Mel Gibson won't attend Mexican premier of his film "Apocalypto"

Actor and director Mel Gibson will come down to Mexico next week for a private viewing of his new movie "Apocalypto," about the ancient Mayans, but won't attend the Mexican premiere, his publicist in Mexico Alan Nierob said Thursday.

Photo: Mel Gibson won't attend Mexican premier of his film "Apocalypto"

"Apocalypto" tells the story of the Mayan people who built a civilization in Mexico, Guatemala and Honduras and is in a Mayan language. Gibson employed modern-day Mayans and has said he wants to make the Mayan language "cool" again and encourage young people "to speak it with pride."

However, the movie also depicts Mayans as being extremely violent and carrying out beheadings and human sacrifices. Some Mayans descendants in Mexico and Guatemala say the portrayal is derogatory, showing them as being savage, reports AP.

Apocalypto has broken box office records for foreign language films in its opening weekends in several countries, including Britain. It has also earned a Golden Globe nomination for best foreign-language film.