Made in 1958 and partially sponsored by Pan Am Airlines to promote their service to Central America, “Land of the Maya” presents the nation of Guatemala and Guatemala City. The film ostensibly follows a horticulturalist on her trip cross country, examining flowers. The movie shows a nearly forgotten era in Guatemalan history, before earthquakes devastated the capitol. At 1:20 the central office is seen, before its modernization, and the capitol buildings and downtown at 2:00. At 2:29, Antigua is shown, with its central arch and magnificent churches, as well as ruins seen at 3:00.
Lake Atitlan is seen at 3:50 and the village of Santiago. Chichicastenango is seen with Mayan Indians are seen at 5:27, bringing products to market. Religious dances are shown at 7:00, and at 7:40, the remote Mayan country is shown with Tikal.
Guatemala, officially the Republic of Guatemala (Spanish: República de Guatemala), is a country in Central America bordered by Mexico to the north and west, the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, Belize to the northeast, the Caribbean to the east, Honduras to the east and El Salvador to the southeast. With an estimated population of around 15.8 million, it is the most populous state in Central America. A representative democracy, Guatemala’s capital and largest city is Nueva Guatemala de la Asunción, also known as Guatemala City.
The territory of modern Guatemala once formed the core of the Mayan civilization, which extended across Mesoamerica. Most of the country was conquered by the Spanish in the 16th century, becoming part of the viceroyalty of New Spain. Guatemala attained independence in 1821 as part of the Federal Republic of Central America, which dissolved in 1841.
From the mid to late 19th century, Guatemala experienced chronic instability and civil strife. Beginning in the early 20th century, it was ruled by a series of dictators backed by the United Fruit Company and the United States government. In 1944, authoritarian leader Jorge Ubico was overthrown by a pro-democratic military coup, initiating a decade-long revolution that led to sweeping social and economic reforms. A U.S.-backed military coup in 1954 ended the revolution and installed a dictatorship.
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This film is part of the Periscope Film LLC archive, one of the largest historic military, transportation, and aviation stock footage collections in the USA. Entirely film backed, this material is available for licensing in 24p HD and 2k. For more information visit http://www.PeriscopeFilm.com
