Mel Gibson Donates Pyramids to Mexico
Mel Gibson came to Mexico to learn about and film Mayan history. In gratitude, he’s decided to leave a little something behind.
Gibson will donate the sets from his movie, “Apocalypto,†when he is done filming in Veracruz, Mexico. The sets include six replicas of Mayan pyramids and several movie-set villages, according to the BBC.
“Apocalypto†is a period piece that depicts the Mayan culture as it existed 3,000 years ago in what is now known as Central America. All of the dialogue in the film will be in an obscure Mayan dialect – one that Gibson says is authentic to that time.
More: newsmax.com
Actor Mel Gibson donates U.S.$1 million to Mexico's hurricane relief
Actor Mel Gibson, sporting a long beard and no socks, met with Mexican President Vicente Fox on Wednesday and donated US$1 million to help Mexico recover from Hurricane Stan.
Fox's office said Gibson asked to meet with Fox because he wanted to help after Hurricane Stan hit the Gulf state of Veracruz, where the actor is filming a movie.
The hurricane and related storms left more than 1,500 dead or missing in Central America and Mexico. Another storm, Hurricane Wilma, was expected to come close to hitting Mexico's Yucatan peninsula late
Gibson to leave film sets in Mexico
Actor/director Mel Gibson is leaving the sets from "Apocalypto" in Veracruz, Mexico, when he's done filming.
Gibson will donate six replicas of Mayan pyramids and several movie-set villages, the BBC reported Friday.
Gibson began shooting Nov. 14 and says filming should be complete in late March or early April.
"Apocalypto" takes place 3,000 years ago in Central America and all the dialogue is in an obscure Mayan dialect.
Gibson has said the film will tell the life of a Mayan man, touching on "civilizations and what undermines them".
More: upi.com
Architecture
As unique and spectacular as any Greek or Roman architecture, Maya architecture spans many thousands of years; yet, often the most dramatic and easily recognizable as Maya are the fantastic stepped pyramids from the Terminal Pre-classic period and beyond. These pyramids relied on intricate carved stone in order to create a stair stepped design. Each pyramid was dedicated to a deity whose shrine sat at its peak. During this "height" of Maya culture, the centers of their religious, commercial and bureaucratic power grew into incredible cities, including Chichen Itza, Tikal, and Uxmal. Through observation of the numerous consistent elements and
Origins
Archaeological evidence shows the Maya started to build ceremonial architecture approximately 3000 years ago. There is some disagreement about the borders and difference between the early Maya and their neighboring Pre-Classic Mesoamerican civilization, the Olmec culture. The Olmec and early Maya seem to have influenced each other.
The earliest monuments consist of simple burial mounds, the precursors to pyramids erected in later times.
Eventually, the Olmec culture faded after spreading its influence into the Yucatan peninsula, present-day Guatemala, and other regions
The Maya developed the famed cities of Tikal, Palenque, Copán and Kalakmul, as well as Dos Pilas, Uaxactun, Altun Ha, Bonampak and
Notable constructions
Ceremonial platforms
These were commonly limestone platforms of typically less than four meters in height where public ceremonies and religious rites were performed. Constructed in the fashion of a typical foundation platform, these were often accented by carved figures, altars and perhaps tzompantli, a stake used to display the heads of victims or defeated Mesoamerican ball game opponents.
Palaces
Large and often highly decorated, the palaces usually sat close to the center of a city and housed the population's elite. Any exceedingly large royal palace, or one consisting of many chambers on different levels might be referred to as an acropolis. However,
An interesting day trip from Puebla is to Cuetzalan market (via Tetela-Huahuaxtla) which is held on Sunday in the Zocalo (three hours walk up). In the first week of Octo- ber each year dancers from local villages gather and voladores 'fly' from the top of their pole. Nahua Indians sell cradles (huacaks) for children, machetes and embroidered garments. Women decorate their hair with skeins of wool. The Dia de los Muertos (2 , November) is interesting here. Big clay dogs are made locally, unique stoves which hold large flat clay plates on which tortillas are
Building process
All evidence seems to suggest that most stone buildings existed on top of a platform sub-structure that varied in height from less than a meter, in the case of terraces and smaller structures, to 45 meters in the case of great temples and pyramids.The huge ceremonial esplanade in Tikal contains three big platforms, and over them rest the pyramidal buildings so common in the ancient Maya cities.
Decoration in relief, molded in stucco, reached a high degree of perfection in Palenque. Stucco was a very fine paste made of lime with a bit of sand in it, which was in
Jaina
The small limestone island of Jaina lies just off the coast, 40 km north of Campeche. Discovered by Morley in 1943, excavations on Jaina have revealed the most extensive Maya burial grounds ever found, over 1,000 interments dating back to AD 652. The bodies of religious and political leaders were carried long distances from all over the Yucatan and Guatemala to be buried beneath the extremely steep Pyramids of Zacpol and Sayasol on Jaina.
The corpses were interred in jars in crouching positions, clutching statues in their folded arms, some with jade stones in their mouths; food, weapons, tools
'Where to go?? is perhaps the most frequently asked question about Central America and Mexico, particularly by the first time visitor. There is no shortage of images of Central America and Mexico in travel articles, on television and on the Internet. The sheer variety of options means that for once the cliche is true - there is something for everyone. It is perhaps the sheer variety of landscapes, cultures and opportunities that excites and entices. The scope for adventurous holidays - at whatever pace - is vast, whether it be branching out from a
Xpujil
The name means a type of plant similar to a cattail. The architectural style is known as Rio Bee, characterized by heavy masonry towers simulating pyramids and temples, usually found rising in pairs at the ends of elongated buildings. The main building at Xpujil features an unusual set of three towers, with rounded corners and steps which are so steep they are unscalable, suggesting they may have been purely decorative. The facade features the open jaws of an enormous reptile in profile on either side of the main entrance, possibly representing Itzamna, the Maya god of creation. Xpujil's main
