The end of the world predicted by the Maya is a misunderstanding

The Mayan prediction of the end of the world has been a historical mistake of interpretation, as revealed by the content of the exhibition "Maya society and time" on display today in the Gold Museum in Bogota. 

The archaeologist of the National Institute of Anthropology and History Mexico (INAH) and one of the curators of the exhibition, Orlando Casares, told Efe that the basis of temporal measurement of this ancient culture was the observation of the stars.

Were fixed, for example, cyclical movements of the sun, moon, or Venus, and measured the same way their eras, which had a beginning and an end. 

"For the Maya there was no conception of the end of the world for its cyclical view" specified Casares, who said: "The era has 5125 days, when finished, start a new one, does not imply that during this time will disasters happen, simply daily events, which can be good or bad, happen again. "

To avoid doubt, in the Gold Museum Exhibition explains the elaborate system of time measurement of this civilization.

 "A year of the Maya was divided into two parts: a speaking schedule of daily activities, agriculture, ceremonial practices, household or domestic, of 365 days and called" Haab ', but otherwise there was another, smaller, 260-day ritual that governed life, the 'Tzolkin', "said Casares.

The mixture of both calendars enabled citizens to organize. Thus, for example, the farmer could go to seed, but I knew I had to prepare other festivities of their deities, ie, "could not separate the religious from the everyday."

 Both calendars were the Calendar Round, which was 52 years cycle, ie the time that the two were slow to agree on the same day.

To calculate greatest periods used the Long Count, divided into several units of time, of which the most important is the "baktun" (period of 144,000 days) in most cities 13 "baktun" constituted an era and, according to their calculations, the December 22, 2012 will end this.

 With this explanation want to show that the canard that ran through the world about the Mayan prediction is based on archaeological facts, but in failure, "intentional or not," interpretation of the objects of this civilization.

In fact, one of the key pieces of the sample is Tortuguero Stela 6 (hieroglyph which tells the omen), which refers to the end of the fifth was present on that day of December, in which refers to lower yocto Bolon (Mayan deity), but the image is damaged and no one knows for what purpose. 

The sample is displayed in Bogotá has 96 pieces arrivals Palacio Canton Regional Museum Merida (Mexico), which shows, as well as calendars, ceremonial dress, zodiac animals and explanations about writing.

For the director of the Gold Museum in Bogota, Maria Alicia Uribe, the exhibition of this show about the Mayan civilization used to compare and learn about Hispanic life in the continent. 

"We are interested in any way comparing our past with other regions of the world", he added Uribe on this important collection of art and documentary.

The exhibition is open to the public until February 12, 2012, and then move to the city of Medellin.

Via: Globovision