1. ANT 102
Oct 24th
Finish the “mystery” about
what happened to the Classic
period Maya…
then…
2012
2. Reasons why the Ancient Maya are said to be mysterious
4) The ancient Maya appear to have disappeared. What happened to them?
Aspects of Intellectual Inquiry in the Social Sciences
1. Recognizing multiple dimensions to a good question
--We will focus on just one dimension: What caused them to move elsewhere?
2. Recognizing multiple answers to a question or a problem
Drought
Foreign invasion
Internal warfare
3. Evaluating evidence
4. Developing solutions to problems based on sound evidence and reasoning
5. Exploring the ethical implications of differing approaches, methods or conclusions
3. --Evaluating evidence
Drought expectations
You would see paleo-ecological evidence of less rainfall
There is such evidence but some cities were abandoned before drought
You would see deterioration of nutrition (skeletons in burials should indicate
people dying young, with stunted growth, and more disease)
Yes, there was bad health but there was also bad health before drought
Foreign invasion expectations
You would see find a big increase in artifacts from foreign areas
No such increase was found
Internal warfare expectations
You would see lots of fortifications, at both big sites and small sites,
right before abandonment
8. Near Dos Pilas and Aguateca, the settlements of common farmers move to
hilltops and defend themselves with walls
9. 3. Evaluating evidence
Drought expectations
You would see paleo-ecological evidence of less rainfall
There is such evidence but some cities were abandoned before drought
You would see deterioration of nutrition (skeletons in burials should indicate
people dying young, would stunted growth, and more disease)
Yes, there was bad health but there was also bad health before drought
Foreign invasion expectations
You would see find a big increase in artifacts from foreign areas
No such increase was found
Internal warfare expectations
You would see lots of fortifications, at both big sites and small sites,
right before abandonment
Yes, there are such fortifications but only in some parts of the Maya area
4. Developing potential solutions to problems based on sound evidence and reasoning
Drought may play a role in some cases, internal warfare may play a role in other cases
10. Aspects of Intellectual Inquiry in the Social Sciences
1. Recognizing multiple dimensions to a good question
2. Recognizing multiple answers to a question or a problem
3. Evaluating evidence
4. Developing solutions to problems based on sound evidence and reasoning
5. Exploring the ethical implications of differing approaches, methods or conclusions
The Maya did not “disappear”: there are 7 million Maya living today. Rather, they migrated
and changed. To say that the ancient Maya disappeared is to deny a connection between
modern and ancient Maya, thus robbing modern people of a proud heritage.
Modern Maya (2002) Ancient Maya (700 AD)
11. What is 2012?
1. The year in which the Maya long count calendar starts over again
Like when your odometer rolls over
What’s
next???
Does your
car self-
destruct??
12. What is 2012?
1. The year in which the Maya long count calendar starts over again
-How do Maya hieroglyphs work?
-What is the long count calendar?
-What did the Maya think about 2012?
2. It is a bunch of misunderstandings (or perhaps hoaxes) and spurious
prophecies about the end of the world and the dawn of a new age.
3. It is a way to make money
4. It is us! The idea of destruction and renewal has deep roots
in our own history and religious background
20. We us Maya used
Maya base 10 base 20
numbers (decimal) (vigesimal)
=1 =5
9
10
21. We us Maya used
Maya base 10 base 20
numbers (decimal) (vigesimal)
=1 =5
9
10
11
18
=0
19
? 20
22. We us Maya used
Maya base 10 base 20
numbers (decimal) (vigesimal)
=1 =5
9
10
11
18
=0
19
20
23. Two ways of keeping time
1. Linear 2. Cyclical
2012 2013
Tuesday
Sunday
24. Three Maya calendars that we will look at:
cyclical 1. The “Haab”. A solar calendar with 365 days
cyclical 2. The “tzolkin.” A ritual calendar with 260 days
linear 3. The Long Count.
25. Haab: the “vague” year, has 365 days
(“vague” because an actual year has 365.25 days)
18 months with 20 days
1 month with 5 days
Names of the 20 months
Very similar to our own calendar
26. The Tzolkin: Divinatory Calendar
(has 260 days)
20 day names, 13 day numbers
No “months”
Names of the 20 days
27. It takes 18,980 days for a day in the Calendar
calendar round to repeat itself. This is 52 years round
Tzolkin Haab calendar
Calendar
28. Tuesday
Feb 5
How long do we have to wait for
another day like Tuesday Feb. 5? 7 x 365 = 2555
Maya calendar round = 52 years, Our calendar round = 7 years
29. Long Count calendar: A count of days starting from
the day 0.0.0.0.1 (This is August 12th 3114 in our calendar)
1st digit: Baktun: 400 tuns = 144,000 days = about 396 years)
There are
2nd digit Katun: 20 tuns = 7200 days = about 20 years)
only 13 Baktuns
3rd digit tun: period of 18 winal (360 days)
4th digit Winal: period of 20 days, move to next digit after 18 winals
5th digit k’in: a day, move to next digit on 20th day
19th day = 0.0.0.0.19
20th day = 0.0.0.1.0
159th day = 0.0.0.7.19
360th day = 0.0.0.18.0
360th day = 0.0.1.0.0
400th day = 0.0.1.2.0
19 tuns 359 days = 0.0.19.17.19
1 katun = 0.1.0.0.0
31. A B A1: 9 baktun
B1: 17 katun
A2: 0 tun
1 B2: 0 winal
A3: 0 k’in
1 baktun = 144,000 days
9 x 144,000 = 1,296,000
2
1 katun = 7,200 days
17 x 7,200 = 122,400
1,418,400 days divide by 365.25
3
3883.35 - 3114 = 769 AD
but since we have no year 0, add 1, to get 770 AD
but since we the start date is Aug 12, 3114,
NOT Jan 1 3114, we need further adjustments
So, the date is Jan 20th , 771 AD
32. A B
1 A1: 9 baktun
B1: 17 katun
A2: 0 tun
B2: 0 winal
A3: 0 k’in
2
B3: 13 ahau
Haab calendar date
3
B8: 18 Kumku
Tzolkin calendar date
33. So, what is 2012?
Let’s say you are at day 12.19.19.17.19 (which happens to be December 21st, 2012)
What would the next day be?
But there are only 13 Baktuns!
13.0.0.0.0 ?
The baktuns start at 0, and then go to 12.
From 0 to 12, we have 13 Baktuns.
0.0.0.0.0
So, after Baktun 12, we go back to Baktun 0.
IS THIS A BIG DEAL?
NO
34. What did the Maya think about the day after 12.19.19.17.19 (December 21st, 2012)?
They did not think much about it at all. How do we know this?
1. There are probably 10,000 preserved Maya texts.
Only 2 of these texts mention the day after 12.19.19.17.19
La Corona hieroglyphic stairway 2, block V Tortuguero Monument 6
35. What do these text say about this peculiar day?
A god will appear and help
Nothing
sanctify the building on which
Monument 6 is found
La Corona hieroglyphic stairway 2, block V Tortuguero Monument 6
36. What did the Maya think about the day after 12.19.19.17.19 (December 21st, 2012)?
They did not think much about it at all. How do we know this?
1. There are probably 10,000 preserved Maya texts.
Only 2 of these texts mention the day after 12.19.19.17.19
2. The two texts that mention the day after 12.19.19.17.19 don’t
actually tell us that anything special is going to happen.
3. There are texts that talk about dates prior to 3114 BC and
after 2012 AD. So, life will continue after the end of the current
Baktun cycle, just as it did before the current Baktun cycle
4. There is no ancient Maya prophecy dealing with 2012.
Hunbatz Men: a contemporary Maya
shaman who has a prophecy.
37. What is 2012?
1. The year in which the Maya long count calendar starts over again
2. It is a bunch of misunderstandings (or perhaps hoaxes) based on
spurious prophecies and misinformation.
There are no ancient Maya prophecies
The ancient Maya never actually discussed the Milky Way
3. It is a way to make money
Ties in to the idea of the hoax. Remember Cardiff Giant: People
paid to see it because it was said to be old.
41. What is 2012?
1. The year in which the Maya long count calendar starts over again
2. It is a bunch of misunderstandings (or perhaps hoaxes) based on
spurious prophecies and misinformation.
There are no ancient Maya prophecies
The ancient Maya never actually discussed the Milky Way
3. It is a way to make money
Ties in to the idea of the hoax. Remember Cardiff Giant: People
paid to see it because it was said to be old.
But archaeologists are also cashing in on 2012
4. It is us! The idea of destruction and renewal has deep roots
in our own history and religious background
