It’s hard to believe that while the European continent was entrenched in the horrors of the Dark Ages, the Mayan culture was thriving. Not only did the Mayans create a complicated written language, they had far exceeded the Europeans in their study and mapping of the stars and planets, mathematics, and architecture. What happened to the Mayan people? How did they come to be? Why was this isolated culture so advanced? These questions and many others are explored in The Mystery of Maya.

Originally shot in the IMAX format, this film was intended to make the viewer feel as if they were actually creeping through the jungles of Mexico and Guatemala until finally coming upon the great Mayan ruins. Directors Brian Howells and Robert Rochin Naya take their cameras and crew to several of the major Mayan ruin sites to investigate and see what clues and insights can be found.

Actress Susan Glover narrates this adventure documentary, giving needed commentary on the locales and practical purposes of the structures that are seen. Larry Crosley and Dario Domingues provide the musical score. (Barnes & Noble)

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I like movies for their scenary and visuals. This DVD however lacked possibly due to it’s age. It had very few good visuals and was not what I had hoped. The information provided was extremely basic and was essentially a Mexican mother and son talking with English voice overs.

I would only recommend this to hardcore Maya fans. Since even the shots of the ruins were often poor, and/or redone by computers to make them look restored… It was not what I expected, I wanted a true cultural history of the Maya but got a history of Mayan archeology. While some nice scenery was not necessary for this movie…

This is an introduction to Mayan archeology… not too much about the actual Maya is revealed. Discusses some of the major discoveries in Mayan archeology, while presenting decent visuals and historical photographs. This film is somewhat old and as such is relatively pretty to look at. Fancy computer graphics are minimal. (Amazon)