Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #112412 in DVD
• Released on: 1998-12-22
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Formats: AC-3, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD, Widescreen, NTSC
• Original language: English, Mandarin Chinese, Spanish
• Subtitled in: English
• Dubbed in: French
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 38 minutes

From the Back Cover
Witness the splendor of the Mayan civilization through the discovery of their pyramids, palaces and temples.

Deep within the jungles of Mexico and Guatemala, and extending into the Yucatan Peninsula lie the fabled pyramids, temples and palaces of the Maya. While Europe still slumbered in the midst of the dark ages, these innovative people had charted the heavens, evolved the only true writing system native to the Americas and had made tremendous strides in the areas of mathematics and calendars.

Without the advantage of metal tools, beasts of burden or even the wheel, they were able to construct vast cities with an amazing degree of architectural perfection and variety.

Filmed on location at numerous sacred sites throughout Central America including the ruins at Palenque, Tikal, Tulum, Chichen Itza, Copan and Uxmal, Mystery of the Maya explores the culture, science and history of this people.

CHAPTERS
1. History of the Maya
2. Hidden Cities
3. A Scientific Approach
4. Burning of the Books
5. Temple Discoveries
6. Advanced Math and Astrology
7. Decoding the Hieroglyphs
8. The Tomb of Pacal
9. The Mystery Continues
10. Past, Present and Future
11. Credits

Customer Reviews

Sub Standard for IMAX - but educational
I'm an IMAX fan, so I was a bit disappointed in the limited use of the format and cinematagraphy in The Mystery Of The Maya. It's not that it is a bad documentary; it is indeed quite educational. The problem is that it is just a documentary, without the IMAX eye candy that causes folks to buy big screen sets and pilgramage to BIG screen theatres with each new release. Compare this to Blue Planet or Everest at 5 stars and it's hard to come up with more than 1 star.

Disappointing IMAX title
I have watched many of the IMAX films that have been released on DVD. This one stands out as one of the most disappointing ones I have seen. I actually fell asleep watching it - and I wasn't particularly tired. The film starts out with a great flyover of the coastline with a Mayan temple. After that it quickly loses that special IMAX expectation of panoramic shots and "grandness."

I found the storyline quite tiring and merely a distraction to what was being taught. While educational, if the focus on close ups and limited camera visual scope is what the authors wanted to get across then standard video footage would have been enough. The dilution of the IMAX expectation knocked off at least 2 stars.

Good if you've been to the sites; otherwise IMAX fluff
I rented "Mystery of the Maya" after returning from a visit to Tulum and Chichén Itzá. This DVD provided a few interesting tidbits and some good shots of the ruins. But for the most part it's typical IMAX fluff: a brief (40 min.) documentary on a subject that deserves much more, with in-depth history sacrificed for a few random facts and sweeping cinematography (the latter of which doesn't translate to the small screen). The major faults of this production are that it doesn't identify the ruins as it shows them, nor does it give much substantial information. For instance, "Mystery of the Maya" didn't even discuss the theories as to why the Mayans suddenly abandoned these spectacular sites.

In the end, this DVD is good if you've been to some of these sites, but don't watch it before a trip expecting to get some great insider information for your visit.