Ignore the movie: 2012 will not be the end of world, say Mayans

London Telegraph ^ | 11/7/2009 | Philip Sherwell

[Saije]

The world is beset by a series of outlandish catastrophes in the much-hyped Sony Pictures movie. An earthquake-devastated Los Angeles slips into the sea, the Vatican collapses, its dome crushing worshippers and a tsunami dumps an aircraft carrier atop an exploding White House. Meanwhile a tidal wave sweeps across the Himalayas and a meteor shower strikes Earth.

The director Roland Emmerich - a veteran of catastrophe in his earlier films Independence Day and The Day After Tomorrow - was inspired by theories that the calendar of the ancient Mayans foretells the end of civilisation on Dec 21, 2012.

"The famous Mayan prophecy inspired an excellent story," he said in a recent interview about what he calls the "mother of all disaster films".

But such a "prophecy" is news to the modern Maya in Guatemala and Mexico. Instead, they view the burgeoning end-of-the-world 2012 industry with a mixture of confusion, exasperation and anger at what is perceived as a Western distortion of their traditions and beliefs.

"There is no concept of apocalypse in the Mayan culture," Jesus Gomez, head of the Guatemalan confederation of Mayan priests and spiritual guides, told The Sunday Telegraph.

Cirilo Perez, an adviser to Guatemala's President Alvaro Colom is a prominent ajq'ij - literally a "day counter", a wise man who makes predictions and advice on the most propitious dates to marry, plant or harvest. He decried the commercial exploitation of Mayan culture by outsiders.

"This has all become business but there is no desire to understand," he said. "When foreigners, or even some Guatemalans, see us, they think 'Look at the Maya, how nice, how pretty', but they don't understand us."

[presently no screen name]

There's a lot more we could discuss about this, but I think you get my drift.

Now I'm happy I said keep it coming and yes, I get your drift. Didn't know about Native Americans ... the "true white brother" who will return and save them from a global disaster yet to be visited on us.

Hint: I'm still in the learning mode. ;)

[GraceG]

[rhema]