Apocalypto is currently in cult classic status. People either love it or hate it. I am of the opinion it is an amazing movie.
People seem to hate it for two big reasons. The first is Mel directed it. Mel is highly flawed and I am not an apologist for him, but he makes good movies.
The second critique of this movie is that it is "not historically accurate". I'm seeing a lot of commentary online and on r/movies about how the Mayans weren't this bloodthirsty, that was the Aztecs, etc. etc.
Anyways, I just visited Chichen Itza and it made me think of Apocalypto. And holy shit was it mind blowing. The architecture - amazing. The math and astrology - brilliant.
But DO NOT deny the fact that this culture was centered around human sacrifice.
During the tour, the Mayan guide clearly laid out just how familiar this culture was with death and sacrifice. There was a temple dedicated to stacking decapitated heads. You can see walls with hundreds of carvings of skulls. Jaguar and eagle warriors are depicted returning to Chichen Itza with severed heads. Girls were selected to be cloistered in a temple to be raised exlusively for sacrifice. The nearby cenote was litered with human bones...particularly those of young women. The winners and losers of sporting events were sacrificed depending on the parameters of the game.
Ultimately, it is theorized that droughts impacted the agriculture which greatly threatened the population, leading to more sacrifice. The movie actually seemed to depict that with the dust and accompanying disease.
It was incredibly interesting and I cant wait to rewatch the movie. Just thought Id share my perspective.
The only potential inaccuracy is that the Mayan decline was probably greater by the time Europeans were making contact. I'll forgive that.