Mel Gibson
put a characteristically violent spin on Mayan culture with Apocalypto, but of course there were more
than a few kernels of truth spread throughout his subtitled actioner,
especially in regards to the Mayans’ penchant for ritualistic human sacrifice. After
all, enemies of notorious King Yax K’uk Mo squared off in an ancient Mayan
arena in a game that appears much like modern soccer, with winners of the fateful
contest being spared and losers losing their heads. These and other interesting
tidbits are given fuller illumination in Lost
King of the Maya, a long-form documentary originally broadcast on PBS in
2001. The piece explores the collapse of the Mayan civilization in reverse-cast
mode, by examining the rise of the civilization out of Central
America’s rain forests more than two millennia ago.

For more than five centuries, a dynasty of so-called “Blood
Lords” presided over the Mayan city of Copan,
conducting hallucinogenic vision quests, human sacrifice and campaigns of
ritualistic warfare. Many generations of scholars dismissed the story of Yax K’uk
Mo as part of a self-conflated myth, but Lost
King of the Maya takes viewers deep into the lush Honduran rain forest, where,
at the Mayan equivalent of the Acropolis, a team of archaeologists and
historians finally piece together a more complete look at the fascinating rise
and fall of Copan civilization and Yax K’uk Mo’s pivotal role as founder.

As with most historical non-fiction programs of this nature,
there needs to be a hook, and that’s what Yax K’uk Mo provides Lost King of the Maya. But it’s not
fallacy. In the fifth century AD, this unique ruler — not native to the area — was
able to consolidate power and achieve rapid conquest over local warlords,
immediately overhauling the ruling principles and hierarchy of an entire civilization.

The pyramids of ancient Egypt
capture the imagination in more immediately breathtaking strokes, but the
ancient Mayans’ sophisticated intellect, astronomical abilities and complex
culture makes a persuasive case that it was just as advanced. While it uses its
subject as the main lens of refraction, Lost
King of the Maya also devotes plenty time to beautifully carved Copan
monuments, magnificent temples and the like, easily showing why the lost city
is often referred to as “the Athens of Central America.” Transforming legend and
myth into reality in an easily digestible and interesting form, Lost King of the Maya is a solid documentary
for history buffs.

Presented in full screen in a fine transfer with no problems
with grain or edge enhancement, Lost King
of the Maya is spread out over two DVDs, and runs just under two hours. It comes
with the usual spread of sparse supplemental features, chiefly aimed at
educators. This means links to special portions of the NOVA web site, and a few
other printable materials. B (Movie) C (Disc)