Contigo

Contigo (ギアナ村 Guiana Village) is a village in Atteka, located southeast of Jupiter Lighthouse. Directly to the east of the settlement lies an enormous crater and the enigmatic Anemos Sanctum. The crater is supposedly where the city of Anemos was located at one time; though rumors state that it rose up into the sky and became the moon. Ivan and Hama are from Contigo, and it is also the location where Isaac, Felix, and their respective parties reunite in Golden Sun: The Lost Age. Contigo is rather unique in that it is the only settlement in The Lost Age where the players can partake in the gambling mini-games, Lucky Dice, Super Lucky Dice and Lucky Wheels.

Description
Contigo is a not a particularly large, nor overly small settlement, which consists of several houses as well a few tents. When the player first arrives, the village is a fairly lively hub, playing host to a significant influx of people, both workers and spectators wanting to see the Wings of Anemos completed. However, once the Wings are attached and Felix and co. leave, the village quiets down significantly, much to the chagrin of the local businesspeople.

Contigo is home to several Adepts, all of who are aligned with the Jupiter element. Although this village lacks the Psynergy Stones that were speculated to be the cause of Adepts appearing in other settlements, such as Vale and Garoh, the settlement's proximity to Jupiter Lighthouse and the bloodline that connects some villagers to the ancient Anemos civilization are two likely alternative causes. In this way, Contigo is very similar to Imil and Prox.

The most notable landmark within the village is the Anemos Sanctum, which is where hieroglyphic blueprints to the Wings of Anemos are found. Although this sanctum can be easily reached and entered with Reveal, it is not until the player returns from the Mars Lighthouse with the Teleport Lapis and all 72 Djinn that the sanctum can be properly explored. This optional dungeon, the Anemos Inner Sanctum, is by far the hardest and most rewarding dungeon in The Lost Age, and hence makes Contigo a must-visit for dedicated players.

Vendors
Contigo's inn is located to the left of the circular design on the ground in the village center (the Teleport circle) and costs 20 coins per Adept.

Collectibles
Salt: In the large arrangement of grass to the right of where you enter the village, cast Scoop on the center bare spot in the grass. Shine: In the empty stump right above the Inn. Cast the Force Psynergy on the stump to drive it out. This requires the Orb of Force to have been transfered from a completed data file of the original Golden Sun in which the Orb of Force was acquired from that game; if it is not in the possession of Isaac's party when they join your party, this Djinni cannot be acquired without hacking.

Bramble Seed: Use Cyclone on the single patch of leaves just to the right of the northwest house on the hill. Corn: Is visible and can be easily grabbed from the small corn stall near the teleport pad. Power Bread: In the barrel outside the northeast house.

Story
When the party first travels through Contigo there is little plot-related activity, apart from the fact that the villagers are busily at work preparing the Wings of Anemos. However, upon completion of Jupiter Lighthouse, a major event takes place in Contigo. This is where Isaac and Felix's respective parties meet and talk for the first time outside of their heated and often perilous exchanges atop the various lighthouses. Initially sceptical of Felix's groups motives, Isaac's party demands to know why Felix is working to break the seal on Alchemy, knowing that if he stopped this course of action, the two parties would no longer be enemies. It is then that Felix's companions reveal not only that Felix and Jenna's parents are being held hostage in Prox, but they also repeat what they had learned in Lemuria. They explain that without the lifeforce of Alchemy to sustain it, Weyard would wither and eventually die.

Isaac and co. are shocked at this revelation and the magnitude of the problem facing them. As Isaac himself puts it, "Wait for the end of the world to come or wind up accidentally triggering it ourselves… What a choice…". In the face of this decision, Isaac decides to trust Felix, and agrees to join him and help to light the final beacon. It is then that Hama arrives, telling the combined parties that the world is in grave danger. She explains that now that Jupiter has been lit and Mars remains dormant, the cold winds will push the world into a lethal winter, and that they must overcome a powerful and mysterious force to light the Mars Lighthouse. She also reveals that she has been reunited with a family member, whom she had been separated from for a long time. This perks up Sheba's hopes, who believed she would find her true family by setting out on this quest. Unfortunately for her, these hopes are quickly dashed as it is revealed that Ivan is Hama's brother.

Without further delay, the combined party set out to Atteka Inlet to retrieve their newly upgraded boat and begin the journey to Mars lighthouse.

Cultural References
Contigo's architecture is somewhat reminiscent of the Mayans, Incas, Tairona, and other civilizations of Central and South America and the Caribbean Sea. The Japanese name for Contigo is Guianas Village, further solidifying the connection with the northern regions of South America. This is somewhat ironic in the English translation as Contigo is Spanish for "With you" and it was the Spanish who wiped all of these civilizations out in the early 16th century.

Given the fact that Contigo is a tiny remnant of a greater civilization and several prophecies revolving around it, it is possible that it is more reminiscent of the Mayans. By the time the Spanish arrived in the 1500s, the Mayan civilization was a shadow of what it had been during the Classical period which lasted between 250 AD and 900 AD. Like the mysterious disappearance Anemos city, the Mayan decline has baffled historians and archeologists for centuries.

Another likely possibility is that Aneamos is a reference to the lost city of Mañoa, sometimes known as El Dorado, which was said to be hidden somewhere in either the Amazon or the Guiana Highlands. Christopher Columbus himself was obsessed with finding the city, as were Spanish, Portuguese, English, French, (you name it) explorers. The city was filled with golden doubloons, like that of Aneamos, and was ruled by a King, often known as El Dorado himself, who bathed in a bath of gold every night. Explorers would often search and destroy native villages around the areas where the stories were told, and it could be said that Contigo might be such a native-village remnant of El Dorado.

Trivia

 * Contigo is a Spanish word meaning "With you". In the Spanish version of Golden Sun: The Lost Age, this village is named Mitdir, words that when separated (Mit dir) mean "With you" in German.