What the Maya Day of Doom and Stars Wars Have in Common - Neatorama

Tikal, the ruins of Maya temples discovered in the Guatemalan rainforest in 1848, has been a longtime tourist attraction. The number of visitors increased, however, after George Lucas chose the location to film scenes from Star Wars in which the rebels fought the empire on planet Yavin 4.

The site was originally discovered when locals found human skulls with gemstone-studded teeth. Extending for over 200 square miles, Tikal's tall temples are surrounded by dense jungle. Tikal is one of the largest pre-Columbian Maya sites in the world.

In spite of scientists and scholars rejecting the interpretation of the Maya calendar that targets this Friday as the "End of Times," record numbers of visitors are flocking to the ruins this month, according to Reuters.

The Reuters article also disclosed information on the upcoming film in the franchise, Episode VII, to be made by Disney. Apparently, Yavin 4 reappears in the new film, though Reuters cites information from fans that those scenes will be filmed in a studio rather than in Guatemala.

Read the entire Reuters article here. Link

(Photo credit Mike McDonald/Reuters)

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The Endor scenes in Ep. 6 were filmed in California.

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Hi Aaron. Thanks for your comment. The sources I've checked say that it was the original Star Wars (Episode IV, A New Hope) that used Tikal as a shooting location.

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You should state which movie of the six current Star Wars films that were filmed on-location at Tikal. (It's Return of the Jedi, Episode 6.)

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kewl!
did anyone try it?

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Aw, it'll never work. There's no slot for your quarter.

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Reminds me of my childhood where we would pretend we were fighting aliens in the playground and use a string and cups as our HQ intercoms. Ah, good times. I think this is a great idea and it will sure as heck make the telephone company fix it.

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Everything is art. Now I get it.

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Why do you assume it was vandalism? The phone companies have been removing payphones like crazy over the last few years. This is how false information gets started going around... see your commenter says the phone company will fix it, so apparently is taking you at your word that it was vandalism. Journalists have an obligation to the truth...

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Is that phone in front of the Blue Front? Sure looks like it. Anyone know?

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"Vandalism" is increasingly being used to describe interventionist art such as this - and as such the line between the two is being blurred, in favour of art; the more that efforts like this are described as vandalism, the less that future ones will be seen as *destructive* - and all will gain greater acceptance as a result.

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