El monstruo de Xibalba
Mexico
Manuela Irene Espitia
Rogelio (9) wants to know what happens when we die. When summer vacation comes, neither his mother nor his father wish to take care of him, so he is sent along with his nanny Eduarda (54, Mayan) to her vacation to San Felipe, her home village in Yucatán. Through the local kids, Lucio and Juanito, Rogelio learns about Emilio (79), a hermit feared by the children who call him the Monster of Xibalbá. The rumor says that Emilio is sick, but goes on living because he has made a deal with the lords of Xibalbá (the Mayan underworld): in exchange for living, Emilio throws children into the cenote as gifts to the guardians of Xibalbá. Convinced that spending time with Emilio will reveal the truth behind the great mystery of death Rogelio manages to be accepted by the old man. Emilio is a beekeeper who lives alone in the jungle and by his side Rogelio witnesses another way of experiencing life.