La noche de los mayas (The Night of the Mayas)

The score for the film, La noche de los mayas (The Night of the Mayans), was adapted by director Chano Urueta from a story by Antonio Mediz Bolio.
- The film was shot on location in the Yucatán jungles.¹
- Synopsis from IMBD:
  - “La noche de los mayas is about a contemporary white man who stumbles upon a tribe of people living exactly in the manner of their Mayan ancestors. Before the interloper’s astonished eyes, a fascinating romantic drama plays itself out, as huntsman Uz falls in love with Lol with the mystical intervention of “apprentice witch” Zeb.”
While the film has fallen into obscurity, the film’s score has endured as a popular piece for the concert hall.
In 1960, composer and conductor José Yves Limantour arranged music from Revueltas’ score into a four-movement suite.
- Paul Hindemith also made a two-movement suite of his own from the film score.²
Listen for: the variety of native regional percussion instruments used in the orchestration, including bongos, congas, tom-toms, rattles, guiro (a notched or grooved gourd), caracol (conch shell), and tumkul (a kind of log drum).
- Also listen for: In the third movement, “Noche de Yucatán,” Revueltas weaves a genuine Maya melody into the score.³

John Henken, “La noche de los Mayas,” L. A. Phil, accessed April 25, 2024, https://www.laphil.com/musicdb/pieces/2185/la-noche-de-los-mayas.
John Henken, “La noche de los Mayas,” L. A. Phil.
Betsy Schwarm, “La noche de los Mayas,” Encyclopedia Britannica, (2015), accessed April 25, 2024, https://www.britannica.com/topic/La-noche-de-los-Mayas.

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