Chief Tannabok is one of the secondary characters in The Road To El Dorado.
He is a heavy set man, and chief of the people of El Dorado. Tannabok organizes the feast for Miguel and Tulio at which they sing Tough to be a God.
It is worth noting that he is not as zealously religious as Tzekel-Kan, openly asking Tulio and Miguel (whom he and Tzekel-Kan had mistakenly believed were gods) why they had chosen that particular time to visit the city. This lack of presumed belief in their divinity highlights conflict between himself and Tzekel-Kan, a conflict that no doubt existed prior to the events of the movie.
He is shown to be very kind and wise; eventually realizing Miguel and Tulio aren't Gods - yet treating them no different, allowing them to keep the secret. He also dislikes human sacrifices and fully supports Miguel when he banishes Tzekel-Kan declaring there would be no more sacrifices.
Toward the end of the movie, when Tulio's plan to block the path to El Dorado goes awry, Chief Tannabok grabs several ropes and utilizes a combination of body weight and superior strength to hold the idol back, only releasing the ropes at Miguel's sign. It is assumed that he remains in power after the collapse of El Dorado's tunnel accessing the outside world, remembering Miguel and Tulio as friends and heroes who protected his people and made El Dorado a happier place.
Trivia[]
- Chief Tannabok is one of three El Dorado natives to know of Tulio and Miguel's mortality, the others being Chel and Tzekel-Kan. However, it is implied he kept it secret due to seeing their kindness and positive influence on his peoples.