The Maya: Temples, Tombs and Time

The Mayans aren't dead; their direct descendants live today in Mexico and Guatemala, often under conditions of great poverty and political oppression. It's a sad fate for "The People of the Corn," whose great cities once numbered 500,000 people in the years before Columbus, and whose architectural, astronomical and mathematical accomplishments made them the most important civilization in the Western hemisphere. This wonderful video manages to survey 3,000 years of Mayan history in less than an hour by using aerial and underwater photography, computer animation, maps, charts, paintings, photos, and the subtle but excellent use of music cues to enrich the text. Many old ideas about the Mayans are debunked here, thanks in part to new understanding of their hieroglyphs, 60% of which have now been deciphered. However, modernity is adding insult to historical injuries: the knowledge to be gained from many archaeological sites is endangered by pot-hunters and planned hydroelectric dams, and acid rain is eroding the stone hieroglyph carvings that are virtually the last record of the Mayan cities. Still, if the Mayans are right, things may be better before long. These famous calendar-keepers believe the year 2012 will be the beginning of the Fifth Cycle of Creation, a new era when their people and their culture will again be understood and appreciated. This excellent, excellent tape will help foster that understanding much sooner. Highly recommended. Editor's Choice. Aud: J, H, C, P. (R. Reagan)