and attacks the Solaris, the sun-powered ship on which the children are travelling. They manage to outrun the Spanish ship when Tao discovers a wonderful secret solar power boost, just in time. At last, they reach the new continent.
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#12 - Attack of the Olmecs
Season 1 - Episode 32
With the help of Gomez and Gaspard, Esteban and his friends succeed in getting the Golden Condor to fly. But the Olmecs find the Indian Village of the New Sun, and mount a fierce attack. With the help of the Golden Condor, they are defeated. But Zia's father, Papacamayo, has been seriously wounded.
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#13 - The City of Gold
Season 1 - Episode 37
With Tao as a hostage, the Olmecs force Esteban and Zia to use their medallions to open the doors to the City of Gold.
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#14 - The Mirror of the Moon
Season 1 - Episode 22
Esteban and his friends on board the Golden Condor have to make a forced landing in the jungle, where they're captured by Amazon warriors who want to sacrifice them to their Rain God. After some difficulties, they manage to escape from this dangerous situation. And in the end, the Queen of the Amazons allows them to leave for the land of the Mayas.
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#15 - The Urubus
Season 1 - Episode 16
Searching for the Cities of Gold, Esteban and his friends cross a high plateau up in the Andes. Near Lake Titicaca, they are attacked by the Urubus, a tribe of giants. Tao invents a submarine, and they capture Karuga, chief of the tribe, and hold him prisoner. Karuga tells them that there's a City of Gold on a mountain, guarded by the earth goddess, Pachamama.
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#16 - Aerial Pursuit
Season 1 - Episode 36
Esteban flies the Golden Condor against the terrible Olmec war machine, to try to rescue Zia. Tao and Esteban manage to leap onto the machine in mid-air, and Zia is saved. But Tao is left behind, a prisoner.
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#17 - The Forest of Statues
Season 1 - Episode 28
After much travelling and many adventures, Esteban and his friends finally discover the third temple built deep inside an enormous cave. A golden statue is holding a third manuscript which mentions a mountain known as "The Burning Shield".
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#18 - Crossing the Atlantic
Season 1 - Episode 2
The two children, Esteban and Zia, find out that they both wear the same strange medallion. The Esperanza crosses the Atlantic and nears the entrance of the Straits of Magellan, where wild seas and strong winds create terrible storms. Mendoza, the navigator, prepares to spend four days and nights at the wheel.
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#19 - The Burning Shield
Season 1 - Episode 29
Having found the Burning Shield, Esteban and his friends fall into the hands of the mysterious Olmecs, who possess very advanced technology. They escape from them, but are captured again. So what will happen to them now?
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#20 - Revolt of the Mayas
Season 1 - Episode 34
The Mayan people arm themselves and attack the Olmecs, who have been tyrannising them for years. A fierce battle takes place near the entrance to the Olmec base. From the Golden Condor, Esteban and the other children bombard the Olmecs with stones, turning the tide of the battle in favour of the Mayas.
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#21 -
Season 3 - Episode 23
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#22 -
Season 3 - Episode 26
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#23 -
Season 3 - Episode 25
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#24 - The End of the Solaris
Season 1 - Episode 9
Esteban and his companions escape from Pizarro, but their fabulous ship, the Solaris, is taken by Gaspard and Gomez. They offer to exchange the ship for Zia, and her secret. Trying to save Zia, and the friendly Inca people in the village, Tao blows up Gomez's ship, but sadly the Solaris is also destroyed.
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#25 - The Manuscript
Season 1 - Episode 24
After solving the secret of the green jade mask, Esteban and his friends find a manuscript which seems to hold the key to the whereabouts of the Cities of Gold. But almost immediately, they are captured by Doctor Fernando Laguerra and his friend, Marinche, who are also searching for the Cities of Gold. However, Kokapetl manages to rescue them all.
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