#Apocalypto movie#

The Maya civilization had its great accomplishments in architecture, mathematics and astronomy. The Mayan culture it had its diverse regions and social classes.ДЄn earlier belief that Mayan culture was peaceful has been debunked by archaeology, including the decipherment, in recent decades, of Mayan hieroglyphs. All the Mayans didnвЂ™t live in the ceremonial centers visited by tourists. But Mayan civilization was complex and multi-layered.

#Apocalypto movie#

An action movie nearly always requires bad guys, and in this film all the significant characters вЂ“ both villains and heroes вЂ“ are Mayan.Д¬ritics have charged that вЂњApocalyptoвЂќ presents the Maya as unicivilized savages. The bad guys in вЂњApocalyptoвЂќ are Mayan вЂ“ but then, so are the protagonists. Besides, вЂњApocalyptoвЂ™sвЂќ plot is admittedly fiction вЂ“ historical fiction, but fiction nonetheless. As a matter of fact, historical howlers are quite common in historical movies. Some of GibsonвЂ™s earlier movies, вЂњBraveheartвЂќ, which he directed and starred in, and вЂњThe PatriotвЂќ, which he starred in, were filled with historical inaccuracies. ThatвЂ™s all true, but not particularly suprising. And itвЂ™s hard to locate the filmвЂ™s setting, geographically. Though set in the early 1500s, the actors speak the Mayan language of todayвЂ™s Yucatan Peninsula, which nobody spoke in the 1500s. The art, architecture and setting of the movie mixes aspects of different epochs and regions within the Mayan civilization. Historically, there was much diversity within the Mayan culture itself. In contrast, the Mayan culture had various rises and falls in different regions. Another difference is that the Spaniards (and their Indian allies) overthrew the Aztecs when their empire was at its height. The Mayan Civilization was never a unified empire as was that of the Aztecs. They peopled a large geographical area, in present-day eastern Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, El Salvador and Honduras. The history of the Mayan culture spans millennia. Mel follows up in вЂњApocalyptoвЂќ with all dialogue in Yucatec Maya, with subtitles. GibsonвЂ™s previous blockbuster, вЂњThe Passion of the ChristвЂќ, was in Aramaic and Latin with subtitles.

The movie was filmed in the state of Veracruz on the Gulf Coast of Mexico, where six pyramids were constructed for filming.

The protagonist is a Mayan hunter named вЂњJaguar PawвЂќ portrayed by actor Rudy Youngblood. To summarize the movie, without giving it away for those who havenвЂ™t seen it (I hate it when people do that!), вЂњApocalyptoвЂќ deals with the downfall of the Mayan civilization. Ricardo Cajas, вЂњRacism CommissionerвЂќ for the Guatemalan government, has blasted the movie as racist Mel GibsonвЂ™s вЂњApocalyptoвЂќ has been criticized for inaccuracies and for misrepresenting the Mayan culture. (Pirated DVDs, of course, had been available on the streets before that). вЂњApocalyptoвЂќ, a thriller dealing with the Mayan civilization, opened in Mexican theaters on January 25th. вЂњRacistвЂќ Apocalypto Opens In Latin America