We made it past Y2K. We "partied like it was 1999" along with Prince, or the artist formally known as Prince. Now it is 2012 and the Mayan calendar ends this year. This sparks interest in the Mayan Culture and debate as to the date of the end of the world. Can anyone actually know? That is a question that will be debated until the end of time. As Art Historians, what we can look into is the Mayan Culture and what the Mayans contributed to our global community.
The foundation of the Mayan Culture was established during the PRECLASSIC Period. They lived in city-states governed by rulers who assumed their position through heredity. The culture flourished for just over 500 years in what is Belize, Guatemala and Honduras today.
According to Gardner's Art Through the Ages, the Mayan people "were obsessed with time and religion" but not concerned with recording daily events (387). The deciphering of the Mayan writing was a significant achievement, rivaling that of cracking the code to decipher Egyptian hieroglyphics. Both achievements allowed people of today a clear glimpse into early cultures. These windows into the past allow us to learn without conjecture. Their calendar was precise, although different from the Roman calendar used around the world today. Theirs also factored in the "genealogical lines of their rulers"(387). For what reason is the calendar only written through 2012? That remains a mystery. The Mayans were people interested in precise detail, thus causing people to wonder what the symbolism of the 2012 end date? Some wonder if it predicts the end of the world. Other theories include the calendar starting over after 2012.
The Mayans created the only know written history in ancient America. We know they practiced ritual sacrifice and were combative people. Not only were they aggressive,they were also creative. Their architectural achievements are numerous. Each structure was large and imposing and centrally located within the city-states.
A GREAT web resource to learn more about the Mayan Culture is PBS - Nova Cracking the Mayan Code.
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