A Mayanist Debunks 2012
Keywords
Maya, Mayan calendar, mathematics, year 2012
Abstract
The ancient Maya are celebrated for their complex understanding of mathematics and are rightly lauded for having invented the concept of zero, which, coincidentally, is the precise number of doomsday prophecies they made about the year 2012. Contrary to popular belief, they did not predict the world would come to a cataclysmic end or that there would be a devastating reversal of the earth's magnetic poles. Nor did they prophesy of a galactic alignment, a harmonic convergence, or even a winter solstice. Their calendar will not come to an end, nor will time itself. These ideas have no basis in indigenous beliefs, ancient or modern. To be clear, there are no ancient texts, no legitimate modern oral traditions, or anything in between that lends credence to any of these claims.
Original Publication Citation
A Mayanist Debunks 2012: Does Hollywood Understand the Mayan Calendar?Nov. 2009. Patheos.com.
BYU ScholarsArchive Citation
Wright, Mark Alan, "A Mayanist Debunks 2012" (2009). Faculty Publications. 4315.
https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/facpub/4315
Document Type
Other
Publication Date
2009-11-06
Permanent URL
http://hdl.lib.byu.edu/1877/7123
Publisher
Patheos
Language
English
College
Religious Education
Department
Ancient Scripture
Copyright Use Information
http://lib.byu.edu/about/copyright/