Customer Reviews

NOVA: Lost King of the Maya/Maya Lords of the Jungle

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An oustanding example of what NOVA does very well. Beautifully photographed -the film gives you a sense that you have actually been to Copan. Top of their field scholars and a dramatic storyline of the Mayan City State.

The Mayan civilization had millions of people and created impressive buildings before even the ancient Egyptians. Importantly, the work emphasized that Mayans still live today. But those who love solving mysteries will love how this work tries to answer how the civilization went into decline and why such great edifices were abandoned.

This was presented to me as two discs, but both discs had the same info. Even if they weren't identical, they could have been put on one disc. I don't know who put together that fraudulent mess. Sometimes the work moves slowly. Students of the MTV/sound byte generation might not be able to pay attention to it.

This documentary showed one Latin American scholar, but all the rest were Americans. I hear that anthropology has diversified greatly and it's sad to see this doesn't represent that. One female scholar speaks; she has a deep chin dimple, similar to a man's.

I wish I could have seen more painting from the Maya and learned more about their culture than just their architecture. When documentaries focus on Macchu Picchu and say little about the Inca, I feel the same way.

The documentary begins with saying that Spanish paid little attention to the Maya because they didn't have gold. This reminded me of what Adam Smith wrote about the Spanish lack of foresight.