Posted on 12/07/2006 7:11:02 PM PST by paudio
Some descendants of the Maya tribes depicted in Mel Gibson's Apocalypto have denounced the movie as racist and not representative of their ancient culture. In an interview with Reuters, Ignacio Ochoa, director of the Nahual Foundation, said, "Gibson replays, in glorious big budget Technicolor, an offensive and racist notion that Maya people were brutal to one another long before the arrival of Europeans and thus they deserved, in fact, needed, rescue." Lucio Yaxon, described by Reuters as a 23-year-old Mayan human rights activist, added, "Basically, the director is saying the Mayans are savages." Today's (Thursday) Los Angeles Times noted that archaeologist Richard Hansen was on hand throughout the shooting of the film, lending his advice to the production team. Production designer Tom Sanders told the newspaper, "It was really fun to say [to Hansen], 'Is there any proof they didn't do this?' When he said, 'There is no proof they didn't do that, ' that gives you some license to play."
No, he's saying Mayans WERE savages.
Exactly! Every culture on this Earth has had dark periods.
After all, if blood didn't flow, how could the sun rise...?
The savage Chavez is a descendant of South American headhunters, not the Maya.
I've had Mayan tourist guides at both Tulum and Chitzen Itza describe the culture apologetically, and I don't need an apology.
The culture was brutal, and it can't be denied. At least by anyone who shouldn't be called a fool.
Happens. The other day, when tiny tom "announced" he wasn't running for Pres. My first thought was "ok, me neither then".
When I went to post it, many had beat me to it.
Great minds you know.
That was funny, thanks for the chuckle.
"the Mayans are savages."
Exactly.
Tell me about the Bermuda high, if you don't mind? Thanks.
...If a tree falls in a forest you might not hear it, but it still falls.
LOL... "it's so easy even a movie director can do it"...
What, pray tell, are you talking about?
Dr. Richard D. Hansen is a specialist on the early Maya and is the Director of the Mirador Basin Project in northern Guatemala. He was an Assistant Research Scientist (Level IV) with the Institute of Geophysics and Planetary Physics at UCLA until Dec. 2003. He is the founder and president of the Foundation for Anthropological Research and Environmental Studies (FARES), a non-profit scientific research institution, now based in Washington, D.C. He graduated with a Ph.D. in Archaeology from UCLA in January 1992. He previously held a double major B.S. degree in Spanish and Archaeology from Brigham Young University in 1978, and a M.S. degree in Anthropology in 1984. While a Ph.D. student at UCLA, he was selected by the U.S. Department of Education as a National Graduate Fellow and a Jacob Javits Fellow from all college and university students throughout the nation in the arts, humanities, and social sciences for five years. He was named the UCLA Distinguished Scholar in 1988, a Fulbright Scholar in 1990, the UCLA Outstanding Graduate Student in 1991, and the UCLA Chancellor's Marshall in 1992. He has published 69 papers and book chapters in scientific and popular publications and has presented more than 145 professional papers in scientific symposia throughout the world. He has conducted and/or directed archaeological research in Israel, the U.S. Great Basin, the U.S. Southwest, and Central America.
Well, clearly there is only one way to disprove this; strap Mel to a stone table and cut his heart out. Works for muslims...
It's impossible to not offend anyone anymore.
Love that cave man character, for some reason, he resonates with me. Especially that idiotic airline terminal conveyor belt scene.
I think they're a parody of homos.
Mayan #1; "I'll have the human heart with mango salsa."
Mayan #2; "Nothing for me thank you, I seem to have lost my appetite."
LOL! That's hilarious!
Ok, duck with mango salsa all around. It appears that was a very effective commercial, although, I didn't buy their insurance.
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