As far as we know, the fear surrounding the year 2012 and the apparent doom that is going to follow comes from the Mayan civilization. The Mayans, who were a highly developed and complex society, developed a remarkably accurate and complicated calendar, which ends in what modern scholars have determined is the year 2012. The Mayans who created this calendar are not around today, so we can’t ask them what they thought would happen when the calendar ends. But their descendants have survived, and so have many Mayan traditions and histories. So what do the living Mayans have to say about 2012?
Gaspar Pedro González, a Mayan author and intellectual, has written a book called 13 B’aktun: Mayan Visions of 2012 and Beyond, which turns to the traditional belief system of his people to explore the possibilities for mankind’s future. The only book to discuss 2012 written by a Mayan author, the story is framed as a fictional dialogue between a father and son, and aims to answer questions like, “Will life survive on Earth?” and “Will there be another creation at the end of this era?”. 13 B’aktun offers profound insights into the Mayan culture and religion as González combines his rich Mayan history with modern struggles to create a better future. Read what others had to say about 13 B’aktun:
“Gaspar Pedro González’s 13 B’aktun offers something unique: a contemporary Mayan intellectual’s passionate inquiry into the meaning of the end of the Long Count calendar that interweaves ancient cosmology with modern history. González proposes that the completion of the cycle will be the opening of a new era for human growth and renewal, as our species reckons with the horrors we have unleashed and embraces a deeper purpose. In Robert Sitler’s compelling translation, 13 B’aktun offers a valuable addition to the literature around 2012: what it portends and what may soon follow.”
—Daniel Pinchbeck, author of Toward 2012: Perspectives on the Next Age and 2012: The Return of Quetzalcoatl
“13 B’aktun is an open door to ancestral knowledge, a sacred ceremony with the fire of wisdom from one of the most luminous civilizations in the history of humanity. It breaks down [doomsday] fears and provides an explanation of Mayan prophecies through the oral tradition.… It is a jewel for those who love the truth and respect cultural identity.”
—Marco Antonio Sagastume Gemmell, Human Rights Advisor, University of San Carlos, Guatemala
Click here for more on 13 B’aktun.
Please relay my greetings to Gaspar Pedro González. I should like to present him with an electronic copy of my “2012- Science and Prophecy of the Ancient Maya”… His book is the first and so far only book on 2012 written by a Maya, and mine is the first and so far only book on 2012 based only on ancient Maya inscriptions, books, and art. (For more info: http://www.markvanstone.com .) Thanks!