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".