This TravelTalks arrives in the village of Chichicastenango in the highlands of Guatemala. The Mayan descendants have come for market day. FitzPatrick talks down about the locals and that could be off-putting for modern audiences. It's the western attitude of the day. They look down upon native civilization around the world. In many ways, this may be a better time-capsule than its original intention. It's great to see regular locals in their local outfits. It's also great to hear the arrogant narration.
4 Reviews
Mayans cling to customs and costumes of the past...
Doylenf11 July 2009
A look at LAND OF THE MAYAS is another James A. FitzPatrick travel short with a glimpse of everyday life among the Maya Indians.
It opens with busy market day scenes, showing how nobody uses the wheel to get around but everyone carries things on their backs or shoulders. The market place is a scene of social gatherings and gossip too.
At this time in '46, a Catholic priest ministers to 33,000 Maya Indians over an estimated 500 miles area.
They have a disturbed and confused idea of Catholic theology but attend church on Sundays with religious fervor, burning incense to invoke the spirit of their ancestors and ask them for blessings.
We leave these primitive people for a glimpse of The Mayan Inn where whites dine and dance while Marimba music is played.
We close with a view of the priest enjoying solitude in the gardens within the shadow of the St. Tomas Church. The narrator informs us that although they pray to the Lord, they also pray to the pagan Gods of their ancestors as well.
It opens with busy market day scenes, showing how nobody uses the wheel to get around but everyone carries things on their backs or shoulders. The market place is a scene of social gatherings and gossip too.
At this time in '46, a Catholic priest ministers to 33,000 Maya Indians over an estimated 500 miles area.
They have a disturbed and confused idea of Catholic theology but attend church on Sundays with religious fervor, burning incense to invoke the spirit of their ancestors and ask them for blessings.
We leave these primitive people for a glimpse of The Mayan Inn where whites dine and dance while Marimba music is played.
We close with a view of the priest enjoying solitude in the gardens within the shadow of the St. Tomas Church. The narrator informs us that although they pray to the Lord, they also pray to the pagan Gods of their ancestors as well.
It's pretty difficult to find a quote to headline here . . .
cricket307 August 2021
Warning: Spoilers
. . . since the bozo whose b-l-o-v-i-a-t-e-s the pathetic sorry excuse for LAND OF THE MAYAS' narration (Wikipedia and Google define this 9-letter b-word as the sort of empty, prattling pompous illogical speech originated by America's Pachyderm Political Party to obfuscate the fact that all of its "core supporters" share a genetic defect making them superb targets for demonic possession; it is pretty suspicious that the spell-checker bots for this page do NOT recognize it as as a legitimate verb!) weighs down every phrase of his vicious voice-over hatchet job with condescending, demeaning dismissive nonsense in an attempt to belittle, disparage and slander "the flock of confused semi-pagans" whose hospitality he so blatantly abuses.
TravelTalks
Michael_Elliott14 July 2009
Land of the Mayas (1946)
** 1/2 (out of 4)
TravelTalks entry takes a look at the Maya Indians and how they go about their lives each and everyday while holding on to the past but also looking to the future. We see how most of the men carry heavy packs on their backs and whenever they get light items they fill up with heavy rocks just so they can stay in shape. We also see how a Catholic priest showed up to teach them a new form of religion, which can also hold close to their own beliefs. This is a pretty nice entry in the long-running series and we get to learn a lot of interesting facts here. As usual, it was great fun seeing how life was back then and the Technicolor really helps and brings everything to life.
** 1/2 (out of 4)
TravelTalks entry takes a look at the Maya Indians and how they go about their lives each and everyday while holding on to the past but also looking to the future. We see how most of the men carry heavy packs on their backs and whenever they get light items they fill up with heavy rocks just so they can stay in shape. We also see how a Catholic priest showed up to teach them a new form of religion, which can also hold close to their own beliefs. This is a pretty nice entry in the long-running series and we get to learn a lot of interesting facts here. As usual, it was great fun seeing how life was back then and the Technicolor really helps and brings everything to life.
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