Deep in the rainforests of Mexico, the Lacandona Maya pass on to their children wondrous tales of creation, as well as knowledge of medicinal cures and preservation of their land. But one question goes unanswered: Why did their ancestors die out and surrounding civilizations end? While archaeologists dig for answers in the past, the explanations seemingly exist before us in exploitation, colonization, deforestation, stripping of the jungle, and the culminating factor of climate change.

Jaguar on the Mountain offers a unique approach to the question of why civilizations prosper and disappear, sharing lessons from three different time frames-1975, 1990, and 2025. In 1975, Gertrude "Trudi" Duby Blom, former WWII resistance fighter, is an environmentalist deeply involved in trying to save the Lacandona Maya from extinction, desperate to spread the word about the burning jungle and what must be done to stop it. Her good friend Chief Chan K'in Viejo warns that when the last of the mighty trees are cut down, the world will come to an end. Over the course of decades, their portents are borne out, begging the present-day question: How can we thrive and undertake changes to rescue our future from the jaws of destruction?