[Aztlan] National Geographic Magazine

[Jorge Pérez de Lara]

Listeros,

Regarding Elaine's post of yesterday, in which she states (partially):

>The ancient Maya did not believe that the world would "end on December 21, 2012."  The calendar cycle ends yes, but not the world!
>  
>
I'm not even sure that the Maya conceived of 13.0.0.0.0 (December 21st., 
2012) even as the end of the calendar cycle. I'm no professional 
epigrapher, but in 14 years I have been studying inscriptions never have 
I come across anything that would lead me to believe that the closing of 
the 13th. Pik (i.e., Baktun) was conceived of as anything but just that. 
Allowing 'a priori' that my memory may be failing me here, I believe the 
Classic Maya themselves never even refer to the closing of the 13th. 
baktun of the current Creation at all, much less do they make a 
statement that the closing of this cycle signifies the end of time or 
even of an era.  Rather, there is evidence pointing to the fact that the 
ancient Maya thought that time would continue way past this mere time 
milestone. In the Temple of the Inscriptions at Palenque, a Calendar 
Round date cast far into the future marks the 1st. Pictun anniversary (+ 
8 days) of Janahb Pakal's birth. Furthermore, the very long Long Count 
date marking the date of the current Creation (4 Ajaw, 8 Kumk'u) as 
carved on Cobá Stela 1 makes it abundantly clear that the end of the 
previous era was marked not only by the closing of its 13th. baktun, but 
of 19 additional cycles of ascending magnitude. That is, the end of the 
previous Creation was 
13.13.13.13.13.13.13.13.13.13.13.13.13.13.13.13.13.13.13.13.0.0.0.0 4 
Ajaw 8 Kumk'u. Therefore, completion of the 13th. baktun in the current 
creation would only mark the end of the first 13 cycles of the 5th. 
magnitude, with 13 cycles to go in EACH ONE of the 19 ascending 
magnitude cycles. By comparison, December 21st. 2012 would only be 
0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.13.0.0.0.0 4 Ajaw 3 K'ank'in. If 
we are to draw a parallel between the Long Count date marking the 
beginning of the current Creation and the one for its eventual 
completion, it becomes immediately evident we have barely started 
walking along a very, very long road.

My two pesos.

Jorge