Tex Willer LU #161: Sveti Pueblo

In The Sacred Pueblo, the second half of a two-part Western, a diadem found among a murdered man’s belongings leads Tex Willer and Kit Carson into Jemez Canyon. Joined by young Juanito and a Pima shaman, the rangers follow an ancient Anasazi map to a settlement that is almost impossible to reach. According to legend, it may hold the secret of Kokopelli, guardian of a hidden treasure.

The shaman believes that spirits watch over the sacred site and that anyone who enters out of greed will never leave alive. Meanwhile, Gavilán’s gang is on the rangers’ trail, backed by the corrupt sheriff of Rio Lobo. In the canyon, the route to the treasure could easily become a trap.

Mauro Boselli ties the murder investigation to the treasure hunt, while Guglielmo Letteri makes the terrain part of the suspense. The high mesas and steep rock walls that conceal the pueblo also leave Tex and his companions with few ways to escape.