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Film Analysis Guide:
The Road to El Dorado
Directions: The film The Road to El Dorado represents a common way people are introduced to Mesoamerican societies. The
movie begins in the early 1500s in the city of Seville, in southern Spain. It documents the journey of two men (Tulio and Miguel)
as they cross the Atlantic Ocean and end up in Central America. They come across the legendary El Dorado (“city of gold”),
where they end up being mistaken for gods. Since the film has been made, there has been some controversy over which specific
Central/South American civilization (Incas, Aztecs, and Mayans) is supposed to be represented in the film, as well as how accurate
the movie portrays its given society.
Part 1: While watching the film, pay attention to the images and depictions shown of the Mesoamerican society, its characteristics,
and its residents. Put a check next to each element you see of each of the three Mesoamerican civilizations throughout the film.
Mayans
Aztecs
Incans
______ Rituals closely associated with
celestial calendar
______ Located around lakes or larger
bodies of water
______ Located in mountainous region;
civilization centered on a plateau
______ Priest responsible for interpreting
messages from the gods; celestial calendars
______ Polytheistic
______ Polytheistic (not very many gods in
comparison to Aztecs and Mayans)
______ Reluctantly used human sacrifice
______ Forest, jungle landscape
______ Myth of Quetzalcoatl (idea that the
gods would come back to exact
punishment)
______ Worshipped the sun
______ Had religious ceremonies, some
human sacrifice
______ Stone carvings dedicated to gods
______ Calendar of religious festivals,
many supporting a lot of human sacrifice
______ Elaborate temples, pyramids, etc.
______ Elaborate temples, pyramids, etc.
______ Worshipped gods via festivals,
public offerings
______ Planned cities (almost like they’re
on a grid like in the Indus River Valley)
______ Writing system (Glyphs)
______ Raised roadways
______ Did not use the wheel or metals
______ Constructed ball courts to play
(called pitz) a game with religious meaning
______ Chinampas (floating farm plots on
bodies of water)
______ Single empire, not city-states
______ Not a single empire with one
ruler, but a collection of city-states
______ Divided into several city-states, not
just an empire with one ruler
______ Theocracy
______ Trade and agricultural economy
______ Evidence of an agricultural and
trade-based economy
______ Possessed a large slave population
______ Under direct threat by the arrival
of Cortes and the Spanish
______ Under direct threat by the arrival
of Cortes and the Spanish
______ Extensive road system used to
facilitate travel and trade through large
empire
______ Built irrigation canals
______ Theocracy + bureaucratic system
of government
______ Made dead rulers into mummies
______ Demanded tribute from other ppl
______ Trade and agricultural economy
______ Used clothing as a physical marker
of class
TOTAL CHECKED: __________
TOTAL CHECKED: __________
TOTAL CHECKED: ___________
Part 2: After watching the film, analyze the chart on the front of this page. Review your GRAPES notes on the Mayans,
Aztecs, and Incans as well. Based on this information, which of the three Mesoamerican civilizations do you feel is being
portrayed in the film? Why do you think this? Make sure to use concrete examples from the film that support your
knowledge of the Mesoamerican civilization you are claiming is represented. If you simply pick a civilization and say the
reason is it had the most checkmarks in its column, you will not receive credit for this assignment.
Part 3: Based on your knowledge of Mesoamerican civilizations, do you feel that this movie accurately portrays
Mesoamerican civilization? Why or why not? Again, you must include evidence from the film to support your argument.