The King's Fifth
Encyclopedia
The King's Fifth is a children's historical novel by Scott O'Dell
that was the inspiration for the cartoon TV series The Mysterious Cities of Gold
. It describes, from the point of view of a teenage Spanish Conquistador
, how the European search for gold in the New World
of the Americas
affected people's lives and minds.
the New World
of the Americas
in search of the mythical gold treasures of the dethroned Native American
s.
Estéban is a teenage cartographer
of the Spanish Conquistador Army. The story starts when he is imprisoned, is awaiting trial for tax evasion
. More specifically, he is suspected of finding a treasure without submitting the Quinto Real
, also known as the "King's Fifth", a tax levied by the King of Spain on precious metals.
However, every authoritative figure in his trial or his jail wants one thing - to get Estéban to reveal the location of the gold he found. Estéban agrees to draw his jail guard a map, but uses the provided writing materials to write a secret journal. In this journal Estéban describes how he joined a small army band of Spaniards
to seek the "Seven Golden Cities of Cíbola
". Their guide on this dangerous journey was a volunteering younger teenage Native American girl, Zia. She was brought along by Estéban, who met her while in the army from which the band was divided. Being the only one in the group without any political agenda
(although Estéban does realize her personal agenda eventually), Zia was also the only one to eventually preserve both her life and freedom.
cartoon TV series The Mysterious Cities of Gold
. The characters take their names from the book, the high-level quest is the same, and the "golden lake" scene from the book is also present in the cartoon, but the similarities end there (the cartoon has motifs of fantasy and science fiction). The cartoon is set in South America
, whereas the expedition in the book explores California
, in North America
.
Time Machine's 1987 book Quest for the Cities of Gold, as the reader meets Esteban at different points.
Scott O'Dell
Scott O'Dell was an American children's author who wrote 26 novels for young people, along with three novels for adults and four nonfiction books...
that was the inspiration for the cartoon TV series The Mysterious Cities of Gold
The Mysterious Cities of Gold
abbreviated MCoG, is a Japanese-French animated series co-produced by DiC Entertainment and Studio Pierrot. The series premiered in Japan on NHK on May 1, 1982 and ran weekly for 39 episodes until its conclusion on February 5, 1983...
. It describes, from the point of view of a teenage Spanish Conquistador
Conquistador
Conquistadors were Spanish soldiers, explorers, and adventurers who brought much of the Americas under the control of Spain in the 15th to 16th centuries, following Europe's discovery of the New World by Christopher Columbus in 1492...
, how the European search for gold in the New World
New World
The New World is one of the names used for the Western Hemisphere, specifically America and sometimes Oceania . The term originated in the late 15th century, when America had been recently discovered by European explorers, expanding the geographical horizon of the people of the European middle...
of the Americas
Americas
The Americas, or America , are lands in the Western hemisphere, also known as the New World. In English, the plural form the Americas is often used to refer to the landmasses of North America and South America with their associated islands and regions, while the singular form America is primarily...
affected people's lives and minds.
Plot summary
The story takes place in a time when the Spanish adventurers known as Conquistadors roamedSpanish colonization of the Americas
Colonial expansion under the Spanish Empire was initiated by the Spanish conquistadores and developed by the Monarchy of Spain through its administrators and missionaries. The motivations for colonial expansion were trade and the spread of the Christian faith through indigenous conversions...
the New World
New World
The New World is one of the names used for the Western Hemisphere, specifically America and sometimes Oceania . The term originated in the late 15th century, when America had been recently discovered by European explorers, expanding the geographical horizon of the people of the European middle...
of the Americas
Americas
The Americas, or America , are lands in the Western hemisphere, also known as the New World. In English, the plural form the Americas is often used to refer to the landmasses of North America and South America with their associated islands and regions, while the singular form America is primarily...
in search of the mythical gold treasures of the dethroned Native American
Indigenous peoples of the Americas
The indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of North and South America, their descendants and other ethnic groups who are identified with those peoples. Indigenous peoples are known in Canada as Aboriginal peoples, and in the United States as Native Americans...
s.
Estéban is a teenage cartographer
Cartography
Cartography is the study and practice of making maps. Combining science, aesthetics, and technique, cartography builds on the premise that reality can be modeled in ways that communicate spatial information effectively.The fundamental problems of traditional cartography are to:*Set the map's...
of the Spanish Conquistador Army. The story starts when he is imprisoned, is awaiting trial for tax evasion
Tax avoidance and tax evasion
Tax noncompliance describes a range of activities that are unfavorable to a state's tax system. These include tax avoidance, which refers to reducing taxes by legal means, and tax evasion which refers to the criminal non-payment of tax liabilities....
. More specifically, he is suspected of finding a treasure without submitting the Quinto Real
Quinto Real
The Quinto Real or the Quinto del rey, the "King's fifth", was a 20% tax established in 1504 that Spain levied on the mining of precious metals. The tax was a major source of revenue for the Spanish monarchy. In 1723 the tax was reduced to 10%....
, also known as the "King's Fifth", a tax levied by the King of Spain on precious metals.
However, every authoritative figure in his trial or his jail wants one thing - to get Estéban to reveal the location of the gold he found. Estéban agrees to draw his jail guard a map, but uses the provided writing materials to write a secret journal. In this journal Estéban describes how he joined a small army band of Spaniards
Spanish people
The Spanish are citizens of the Kingdom of Spain. Within Spain, there are also a number of vigorous nationalisms and regionalisms, reflecting the country's complex history....
to seek the "Seven Golden Cities of Cíbola
Zuni-Cibola Complex
Zuni-Cibola Complex, which comprises Hawikuh, Yellow House, Kechipbowa, and Great Kivas, is a set of sites near Zuni, New Mexico.It was declared a National Historic Landmark District in 1974.Hawikuh Ruins is itself a National Historic Landmark....
". Their guide on this dangerous journey was a volunteering younger teenage Native American girl, Zia. She was brought along by Estéban, who met her while in the army from which the band was divided. Being the only one in the group without any political agenda
Political agenda
A political agenda is a set of issues and policies laid out by an executive or cabinet in government that tries to influence current and near-future political news and debate....
(although Estéban does realize her personal agenda eventually), Zia was also the only one to eventually preserve both her life and freedom.
Characters
- Estéban de Sandoval - a teenage mapmaker to the expedition
- Zia Troyano - a younger teenage Native American guide, who also appeared in O'Dell's 1976 novel ZiaZia (novel)Zia is the sequel to the award-winning Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O'Dell. It was published in 1976, sixteen years after the publication of the first novel.-Plot:...
- Captain Blas de Mendoza (very loosely based on Antonio de MendozaAntonio de MendozaAntonio de Mendoza y Pacheco, Marquis of Mondéjar, Count of Tendilla , was the first viceroy of New Spain, serving from April 17, 1535 to November 25, 1550, and the second viceroy of Peru, from September 23, 1551 to July 21, 1552...
) - an aristocratAristocracyAristocracy , is a form of government in which a few elite citizens rule. The term derives from the Greek aristokratia, meaning "rule of the best". In origin in Ancient Greece, it was conceived of as rule by the best qualified citizens, and contrasted with monarchy...
in search of gold - Father Francisco - a priestPriestA priest is a person authorized to perform the sacred rites of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particular, rites of sacrifice to, and propitiation of, a deity or deities...
to the expedition who joined as a missionarySpanish missions in CaliforniaThe Spanish missions in California comprise a series of religious and military outposts established by Spanish Catholics of the Franciscan Order between 1769 and 1823 to spread the Christian faith among the local Native Americans. The missions represented the first major effort by Europeans to...
and an explorerExplorationExploration is the act of searching or traveling around a terrain for the purpose of discovery of resources or information. Exploration occurs in all non-sessile animal species, including humans... - Roa and ZuñigaZúñigaZúñiga is a town and municipality located in the province and autonomous community of Navarre, northern Spain.This town was formerly known as Estuñiga, particularly during the Middle Ages, and between that time and the present, it has gone through many spelling variations.Zúñiga and its variant...
- an initially comedy duo who are Mendoza's cronies
TV series
The book was the inspiration for the 1982-1983 animeAnime
is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
cartoon TV series The Mysterious Cities of Gold
The Mysterious Cities of Gold
abbreviated MCoG, is a Japanese-French animated series co-produced by DiC Entertainment and Studio Pierrot. The series premiered in Japan on NHK on May 1, 1982 and ran weekly for 39 episodes until its conclusion on February 5, 1983...
. The characters take their names from the book, the high-level quest is the same, and the "golden lake" scene from the book is also present in the cartoon, but the similarities end there (the cartoon has motifs of fantasy and science fiction). The cartoon is set in South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
, whereas the expedition in the book explores California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
.
Matching characters
- Esteban - Child of the Sun, sneaking aboard a ship from Spain to the New World to search for his long-lost father
- Zia - an Incan 13 year old, kidnapped to and then from Spain, in order to be a guide to her home village
- Mendoza - a wily adventurer who arrived in the Americas by becoming a navigator on the ship to the New World
- Father Rodriguez - raised Esteban in a Spanish monastery (only shown in the first episode)
- Sancho and Pedro - a comedy duo who are Mendoza's cronies. They also have very similar names to the name of the ship in the book, the Santa Pedro.
Choose Your Own Adventure book
The book is also a slight influence in the Choose Your Own AdventureChoose Your Own Adventure
Choose Your Own Adventure is a series of children's gamebooks where each story is written from a second-person point of view, with the reader assuming the role of the protagonist and making choices that determine the main character's actions and the plot's outcome. The series was based on a...
Time Machine's 1987 book Quest for the Cities of Gold, as the reader meets Esteban at different points.
Awards and nominations
- Newbery Honor Book, 1967
- Federal Republic of Germany Jugendbuchpreis, 1970