As recently as 1000 years ago, a culture which was almost wiped out by European man (or at least significantly displaced) is now being widely accepted as very technologically advanced, at least in the fields of astronomy and time-keeping.
This culture was the Maya of Central America. Yet at the time, the cornerstone of their advancements, the Long Count Calendar, was not fully recognised by the invaders in terms of its value. Instead, the conquistadores of Spain sought the gold and wealth that the Maya appeared to have, but in fact did not. However, the invaders, had they known of the Mayan talents for mathematics and astronomy at the time, may have sought to make greater use of these tools for their own ends.As a result, it is only in relatively recent times that the Mayan culture has been seen to be so advanced in mathematics and science.
It has been asserted by a number of historians researching the Mayan Long Count Calendar, that it would appear that the Winter Solstice of 2012 (Dec 21st), is a date of some significance to the Maya, since this is most likely the end time of their current iteration of the Long Count. It would at least tally with the 5,125 years or so of a 13th b’ak’tun, from the accepted date of the last Long Count “reset” in approximately 3100BC.
What occurs when the Long Count Calendar resets? As far as the Mayan Culture is concerned, perhaps nothing untoward, but to many scholars and researchers this occasion is certainly one that was accepted to issue in some kind of change or shift. Much like the New Year’s Eve celebrations of modern western nations, the Maya would indeed mark the occasion with expectation of the dawning of something new and fundamentally different from what had gone before.
It is worth noting that in the less enlightened times of the Maya, a celestial event such as a solar or lunar eclipse would have perhaps been seen as a sign from the gods. Therefore, to the Maya, an amazingly rare event such as the galactic alignment which many believe will occur in 2012, would be seen as something without precedent. Something perhaps to base their entire faith upon?
For example, what if New Year’s Eve was to coincide with a solar eclipse, then would we not perhaps see it as even more significant too, even in this modern age? This is the assumption to be made when we combine the Maya and the end of their highly advanced calendar.
December 21st 2012, therefore, is one date worth watching with interest!