Explain the evolutionary theory, and how it is depicted in apocalypto.

First, it is important to establish what the Theory of Evolution is, and then, we will talk about the movie Apocalypto, to finally see how these two come together.

The Theory of Evolution was first proposed scientifically by Charles Darwin and Alfred Russel Wallace in the middle of the 19th century. From its beginning, this theory has shaped how we see the evolution of the species and why certain characteristics and traits, contained in genetic material, will not be passed on to other generations. Essentially, then, the Theory of Evolution is precisely that, it is a scientific explanation as to how species have evolved through time, what has caused them to evolve, and what has shaped them to be as they are in the present. This Theory explained such ideas as natural selection, the inheritance of genetic traits through the passage of time, the effects of the environment of inheritance, biodiversity, and why certain species have changed so much, diversified so much, even if they have common ancestry.

Apocalypto, now, is the movie that was produced by Mel Gibson and which was launched in 2016. This movie depicts the initiation of the fall of the great Mayan empire, driven to its end by nature: the draught, political and social corruption and finally, disease and chaos brought on by the contact between Indian tribes, including the Mayas, and the Spanish.

Although not directly related with one another, in a manner that we can say that Apocalypto portrays the Theory of Evolution, it does hint at what the theory implies. The Mayans were a pretty evolved civilization, but their structures depended on the lands where they lived, and its resources, and when drought came, they were not capable of adapting so that in the end, this event led to the end of the Empire. Apocalypto depicts the effects of that drought and it shows the end of the civilization, even if it cannot be said that evolutionarily speaking, the Mayans became extinct. The movie also depicts the effects of disease; Mayans had never been exposed to such European diseases as measles, and therefore, when they did come in contact, the disease decimated the population. To the extent that when the Spanish arrived, they were able to race the Empire to the ground with small numbers. Apocalypto also depicts this detail when Jaguar Paw and the captives see the trail of people who are dying sick. It also depicts the coming in contact of the two worlds.

So even if we cannot directly say that the two are connected, we can establish that some of the principles that determine evolution, and natural selection, are present inherently in the movie Apocalypto.