Speaker: Antonio José Durán, Professor of Mathematical Analysis at the University of Seville
Introduced by: José Manuel Sánchez Ron, Royal Academy of Exact, Physical and Natural Sciences
Date and time: Tuesday, 18 December 2012, 19:30
Venue: Residencia de Estudiantes, Madrid
Abstract: On 20 December, the last major Mayan temporal cycle comes to an end, which some have interpreted as a marker of an ending or transformation for our civilisation. This myth serves as the starting point to discuss the mixture of science, magic, and astrological superstitions developed by the Mayans. The Mayans were one of three civilisations to develop a system for handling numbers based on positional notation and the use of zero. Using this, they developed two calendars: a ritual calendar and a solar calendar. The first governed religious festivals and rituals, sometimes bloody and violent, held in the great ceremonial centres the Mayans built across Mesoamerica. The latter reflected the Mayans’ exceptional astronomical knowledge. From the long cycles created by combining the two calendars emerges the popular legend of the 2012 end-of-the-world prophecy.
