The Mysterious Cities of Gold/Characters
The Heroes
Esteban
Twelve year old Esteban was brought up as an orphan in Barcelona by Father Rodriguez, dean of the cathedral. When his gurardian dies, he meets Mendoza, the man who claims to have saved him when he was a baby. Mendoza claims that his father might be still alive somewhere in the New World. Esteban leaves with Mendoza to try to find his father there. Esteban is brave and fiercely loyal to his friends, but he is also impulsive and is hampered by his fear of heights
He is known as the Child of the Sun for uncanny ability to make the sun come out. He wears a mysterious medallion, which Mendoza believes holds the key to the cities of gold. But Esteban is only interested in find his father, and has no lust for gold.
- Adventurer Archaeologist
- Cue the Sun
- The Chosen One
- The Hero
- Historical In-Joke
- Leitmotif
- Limited Wardrobe
- The Messiah
- Parental Abandonment
- The Quest
- Three Amigos
Zia
A young Inca girl who was kidnapped by the Spanish and taken to the royal court as a gift to the Princess Marguerita. She is 11 years old when she meets Esteban aboard the Esperranza, and they soon find out they wear similar medallions and are both looking for their fathers.
Quiet and shy, Zia nevertheless develops a close relationship with Esteban and is much more suspicious of Mendoza's motives than her friend.And by refusing Pizarro's order to read the golden quipu, which reveals the secrets of the cities of gold, she demonstrates immense bravery.
- The Chick
- Disappeared Dad
- Leitmotif
- Limited Wardrobe
- Plucky Girl
- Say My Name: "ESTEBAAAAAAAAN!"
- The Quest
- Three Amigos
- Yamato Nadeshiko
Tao
Tao is a 13 year old, who is the last surviving descendent of technologically-advanced Hiva (Mu) empire, which sank beneath the waves thousands of years ago.
When Esteban and Zia find him, he is living alone on an island, in a large treehouse, with only his pet parrot for company. He is very intelligent and is so proud of his heritage that he can often appear haughty.
Although he is clumsy, he comes up with ingenious inventions which get his friends out of a number of tight spots. He carries an encyclopedia containing all the knowledge of the Hiva people and a mysterious golden jar, whose importance only becomes apparent much later.
- Gadgeteer Genius
- Great Big Book of Everything
- The Lancer
- Last of His Kind
- Leitmotif
- Limited Wardrobe
- Three Amigos: He's the technical one.
Mendoza
Mendoza is a Spanish navigator who was a part of Magellan's expedition. He is able to read the stars and especially skilled at negotiating the fierce Straits of Magellan. He jumped into that sea to save the baby Esteban after he and his father were caught up in a storm. He has the sun part of Esteban's medallion and keeps it to ensure he stays close.
When he sets off on his adventure, wealth is all that interests him, and he see the children merely as a means to an end to find the cities of gold. But he eventually becomes fond of them and occasionally put their interests ahead of his own.
- Anti-Hero
- Badass Spaniard
- Competence Zone
- Dramatic Wind
- Mr. Fanservice
- Fake Defector
- Gold Fever
- Herald
- Historical In-Joke
- Limited Wardrobe
- Lovable Traitor
- Older Sidekick
- Shirtless Scene
- Supporting Leader
- Trickster Mentor
Sancho and Pedro
Sidekicks to Mendoza, obsessed with finding gold (the mention of which makes them rather manic). Their role is strictly comic relief, as they prove to be klutzes and generally lacking in almost any skill.
The Spaniards
Commander Gomez
Commander Gomez is a senior figure in Pizarro's army. He is entrusted by Governor with the task of bringing Zia back to Peru to read the golden quipu. Ruthless and suave, it seems like if anyone is going to get job done, it is him. However his failure to recapture her means he soon parts company from Pizarro and sets out to seek the cities of gold for himself.
Captain Gaspar
Gaspar, Captain of the Guard, is charge of a contingent of soldiers sent across the sea to the New World. Brutish and unintelligent, he delegates to the authority of the more refined Commander Gomez. He considers Mendoza to be his rival.
The Olmecs
Menator
Leader of the mysterious Olmecs, who live in the Mountain of the Burning Shield. With the help of a medicine of his own devising he claims to have lived for hundreds of years. He is more concerned with harnessing the massive power of the cities of gold to keep his dying race alive, than the is with gold. But he will stop at nothing to get what he wants, viewing the Mayans as an inferior race.
Kalmec
Kalmec is the Olmec's second in command, chief of the army and organizer of the defense of the Mountain of the Burning Shield. He is deeply loyal to Menator and bows down to his superior intelligence. Like Menator, he believes the Mayans to be inferior to the Olmecs.
Other Villains
Marinche
