There have been various methods proposed to allow us to covert from a Long Count date to a Western calendar date. These methods, or correlations, are generally based on dates from the Spanish conquest, where both Long Count and Western dates are known with some accuracy.
The commonly-established way of expressing the correlation between the Maya calendar and the Gregorian or Julian calendars is to provide number of days from the start of the Julian Period (Monday, January 1, 4713 BCE) to the start of creation on 0.0.0.0.0 (4 Ajaw, 8 Kumk'u).
The most commonly accepted correlation is the "Goodman, Martinez, Thompson" correlation (GMT correlation). The GMT correlation establishes that the 0.0.0.0.0 creation date occurred on 3114 BCE September 6 (Julian) or 3114 BCE August 11 (Gregorian), Julian day number (JDN) 584283, the number of days since the start of the Julian Period. This correlation fits the astronomical, ethnographic, carbon dating, and historical sources. However, there have been other correlations that have been proposed at various times, most of which are merely of historical interest, except that by Floyd Lounsbury, two days after the GMT correlation, which is in use by some Maya scholars.
Today, 21:50, Saturday March 3, 2007 (UTC), in the Long Count is 12.19.14.2.0.
The use of software that is based on the proleptic Gregorian calendar can be problematic for:
Historical research. For example the G.M.T. correlation is based dates in both calendars in the Chronicle of Oxcutzcab, Bishop Diego de Landa's Relación de las Cosas de Yucatán, and the Chilam Balam. If one were to try to correctly derive the G.M.T. correlation by using these dates in a program that used the proleptic Gregorian calendar it would fail because the Gregorian calendar was not in use at that time.
Astronomical research. For example, to study ancient observations on stelae or in the codices, one may convert a Long Count to days, months, and years. This date would then be entered into an astronomy program. The astronomy program will use the standard Julian/Gregorian calendar so this will cause a major error.
The end of the 13th b'ak'tun is conjectured to have been of great significance to the Maya. It does not necessarily mark the end of the world, according to their beliefs, but a new beginning or time of re-birth. According to the Popol Vuh, a book compiling details of creation accounts known to the Quiché Maya of the colonial-era highlands, we are living in the fifth world. The Popol Vuh describes the first four creations that the gods failed in making and the creation of the successful fifth world where men were placed.
The last creation ended on a long count of 12.19.19.17.19. Another 12.19.19.17.19 will occur on December 20th 2012, followed by the start of the thirteenth Baktun, 13.0.0.0.0, on December 21st. It has been discussed in many New Age articles and books that this will be the end of this creation, the next pole shift or something else entirely. However, the Maya abbreviated their long counts to just the last five vigesimal places. There was an infinite number of larger units that were usually not shown. When the larger units were shown (notably on a monument from Coba), the end of the last creation is expressed as 13.13.13.13.13.13.13.13.13.13.13.13.13.13.13.13.13.13.13.13.13.0.0.0.0, where the units are obviously supposed to be 13s twenty places larger than that b'ak'tun. In this age we are only approaching 0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.13.0.0.0.0, and the larger places would all need to similarly roll over to 13 again to match the date of the new creation.
This is confirmed by a date from Palenque, which projects forward in time to 1.0.0.0.0.0, which will occur on October 13, 4772 (a Friday). The Classic Period Maya likely did not believe that the end of this age would occur in 2012. According to the Maya, there will be a baktun ending in 2012, a significant event being the end of the 13th 400 year period, but not the end of the world.
2007-03-03 08:52:23
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answer #1
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answered by CanProf 7
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Oddly enough, someone just mentioned the "end" coming in 2007 or 2012 just 20 minnutes ago. Actually, according to the Thompson Projection interpretation the end time is December 2012.
2007-03-03 09:07:14
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answer #2
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answered by Kaatp 2
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the world has already ended we are all just high fructose fueled zombies wondering around with digital cameras, watching american idol.
really i think their civilization ended before they could update it so it really doesn't matter either way.
2007-03-03 08:04:12
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answer #4
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answered by Anonymous
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