In den Todeskammern der Maya

Millions of years ago, a meteor slammed into our planet on the Yucatan peninsular, in today’s Mexico. It put an end to the reign of the dinosaur and created a vast subterranean system of caves that are partially linked to the Atlantic – a highly treacherous and largely unexplored submarine world.

About 2,000 years ago, this area was home to the highly developed Mayan culture whose stone buildings, palaces and pyramids – long lost in the primeval forest – today fascinate scientists and tourists alike. The movie, originally intended as a search for undiscovered Mayan sites, burial caves, and subterranean ritual sites, soon developed into an increasingly bizarre thriller.

Written and directed by Michael Tauchert und Gisela Graichen Director of photography Robert Dinges, Clemente Herrera Escobedo Assistant camera Oliver Sachs, Kristof Schneider Edited by Jens Warnecke Associate Producer Eva-Maria Imlau Location Manager Moritz Widmann, Ortolf Karla Production manager Jörg Kunkel Editorial department Dr. Gudrun Ziegler, ZDF Head of production Ulrich Lenze, Cinecentrum Air date ZDF, February 26, 2006 » back