Original subtitles

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.

Children of the sun, see your time has just begun. Searching for your ways,

through adventures every day, every day and night. With a condor in flight, with

all your friends in tow.

You search for the cities of love.

I'm wishing for the cities of love.

I'm hoping we will find the cities of love.

Cities of love.

The year 1532, Barcelona, Spain, in the rain.

Esteban!

Esteban! Esteban, where are you going?

You'll be soaked to the skin.

No, don't...

Oh, Lord, let him be spared the ills and the pains of this world.

Fortunately, he has no idea how seriously ill Father Rodriguez is.

make you an offer, a wonderful offer.

Sancho and I will be leaving tomorrow for the new world aboard the Esperanza

find a city of gold. Yes, yes, a fabulous city of gold.

Inside that city, everything is gold. The streets, the houses, even the roofs

the houses. Streets of gold.

Houses of gold? Oh, pure gold.

Say, Pedro, in your fabulous city, is the beer made of gold, too? You'll get

pretty thirsty.

No, wait, listen.

I meant what I said.

Put up some money. Invest in our adventure and help us find the city of

Help us? You'll get all your original money back a hundred times over. A

thousand times. That's right. A hundred times. A lot.

Yes. In a couple of years' time, when the good ship Esperanza returns, her

will be overflowing with gold. She'll be groaning under its weight. You

understand? A mountain of gold as high as the mast.

I'd rather eat and drink all I want today than sit and... There in an empty

glass, dreaming about gold tomorrow I'll never see. Well, sad dreams aren't for

me either.

My friends, has anyone seen Esteban today? I've been looking for him

Esteban? Huh?

Esteban? Uh, no.

No, about this golden opportunity, huh? All that gold? I know that Esteban often

comes here to listen to the stories of your voyages.

I've never known it to rain for so long in Barcelona.

The child of the sun will have to do something.

What? Who's this child of the sun? What are they talking about? My friends, this

is very serious. The festival to honor the fleet's departure is due to take

place soon, and he's the only person who can help us. Yes, yes, yes. We must get

him to ask the sun to shine. Esteban can make it shine. The great city of

Barcelona is prepared to give a reward to anyone among you who will help me

the young Esteban.

Find him and you'll receive a whole piece of gold.

Just who is this mysterious Esteban? He is an orphan boy who has been brought up

by Father Rodriguez, the dean of the cathedral.

All I know is I don't know anything.

Sancho, did you hear?

Go, go, go, peace.

Hey, wait for us. Wait.

You can come out of your hiding place, little lad. It's just you and me here

now.

Hmm.

So this is young Esteban, the child of the sun.

How did you know I was hiding back there?

I saw you. It was easy.

You were perched up on that barrel listening to the men tell their stories.

Are you going to turn me in for a piece of gold? Turn you in? Me?

Don't worry, lad. I have no intention of doing that.

I don't betray people, and certainly not for a miserable piece of gold.

The city of gold they were talking about, do you think it really exists?

Oh, yes, it exists.

Well, then you must know where it is.

Ah, if only I could be sure. The trouble is that no one has ever succeeded in.

Hmm.

You. Is it really you?

Wait!

Esteban, wait!

A little while ago, someone mentioned Father Rodriguez, the dean of the

cathedral.

Father Rodriguez.

You must rest, Father Rodriguez. Do not trouble yourself.

They have gone to find Esteban and bring him back here to you.

They must not be angry with him. He's only a boy so full of life. He needs to

run around a little. That's true. He's a bit wild, but he has a sweet nature.

I want to speak to Esteban. I really must speak to him now before it's too

Oh, Esteban, Esteban.

Yes, Father.

Her Majesty the Queen is on the balcony.

You can ask all you like. It's not

going to make the sun come out.

Take a good look at her, Captain Perez. That is the girl I told you about. Yes,

that's the Inca girl, Commander Gomez. That's the one we're after, Little Zia.

They say she can understand the writings of the Incas.

Yes, Governor Pizarro is depending very heavily on it.

Mendoza will take care of everything. The plan will be carried out to the

letter.

Mendoza? Yes, Commander. He is the ideal man for this sort of work. He will do

anything for gold.

Go on, Esteban.

guess is worse than one, Tim. What?

Father, oh, Father!

Esteban, and you say that the rain stopped?

Yes. Oh, Esteban, I have always known that you are not a child like the other

children. Father, I don't know what you mean.

Esteban, I must tell you a great secret before it is too late.

Listen carefully to what I say.

Oh?

Some twelve years ago, Magellan returned from a voyage around the world.

When his fleet was sailing in the Pacific Ocean, a storm sprang up

We should rescue him. How can we? We're having enough trouble keeping ourselves

afloat.

What's that?

Someone's jumped to the rescue.

Who is the mad fool?

I've no idea.

The brave man who jumped into the sea couldn't save that man.

But he did save a little baby. That baby, Esteban, was you.

After you were saved, the great Magellan himself took you in his arms.

And a miracle happened.

The storm subsided and the sun came out as if in answer to your smile.

That is the boy I rescued.

Without a doubt, it is the same child.

Esteban, my boy, God has given you this strange power. You must only use it to

help those who really need it in a new world.

Never forget.

Esteban. Esteban.

Don't be afraid.

My name is Mendoza.

This is the moment, Esteban.

When you need to take the greatest decision of your life.

The time has come for you to leave Barcelona.

Your father was a brave man. He wouldn't have hesitated.

What?

You know Father Rodriguez?

I meant your real father. The man who held you and gave you to the sailor who

jumped into the sea. I was that man, Esteban.

Oh.

See, here is the proof.

What? You mean that?

Look.

This is the other half of that medallion you always wear.

I had no right to do so, but I took it after I saved you, you see.

Oh, hold on. I'm not going to give it to you just like that.

For over ten years, I've been making inquiries about that medal.

And I'm almost certain that it came originally from one of the fabulous

of gold. The mysterious cities of gold?

That's right, boy. I even believe that your father, too, must have come from

of those cities. Over there in the New World, in the West, beyond the ocean.

Well, are you going to make that decision and come along with me,

boy? To go where? I don't know where they are. the cities of gold?

Esteban, nobody knows.

We will be the first to find them.

Besides, though, I told you that your father disappeared among the waves after

I'd saved you.

It is just possible that he managed to survive.

What? Do you really think my father's still alive?

He could be living somewhere over there across that vast ocean.

Look here. I'm the navigator for Governor Pizarro's fleet.

Tomorrow we set sail for the new world. If you're willing, you know, I can

arrange for you to come along with us.

If you think that you have got the courage to face such a long sea

we'll leave tomorrow. You mean leave tomorrow, just like that?

Remember what Father Rodriguez told you. You should use the special powers you

have got to help others in the new world, Esteban. What do you say?

Tonight I will wait for you at the quayside.

Now you won't need me anymore.

Still not here. He's not coming.

In a couple of hours, it'll be dawn.

You made the right decision, Esteban.

Climb aboard. Go on.

sleeping like dogs. We gave them enough wine. They should sleep all night

long.

Follow me, Esteban.

will cast off in a few hours.

Hide here. Once we're at sea, I will come and get you.

Then they can't put you ashore. All right.

Till then.

Anybody there?

Esteban was hiding on board the Esperanza when it set sail for the New

With him on board the ship are Zia, a young Indian girl, and Mendoza, a

mysterious man who they say is only interested in gold.

Will Esteban be discovered and arrested as a stowaway?

Find out in the next episode of The Mysterious Cities of Gold.

Esteban in the story has set out to find the cities of gold.

Nearly 600 years ago, European explorers searched everywhere in the new world of

America for the same golden cities.

In those days, they believed in a place called El Dorado, a fabulous kingdom of

gold which they thought was hidden somewhere in the mountains.

The idea was based on a chance find of some gold nuggets and almost fairy tale

stories they'd heard from the Indians.

centuries later, when the quest for El Dorado had been long forgotten, vast

ruins of mysterious ancient cities were discovered hidden deep in the mountains.

The idea of El Dorado may have come from a different legend.

Not about a golden kingdom, but about a man of gold.

There was a king who lived in the mountains, so the story goes, who on a

night covered his whole body in gleaming gold and plunged into a sacred lake,

covering its waters with a film of pure gold dust, while from the lakeside his

people threw in more offerings of emeralds and precious stones.

Stories like these sent fortune seekers from Europe deeper and deeper into the

heart of the continent.

to hunt for gold.

But for the natives, their god was the sun. Their constant prayer was that it

should always rise again tomorrow and shine on them just as it had today.

In some places, they would even offer human sacrifices to their god of the

Often they would choose the most beautiful of the young girls who they

drugged and then killed.

But nevertheless, they seem to have been able to build their great cities of

gold in places almost impossible to find.

Will Esteban ever get to see them? You will have to wait to find out.

Through adventures every day, every day and night. With a condor in flight. With

all your friends in tow.

You search for the cities alone.

I'm wishing for a...

See you next time.