Product Details

• Actors: Great Cities of the Ancient Wo
• Format: Color, NTSC
• Language: English
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Questar
• VHS Release Date: April 16, 2002
• Run Time: 65 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B00000JGHY
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #28,570 in Video (See Bestsellers in Video)

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  Video > Documentary > History > World History & Culture

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

When Europe was in the Dark Ages, great cities were flourishing in Central America. This video explores how the Aztec and Mayan empires rose to startling heights and then mysteriously collapsed. When the Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés landed in 1519 in what is today Mexico, he and his soldiers were dumbfounded by the large cities they encountered. Using innovative computer graphics, this video shows what the great Aztec urban centers might have looked like when Cortés and his men first saw them. The Mayan empire, which flourished before the Aztecs, from approximately 300 to 900 A.D., is also examined in this video, which pays particular attention to how some Mayan influence still resonates in contemporary Mexico. The Mayans and Aztecs developed complex and intelligent societies, and much of their culture is still mysterious to us, but this video does a good job of explaining the basic history of who these people were and how they lived. The video also presents the story of New Yorker John L. Stephens, who traveled to Central America in 1839 and brought back tales of great pyramids rising out of the jungle to an astonished public. The history in this video is intelligent and the technical innovations, such as the computer-generated lost cities of the Mayans and Aztecs, make for an enjoyable and interesting presentation. --Robert J. McNamara

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great video, enjoyable for everyone, December 30, 1999

By	anonymous (New Mexico) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This is a great video with only a few minor flaws. It tells the history of the Maya and Aztec in a very interesting fashion, from the discovery by the Spanish backward in time. This however, is confusing for those not familiar with the timelines of these cultures and I found it bothersome. Even so, I thought it was a great presentation, especially the computer animations of how these mavelous cities must have appeared at their peak. The many incredible shots of ruins, the story of how they were rediscovered in the 19th century by explorers, and great computer animations make this a great video for the entire family. We purchased this as a Christmas present and have watched it over and over.

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Solid integration of cinematography and history, May 1, 2001

By	susan c tait "[e-mail]" (Aloha, United States) - See all my reviews

If you fancy a trip to the great pre-Spanish cities of Mexico, this video will treat you to a tour of the art and mystery of Cholulu, Tula, Tenochtitlan, and a half-dozen other cities built by a people who had mastered technology to a fine degree---making buildings that behaved like calendars, for instance---but whose mastery of other peoples makes the Spanish conquest look rather tame by comparison. Of particular interest is the claimed coincidence of the Aztec concept of an "end time" with the arrival of the Spanish conquerors exactly as scheduled. Brief explanations of games, rituals (with current re-enactments), and current mysteries compete with lengthier descriptions of a 18th-century explorer's tribulations as he searched out new cities. The cinematography is superb, featuring great close-ups in raking light of finely carved details on walls and monuments, and well-lit landscape views showing the buildings in their settings.

This is a good introduction to a great people's history---and a nice incidental introduction to some of southern Mexico's geography. I found it easier to understand how some of today's unrest in the state of Chiapas may have historical roots after seeing this video. The only drawback to the video is a somewhat slow narrative pace.

3 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fall of Great Empires..., November 2, 2000

By	Ahmed (Canada) - See all my reviews

This great videos takes you on an expedition giving great info. on how two of the greatest empires in Central Empire were destroyed. Great mysteries and stories help us understand what happend to the Aztecs and the Mayans. Learn how Hernando Cortez destroyed the Aztec empire by the help of an Aztec princess. Also see the mysteries and legends telling us what happend to the Mayas. Did they abandon the place, wars, plague? Want to know more legends than get this video!