Friday, November 25, 2011
Mexico acknowledges 2nd Mayan reference to 2012
Mexico acknowledges 2nd Mayan reference to 2012
| ||||||||
MEXICO CITY (AP) -- Mexico's archaeology institute downplays theories that the ancient Mayas predicted some sort of apocalypse would occur in 2012, but on Thursday it acknowledged that a second reference to the date exists on a carved fragment found at a southern Mexico ruin site.
Most experts had cited only one surviving reference to the date in Mayan glyphs, a stone tablet from the Tortuguero site in the Gulf coast state of Tabasco.
But the National Institute of Anthropology and History said in a statement that there is in fact another apparent reference to the date at the nearby Comalcalco ruin. The inscription is on the carved or molded face of a brick. Comalcalco is unusual among Mayan temples in that it was constructed of bricks.
Arturo Mendez, a spokesman for the institute, said the fragment of inscription had been discovered years ago and has been subject to thorough study. It is not on display and is being kept in storage at the institute.
The "Comalcalco Brick," as the second fragment is known, has been discussed by experts in some online forums. Many still doubt that it is a definite reference to Dec. 21, 2012 or Dec. 23, 2012, the dates cited by proponents of the theory as the possible end of the world.
"Some have proposed it as another reference to 2012, but I remain rather unconvinced," David Stuart, a specialist in Mayan epigraphy at the University of Texas at Austin, said in a message to The Associated Press.
Stuart said the date inscribed on the brick "'is a Calendar Round,' a combination of a day and month position that will repeat every 52 years."
The brick date does coincide with the end of the 13th Baktun; Baktuns were roughly 394-year periods and 13 was a significant, sacred number for the Mayas. The Mayan Long Count calendar begins in 3114 B.C., and the 13th Baktun ends around Dec. 21, 2012.
But the date on the brick could also correspond to similar dates in the past, Stuart said.
"There's no reason it couldn't be also a date in ancient times, describing some important historical event in the Classic period. In fact, the third glyph on the brick seems to read as the verb huli, "he/she/it arrives."
"There's no future tense marking (unlike the Tortuguero phrase), which in my mind points more to the Comalcalco date being more historical that prophetic," Stuart wrote.
Both inscriptions - the Tortuguero tablet and the Comalcalco brick - were probably carved about 1,300 years ago and both are cryptic in some ways.
The Tortuguero inscription describes something that is supposed to occur in 2012 involving Bolon Yokte, a mysterious Mayan god associated with both war and creation.
However, erosion and a crack in the stone make the end of the passage almost illegible, though some read the last eroded glyphs as perhaps saying, "He will descend from the sky."
The Comalcalco brick is also odd in that the molded or inscribed faces of the bricks were probably laid facing inward or covered with stucco, suggesting they were not meant to be seen.
The Institute of Anthropology and History has long said rumors of a world-ending or world-changing event in late December 2012 are a Westernized misinterpretation of Mayan calendars.
The institute repeated Thursday that "western messianic thought has twisted the cosmovision of ancient civilizations like the Maya."
The institute's experts say the Mayas saw time as a series of cycles that began and ended with regularity, but with nothing apocalyptic at the end of a given cycle.
Given the strength of Internet rumors about impending disaster in 2012, the institute is organizing a special round table of 60 Mayan experts next week at the archaeological site of Palenque, in southern Mexico, to "dispel some of the doubts about the end of one era and the beginning of another, in the Mayan Long Count calendar."
|
Punta Colorada Natural Reserve. Puerto Escondido, Oaxaca, Mexico
Punta Colorada Natural Reserve. Puerto Escondido, Oaxaca, Mexico
- signatures: 22
- signature goal: 5,000
- Target: Mexican Federal Goverment
- Sponsored by: Oceanforce Foundation
Rumors have been confirmed that towards the second half of the year 2011 the locals noticed heavy machinery beginning work and clearing out of some of the higher ground areas of one of Mexico's most beautiful and pristine coastal zone. "A marina development is on its way."
The zone is not only home to one of the best waves in Mexico, but is also home to a very large marine and terrestrial ecosystem. There you will find systems of water streams and steep hills covered in dense vegetation growing. The steep hills recede towards the coast giving form to a watershed system that fills a lake surrounded by mangroves and a river mouth empting into the Pacific Ocean.
This complex ecosystem hosts a variety of migratory birds, swans, ducks. Large crocodiles are found in the estuary while dolphins, tuna, turtles, oyster and other big fish populate the ocean waters year round to make this a true heaven on earth kind of place. The occasional migratory whales can also be seen playing around and resting at Punta Colorada. It is this balance of life and wonder that we seek to protect.
There is an urgency to protect the area by declaring it a Natural Reserve to be kept and preserved in its pristine and undeveloped original state.
By converting Punta Colorada into a natural reserve, it would not only preotect the local environment but also the livelihood of the local community. A natural reserve would attract the global eco-conscious traveling community. The monetary benefits of having a constant flow of tourists looking for a nature escape is something that, under the right management, can create jobs for an entire community and help it thrive.
On the other hand, a marina development would only benefit large businesses and private corporations, ruining the place and excluding the larger community and tourists alike.
Today we need everyones help to protect this area and keep enjoying it for generations to come. We owe it to ourselves; we owe it to mother earth and to our kids.
Please sign this petition today and help protect Punta Colorada! less
Magnitude 4.3 - OAXACA, MEXICO Distances, 74 km (45 miles) N of Puerto Angel, Oaxaca, Mexico 88 km (54 miles) SSE of Oaxaca, Oaxaca, Mexico 129 km (80 miles) W of Salina Cruz, Oaxaca, ... earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/.../Quakes/usc0006xpw.php
Magnitude 4.3 - OAXACA, MEXICO
2011 November 25 06:29:02 UTC
Earthquake Details
- This event has been reviewed by a seismologist.
| Magnitude | 4.3 |
|---|---|
| Date-Time |
|
| Location | 16.331°N, 96.401°W |
| Depth | 26.4 km (16.4 miles) |
| Region | OAXACA, MEXICO |
| Distances | 74 km (45 miles) N of Puerto Angel, Oaxaca, Mexico 88 km (54 miles) SSE of Oaxaca, Oaxaca, Mexico 129 km (80 miles) W of Salina Cruz, Oaxaca, Mexico 450 km (279 miles) SE of MEXICO CITY, D.F., Mexico |
| Location Uncertainty | horizontal +/- 23.5 km (14.6 miles); depth +/- 15.9 km (9.9 miles) |
| Parameters | NST= 71, Nph= 72, Dmin=268.3 km, Rmss=0.93 sec, Gp=191°, M-type=body wave magnitude (Mb), Version=6 |
| Source |
|
| Event ID | usc0006xpw |
- Did you feel it? Report shaking and damage at your location. You can also view a map displaying accumulated data from your report and others.
- Preliminary Earthquake Report
- U.S. Geological Survey, National Earthquake Information Center:
World Data Center for Seismology, Denver - http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/recenteqsww/Quakes/usc0006xpw.php
Recent Activity At This Location
Location Maps
Did You Feel It? 
Historical Seismicity
Seismic Hazard Map
EQ Density Map
Google Map
Google Earth KML
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)