queats

I really like how Zia is the one correcting Mendoza here. After their arrival in the Galapagos Islands, Sancho and Pedro ask Mendoza where they might be. Mendoza suggests that they may have drifted on their raft long enough to have come closer to Lima. However, as Zia points out, the sea has drawn them away from South America.

It's funny to see Mendoza admit that he's wrong - it may be the first time in the series so far – and it's also a bit curious that he didn't calculate their position from the Sun, as he does in later episodes. It also subtly establishes that Zia indeed knows a lot more about the region than he does. This is said earlier in the show, when Gomez tells Gaspar / Perez that the girl will lead them to the Cities of Gold or when Zia herself tells Esteban about her country ; but here's the first time she actually proves it.

It also shows a slight development in her relationship with Mendoza : while she has done her best not to speak to him aboard the Esperanza, here she not only highlights his mistake but also corrects him. Even if she doesn't trust him (yet), she's gained enough confidence to stand up to him (and she'll do it again later). Mendoza even sounds impressed when he admits that she's right.

Another interesting thing the series subtly builds is the parallel between those two characters. If Mendoza quickly became a father figure to Esteban, he also became kind of a model for Zia (even if she'll never acknowledge it). I'd have to make another post about it, but it's really obvious when rewatching the whole series : Zia is as smart as he is, as cunning as he is, and from time to time she can be just as cold and distrustful as he is (particularly toward the Spanish because of what they did to her). She also knows how to use people sometimes, just like he does. She may be the member of the trio who is the most like Mendoza.

Of course, a good part of these traits comes from her bad experience with the Europeans, since she probably had to grow wary and people-smart to survive at the Spanish court. But I think Mendoza played an important role in her evolution because in a way he showed her how those traits could be useful and help her turn situations to her own advantage (like she does with Gaspard and Gomez when they meet again).

On another note, I never fully appreciated this episode before; it's probably because of this red snake mask that Tao uses which scared me to death when I was a kid (also, the whole sequence where he slides behind Zia is absolutely terrifying).

You expanded on something I’ve said only briefly before (cause I wanted to develop it later), so I’m glad to see that i wasn’t saying absolute nonsense 😭 (if 2 people have the same idea, it must be correct, right??)

My explanations are kinda all over the place but you used the term “people smart” ugh yes. That’s exactly it.

Both Mendoza and Zia are able to lie really well to get what they need, and I find it a little funny in a way because Zia originally hates that about Mendoza (remember the scene with Lana’s dad). However, she later uses a similar tactic with Gomez and Gaspard, as you said. I always saw it as either character evolution (in the negative direction) or her being a little hypocritical (which she lowkey can be sometimes)

Do you think Zia even realizes the effect Mendoza has had on her? Because we know she hates him. So she might pretend that she’s “not like him” because she has all the traits she dislikes about him. Kinda like How she says Esteban isn’t really Spanish cause he’s too nice to be one. In her brain, Spaniards are associated with evil/cruelty.

But we’ll never know! Cause seasons 2+ got rid of that. They forget about all the tension between the both of them?? they never even bring up their very first interaction: Mendoza kidnapping Zia. I always found it weird that he’d kidnap her in such a violent (ish) way when he needs her to trust him. Kinda getting off track but it would be cool to hear what you think about that, since you’re good at analyzing and stuff.

I'm happy if you found it interesting, the relationship between Mendoza and Zia is indeed a fascinating subject ! I totally agree that Mendoza's personality and character traits can be found in all three children; it's even more visible in the writing of the later seasons. As you've pointed out elsewhere, some of his postures or behaviours are identical to those of the children. This is not surprising : Mendoza was already a paternal figure for Esteban in the first season, but his fatherly role is stressed in the later seasons, which works really well (I love the family dynamic that they built in season 2-3 and it's interesting to study Mendoza's dynamic with each one of them, or to see the influence he's gotten on them!)

Back to Zia and Mendoza : Zia was kind of a « secondary » character in the first season, in that she talks and acts less than Mendoza or Esteban ; so it's really difficult to know what she really thinks sometimes. I don't know if she hates that Mendoza lies, or if she « just » hates him for being Spanish and the one who kidnapped her. I don't think she's hypocritical towards him (by the way, what makes you think she can be sometimes ? I'm very curious about that, because I've never paid attention to it) and I don't think that her lies are an evolution of her character.

The idea of Zia being hypocritical reminded me of this scene aboard the Esperanza when Esteban is sick and he leaves her in Mendoza's cabin to get some air. Zia suddenly become really cold towards him and acts offended ; she reminds him of his promise of not leaving her and even says that he's not being nice to her. I always found those lines strange, but now I'm wondering if she wasn't trying to manipulate Esteban to convince him to stay with her – the same way we see Mendoza manipulate other people in the series. Of course, she would have done this out of fear of being left alone (left alone in Mendoza's room, which is even worse for her) and she would have tried this out of habit after spending so much time at the Spanish court. If that's really the case, this scene would prove that she was perfectly capable of lying and using other people from the beginning of the series. This would mean that she wouldn't have had such an evolution throughout the series : the cartoon would only have shown more of this aspect of her personality. With time passing by, she would have learned to use her « talents » with people to help in their quest of the Cities of Gold, just like Mendoza put his schemes at the service of the group to ensure their progress ?

About the influence of Mendoza over Zia : if she really evolved since the beginning of the series and became more like him, she must probably be disgusted or worried to grow more and more like the Spaniards that she despises / hates. But if these traits are in her personality from the beginning, then it could justify her hate against Mendoza even more. She doesn't hate him for the effect he could have had on her, but rather because she sees herself in him. Her first hate towards him comes from the fact that he kidnapped her and that he's as bad as the other Spaniards ; but if her hate goes on for such a long time it's maybe because she acknowledges that she's becoming just like him. Maybe seeing so many common points between them makes her really angry, which would explain why she insists so often to pursue the quest without him (out of distrust toward him, but also because she sees herself in him and she doesn't like it. But I'm probably going too far with this).

It also makes me wonder about the conversation Zia has with Esteban, where she reassures him that he can't be Spanish because he's too nice : to what extent does she wonder about the influence of the Spanish over her (her personality, her way of interacting with people, her vision of the world, etc) after all those years ? As you've said, the effects of her childhood in Spain are very intriguing.

About season 2 : it's frustrating that Zia doesn't even criticize Mendoza for taking gold in the City, or that she doesn't express her deception to discover that he still acts and thinks like all the Spanish she's met. Even if the first episode was supposed to revolve around the conversation between Esteban and Mendoza about Athanaos, it's a shame we never got to see the anger of Zia towards the very Spanish behaviour of Mendoza (after all they've faced and the trust she might have developed towards him, it's really a missed opportunity!). It's also sad that season 2 got rid of all this tension between them : it was indeed more logical to see Mendoza and Zia fight each other considering their past rather than what they've tried to install between Tao and Mendoza, which feels a bit more clumsy (even if I can understand why Tao could get pissed at Mendoza after the navigator stole some gold in the City).

That's really nice, and I'm glad you asked ! To be honest, I've never really thought about the encounter between Zia and Mendoza. Her kidnapping always felt weird to me because, as you said, Mendoza needed her to trust him, just like he needed to convince Esteban at the beginning. It's once again too bad that their encounter was never shown in the series (but because it's not really a « kid friendly » moment, I guess we can understand why it wasn't), but it's also sad that it was never mentioned again nor explained elsewhere...

At first, just like you, I thought that Mendoza might have tried to persuade her by manipulating her, just like he did with Esteban; but he probably didn't know enough of her past to do so, and Zia was already well-trained to Spanish trickery to be easily convinced. Furthermore, we must not forget that Mendoza was in a delicate situation himself : he needed Zia and had probably already found out about her some time before the beginning of the series, but he was under the orders of Perez and Gomez ! So he may not have had much room for manœuvre, and if his orders were to kidnap Zia, then he probably obeyed and did it like that.

As for how he did it, I was wondering if Mendoza could have had some accomplices inside the palace ; those men/women would have helped him to get Zia and bring her to the Esperanza, but this seems very unlikely. Perez had chosen him for this specific and difficult task, and Mendoza himself would rather have acted alone to have free hands. It's impossible to say how he planned and executed this, but he still must have had privileged access to the palace to sneak inside and find Zia. As for their first encounter... He may just have knocked her out ; if he was lucky, she fainted out of fear when he appeared, just like she did when Tao kidnapped her in episode 5. The whole expedition must have been epic, and I'm really curious to know how Mendoza fulfilled this task. I don't think he was really glad of the way the events turned out : after all, he was manipulated by Perez and Gomez here, so they could get their hands on Zia without risking anything, and his first encounter with the girl deprived him of her trust for a very long time. But in the end, it served his interests well and he probably just went with it. I hope I've added something to what you've already said on this subject ; unfortunately, we have so little information about this scene that it's hard to interpret it a lot more...

(You give me an opportunity to stray onto the Mendoza-Esteban dynamic ? I'll never be able to end this post haha).

I agree that it's hard to tell which of the kids resembles Mendoza the most because they share a lot of traits with him, but I think Esteban might still be the best candidate here (based on the first season, but I think the later ones will complete my thought). Tao and Mendoza share some personality traits that are linked to their intelligence : they're both smart, curious, cunning and are very good strategists. Zia and Mendoza are a lot alike, but it's more subtle : they resemble in the way they think, in the way they see the world and in the way they act with people. As for Esteban, he's building his personality through contact with Mendoza. The navigator is presented early as his father figure and Esteban takes him as a model (even if he knows about Mendoza's flaws early and doesn't agree with the way he acts : but that's also part of his construction). As you've pointed out, Esteban is the one who's the most attached to Mendoza, and I think that the similarities between them become more apparent as the series goes on. Esteban takes a leading position and guides the group/ the trio when he can, just like Mendoza does when he's there. Esteban is also as brave and intrepid as Mendoza can be, the difference being that Esteban rushes headfirst without planning and can be excessively stubborn when he's decided on something (while Mendoza changes his plan to match the situation better). The boy also faces his enemies with the same talent for quick replies that Mendoza, and he knows how to negotiate and use them : from Pizarro to Gomez or Menator, Esteban has learned from Mendoza how to think and manipulate these men to obtain what he wants.

Also ! This reminds me of a really cool moment in episode 14, when Esteban intervenes to save Mendoza and the sailors from the Incans. Esteban stops Yupanqui from killing them by saying that Mendoza might have acted badly, but that he did it for a good cause because he wanted to give him his medaillon back. It's a big lie, and both Mendoza and Esteban know it ; but the boy uses the Incans as witnesses and backs Mendoza into a corner (which he is literally, because he's tied to the wall, ready to be executed). I think that Mendoza here sees the evolution of Esteban : at first, he's very unhappy at the turn of events, but he ends up by accepting Esteban's deal to save his life and his sailors'. When he does, he admits that the boy has won and that he deserves to get his medaillon back. It's a really cool and interesting scene, and also a good proof of the evolution of Esteban (or of the influence of Mendoza over him, because the tactic he uses in the Black Eagle fort is clearly Mendoza-coded).

I agree that Esteban is still very different from Mendoza : he's braver, a lot more stubborn, but also kinder and more naive than the navigator ever was. However, Mendoza is written as his new fatherly figure, and Esteban grows by following his example on several occasions.

All of this to say that, in the end, it's still impossible to tell clearly which one of the kids is the most like Mendoza ; but it's another fascinating debate that we could extend for a long time !

Second, since your post is long, I’m basically gonna highlight some passages and reply to them individually, so all my thoughts get to be presented clearly.

I don't think she's hypocritical towards him (by the way, what makes you think she can be sometimes ? I'm very curious about that, because I've never paid attention to it) and I don't think that her lies are an evolution of her character.

I know I don’t really have much proof for what I’ve said, but there’s a scene where the team meets Lana’s dad, and Mendoza is very nice to him and says it’s thanks to the god viracocha that they were able to help her. Zia gets really upset and goes “he’s lying he’s never been that nice”. Which is a line that doesn’t add much to the plot so it may add something to Zias character. And then later on when they meet Gaspard and Gomez again, Zia lies tells them that Mendoza + Pedro + Sancho were killed. So I kinda went “hm she critiques Mendoza for lying but then lies herself…”

So I was thinking, if they both lie, then Zia has no reason to call out Mendoza for that

But, since the Zia lying scene happens wayyy later, then maybe she’s learned to realize that lying isn’t so bad (if necessary).

I know I’m making a big leap when I bring up hypocrisy, so take it as a head canon if not an analysis. Because I think it could an interesting direction to take the characters.

The idea of Zia being hypocritical reminded me of this scene aboard the Esperanza when Esteban is sick and he leaves her in Mendoza's cabin to get some air […]

I like this whole paragraph cause you bring up another scene I didn’t pay much attention to. Once again we have another common point between Zia and Mendoza

I really like the next paragraph too:

About the influence of Mendoza over Zia : if she really evolved since the beginning of the series and became more like him, she must probably be disgusted or worried to grow more and more like the Spaniards that she despises / hates.

I think this is what I talked about in one of my posts that I’ve mentioned. The show kinda focuses more on Esteban becoming a mini Mendoza (which is cute obviously) but remember we’re talking about Mendoza. He’s great in some ways and horrible in others. Even if Zia didn’t hate Spaniards, Mendoza himself is just a bad enough person that anyone would shudder at becoming more like him.

But if these traits are in her personality from the beginning, then it could justify her hate against Mendoza even more.

She doesn't hate him for the effect he could have had on her, but rather because she sees herself in him.

Okay this is really interesting because it brings up a lot of new questions. If Mendoza is just like Zia, then Mendoza (and in extension, Spaniards) stops being the “other”. She can no longer say “Spaniards are evil” because what would that mean for herself, who’s like them?

but if her hate goes on for such a long time it's maybe because she acknowledges that she's becoming just like him. Maybe seeing so many common points between them makes her really angry, which would explain why she insists so often to pursue the quest without him (out of distrust toward him, but also because she sees herself in him and she doesn't like it. But I'm probably going too far with this).

Cause I guess in the end it would mean: either Zia is as bad as them (which is something she wouldn’t want) or her whole ideology, that Spaniards are bad, would collapse. They would no longer be the “other” that she has known to fear and distrust.

Given the lack of information and character development, any other person would say that this reading is way too in depth. But like, who cares? 😭 I think it’s fun to talk about these things. If we’re analyzing stuff that isn’t there, we’re at least giving reasons to why it could’ve been.

it's a shame we never got to see the anger of Zia towards the very Spanish behaviour of Mendoza (after all they've faced and the trust she might have developed towards him, it's really a missed opportunity!).

Uh huh and you best believe I’m never shutting up about it !!! Season 1 Zia was not one to mess with, in the Japanese dub, she said she’d bite Mendoza if he tried some sneaky stuff 😆 where did that Zia go 😔

Here’s the line if you’re interested: “But he's (Mendoza) the same man that took me and brought me on this ship. He's a bad man, and if he does that again, I'll bite him! Haha, don't worry, I won't bite you (Esteban). After all, you freed me from the crate.”

(but because it's not really a « kid friendly » moment, I guess we can understand why it wasn't),

Real but I’m also thinking about all the non kid friendly stuff (Tao kidnapping Zia, Tao and Esteban almost getting eaten by ants, Zia watching an Incan man get whipped, the documentaries, etc)

it's also sad that it was never mentioned again nor explained elsewhere...

The closest thing we have to them mentioning Zia and Mendoza’s tension is Zia in season 4 saying “you know, I didn’t like [Mendoza] in the beginning, he used to scare me”

He may just have knocked her out; if he was lucky, she fainted out of fear when he appeared, just like she did when Tao kidnapped her in episode 5.

I never thought of her fainting out of fear (although it makes sense cause it happens a lot to her…) because she knows who Mendoza is. She knows his name and why he’s kidnapping her. So she must’ve had a conversation with him, or something like that. Maybe she overheard conversations, but idk. When she tells Esteban that Mendoza is a wicked man, it seems like she knows him to some extent. True, she might just be assuming things but her assumptions are correct so who knows.

So I guess him knocking her out makes more sense. But in that case. Goddamn Mendoza you’re evil 😭 I’m hoping it wasn’t his first course of action. I know Mendoza is uhh a bad person but he’s not the devil either

Kinda sidetracking here but this is another reason why I hate that Zia (or the show’s narrative itself) never brings up the kidnapping again. Because Mendoza does so many bad things yet the characters (AND the audience!!) are expected to forgive him. Uh yeah no. He’s my favourite character but we all know redemption arcs don’t work that way! Mendoza might look like he’s a good guy now, but does he even feel bad about all the stuff he did?? Would he still justify them???

The boy also faces his enemies with the same talent for quick replies that Mendoza, and he knows how to negotiate and use them : from Pizarro to Gomez or Menator, Esteban has learned from Mendoza how to think and manipulate these men to obtain what he wants.

You know what, I never thought of that similarity between them. I think it’s funny that Esteban being kinder than Mendoza is actually where he gets the advantage over him (while Mendoza treats his enemies the opposite way). Remember when the doctor had his sword to Zia’s throat and asked Mendoza to hand over his gun. Mendoza hesitates, probably taking time to weigh the pros and cons, but Esteban immediately complies and snatches the gun from him and saves Zia. And we know that was the right move. It happens again, when marinche and the doctor fall off a cliff and ask Mendoza for help. He flat out refuses but Esteban wants to save them. Again. This is kinda beneficial. They get their gun back (and Mendoza doesn’t die obviously. Ah I love that scene).

Also! This reminds me of a really cool moment in episode 14, when Esteban intervenes to save Mendoza and the sailors from the Incans […]

I love this scene so much, glad you brought it up. Indeed, you could even say that Esteban is beating Mendoza at his own game. The way Esteban says (I’m paraphrasing): “you came back to give me my medallion, isn’t that right Mendoza? There couldn’t be any other reason” is just like how Mendoza says to perez in episode 2: “I’m sure you know about the state of the ship, captain. When the sailors realize the sad state of the masts, sails, ropes, how do you think they’ll react? It’s too late to turn back, isn’t it?”

Which kinda explains, as you said, why Mendoza said Esteban “won”. Mendoza is usually playing mind games with people, and this time, Esteban turned the tables on him. Or however the expression goes idk

However, Mendoza is written as his new fatherly figure, and Esteban grows by following his example on several occasions.

It’s funny cause they literally say this, word for word, season 4: “Mendoza? He’s the strongest man I know. I’d really like to be like him later”

Mendoza clearly had an effect on all the kids. If Esteban sees that in a positive way, then it could be cool if Zia saw it negatively (what! I’m making this full circle by bringing up Zia again??!)

All of this to say that, in the end, it's still impossible to tell clearly which one of the kids is the most like Mendoza; but it's another fascinating debate that we could extend for a long time!

Honestly, i think trying to find which one is “most” like him is already a lost cause. I mean, can you really say which of your siblings is more like your parent? I remember looking at old pictures of my mom and sometimes I saw myself, sometimes I saw my sisters. I couldn’t pick one

BUT. Highlighting the ways the kids are similar (and different) to Mendoza is undoubtedly extremely fun. Proof: 2 people are writing extremely long posts about it and 5 people have read and liked them.

I guess the reason why I said (in an old post) that I thought Tao was the most similar to Mendoza is probably cause their similarities are the most evident. And also because I really like Tao 😭(my second fav character). So it’s only natural for me to make that point. But yeah, obviously, I see That they’re all pretty similar to him, in their own ways.

I see what you mean. For Lana's dad, I always thought that she was upset either because he was lying once again or because she didn't want to let him use the people of the Lake. As for Gaspard and Gomez, it's a more ambiguous lie : we don't really know if Zia lied to them to protect Mendoza and the sailors (by hiding the fact that they were alive and near them) or if she was already planning to « use » Gaspard and Gomez by gaining their pity. Either way, it does show that she's come to learn that lying could be necessary, which is an interesting progression (and if she didn't then, yeah she may be quite hypocritical towards Mendoza).

Damn, Zia doesn't joke in the japanese dub ! I can't remember hearing something like that in the French dub ; I guess they went with a flatter line to fit better with the « polite » vibe of Zia at the start of season one (I hope you see what I mean, I can't find the right word). Anyway, thanks for sharing this ! It's really fun to see the differences in characterization between the different dubs !

About her kidnapping, maybe she didn't know Mendoza ? Maybe, just like Gomez, she heard about him at the Spanish Court ? I'm not sure it would make sense, because Gomez is known thanks to his title in the army while Mendoza is just a random navigator, but maybe some soldiers knew Mendoza and talked about him in front of Zia at one point ?

It's so true that he gets away with everything he's done, even if it's something he shouldn't be forgiven for (like the kidnapping). It reminds me of episode 8 where he talks to Zia to convince her to tell the secrets of the quipu to Pizarro. Mendoza tells her something like « listen, you know me now, you know I don't want to hurt you ». Now that you've brought up the kidnapping of Zia, it feels odd to think about this line again. Because of course Zia doesn't trust him, of course she hates him, and of course she has no reason to trust him here... Yet, this episode may be one of the first where she really puts some trust in him (because he helps her and the others to escape from Pizarro).

All the encounters between the Doctor/Marinche/Teteola and our group are so tense ! I love the running gag of Mendoza and the Doctor asking for the pistol, the bullets and the powder. They're both in position of power, they both abuse of it, and it also shows a darker side of Mendoza that we don't get to see that often.

(To be fair, even if Esteban obviously made the right choice by saving them from that cliff, I would've sided with Mendoza on this one. The Doctor and Marinche cannot be trusted, they even betray the group once more later, and they've already done so many bad things in only a few episodes...)

« mind game » is exactly the expression I was looking for, thanks ! I never made the parallel between Esteban/Mendoza and Mendoza/Perez, it's so funny. Esteban really took after him, right ?

This line from Esteban in season 4 is really heartwarming. That's something he could never have said out loud in season one (and certainly not to Zia), but that he might have thought. I'm sad that they simplified Mendoza in the later seasons but, in the way, this « friendly » version of him brought him closer to the children and gave us scenes like that, so I can't complain too much !

Maybe we can ask the question from another angle : we cannot tell which one is most like him, but we can tell which one wants to resemble him the most ? Which would still be Esteban, because he said it out loud as you've pointed out. I guess that Tao would get to that point too after season 4 : he's already learned to trust and like Mendoza, but without Esteban and Zia, he might grow to be more like him ? Or to take after him ?

Yeah I only found out about that by reading the mcog wiki, where someone took the time to write out all the differences in dubbing between the Japanese and English versions

but maybe some soldiers knew Mendoza and talked about him in front of Zia at one point ?

Maybe. But I think he’d be more known by sailors. But again we’ll never know what actually happened 😭

Yet, this episode may be one of the first where she really puts some trust in him (because he helps her and the others to escape from Pizarro).

Mendoza is pretty lucky if you think about it. There are lots of instances where he gets the chance to swoop in and save Zias life, kinda forcing her to start to trust him. Or maybe that’s his plan, to continually save the kids so that they like him more and realize that they need him (so it would be kinda on purpose).

All the encounters between the Doctor/ Marinche/Teteola and our group are so tense !

For reallll I know everyone always talks about Gaspard and Gomez, but I think the doctor and marinche are as interesting (or maybe even more…). Cause they’re A) not stupid (unlike Gaspard) and B) don’t trust Mendoza at all (unlike Gomez, who trusts him multiple times after being tricked).

(And side note, marinche being the “main mastermind” is so cool cause we have a female character scheming and plotting for gold! We don’t get that often enough in the show. Also I realize why I like her so much. She’s basically like a female Mendoza. I always wanted to find female characters similar to him cause imagine how cool that would be)

They're both in position of power, they both abuse of it, and it also shows a darker side of Mendoza that we don't get to see that often.

It’s funny cause Marinche literally says that: “He’s (Mendoza) abusing of the situation, that dog!”

Also about the “darker” side thing you mentioned. Now I have an excuse to bring up one of my favourite dialogues from the show 😈(also you speak French right? I can only find the scripts in French and I don’t feel like translating 😭):

Mendoza : Les aider, tu n'y songes pas ? Ils n'ont que ce qu'ils méritent. Allez, allons-nous-en !

Le Docteur : Hé ! Mendoza, ne bouge plus !

Le Docteur arme et pointe soudain son pistolet sur le dos de Mendoza qui tourne la tête.

Le Docteur : (déterminé) Un pas de plus, Mendoza, et je te jure que je n'hésiterais pas à tirer.

Mendoza : Hé bien allez-y, Docteur, tirez ! Mais vous perdrez votre seule chance de sortir de ce trou.

Le Docteur : Je n'ai plus rien à perdre. Mais si je dois mourir, je t'emmènerai en enfer avec moi.

Esteban really took after him, right?

Hard to believe Esteban’s dad is Athanaos when Mendoza is right there 🤣😭

I'm sad that they simplified Mendoza in the later seasons but, in the way, this « friendly » version of him brought him closer to the children and gave us scenes like that, so I can't complain too much !

These are my exact feelings about the sequel! Sure he’s not sneaky and evil anymore but the hugs???? The cute family moments??? Him saying the kids are his children???? Oh please give me ten more sequels if that’s what you’re gonna do to him

we cannot tell which one is most like him, but we can tell which one wants to resemble him the most?

Omg you just opened my eyes to so many more possibilities. But yeah it would totally be Esteban without a doubt.

«  Mendoza: Esteban, now I've saved your life twice. And Zia, I've saved you once ».

It's a nasty way to manipulate them, by « guilt-tripping » them and by implying that they are in debt to him now. The exchange with Zia right after is also more interesting because she responds the same way : by reminding him that he kidnapped her, she says that she owes him nothing. I kinda prefer the English/French line though, where he says that they'll be safe with him because neither Gaspard nor Gomez will try anything until they reach Lima.

Or maybe that’s his plan, to continually save the kids so that they like him more and realize that they need him (so it would be kinda on purpose).

I think it's more likely ; after all, it worked well with Esteban. He does his best to make himself irreplaceable and to remind them that they'll need him to continue their journey. Saving them is like a bonus to his first plan : he has to help them in order to find the Cities of gold and by doing so he gets closer to them and convince them that he's important.

Marinche is indeed a fascinating character, not only because she's like the female equivalent of Mendoza, but because she's far more dangerous than everyone else. From her first interaction with the kids (when she guesses what they discovered in the Mayan temples) to her complex schemes and her way to manipulate people, she may be one of the biggest threats they have to face.

I have to admit that I still prefer Gaspard and Gomez ; they're the main opponents of our group (after all, they come back often and are here at the start and at the end of the story) and their progression/history is intertwined with the children. I also really like the interactions they have with the children and the Mendoza : they all use each other to get what they want. As for Gomez, I'm not sure he ever trusted Mendoza (except for the cannon episode, but to his defense Mendoza did tell the truth about the Incans' attack), but he seized the opportunity to use him every time he could and it backfired each time.

My main regret about the Doctor and Marinche would be their lack of development/appearance : their introduction is interesting, the episodes where they're involved are tense and our heroes are really challenged by their cunningness, but once the Olmecs are introduced they have no more role in the plot. They make one or two appearance later with the Olmecs, but their part in the story ended in episode 28 with the discovering of the last manuscript.

I'm French so don't worry about that ! This dialogue is really nice indeed, Mendoza was so cold here ! To link this with what I was saying above, it's also funny to see that Mendoza and Gomez can chat politely almost everytime they meet because they both want something the other have and they both think they can use the other to get what they want ; while the Doctor despises Mendoza since the beginning and then hates him a little more after each of their encounters. The confrontations in the series are always interesting, and it's nice to see that each bad guy is different and interacts with the group in his own way (I don't know if I'm clear there lol).

And I realized that most of their important interactions take place after Ambrosius leaves the group. Ambrosius was clearly manipulating him so once he was out of the picture, Tao just naturally got closer to Mendoza. And we see this in season 1 as well, where Mendoza and Tao have some sort of intellectual connection that the others can’t really understand (not cause they’re dumb, they’re just not nerdy enough)

Yesss that’s the word, guilt tripping

My main regret about the Doctor and Marinche would be their lack of development/appearance:

Exactly they should’ve had more scenes. And they even had the perfect opportunity To bring back the Doctor in season 3 and 4 (since he used to be Ambrosius’ and Athanaos’ friend).

it's also funny to see that Mendoza and Gomez can chat politely almost everytime they meet because they both want something the other have and they both think they can use the other to get what they want; while the Doctor despises Mendoza since the beginning and then hates him a little more after each of their encounters.

When Mendoza insults Gaspard or Gomez, it’s pretty subtle. He makes remarks about Gaspard’s intelligence and undermines Gomez’ abilities. But when it comes to the doctor and marinche, he’s more direct with “and you can go to the devil!” 😭 calm down sir

but he also ceased to share this intellectual bond with him too. These nerdy conversations were the major interactions between them from the start of season 1

(Oh wait, wrong franchise)

Alright today we’re gonna address one of the biggest questions I have about mcog: how on earth do Esteban’s powers work?

We know he’s been chosen by the nacaals to be the chosen one. This is also due to the fact that he’s Atlantean. So do only Atlanteans and muans have powers? Given that Esteban is Atlantan from his mom’s side, did she have powers too? How does it get passed down?

Okay, the inheritance laws of magic in Mcog aren’t really the subject of this post. However it happened, Esteban has powers and that’s that.

He’s called “the child of the sun” and that’s a pretty big deal in the show. The iconic theme song includes the line “children of the sun…”. As such, Esteban’s powers are related to the sun. In the show, they say he can “make the sun come out”. But how does it work?

The first time Esteban’s powers are displayed Mendoza saves Esteban from drowning. According to the story, Magellan took the baby in his arms to make him laugh, and when he did, the storm calmed down and the sun immediately came out. This might lead us to believe that the sun follows Esteban’s mood: when he’s happy, it comes out. They even say it seemed that his smile commanded the sun.

Only… that’s not how it works.

The second time Esteban uses his powers is during the ceremony at the port. It had been raining for a long time and the people of Barcelona wanted good weather for the Esperanza’s departure the next day. Esteban does not want to participate despite everyone forcing him to. He’s very upset (especially cause they hoist him high up in the sky) and he starts yelling to the sun, saying that he wants it to rain even more.

Following the logic I previously established, the rain should continue to pour. But that’s not what happens. The sun indeed comes out, despite Esteban’s wishes. So how can we even say that he can control the sun, when the sun does whatever it wants?

Another time that Esteban’s powers are seemingly used is when they’re about to be sacrificed by the amazons. Esteban prays for the sun to come out, despite not believing it actually will. And sure enough, it stops raining and their lives are saved.

There’s a line in the show, I forgot which episode, but it says that Esteban gets energy from the sun. As in, the sun affects his mood, not vice versa. That’s a little bit more confusing to us now.

In season 2, Esteban uses his powers to dissipate the fog and make the second city visible. He doesn’t believe he can do it though, and makes fun of the notion by saying “ooh hey sun!! Can you come out, we need you 🙄”. Zia gets angry and tells him to summon the sun with meaning. With feeling. And he does. And it works.

The last time Esteban uses his powers is in the last episode. He tries to stop the storm so they can use the laser cannon. Although he’s fully concentrated in his task, and believes in himself, it takes some time before it works. But it does, in the end.

It looks like the sun comes out whether or not he wants it to and whether or not he believes it will. In other words, it’s a complete coincidence.

But that just doesn’t make sense, given the context of the cartoon.

It was unclear in season 1 but I think the sequel wants us to think that his powers are a skill he needs to train. Which makes sense of course. He also needs to believe in himself for them to work. Again, this seems logical. Lots of kid’s shows are often about “believing in yourself” (I know it sounds like a cat poster, but it’s true!).

In season 1, it's hard to say whether he has powers or not, and as you pointed out, there's no way to know if it really works. Once again, it looks more like a coincidence when the sun finally appears when he needs it (and that's what Esteban himself often believes).

As for the transmission of the powers, the only clue we get is that his mother was a priestess of the Sun and was sacrificed to appease its anger. Either her link with the Sun was passed on to Esteban in some way after that, or she may have become « one » with the Sun after her death and would then protect Esteban when he needs her (I may be reading too much into it, but I feel like it goes well with the spiritual theme to have his dead mother look after him from above after her sacrifice).

As for the scene in Barcelona, Esteban is clearly unhappy with his role and wants the whole thing to end. He's so upset to be here that he yells and asks for rain – which he gets. However, the moment he falls back and is in danger, the rain stops and the sun comes back. So this scene would go well with the idea of the sun protecting Esteban : it doesn't appear because the boy wants to, but because he needs it. That's how it works in Barcelona, and also how it works with the Amazons : Esteban prays for it without result and it's only when Omouro is ready to kill him that the sun appears. Same at the beginning of episode 9 when they need the sun to start the engines of the Solaris or for the Condor in later episodes : the sun rises when the Spaniards are coming after them and when they are in real danger.

In season 2-3, the link between Esteban and the Sun is made more obvious, and he really seems to control it when he truly wants it. It's not a matter of protection anymore : each time he calls the sun, the sun appears (in Badalom, or for the Condor at the beginning of season 3). As for the line where they say that he gets energy from the sun, I'd say that it comes from season 2, when they are in Buddha's cave and Esteban is bit by a scorpion. He's sick and almost dies, but he survives thanks to Zia's remedies and the arrival of the Sun (to which he reacts positively, almost getting back on his feet immediately after getting some light).

“Notice the placement of the characters: Esteban under the sun, his spiritual father; Mendoza, as father of substitution, is found at the same height as the diurnal star”

Also I really like the idea of his link to the sun being related to his mother. I know it might not fit perfectly, given that the sun is seen as “masculine” so naturally we’d assume the sun would be his father. But they never say that word for word in show so it doesn’t need to be the case.

What you said kinda reminds me of Yue in Atla. She was born very sick and so her parents prayed to the koi fish (representing the moon) so that she survived. Then when the fish are harmed, she becomes the moon. I don’t remember it super well but yeah. Anyway. What if Esteban’s mother was sacrificed but in doing so, she “became” the sun. It makes sense cause there’s a mother’s sacrifice, which transcends all materiality. And Esteban would still be, literally and metaphorically, the child of the sun.

And you’re right to say the sun seems to be protecting Esteban, not necessarily listening to him. And that’s such a mom thing. Esteban is yelling for it to rain, his mom is like “okay sure” and then once it goes too far she’s like “alright play time is over”. I’m giving the sun human characteristics so that I can explain myself easier, but obviously, it’s all very metaphorical and spiritual. I don’t think the sun is “thinking” but I don’t wanna make this more complicated.

As Esteban grows up, maybe the Sun realizes that he’s more, idk, mature, and she’s willing to cooperate. So in season 1, it’s like “mother knows best” and later on, Esteban is able to make better choices himself, so the sun listens to him more. The Sun doesn’t “jump in” and now it’s now Esteban’s duty to protect his friends by himself.

This would not be the first time they were protected by some force of nature.

In a magazine talking about Mcog, they use this caption:

“Esteban, son of the sun. Mendoza, son of the sea”

At first I found it funny, and kinda cute that they were trying to link Mendoza to Esteban. But I realized that they weren’t technically wrong to say that. In the Esperanza episodes, there are a lot of scenes where the gang get in danger. You’d think it’s because of how rough the seas are, but the main danger comes from Gomez, Gaspard and Perez. The sun doesn’t save Esteban, Mendoza does. And when Mendoza is in danger, the ocean saves him. For example, when Gaspard is about to kill Mendoza, he gets hit in the head by a flying fish. The fish signify a huge wave coming at them, which forces the captains to keep Mendoza alive to pilot them safely. So the ocean going crazy was actually beneficial, if you think about it. Son of the sea indeed.