Genesis Poz Diaz Ms.

Caruso ENGL 1103 February 13, 2012 The End of Time For many years there has been speculation of what will happen in 2012. It is said that the calendar of the Mayan ancient civilization will come to an end. The last day of the Mayan calendar is December 21, 2012. But no one is quite sure of what exactly is to come. Will the Mayans have actually known the future, what destiny holds? The question then is; what did the ancient civilization of the Mayans predict for 2012? Hollywood has made films about what is to happen, but how much of that is based on facts. Is the world truly coming to an end, or is it just another conspiracy. People are so easily misled by the fictitious rumors that they fear it may be the last year of their lives. The Mayans were an ancient civilization that was advanced beyond their years. They were able to fully develop a calendar that still amazes people today because of its accuracy. The Mayans were a Mesoamerican Civilization that was known for haven a fully developed written language in Pre-Columbian America. Among having a hieroglyphic alphabet, the Mayans were also known for their art, architecture, mathematical and astronomical advances. Mayans in their mathematical system developed the concept of zero. Because of the adaptation of zero they were able to do large calculations that produced extremely accurate astronomical observations. Compared to other civilizations that also charted the movement of the moon and planets from naked eye observations, their findings were superior.

When the Spanish came to Mesoamerica they found out that the Mayans had been able to measure the length of the solar year more accurately than the Gregorian calendar that at the time was used in Europe.