Apocalytpo Film: A Summary
The Apocalytpo film was a 2006 academy award nominated film directed by non other than Mel Gibson. It is set at the decline of the Mayan Empire in the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico Before the arrival of the Spanish conquistadors.
The Apocalypto film storyline is told primarily through a rain forest Indian called Jaguar Jaw. While Jaguar Jaw and his father Flint Sky are out hunting with their fellow tribesmen, another tribe who was ravaged by the Mayan Raiders approaches them. These traumatized people get to Jaguar Jaw and he feels fear for the first time. His father encourages him not to be fearful because it is like a disease and to leave it in the forest.
That night Jaguar Jaw has a prophetic dream where he is warned of brutality and destruction to come, but it is too late when he wakes he sees the Mayan Raiders on their way to destroy his village. He immediately drags his wife and son to a nearby dry well where he lowers them to safety. He promises to come back to his wife and son and returns to fight the raiders. One of the raiders sees the vine he used to lower his family and cuts it to trap them below. His father is killed in front of him and the beginning of the end starts to unfold in the Apocalypto Film. The men and women who survive the ordeal are captured tied up and set out to a journey back to the Mayan City. They have to endure the brutality of the raiders and the natural elements to get to the Mayan City. Once at the outskirts of the city a girl with small pox has a spiritual vision and tells the raiders that there is a special son of a Jaguar amongst them and they will all be destroyed because they are vile. Upon entering the city we see the Mayan lower classes that are plagued with illness and drought. Once at the entrance of the great city the women are sold as slaves and the men, were taken to be sacrificed to the deities. When it is Jaguar Paw’s turn to be sacrificed like the girls prophesy stated an eclipse occurs, which stays his execution. The priest tells the head raider to dispose of them. So the men are taken to a ball field and hunted down like animals for sport by the raiders. Again when it is Jaguar Jaw’s turn he kills the head raider son and sets off back to the jungle and his family. One by one the raiders that attempt to get Jaguar Jaws and are killed off by his skill as a hunter. Towards the end of the Apocalypto film a big rain ensues filling up the hole where Jaguar Jaw’s family is, which makes his rush to save them even direr. He gets to the shoreline with the last two raiders who leave him because they are mesmerized by the boats approaching the shore of the Spanish conquistadors. It is at this time he flees and saves his family. While in the water his wife gave birth to another baby. At the end of the story he and his family return to the forest to start again despite the forbearance of the Spaniards. In spite of its critical acclaim I loved the Apocalypto Film. Yes there may or may not be some historical inaccuracies but I liked it none the less. As an artistic piece I thought it was very entertaining. I am now going to make my own opinions on the historical facts that I research. I think it was criticized because although not 100 percent historically accurate, it rang too true for the most part. I believe it unnerved individuals who could not dispute differently because the historical evidence shows there were human sacrifice made by the Ancient Mayan Priests but not necessarily to the extent of the Apocalypto Film . See it for yourself and draw your own conclusions.
Mayan Civilization Ancient Maya History
| 