Mundo Maya Blog
About this blog
Travelers to Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, and Honduras in 2012 can expect a yearlong celebration of Maya culture, past and present—and Moon Maya 2012 author Joshua Berman is blogging about all of it.
Recent Posts
- Maya 2012: A Round-up of Celebrations in Mexico, Guatemala, Belize & Honduras
- Reporting for National Geographic on Maya winter solstice in Belize
- Maya calendar cycle celebrated throughout Central America
- Feliz B'aktun! The New Dawn is Here: The First Sunrise in Caracol, Belize
- Maya Calendar 101: What Does “December 21, 2012” Really Mean?
- Gifts for Mayaphiles
- Books on the Maya: Suggested Reading for 2012
- Izapa Sunrise Story by Mary Jo McConahay
- Tranquilo Radio Tour 2012: Seven hours straight of talking about travel
- Tune in this Wednesday! Maya 2012 author Josh Berman on a radio show near you!
- End Maya-Aztec calendar confusion now!
- Q&A with Maya Experts on Satellite Imagery of Archaeological Sites
- Maya response to 'doomsday' 2012 stories
- Only a couple of rooms left for "The Great Return: Copan 2012" tour of a lifetime!
- 5 Questions about Traveling in the Mundo Maya for Rafael Garcia

Beginning of the Maya Universe & Long Count Explained by 2012 Expert Dr. Mark Van Stone
The most common question people ask about 2012 usually deals with what, if any, science there is behind it. This ties into the thrill of traveling in the Mundo Maya in 2012 -- to visit the various stelae and inscriptions with relevance to the Maya cosmovision and calendar. Luckily, there are plenty of these -- both in situ at the archeological sites, and in museums around the world.
In the video above, Dr. Mark Van Stone, professor and author of 2012: Science and Prophecy of the Ancient Maya, explains various important Maya glyphs at the Museum of Man in San Diego. This first explanation of Stela C from Quirigua, covers the 3114 BC start-date of the Long Count which will end on December 21, 2012.
As he explains: "The text tells us the names and actions of five actors in part of the Maya Creation myth of 13.0.0.0.0, which is 3114 BC in our calendar. This 13.0.0.0.0 date will repeat in December 2012, which is why so many people call it the 'end of the calendar' and predict a tremendous Change in our world."
For more of the science behind the Maya prophecy and 2012, read Dr. Van Stone's book, 2012: Science and Prophecy of the Ancient Maya, a full-color, 172-page book "inspired by Maya inscriptions, astronomical knowledge, math, and myth."
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