How a professor helped shape "Black Panther" sequel's Mesoamerican story

Details: Gerardo Aldana y Villalobos, an author and professor at the University of California, Santa Barbara, was in charge of making sure Namor's reimagined background was historically accurate.

• Aldana tells Axios Latino he worked with the crew when there was an early draft of the script, helping create a backstory for any detail that might show up on screen.
• He suggested the name Talokan for Namor's underwater kingdom, wrote glyphs that tell Namor's story for the sets and made sure the wardrobe choices fit with materials the Mayan used.
• Aldana says it was invigorating to work with a Hollywood team angling to faithfully portray a topic he feels other films have botched.

Of note: Director Ryan Coogler invited Aldana to play a small role in one of the movie's early scenes, with Angela Bassett.

The big picture: Aldana says having a major blockbuster respectfully and faithfully show aspects of Indigenous culture can be an educational tool.

• Lessons on Indigenous histories and cultures from across the Americas, including Native American history, are absent from many U.S. school curricula.

• "The hope is people recognize that there's so much more to learn and be appreciative of," Aldana says.
• "Maybe we can inspire a new generation of kids to see ancient Mesoamerica in a completely different way. And that is mind-blowing."

Editor’s note: This story has been corrected to reflect that Gerardo Aldana y Villalobos began working on the movie when there was an early draft of the script, not before there was a script.

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