• Home
  • 21 Dec 2012
  • About
  • Ancient Maya
  • Educational Resources
  • The Joshua Files
  • Videos
  • 2012Posts about 2012
  • skeptics2012 debunking

Mayan Mysteries of 2012 - a guide for young readers

Mayan Religion


XibalbaThe Maya believed in a pantheon of gods - not just one god but many. Most gods had both Good and Evil traits. The favour of the gods was needed for good crop harvests, weather etc.

Priests would study the sky (using astronomy) and use their religious calendar (the 260-day Tzolkin) to predict whether things might go well or badly. Sometimes they decided they would need a favour from one particular god. That might mean giving blood from a small animal. A bigger favour would need a bigger sacrifice - blood-letting by the King or Queen, perhaps. Or maybe even the sacrifice of a human life.

The Maya believed that the world was divided into three planes - earth, heaven and the underworld (Xibalba). The souls of the dead lived in Xibalba, along with some of the gods.

The Maya believed that the universe was flat and square. They used colours to represent the four cardinal directions - north (white), east (red), south (yellow), west (black). The Bakabs -the four sons of the ‘Earth Monster’ Itzamna - were believed to support the four corners of the universe. Hence the Bakabs of Muluc, Kan, Cauac, and Ix.

More about the ancient Maya - Mayan writing
-->
Ad
Posted on January 15, 2012 - by admin

13 questions about the Maya and 2012

2012 skeptics

Excellent, comprehensive article about the 2012 phenomenon on the blog site of Psychology Today.

What You Should Know About 2012: Answers to 13 Questions
Is it really time for the Apocalypse?
Since the whole ‘2012 doomsday’ idea is a mythology based on a simple calendar date, the really interesting aspects have always been the psychological ones.
This article [...]

Posted on December 1, 2011 - by admin

A second reference to 2012 in Mayan inscriptions? (Answer: probably not)

2012 joshua files mayanists skeptics

A bit of extra excitement for the world of Mayan scholarship and 2012-watchers: from the blog of Johan Normark, a postdoctoral researcher at the Department of Historical Studies at University of Gothenburg.
“Yesterday the news spread around the 2012 world that there is another ancient Maya inscription that mentions December 21, 2012 on the so called Comalcalco bricks. [...]

View The Archives
  • Welcome


    Does the Mayan Long Count Calendar end on 21 December 2012? Could it be an ancient prophecy? This site looks at facts and fictions based around this mysterious date. Featuring articles and videos.
  • More...

    • 21 Dec 2012
      • 2012 in Mayan writing
      • Other 2012 theories
      • 2012 - why do we care?
    • About
    • Ancient Maya
      • Mayan Life
      • Mayan Religion
      • Mayan Writing
      • Abandoning the cities
      • Modern Maya
      • Find out more
    • Educational Resources
    • The Joshua Files
    • Videos
  • RSS Twitter

    • 2012hoax: RT @Discovery_Space: Wide Angle: Will the World End in 2012? (Update) | @Discovery_News http://t.co/img6iY8l (cc: @2012hoax)
      2012hoax: RT @Discovery_Space: Wide Angle: Will the World End in 2012? (Update) | @Discovery_News http://t.co/img6iY8l (cc: @2012hoax)
    • 2012hoax: I just donated $50 to Astronomy.FM Radio to help keep it on the air for 2012.
      2012hoax: I just donated $50 to Astronomy.FM Radio to help keep it on the air for 2012.
    • 2012hoax: @jwhoopes2 @michaelshermer I probably fall into his 'too skeptical' category, but that's a reflection of how I got pulled into this fight.
      2012hoax: @jwhoopes2 @michaelshermer I probably fall into his 'too skeptical' category, but that's a reflection of how I got pulled into this fight.
© 2008 Mayan Mysteries of 2012 - a guide for young readers - What will happen in 2012? A guide to the mysterious end date of the Mayan calendar
The Papercut theme by WooThemes - Premium Wordpress Themes