In the days of the Maya, a peaceful tribe are attacked without reason by a new type of enemy - mercenaries acting for profit and on the orders of a powerful ruler.  The strongest members are beaten and taken as slaves, chained to bamboo branches in groups before they start a long march through the jungle.  Jaguar Paw is the son of a the tribal chief who just has time to hide his pregnant wife and young son in a well before he is captured and forced to watch his father-chief's brutal execution.  Not all the tribe will make it to their destination - and its unlikely anyone will be able to return.

While waiting patiently to be a human sacrifice on the temple's stone altar, suddenly an eclipse changes the mood and the Mayan King (who looks like the guy from Robocop) calls a halt to the proceedings - a guy can only take so many thousand ritualistic slaughterings before he yearns for something a little lighter on the soul like monkey tennis or hide & seek with the kids.
  Ronaldinho and his remaining pals are taken out to a sports arena and told to run for their freedom in pairs - while the bad guys take pot-shots at them with various weapons.  An inspired Jaguar Paw does pretty well and even kills the Bad Chief's son, lingering around at the back of the arena.  Angry as anything the mercenary chief dumps the other prisoners and leads his men on a mission to kill the poor refugee.
  Jaguar Paw runs for his life.  Then hides a little which doesn't work so well as he is bleeding everywhere.  With the help of an awakened jaguar he kills one of the bad dudes, and this gives him an idea once they get deeper in the jungle and enter "his back garden".  With poisoned darts and other stylish booby traps he takes them out one by one.
  After surviving a Last of the Mohicans style waterfall jump, he kills the chief with an iron-maiden spiked boar trap ... but over-excites himself and collapses exhausted when he reaches the beach with two bad guys still to go.  Looking up they see a fleet of Spanish galleons full of Conquistadors making their way to shore.
  Realizing they now have a common enemy, they go their own way -- Jaguar Paw races to save his family from drowning in the well, and then leads them away to safety.