Mel Gibson turns from Christ's Passion to Mayan blood rites  His
most recent film, featuring flayings and floggings and with
dialogue in Aramaic and Latin, was a worldwide hit. Now Mel
Gibson has announced his next project will be set against the
bloodthirsty backdrop of the Mayan empire - this time in an
ancient dialect called Yucatec.  Gibson's The Passion of the
Christ last year became the most successful independent film
ever made, grossing more than £200 million worldwide. It was
also a hit in America's bible belt, which has long felt ignored
by Hollywood. The star claims that his new thriller, Apocalypto,
will champion another neglected cause, the millions of Maya who
still live in Mexico and Central America, many of whom speak one
of the Mayan languages.  Anyone who turned nauseous at the
flesh-ripping carnage of The Passion should fear for their
stomachs again. While Mayan civilisation thrived for nearly
2,000 years before its mysterious collapse, mastering astronomy
and the construction of pyramids,