| We know so little about the ancient pre Columbian | | | | Mexican style decor includes art and pottery of Maya |
| Mayans. Only tiny amounts of their writings and | | | | art and ceremonial pieces that were designed to |
| wisdom have survived. Time, erosion and direct | | | | invoke the ancient gods. |
| destruction have erased most of their ancient words. | | | | It is not known how the ancient Mayans being a Stone |
| Indeed, what we know in general is limited to stone | | | | Age indigenous society acquired such exactness in |
| carvings and four surviving Maya Codices (original | | | | measuring time. Their accuracy is so exact that the |
| Maya books made from bark). | | | | calendar the Mayans used is 1/10,000 of a day more |
| In one of the saddest episodes in Mesoamerica, | | | | accurate than the Gregorian calendar we currently |
| thousands of the sacred codices of the Mayans were | | | | use. |
| burned by the Spanish priests and conquistadors. One | | | | It is also unknown how the Mayans discovered |
| Bishop Diego de Landa, wrote, 'These people used | | | | celestial alignments and incorporated them into their pre |
| certain letters with which they wrote in their books | | | | Columbian pyramids. Indeed, many of their most |
| about ancient subjects. We found many books | | | | important buildings were devoted to the calculation and |
| scripted with these letters and since they held nothing | | | | transit of time. |
| that was not falsehood and the work of the evil one, | | | | Incredibly the ancient Mayans were able to predict an |
| we burned them all'. | | | | astrological alignment that only occurs every 26,000 |
| Today after countless effort and some breakthroughs | | | | years. According to the surviving Dresden Codex, the |
| at understanding the meaning of what is left, we | | | | Great Cycle of the Mayan Long Count Calendar (the |
| marvel at their advanced understanding in astronomy, | | | | fifth sun) ends on the winter solstice of December 21, |
| mathematics and their apparent ability to foretell the | | | | 2012. This date happens to coincide exactly with our |
| future. No telling what knowledge has been lost | | | | sun's Overlap point with what modern astronomers call |
| forever. Their writing system was original and founded | | | | the Great Rift. This Great Rift is a band of dark dust |
| on phonetics like ours. And ancient Mayan art is | | | | clouds located around the center of the Milky Way |
| beautiful, vibrant and commonly used in Mexican style | | | | Galaxy from our vantage point on Earth. The ancient |
| decor. | | | | Mayans were well aware of this Great Rift and even |
| Ancient Mayan art that has survived confirms that the | | | | named it. They knew it as Xibalba-be or "Black Road". |
| Mayans believed in a cyclical nature of both time and | | | | According to the Maya, this "Black Road" was the |
| celestial movements. Everything occurs more than | | | | entrance to the underworld, a place of evil and |
| once and continues to cycle in endless repetitious | | | | misfortune. The ancient Maya art pictured in the last |
| patterns. Maya priests were therefore able to provide | | | | page of the Dresden Codex, shows the destruction of |
| prophetic outlook on the future or past based on the | | | | the world by water. |
| number relations of their ancient calendar and | | | | Even more interesting, present day astronomers |
| significant past dates such as a birth or a death. If the | | | | believe this Great Rift is located around a massive |
| interpretations of the priests spelled bad times to | | | | Black Hole Star located at the center of our Milky |
| come, offerings and sacrifices would be performed | | | | Way galaxy. |
| with the intention of satisfying the gods. Today | | | | |