[Aztlan] Maya History and 2012

[Hube Smith]

Dear Elaine Schele,

I think you mis-read my post.

It contained Sullivan's thoughts on contempary Eastern Yucatec Maya
views on prophecy.

Every Yucatec Maya I have ever met is keenly aware of his place in
society and deeply resents having been relegated to it. 

Such Maya may or may not conclude that 2012 has some significance.
Perhaps they will when they finish absorbing what TV and The Diario de Yucatan have
to tell them. On the other hand, they may not.

In any event, they will probably not embrace the "End Days" twaddle. Rather, they
might be pardoned for hoping for some sort of miraculous transformative events.

Hubert Smith



  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: ewray39362 at aol.com 
  To: husmith at charter.net ; Aztlan at lists.famsi.org 
  Sent: Saturday, July 29, 2006 4:23 PM
  Subject: Re: [Aztlan] Maya History and 2012


  Mr. Smith,

  I am not making little of the wrongs that the aboriginal Maya Indians suffered at the hands of the Europeans, but the Maya did not predicted the end of the world in the year 2012 or 2013. 

  The year 2013 will be the end of their 52 year cycle, when the calendar starts over again from day one. Their view of time is cyclical, not linear like our view of time.  Not to say that the new 52 year commencement isn't reason to celebrate or to have special ceremonies, but not the end of the world.

  Best Regards,
  Elaine Schele


   
  -----Original Message-----
  From: husmith at charter.net
  To: Aztlan at lists.famsi.org
  Sent: Sat, 29 Jul 2006 1:07 PM
  Subject: [Aztlan] Maya History and 2012


Paul Sullivan's 1984 work remains, for me, the touchstone for what contemporary

Maya make of Apocalyptic Prophecy.  It follows 5 of Norman Cohn's classic 

millenarian criteria in that the Maya feel it will be:

  1.. Collective
  2.. Terrestrial
  3.. Imminent
  4.. Total
  5.. Miraculous
To be sure, it contains the notion of deliverance from a long succession of 
wrongs,

and can include retribution for the Maya's oppressors. However, Sullivan 
emphasizes

the overarching need of the relatively poor and powerless to simply make sense 
of 

their lot on earth.


    Hubert Smith
    155 Offord Circle
    Jacksonville, OR 97530
    899-4422
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