During the early 1940s, young Mateo's favorite pastime is
exploring the mountains near his home. He and his friends have
heard the rumors about the seven mysterious cities of Cibola where
the walls and streets are covered with gold and gemstones and
Aztlan, the ancestral homeland of the Aztec. The friends intend to
find the treasures buried within the lost cities.Seeking to escape
the poverty in his small ranching community, Mateo continues to
search the mountains at every opportunity, and he narrowly escapes
dying there after finding what he imagines are veins of gemstones
and other precious minerals. He also finds a grotto with a strange
obelisk and several mummy-like individuals.Since his best friend,
Modesto, has moved to California, Mateo confides in the village
blacksmith, an old man who has been there for more years than
people care to remember. But a greedy villager overhears their
conversation, and that person becomes Mateo's mortal enemy.
