The tale of Quetzalcoatl and Mel Gibson'sfilm "Apocalypto".
Kathleen Lopez
Dr. G. Davies-Morris
HUM 160 – Section 1
September 22, 2011
Word Count: 647
The Tale of Quetzalcoatl and Mel Gibson’s Film “Apocalypto”
During the period of Spanish conquest in the1500s, Meso-American civilizations were ignorant to the Europeans existing on the other side of the world. Due to their ignorance, the Meso-American civilizations created In regards to the tale of Quetzalcoatl and Mel Gibson’s Film “Apocalypto, the two stories taken place during the 1500s are bounded together through various mythic elements such as a clash of cultures and a connection to the sea.
In the tale of Quetzalcoatl, Quetzalcoatl’s is greeted unpleasantly by the presence of Tezcatlipoca, the antagonist. During the story, Quetzalcoatl promoted the skill of crafts and the sacrifice of breads, flowers, and perfumes in opposition to the skill of war crafts and the sacrifice of tearing the hearts out of men and women. However, Tezcatlipoca upheld those practices of hostility that Quetzalcoatl disapproved of. Through this, there is a clash of cultures. During the ball court segment of the story, Tezcatlipoca transformed himself into a jaguar whereas Quetzalcoatl had fled. The cultures of Quetzalcoatl and Tezcatlipoca are in total opposition. Similarly in the film, Apocalypto, the cultures of Jaguar Paw and Zero Wolf were in heavy confliction. The tribe of Jaguar Paw and his father Flint Sky were of a peaceful people, while the culture of Zero Wolf believed in the conquering of less civilized tribes. The Aztecs also participated in the practice of human sacrifice.