And now, we are bombarded by predictions of a disaster associated with what many say is the end of the Maya calendar. But did the Maya actually predict that the world as we know it will be destroyed by some unknown cataclysm on Dec. 21, 2012?
When the Maya abandoned their great cities in southern Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, Honduras, and El Salvador, they left behind large stone monuments with hieroglyphic writing. These inscriptions were very difficult to decipher as the writing system had not been used since the Spanish conquest when all, but four, of the books written by the Maya were burned. However, based on the four remaining books, early scholars were able to identify some of the gods and goddesses, the numerical system, and most importantly, parts of the calendar. Therefore, while they could not decipher the events recorded on the stone monuments, scholars could read the dates on which these events occurred.
One date that stood out was the day the world was created according to the Maya, Aug. 11, 3114 B.C. The actions leading up to the creation of the world involved the exploits of many gods and goddesses and took place over a long period, 13 baktuns (a baktun is equal to approximately 400 years, so 13 baktuns is roughly 5200 years). On this last day of creation, the Maize Lord, one of the principal Maya gods, reached his hand up into the sky and turned the heavens, which started time. After this act, "real time" started, and this is what is recorded as the first day in the Maya calendar.
Because mythological time ended at the end of the 13th baktun, scholars and writers in the 1960s and '70s, who were keenly interested in the Maya, assumed that the "real time" calendar would also end at the end of 13 baktuns, on Dec. 21, 2012....read more>>>...
