*Warning! Minor spoilers*

CURIOUS to dive into more of theMesoamerican mythos behind Year of the Snake (Changeling Sisters #5)? Don’tmiss Jorge R. Gutierrez’s rich tapestry intertwining legends from the Aztec,Maya, Inca and even Caribbean culture, all effortlessly depicting distinctcivilizations who must overcome their differences to defeat a power-hungry godof death.

Maya (voiced by Zoe Saldana)grows up a princess of the great city of Teca. Her father and brothers areJaguar warriors, believed to be the prophesized warriors who will one daydefeat the gods of the underworld—Lord Mictlan and Lady Micte, influenced bylegends of Mictecacihuatl and Mictlantecuhtli, who ruled over the Aztecnine-level underworld Mictlān. In this story, Lord Mictlan is the God of War, acunning and terrifying vision as voiced by Alfred Molina. On the day of Maya’scoronation, the party is crashed by Zatz, Prince of Bats (played by Diego Luna,so all good), who bears the message from the underworld that Maya’s real motheris none other than Lady Micte, the goddess of death herself, and she was onlyallowed to live to the notable age of fifteen so she could be sacrificed andincrease Lord Mictlan’s power.

Stunned and seeking answers, Mayauncovers the truth of the prophecy that it was her all along destinated to facethe Underworld—and not with her brothers, but with three warriors from each ofthe other kingdoms. She sets off to recruit outcast Chimi (BrooklynNinety-Nine’s Stephanie Beatriz), bumbling magician with a power greaterthan he knows (Allen Maldonado), and adorable giant warrior with a heart ofgold Picchu (Gabriel Iglesias), who are each reluctant to help Teca. Along theway they are menaced by various deities of Mictlan, one of which, Zatz, provesto be more sympathetic the greater Mictlan’s cruelty toward even his own grows.

Oh, and Maya rides Chiapa theroyal family jaguar who is simply the best.

It is truly amazing the heightsanimation has climbed to, and the distinctive kingdoms brought to life with amasterful use of geometric shapes and colors creates a gorgeously complex worldin which to lose yourself. The story is deep, complex, with enough action tokeep you on the edge of your seat every episode, and all the little nods tovarious legends are exciting to pick out. Vucub, God of Jungle Creatures, maypossibly be based on Seven-Macaw (Vucub-Caquix) from Maya mythology, a birddemon defeated by the Maya Hero Twins in one of the only surviving writtendocuments of the time, the Popol Vuh. Bats, of course, like Zatz, continue to play an importantrole, as notably they are part of the challenges the Hero Twins face in theMaya underworld Xibalba. The level of detail in world-building such as the distinctiveorange cempasúchil (marigold flower) known for helping the dead remember tofind their way back to the land of the living are a feast for the senses.

Now don’t be fooled by the TV-Y7 rating – this show deals withextremely dark themes and images that will be frightening for youngeraudiences. The aforementioned Mictlan really ramps up the fear factor in thefinal few episodes, and the series does not shy away from putting sacrifice, avery important foundation in many of these ancient cultures, at its core.

Did I mention Maya has twoyounger half-siblings Eagle and Jaguar who are *twins*? They’re only kiddos inthis series, but given the great significance of Hero Twins in manyMesoamerican cultures, we can only hope this foreshadows a spin off season twoto focus on their adventures!

Here is a trailer below: