Post by coolplanet on Apr 28, 2013 1:15:02 GMT -5
The 25,630 Year Grand Cycle of the Mayan Calendar:
Do the Five B’aktuns of the Long Count Tell the Story of Man in America?
By coolplanet
This is my own interpretation from 30 years of interest and participation.
The Mayan Calendar “Grand Cycle” began 23,618 B.C. and ends 2012 A.D. It is comprised of five "Great Cycles" of 5,126 years called “B’aktuns” (cyclic ages).
Interestingly these five B’aktuns correspond to the five archaeological ages attributed to the history of humans in America going back over 20,000 years according to recent findings at sites such as Meadowcroft Rockshelter in SW Pennsylvania -- “the earliest indisputably dated archaeological site in North America.”*
The First B’aktun began 25,630 years ago and is known as the age of the “Word People” according to Popol Vuh, sacred text of the K‘iche‘ Maya. This period corresponds to the appearance of man in America. This period is called the “Pioneer Age” by archeologists and is associated with the development of language.
The Second B’aktun began 20,504 years ago, known as the age of the “Mud People.” Archaeologists classify this period as the “Sandia Age” -- the peak of the last Ice Age.
The Third B’aktun began 15,378 years ago, the age of the “Wood People.” This corresponds to the archaeological “Clovis Age” with the appearance of the “atlatl” -- long wooden spears with elaborately flaked flint tips characteristic of Clovis Man in the American Southwest.
The Fourth B’aktun began 10,252 years ago, the age of the “Corn People.” Archaeologists classify this period as the “Archaic Age” corresponding to the end of the last Ice Age and the beginning of agriculture.**
The Fifth B’aktun began 5,126 years ago on August 11, 3114 B.C. and ends December 21, 2012. This fifth B’aktun is the age of the “Movement People” of the Popol Vuh and coresponds with the Modern Age.***
The Winter Solstice of 2012 CE (65.0.0.0.0.0 B’altun in the Mayan Grand Cycle) is the culmination of 25,630 years of human history in America. And also, not accidentally, one full Precession of the Equinox.
* ** *** Some Sources
The First Americans: In Pursuit of Archaeology’s Greatest Mystery, J.M. Adovasio, Random House 2002
The American Indian: Prehistory to the Present, Arrell Morgan Gibson, Heath 1980
Guns, Germs, & Steel: The Fate of Human Societies, Jared Diamond, Norton 1997
Lord Of The Dawn: Great Prophecies of Ancient Mexico, Anthony Shearer, Naturegraph 1971
13 B’aktun: Mayan Visions of 2012 and Beyond, Gaspar Pedro Gonzalez, North Atlantic 2010
The 2012 Story: The Myths, Fallacies, and Truth Behind the Most Intriguing Date in History, John Major Jenkins, Tarcher Penguin 2009
1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus, Charles C. Mann, Vintage 2006
The Great Spirit
current.com/shows/upstream/93611423_the-25-630-year-grand-cycle-of-the-mayan-calendar.htm
Upstream | January 10, 2012 | 32 comments
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