History Main / Mayincatec

** The classic ScroogeMcDuckUniverse Carl Barks Donald Duck story ''Lost In the Andes'' has Donald and the nephews discover a lost, vaguely Inca-ish civilization where everything is cube-shaped or full of right angles, even the people and the wildlife. The natives are friendly, but consider it a terrible crime to produce anything ''round.'' Naturally, the nephews have brought bubble gum. HilarityEnsues.

* ''TheFountain'' by Darren Aronofsky. Xibalba, the Mayan underworld is present in the form of a golden nebula. The historically-based section [[hottip:*:a fictional novel-within-novel written by one of the characters]] features Conquistadors, Mayan warriors, priest and the inevitable step pyramid temple [[spoiler:wherein lies the TreeOfLife]]. Within the work the Mayas are a collapsed civilization (which they were when the Conquistadors arrived.) The hidden pyramid is their last, secret hiding place, clearly already decrepid and neglected, with only a few dozen devoted guardians.

* Conquistadors often feature as conquerors of the {{Mayincatec}}.

Generally the {{Mayincatec}} are more likely to be the villains than the heroes (unless there are Conquistadors around). They are prone to HistoricalVillainUpgrade. Some AlternateHistory stories have them survive to the modern day, resulting in a ModernMayincatecEmpire.

* ''{{The Life and Times of Scrooge McDuck}}'' has a literal example -- a statue on the Isthmus of Panama with Aztec, Incan, and Mayan influences in its design, commemorating trade across the isthmus.
** The classic [[ScroogeMcDuckUniverse Carl Barks Donald Duck story]] "Lost In the Andes" has Donald and the nephews discover a lost, vaguely Inca-ish civilization where everything is cube-shaped or full of right angles, even the people and the wildlife. The natives are friendly, but consider it a terrible crime to produce anything ''round.'' Naturally, the nephews have brought bubble gum. HilarityEnsues.

* The ruins of ''{{La-Mulana}}'' appear to be located in Latin America and at first appear to be the work of ancient indigenous people. The boss Palenque is based on a famous Maya bas-relief often interpreted by cranks as evidence of AncientAstronauts. The final year of the Aztecs' fifth age (2012) figures in one of the puzzles. Unusually, the mix of South American cultures is explicitly explained in the [[AllThereInTheManual backstory]]; the ruins of La-Mulana are the birthplace of ''[[ThePrecursors all civilizations.]]'' Every area contains elements of different cultures and mythologies, suggesting that theses cultures actually borrowed theological, architectural, and mythological elements from La-Mulana. Lemeza notes this in [[http://la-mulana.com/en/blog/al-005.html one of his lectures on the Wiiware remake blog.]] Being an [[AdventurerArchaeologist archaeologist]], he is quick to point out the images, structures and elements, seen in multiple ancient cultures including the Mayan, Teotihuacan, Aztec, Tiwanaku, Incan, and even ''Persian'' civilizations.

* Mayincatec designs show up a lot in YumeNikki. It's [[MindScrew anyone's guess]] ''why'' {{Mayincatec}} gods/symbols/[[EldritchAbomination abominations]] (among [[BigLippedAlligatorMoment other]] [[HighOctaneNightmareFuel things]]) feature so much in the dreams of a Japanese {{Hikikomori}}.

* One ''Subnormality!'' strip features The Pink-Haired Girl being sent a drink at a bar by "the merciless Teoxhl...something something", who turns out to be a giant Mayincatec-style stone idol. The drink is jaguar blood.

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* The Mexico pavilion at Epcot is built to look like an Aztec pyramid.

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* ironically this is ''somewhat'' Truth in teliivision. While al three culres were separte they did [[http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20081121145445AAo2F7r intertact]] and they share some culutral traits, most notably the calendar and several relgious aspects. At one point they shared a cultural relationship similar to Greece and Rome.

** The classic Carl Barks Donald Duck story "Lost In the Andes" has Donald and the nephews discover a lost, vaguely Inca-ish civilization where everything is cube-shaped or full of right angles, even the people and the wildlife. The natives are friendly, but consider it a terrible crime to produce anything ''round.'' Naturally, the nephews have brought bubble gum. HilarityEnsues.

* HumanSacrifice: [[BeatStillMyHeart cutting out the heart]] of a [[AndShowItToYou living victim]] atop a ziggurat (step-sided pyramid).
* Lots of priests, religion and monstrous gods.
* [[http://wwweber.marginata.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/09/incastonework-cuzco.jpg Big stone temples with distinctive stonework]], usually equipped with [[TempleOfDoom traps and underground labyrinths.]]
* Feathered headdresses, clubs studded with chunks of obsidian, loincloths.
* Corn harvests, sun worship.
* [[http://farm1.static.flickr.com/31/54228123_a22e719c1a.jpg Complex stone jewelry: earrings, necklaces, chest pads]].
* Ornate and colorful decorations, geometric patterns. Intricate and scary carvings.
* Jungle settings and an abundance of wildlife: snakes, spiders, [[PantheraAwesome jaguar]] and [[EverythingIsBetterWithMonkeys monkeys]]. In case of Incas, [[{{Everythings Better With Llamas}} llamas]] may pop up.
* A drug culture -- coca and hallucinogens.
* Conquistadors often feature as conquerors of the {{Mayincatec}}.
* Desiccated bodies in ceremonial outfits: unwrapped mummies.
* Gold, [[TreasureRoom lots]] and ''[[GoldFever lots]]'' of gold. Sometimes [[CityOfGold enough to build a city]]. And hidden treasure. [[FriendOrIdolDecision Idols]]. {{Curse}}d [[ArtifactOfDeath artifacts.]]
* Sometimes hidden advanced technology and/or links to AncientAstronauts.
* Giant line drawings out in the desert, like the Nazca Lines.
* The Long Count Calendar, which is set to run out of days December 20, 2012.
* Sometimes, when the producers do the research, an extremely sophisticated grasp of astronomy.
* If they use a specific god, it'll most likely be Quetzalcoatl, the Plumed Serpent. [[DidNotDoTheResearch Since they'll probably know nothing beyond his name]], they'll likely show human sacrifice to him, although he was perhaps the only god in many pantheons who didn't ask for it.

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* Mel Gibson's controversial ''{{Apocalypto}}'' portrays the Mayans as the TheEvilEmpire and a small village in the jungle as pure, innocent victims. There are obvious close parallels to ''{{Braveheart}}''. Historical accuracy is then put out of its misery when the Conquistadors show up.

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* MAR Barker wrote five novels based in the world of Tekumel, a world that's a conglomerate of aspects of virtually all Pre-Columbian Meso-American cultures. He created Tekumel for the same reason that Tolkien built Middle Earth: so that he could have a world to use as a linguistic playground. In Barker's case the languages he created were based on Indo-Asian and Meso-American languages.

* ''{{Everworld}}'' features the Aztecs still existing (along with many other ancient civilizations) in an alternate universe, ruled over by the PhysicalGod Huitzilpoctli. As a result their whole civilization seems to revolve around getting him human hearts to eat, to the point that the people themselves are forced into [[ImAHumanitarian eating the rest]] to survive.

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** ''The Aztecs'': feathered headdresses, as much of a step pyramid as you can fit into a 1960s Doctor Who budget, a bloody-handed priest obsessed with human sacrifice and the Doctor's companion Barbara is mistaken as the reincarnation of a high priestess. White travelers being mistaken for gods is a common {{Mayincatec}} feature.

* ''TheCrystalMaze'': a game show that featured an Aztec Zone which was full of sand, temples and BambooTechnology.

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* ''{{Shadowrun}}'': Aztlan. Something of a subversion in that it's explicitly noted, "in-universe", that the Aztlan powers-that-be have deliberately corrupted and twisted this motif to their own nefarious ends.

* Several Aztec gods are featured in the ''{{Rifts}}'' sourcebook: "Pantheons of the Megaverse". "World Book 9: South America Two" features the Empire of the Sun, a Magic- ''and'' Technology-using state ruled by the actual Incan gods. In addition, they also have several Nazca influences, not due to [[DidNotDoTheResearch Not Doing The Research]], but rather an alliance and assimilation with the ancient Nazca Line Makers and their descendants.

* ''Empire of the Petal Throne'', (1975) published by TSR. It's set in the world of Tekumel, created by M.A.R. Barker (see the entry in Literature).

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* ''[[BanjoKazooie Banjo-Kazooie]]'': Mayahem Temple.
* ''AgeOfEmpires''

** ''Age of Empires II: The Conquerors'' deals with the conquest of America. Since the Aztecs are the protagonists in the campaign, there's the little historical break of them ''winning'' against the Conquistadors...though at such a great cost in lives and infrastructure that the Aztec empire is basically finished. The Mayas, in turn, have an entirely different feel, with bonuses to trade and building - AgeOfEmpires have always ShownTheirWork.

* The RTS/civilization game ''{{Theocracy}}'' is set in and around the Aztec empire. In the campaigns you play the Aztecs or other nearby tribes.

* ''[[{{Ultima}} Savage Empire]]'' has a liberal sprinkling of this trope. The primary example is the Nahuatla tribe, who live in a city called Tichticatl. There's also a lost underground city formerly inhabited by the Kotl, who were Mayincatec ''lizard people''.

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* The "Death Volley" chapter of ''TheAdventuresOfDrMcNinja'' is an adventure set in a classic {{Mayincatec}} trap-filled temple.

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* ''Pitfall: The Mayan Adventure''.

* ''[[AgeOfEmpires Age of Empires II: The Conquerors]]'' deals with the conquest of America. Since the Aztecs are the protagonists in the campaign, there's the little historical break of them ''winning'' against the Conquistadors...though at such a great cost in lives and infrastructure that the Aztec empire is basically finished. The Mayas, in turn, have an entirely different feel, with bonuses to trade and building - AgeOfEmpires have always ShownTheirWork.
** ''Empires'' does largely avert the trope, but has to use it to a certain extant to make the game function properly, such as using Eagle Warriors as a common Mayincatec unit rather than just Aztec. Also, they have the archeology look exactly the same for both civilisations, but this is due to putting its societies into aesthetic groups, for example Chinese/Japanese, British/Celts/Franks/Spanish and Saracens/Persians/Turks all look the same.

* Walled City in ''[[StarFox Star Fox Adventures]]'' has a very clear Mayincatec look, complete with the pyramids, though its inhabitants don't have any Mayincatec traits.
** It's a likely cross between this and Asian architecture, which may explain the presence of dragon heads near the Arwing. Likewise, Cloudrunner Fortress is a blend of Greek, Japanese and Mayincatec elements.

->"Gawd, these desperate older guys are so creepy. You just know he's hoping you're a virgin too."

* ''DrMcNinja'' confronts modern day Aztecs with [[spoiler:world-destroying ''tennis-based'' technology.]] Complete with mall craft store feathers in their masks.

See Also: HollywoodHistory and VeryLooselyBasedOnATrueStory, DidNotDoTheResearch. Compare {{Spexico}} and BananaRepublic, for when this happens to modern hispanic countries. Also compare AncientGrome.

* The upcoming {{disaster movie}} ''[[TwentyTwelve 2012]]'' is based upon a supposed doomsday prophecy in the Mayan Long Count Calendar, which some people believe foretells TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt occurring on December 21, 2012.

* ''RahXephon'' drowns viewers in Mayincatec FauxSymbolism to the point where the supposed 2012 end of the Mayan Long Calendar (and thus the world) just can't come fast enough.

* In the trailer for BeverlyHillsChihuhaua while Papi talks about how his ancestors fought with Aztec warriors, it shows an aerial view of Machu Pichu, an Incan city.

* A ''{{Naruto}}'' movie featured Mayinactec-style artwork illustrating an ancient weapon of mass destruction or something.
** Actually it was a mayincatec civilization built on a [[NuclearWeaponsTaboo most certainly not nuclear]] energy source that was later treated as evil, because it gave humans too much power.
* The paintings during the opening credits of ''{{Nausicaa}}'' look a lot like South American-Indian artwork.

* ''{{The Life and Times of Scrooge McDuck}}'' has a literal example--a statue on the Isthmus of Panama with Aztec, Incan, and Mayan influences in its design, commemorating trade across the isthmus.

* The Hovitos underground temple from ''[[IndianaJones Raiders of the Lost Ark]]''.
** The Maya-style temple in ''[[IndianaJones Kingdom of the Crystal Skull]]''. [[spoiler: the film has aliens living with the ancient Maya and teaching them about agriculture, nevermind that the characters are in Peru, closer to the Inca than the Maya, and even so using Inca may have been inaccurate geographically speaking.]]
*** The civilization is supposed to be an [[{{Expy}} Expy]] of El Dorado located in Brazil, with references to the Maya and other Mesoamerican cultures.

* ''TheFountain'' by Darren Aronofsky. Xibalba, the Mayan underworld is present in the form of a golden nebula. The historical section features Conquistadors, Mayan warriors, priest and the inevitable step pyramid temple [[spoiler:wherein lies the TreeOfLife]].
** There's two points worth noting, however. First, the historical section of the movie is in fact a fictional novel written by one of the characters, and second, the Mayas are consistently referred to as a collapsed civilization, which they were when the Conquistadors arrived, and the hidden pyramid is their last, secret hiding place, clearly already decrepid and neglected, with only a few dozen devoted guardians.
* ''[[{{Disney/ptitle3if599v0}} The Emperor's New Groove]]''. A rambunctious comedy set in the empire of Kuzco, modeled remotely on the Inca. The trope here serves to inspire the striking visual design and form a narrative base for Kuzco's absolute power.
** The animated series ''[[RecycledTheSeries The Emperors New School]]'' has decided to be a bit more specific and confirm that they are Incan, usually by way of jokes such as "[[AmericanIdol Incan Idol]]."
* ''TheRoadToElDorado'', 2000, Dream Works, features a sort of generic South American native culture that has a lot of aspects of this trope. Including the sacrifices--though that's mostly the bad guy trying to do those, presumably to fuel his BloodMagic.
* In ''PumaMan'' the villain wears a golden Aztec mask containing alien mind control circuitry. He is fought by Puma Man, a "man-god", sired by ancient alien Aztec pumas and equipped with a magical Aztec golden belt. Most of the real fighting is done by his mentor Vadinho, an Aztec priest to the space gods...
** ...who lives in a temple in the Andes. Inca territory. Gah!

* {{BMovie}} ''[[EverythingsBetterWithDinosaurs Aztec Rex]]''. Conquistadores led by Hernán Cortés meet Aztecs who worship two surviving Tyrannosaurus rex. Hell Yeah!

* ''DoctorWho'': ''The Aztecs'': feathered headdresses, as much of a step pyramid as you can fit into a 1960s Doctor Who budget, a bloody-handed priest obsessed with human sacrifice and the Doctor's companion Barbara is mistaken as the reincarnation of a high priestess. White travelers being mistaken for gods is a common {{Mayincatec}} feature.

* ''{{Nick Arcade}}'s'' Ancient Tomb level from The Video Zone.

** A classic adventure set in the ''World of {{Greyhawk}}'', ''Lost Shrine of Tamoachan'', has the {{Player Character}}s exploring the ruins of an Maya-themed temple. Later, the Olman people from Hepmonaland and the Amedio Jungle in the distant south were introduced with a culture that was pure {{Mayincatec}}.

* The [[TempleOfDoom Mystic Ruins]] and [[FloatingContinent Angel Island]] in the [[SonicTheHedgehog Sonic]] series. Some of the characters are even named after Central and South American locations.
** Not to mention, Sega paid a few developers around $250,000 ''each'' to go down to Mexico and base Mystic Ruin after the Mayan temples.

* ''{{Fahrenheit}}'' (Released in America as ''Indigo Prophecy''): BigBad The Oracle is [[spoiler: a Mayan priest who performed human sacrifice, magically living on into the present day.]] The other BigBad is suspiciously {{Matrix}}-y Artificial Intelligences the Mayans fight against. It's a ''weird'' game.

* ''{{Age of Empires}} II: The Conquerors'' deals with the conquest of America. Since the Aztecs are the protagonists in the campaign, there's the little historical break of them ''winning'' against the Conquistadors...though at such a great cost in lives and infrastructure that the Aztec empire is basically finished. The Mayas, in turn, have an entirely different feel, with bonuses to trade and building - AgeOfEmpires have always ShownTheirWork.

* ''Taiyō no Shinden Asteka II'' (a.k.a. ''Tombs and Treasure'') is a first-person (except for the overhead-view map screen) graphical adventure game, where the player character(s) explore the ruins of Mayan city Chichén Itzá.

* The Worlds of {{Ultima}} game ''Savage Empire'' has a liberal sprinkling of this trope. The primary example is the Nahuatla tribe, who live in a city called Tichticatl. There's also a lost underground city formerly inhabited by the Kotl, who were Mayincatec ''lizard people''.

* ''{{Shadowbane}}'' has a bunch of lizardmen who inhabit heavily Aztec influenced ruins. While the blood sacrifice aspect isn't played up much, the game lore say that they were up to something pretty bad - that is, until the centaurs killed off their priesthood.

* ''SoldierOfFortune II'' has a level in Colombia set in Mayincatec temple ruins. Are there actually such ruins in Colombia?
* In [[TonyHawkProSkater Tony Hawk's Underground 2]], one of the sections of the Pro Skater level has an ancient temple with native [=NPCs=] holding spears and wearing headdresses.

* ''DrMcNinja'' recently confronted modern day Aztecs with [[spoiler:world-destroying ''tennis-based'' technology.]] Complete with mall craft store feathers in their masks.

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** For reference, the heart was meant to contain [[PureEnergy teyolia]], the substance of life. The head contained [[PureEnergy tonalli]], a fate-based energy, which is why the [[NothingButSkulls heads]] of some sacrifices were kept around.

* ''TheEmperorsNewGroove''. A rambunctious comedy set in the empire of Kuzco, modeled remotely on the Inca. The trope here serves to inspire the striking visual design and form a narrative base for Kuzco's absolute power.

* ''TheCrystalMaze'': a game show that featured an Aztec Zone which was full of sand, temples and BambooTechnology. Gameshow ''{{Legends of the Hidden Temple}}'' is similar.

* In the trailer for BeverlyHillsChiuaua while Papi talks about how his ancestors fought with Aztec warriors, it shows an aerial view of Machu Pichu, an Incan city.

* The animated series ''[[RecycledTheSeries The Emperors New School]]'' has decided to be a bit more specific and confirm that they are Incan, usually by way of jokes such as "[[AmericanIdol Incan Idol]]."

* ''Where's Waldo Now?'' has Waldo in the middle of a giant Aztec vs Conquistador battle. The Aztecs seemed to be winning. This may seem surprising, but during the ''Noche Triste'' (Sorrowful night), the 30th june 1520, the population of Tenochtitlan (Mexico) rioted against the invaders and drove them out with heavy losses. Cortes came back with a vengeance...

* In [[TonyHawksProSkater Tony Hawk's Underground 2]], one of the sections of the Pro Skater level has an ancient temple with native [=NPCs=] holding spears and wearing headdresses.

* ''TheFountain'' by Darren Aronofsky. Xibalba, the Mayan underworld is present in the form of a golden nebula. The historical section features Conquistadors, Mayan warriors, priest and the inevitable step pyramid temple [[spoiler:wherein lies the TreeOfLife]].

* ''Where's Waldo Now?'' has Waldo in the middle of a giant Aztec vs Conquistador battle. The Aztecs seemed to be winning. This may seem surprising, but during the ''Noche Triste'' (Sorrowful night), the 30th june 1520, the population of Tenochtitlan (Mexico) rioted against the inaders and drove them out with heavy losses. Cortes came back with a vengeance...
* Parodied as the Tezuman Empire in {{Discworld}} novel ''Discworld/{{Eric}}'' by Terry Pratchett. Their god Quezovercoatl is a feathered boa, which is ''almost'' the same as a winged snake.

* In ''TheDresdenFiles'' the leaders of the [[OurVampiresAreDifferent Red Court]] follow this. Of course, as vampires the sacrifices are only to be expected.

* ''Nazca'' is about reincarnations of ancient Incan warriors. In Japan. Using scenery based on Spanish colonial buildings.