[Editor's note: This is an update of an Oct. 9 post which, due to SUE*, was deleted from this blog's database]

The ancient Maya’s perceptions of the heavens with a focus on Chichen Itza is the subject of a planetarium show that premiered in Mexico City Friday night. “El Universo Maya en México” (The Maya Universe in Mexico), which is titled “Tales of Maya Skies” in English speaking countries, held its world premiere at the Instituto Politecnico Nacional in Mexico City. On Nov. 21, the program opens at the Chabot Space & Science Center in Oakland, Calif., where it will run for several weeks. The program is being offered to planetariums around the world for presentation.

The 32-minute film is narrated by the wonderful singer/songwriter Lila Downs. The film uses Chichen Itza to tell of the astronomic accomplishments of the ancient Maya. It uses computer animation based on laser scans taken at the ancient city.

Here’s the official announcement:

“Tales of the Maya Skies”
Immerse yourself in the beauty of Chichén Itzá, Mexico, the “seventh wonder of the modern world.” Listen to the story of the ancient Maya civilization. Experience Tales of the Maya Skies.
With unprecedented realism Tales of the Maya Skies immerses us in Maya science, art and mythology, using full dome digital technology to transport us back into the world of the Maya.
Produced by Chabot Space & Science Center, Tales of the Maya Skies inspires and educates through its description of the Maya’s accurate astronomical achievements and how astronomy connected them to the Universe.

Synopsis

Setting Grammy Award winner and Oscar nominee, Lila Downs, narrates, as Tales of the Maya Skies brings us back to the ancient jungles of Mexico, where the Maya built cities and temples aligned to movements of the Sun, Moon and planets. Over many years they observed and documented astronomical events with great accuracy.
The Maya made sense of an ever-changing world by observing, recording and predicting natural events such as solstices, solar eclipses, weather patterns, and planetary movements. These observations, in combination with a sophisticated mathematical system, allowed them to develop a precise calendar system; their measurements of the length of the solar year were more accurate than measurements the Europeans used as the basis of the Gregorian calendar. The Maya also predicted eclipses, were able to forecast seasonal change and developed the concept of mathematical zero, enabling them to predict events into the future.
Tales of the Maya Skies weaves together this rich combination of science, culture, and legend, immersing viewers in the sounds and sights of an ancient way of life.
Recent deciphering of the Maya hieroglyphics is providing archeologists with new and exciting discoveries. Using three dimensional laser scanning and advanced graphic techniques, the virtual reconstruction of architecture in Tales of the Maya Skies also supports these archeologists in interpreting the ancient sites, and contributes to their conservation.
Funding for the production of Tales of the Maya Skies was provided by the National Science Foundation and the Instituto Politécnico Nacional. It is the first full-dome digital show highlighting a Latin American culture, and Spanish language narration is available.
Tales of the Maya Skies will show in planetariums in the United States, Latin America and around the world.

* SUE=stupid user error.