Gibson defends his epic in Mexico

Mel Gibson is in Mexico to promote his period action epic

Actor-director Mel Gibson has defended his film Apocalypto against charges it misrepresents Mayan Indians.

Speaking at a screening in Mexico City, the 51-year-old rebuffed claims that his historical epic depicts the people as bloodthirsty and murderous savages.

"Those who criticise the movie should do their homework. I did," he said.

Though Apocalypto - released in the UK earlier this month - has yet to open in Mexico and Guatemala, pirate copies are reportedly available in both countries.

Set in the dying days of the Mayan civilisation which dominated Central America from about 250 to 900 AD, the film features brutal scenes of human sacrifice.

'Violent aspects'

The release of Apocalypto - Gibson's first directorial outing since 2004's The Passion of the Christ - has been overshadowed by the fallout from his racist outburst during a drink-driving arrest last July.

His film has been criticised by some groups in Central America

One British critic has described the film - told entirely in the Yucatec Maya language - as "the first film to be promoted with drunken anti-Semitism".

The film has been a box-office success, however, and received a Golden Globe nomination in the foreign language film category.

According to the Associated Press, it has also been welcomed by some Mayan spokesmen.

Bartolome Alonzo Caamal, a Maya teacher in Mexico City, told the agency the film was "a way to focus on the importance of Mayan culture".

However, he agreed the film "focused too much on violent aspects, like slavery or human sacrifice".