The Roland Collection

The Mayas were founders of the most brilliant of the pre-Columbian civilizations. When their tombs on Jaina Island, off the north-west coast of Yucatán, were opened, they yielded many very fine, lively terracotta figurines, most of them in the forms of whistles and bells, representing nearly every strand of Mayan society - priests, chiefs on their thrones, warriors, ball-players, dancers, musicians, and craftsmen. Mostly produced in what is now Honduras, these figurines, with their dress, attitudes and expressions so carefully observed, are not only a record of Mayan society, but are invaluable for their artistic qualities too. This is a film without narration.