The Golden Jaguar of Atahualpa

The Golden Jaguar of Atahualpa
The golden jaguar atop the camera-right stone pillar at the front of the Treasure Room.
Production Number	1-29 (29)
Airdate	September 12, 1993[1]
Team	Blue Barracudas
Winning Contestants	Chris & Tracey
Artifact Location	The Treasure Room
Pendants of Life	1
Temple Layout	VII
Previous Episode	The Mask of Shaka Zulu (Production Order) Lawrence of Arabia's Headdress (Broadcast Order)
Next Episode	The Silver Saddle Horn of Hannibal (Production Order) The Codebook of Mata Hari (Broadcast Order)

Moat Crossing

The first player from each team would cross the moat by pulling himself or herself hand-over-hand on the overhead rope; once they were across, their partner would toss them a bundle of rope which their teammate would catch. Once the first player had the rope, they would coil it once around the base of the pole and brace theirself so their partner could cross in the same method (except they would walk on the underwater lower rope).

Steps of Knowledge

In 1532, high in Andean South America, two royal brothers argued over who should become the next Great Inca. Their names were Huáscar and Atahualpa. Their argument grew so fierce it turned into a painful civil war known as The Inca War of Succession which lasted five years. Atahualpa finally defeated his brother, but the war left the Empire very weak. Soon after, the Spanish conquistador Francisco Pizarro came to Cusco, the capital city of ancient Peru, and captured Atahualpa and his subjects. Pizzaro offered to release Atahualpa from prison if the Incas would fill one room full of golden trinkets, and two rooms full of silver artifacts. Even though Atahulpa was granted the ransom, Pizzaro double-crossed Atahualpa and strangled him. The Spaniards melted down the gold and silver trinkets and sent their scraps back to Spain, except for a small statue of a golden jaguar, which was lost…until now.

Temple Games

The Blue Barracudas are 13-year-olds Tracey and Chris. The Purple Parrots are 13-year-olds Kelly and Greg.

Temple Ransom Payment (Knotted Rope Mountain)

The Inca people had to fill one room with gold and two rooms with silver in order to set Atahualpa free. Chris and Greg had to bring their share of ransom to the top of the mountain. When Kirk gave the signal, they had to grab a gold brick, stick it to his helmet, and climb the palace using the ropes before them. When at the top, they then had to drop off the brick head back down, and repeat the process with a silver brick. The first player to get one gold brick and two silver bricks to the top or the player with the most bricks at the top in 60 seconds won. Greg made it back down with all three bricks at the top with 15 seconds left before Chris was only able to get two at the top.

Incan Canoes (Water Chute)

The Spanish were impressed by canoes the Indians used to navigate lakes and rivers with, because they were so light and fast. Like a canoe, Tracey and Kelly had to go down on the sluice belly down, and slide as far as they can. After stopping, they will run back and slide again. The player who slid the farthest at the end of 60 seconds won. Kelly made it the farthest, awarding her a half pendant of life.

Atahualpa + Huascar = A Good Team (Velcro Ball Toss)

Atahualpa and Huascar were mighty Incan warriors, and they would have made a good team in this game. The male players were on a wall with Velcro shirts while their partners would throw the Velcro balls onto their shirts. The player with the most balls on her partner's shirt at the end of 60 seconds won. The Blue Barracudas won the game and the full pendant after landing thirteen balls over the Purple Parrots who landed eleven.

Tiebreaker

"Was the Inca empire found in North America, South America-?" Tracey rings in and correctly answers South America, sending her and Chris to Olmec's Temple in search of the golden jaguar.

Temple Run

Chris began by entering the Cave of Sighs the wrong way (he tried running into the alcove between the cave entrance and Olmec), and then he took a detour from his bottom path to the Heart Room, where a Temple Guard took his pendant with 2:13 remaining. When the Treasure Room did not open there, he resumed moving along the bottom floor; eventually, he took the Shrine/Well shortcut, only to be captured by the second Temple Guard with 1:24 remaining. Tracey managed to make up for some lost time, and got the monkey together and even managed to get the golden jaguar with five seconds remaining.

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The Golden Jaguar of Atahaulpa Part 1

The Golden Jaguar of Atahaulpa Part 2

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Notes

• The jaguar previously appeared as one of the treasures in the back of the treasury area.
• This is the second and final episode in Season 1 where teams attempted to retrieve an artifact is placed with in the treasury area (the room space that featured the Room of the Golden Idols, the Treasure Room, the King's Storeroom in Season 2, and the Room of the Ancient Warriors).
  • This is the only episode where an artifact was placed in the Treasure Room. In the TV movie adaptation however, Galileo's Cannonball was featured in the Treasure Room.
• This is the first episode where a team of Purple Parrots participated in the Tiebreaker.
• This is the last episode in Season 1 where a team of Blue Barracudas competed in the Temple Run.
• This is the only episode episode where a team of Blue Barracudas attempted to retrieve an artifact placed in the Treasury area.
• This is the first episode where a contestant was able to grab an artifact placed in the treasury area.
• This is the only episode where a member of the Blue Barracudas was able to grab the artifact but fail to escape with it in time.
• The Green Monkeys and Silver Snakes later appeared in Alexander and the Gordian Knot, wearing the same team colors.
• This is the first episode to air where a team of Blue Barracudas competed in the Temple Run.

References