''Baktun'' is a
telenovela
A telenovela is a type of a television serial drama or soap opera produced primarily in Latin America. The word combines ''tele'' (for "television") and ''novela'' (meaning "novel"). Similar drama genres around the world include '' teleserye'' ...
in
Maya
Maya may refer to:
Civilizations
* Maya peoples, of southern Mexico and northern Central America
** Maya civilization, the historical civilization of the Maya peoples
** Maya language, the languages of the Maya peoples
* Maya (Ethiopia), a populat ...
broadcast on
Quintana Roo public television in August, 2013. A
bʼakʼtun is a megacycle of the
Maya calendar
The Maya calendar is a system of calendars used in pre-Columbian Mesoamerica and in many modern communities in the Guatemalan highlands, Veracruz, Oaxaca and Chiapas, Mexico.
The essentials of the Maya calendar are based upon a system which had ...
.
Production
Produced for $250,000 by
Bruno Cárcamo, a veteran Mexican producer, the 21 episodes were filmed in
Tihosuco, an historic town in northern
Quintana Roo
Quintana Roo ( , ), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Quintana Roo ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Quintana Roo), is one of the 31 states which, with Mexico City, constitute the 32 federal entities of Mexico. It is divided into 11 mu ...
; it will also be distributed as a film. The film uses many previously inexperienced actors and extras from the local community.
Hilario Chi Canul
Hilario Chi Canul (Born 16 October 1981) is a Mexican linguist of Maya ethnicity who worked as a translator and Yucatec Maya language coach in the production of the 2006 movie ''Apocalypto'' by Mel Gibson.
Life
In 2007 he won the first prize in ...
, an expert in Mayan language and culture, helped translate the script into Maya and also plays the male lead.
Plot
The male love interest returns home from New York City where he has been working; he has nearly forgotten his native language. The film conforms to Mayan cultural norms; it does not contain explicit love scenes.
The telenovela has been presented at the
National Museum of Anthropology
The National Museum of Anthropology ( es, Museo Nacional de Antropología, MNA) is a national museum of Mexico. It is the largest and most visited museum in Mexico. Located in the area between Paseo de la Reforma and Mahatma Gandhi Street withi ...
in
Mexico City
Mexico City ( es, link=no, Ciudad de México, ; abbr.: CDMX; Nahuatl: ''Altepetl Mexico'') is the capital and largest city of Mexico, and the most populous city in North America. One of the world's alpha cities, it is located in the Valley o ...
.
Notes and references
{{reflist
Mexican telenovelas