Anniversary Post: Mayan Calendar

Creation DateOn this day in 3114 BCE, the universe began. Or something. That was the start of the Mesoamerican Long Count calendar — also known as the Mayan calendar. Of course, this is not really when the universe began. It’s actually just when the calendar began. We know that now, because the universe did not end on 21 December 2012. But there is a difference. On 21 December 2012, the calendar just went in another cycle, but 11 August 3114 BCE is really when the calendar started. So maybe there is something to it.

Or maybe it is just an arbitrary date in the distant past when they decided to start their calendar. Let me see, now: is there another calendar that has an arbitrary start date? Well, there is that obscure one that is based on the supposed day when Jesus Christ was born. But even if you go by that, scholars usually date his actual birth date to 4 BCE. And that, I think, is an interesting thing. It meant that Christians long had it all wrong. (Shocking, I know.)

I’ve thought about the Bible a lot and all its various copying errors and translation mistakes. The only way you can think it is the literal word of God is to assume that God has been watching over the whole process, making sure that no mistakes get through. But clearly, he didn’t do that with the date that the big J was born. So even if you believe all the Christian folderol, how do you get past the obvious problem that the religion has been totally corrupted by now? Kind of hard to say that you know what God wants you to believe.

But I think it would be cool to say that it is the first day of the year 5228. Happy new Mayan year!

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