preguntas frecuentes for
Apocalypto (2006)

This time frame was known as the Post-classic Maya period. While a large portion of the Mayan culture did collapse well before Europeans arrived, the Northern Mayan culture persisted until Spanish conquerors arrived. Mel Gibson commented on the DVD, that he leaned the landing scene on the fourth Christopher Columbus expedition in 1502, were Columbus actualy did land in Yucatan. The eclipse scene of the film is reminiscent of an episode during Columbus' fourth voyage; Columbus impressed local Arawaks in what is now Jamaica by predicting a lunar eclipse.

It´s a Tapir : Tapirs are large browsing mammals, roughly pig-like in shape, with short, prehensile snouts. They inhabit jungle and forest regions of South America, Central America, and Southeast Asia. All four species of tapir are classified as endangered or vulnerable. Their closest relatives are the other odd-toed ungulates, horses and rhinoceroses.

The animal that falls into the pit is a Mexican Black Howler Monkey (Alouatta pigra) that inhabits the forests from southern Mexico to Brazil,and is closely related to the woolly spider monkey.

The poster features Gerardo Taracena posing as holcane "Middle Eye". He´s the tribes man that killed the heros father "Flint Sky", and also nick named him " Almost".

The "Teaser Trailer" features an unknown actor named Mauricio Amuy Tenorio playing the part of Jaguar Paw. He was recasted in favor of Rudy Youngblood. The only logical explanation being that the premature teaser trailer was sliced together from sample shots and footage, before the official casting was finished off.

It´s just plaster / Limestone used for building. Pure limestone is almost white. Because of impurities, such as clay, sand, organic remains, iron oxide and other materials, many limestones exhibit different colors, especially on weathered surface. It has been discovered that the Mayan process of creating the lime stucco cement that covered their temples required a great deal of energy to heat up the lime stone to convert it to quick lime. One calculation estimates that it would take five tons of jungle forestry to make one ton of quick lime.

It sure is. The use of underwater birth for labor and childbirth is a relatively common phenomenon practiced in Eurasia, Scandanavia, native North America and certainly also in the older South American cultures. Water birth is an effective form of pain management during labor and delivery for the mother. Properly heated water helps to ease the transition from the birth canal to the outside world because the warm liquid resembles the familiar intra-uterine environment.

Waldo is the star of the "Where's Waldo" series. The character is known for his distinct wardrobe of a red and white striped shirt, blue pants, shoes, red and white striped socks, glasses, and his red and white bobbled hat. He appears in the cinema version of Apocalypto for just one (1) frame, were Jaguar Paw falls into the field of disposed corpses with matching red and blue background colours. This inlay is not animated, rather a one frame human-manaquine setup. In Apocalypto, Waldo is laying dead among the corpses with an arrow shot through his head. The DVD edition has this frame cut out.

Underway from the forest to the Maya City the group of holcanes and their captives meet the Oracle Girl. Laying beside her dead mother and apparently sick of desease herself, the girl calls out the prophecy:

"You fear me? So you should. All you who are vile. Would you like to know how you will die? The sacred time is near. Beware the blackness of day. Beware the man who brings the jaguar. Behold him reborn from mud and earth. For the one he takes you to will cancel the sky, and scratch out the earth. Scratch you out. And end your world. He's with us now. Day will be like night. And the man jaguar will lead you to your end."

This redirects and confirms the story, plot and theme of Apocalypto as mentioned in the movies taglines: "A great civilization is not conquered from without until it is destroyed from within." "When the end comes, not everyone is ready to go." as well as "No one can outrun their destiny."

Also, as you watch the film you'll notice that all her predictions come true. The eclipse causes day to become night. Then, during the chase, Jaguar Paw "brings the jaguar", and he falls in quicksand and is "reborn of mud and earth." Then he leads the surviving warriors to the beach where they witness the Spanish conquistadors' arrival, thereby leading them to "the one[s] who will cancel the sky, and scratch out the earth."

Poison dart frogs are a group of small and often brightly colored frogs native to Central and South America. In the wild they are "poisonous". The difference is that poison is injested and venom must be injected into the body. These frogs received their common name from the numerous types of poisonous alkaloids found in the skin of many species. Many poison dart frogs have brightly colored skin and are small. Its alkaloid poison prevents nerves from transmitting impulses, leaving the muscles in an inactive state of contraction. This can lead to heart failure or fibrillation. An average dart frog contains about one milligram of poison, which is enough to kill 10,000 mice-perhaps enough to kill 10 to 20 humans if the poison reaches their bloodstreams. This extraordinarily lethal poison (a steroid alkaloid, called batrachotoxin) is very rare. Scientists have found this poison only among three poisonous frogs in Central and South America.

10 Holcanes pick up the chase on Jaguar Paw. Here´s the finish: 1) Cut Rock, son of Zero Wolf, was the finisher in the "killing games". He was killed by Jaguar Paw with the arrow head. 2) Speaking Wind was mauled by the jaguar. 3) Drunkards Four was the snake bite victim. 4) Snake Ink was stabbed by Zero Wolf prior to the waterfall jump. 5) Buzzard Hook smacked his head on the rock after the waterfall jump 6) Hanging Moss was poison darted by Jaguar Paw (was darted 3 times) 7) Middle Eye was clubbed by Jaguar Paw. 8) Zero Wolf was killed by the tapir trap. 9 & 10) Monkey Jaw and Ten Peccary are still alive at the beach.