2012: for the love of apocalypse

I MUST see this movie. 2012

I don't 'get' the whole 2012 thing. I mean, the Mayans obviously weren't sharp enough to foresee the Spaniards showing up and exterminating them- otherwise those Spaniards would've been killed on sight. And the Mayans could have EASILY done that if they'd understood the threat posed.

Don't know why one would expect them to be able to predict something 500 years later.

Bighead wrote:

I don't 'get' the whole 2012 thing. I mean, the Mayans obviously weren't sharp enough to foresee the Spaniards showing up and exterminating them- otherwise those Spaniards would've been killed on sight. And the Mayans could have EASILY done that if they'd understood the threat posed.

They could? How so?

I am living my life as if the world ends on 12-21-12. My Indian brothers are correct on this date. I hope to laugh at all the gawd fearing folks when there "rapture" does not happen

slickjay12 wrote:

I am living my life as if the world ends on 12-21-12. My Indian brothers are correct on this date.

Could you provide proof of that?

slickjay12 wrote:

I am living my life as if the world ends on 12-21-12. My Indian brothers are correct on this date. I hope to laugh at all the gawd fearing folks when there "rapture" does not happen

Heh. Yeah, I gotta call bullshit, too. You have better sense than that.

SciFi wrote:

Bighead wrote:

I don't 'get' the whole 2012 thing. I mean, the Mayans obviously weren't sharp enough to foresee the Spaniards showing up and exterminating them- otherwise those Spaniards would've been killed on sight. And the Mayans could have EASILY done that if they'd understood the threat posed.

They could? How so?

You want me to write an alternative history or something? Early on, the Mayans were far from universally hostile to the Spanish- some were downright friendly until it became obvious what kind of people these Conquistadors were. Seems like if the Mayans had had a properly working crystal ball, the Spaniards would have had a much tougher time as soon as they hit the beach.

Though it's true enough that nobody could have stopped smallpox and the like.

The Mayans didn't have a crystal ball. They read the stars. You know, like Miss Cleo.

They were good at star gazing, but there was no radio or TV so they needed a way to kill time. But just because they didn't choose to continue the calendar past 2012 doesn't convince me the world will end. Could be they saw it as the end of a time period and nothing more.

I read an article where the Maya saw 2012, as they saw all cycle endings, as a time of transformation and renewal. This whole idea of the world ending in 2012 is not from the Mayans, but from Western ideas.

For your reading pleasure: Clique Ici

My favorite quote: "If I went to some Mayan-speaking communities and asked people what is going to happen in 2012, they wouldn't have any idea," said Jose Huchim, a Yucatan Mayan archaeologist. "That the world is going to end? They wouldn't believe you. We have real concerns these days, like rain."

Bighead wrote:

I don't 'get' the whole 2012 thing. I mean, the Mayans obviously weren't sharp enough to foresee the Spaniards showing up and exterminating them- otherwise those Spaniards would've been killed on sight. And the Mayans could have EASILY done that if they'd understood the threat posed.

Don't know why one would expect them to be able to predict something 500 years later.

Toltec legends tell of Quetzelcoatl, a white-skinned, bearded priest-king who came from the East to establish an enlightened kingdom among the Indians. Eventually he departed by boat to the West. Quetzelcoatl promised to return, and as the appointed day of his second coming approached, heavenly omens indicated that the Aztec culture was about to come to an abrupt and violent end.

Link

Aztec, not Mayan. But they were in contact with each other.

Yeah, like you said- the Aztecs ain't the Mayans. Neither are they the Incas... although I'm sure you could find me an anecdote about those folks, too.

Matter of fact, the Aztecs did a hell of a job at expediting their own fate- getting their king/chief/whatever kidnapped right off the bat. Seems unlikely that they would've invited the Spaniards into their city if they saw THAT coming.


But hey- plan your life according to cryptic and poorly translated mythologies from long, long ago if that's what floats yer boat. Billions of people do it. And billions of people can't be wrong, can they?

Bighead wrote:

You want me to write an alternative history or something?

No, I was wondering how the Mayans could have wiped out the Spaniards from a military standpoint. Were there weapons similar? Were the Mayans significantly greater in number? Just curious.

Didn't say that they could've. Only that they clearly didn't see their demise coming.

Uhh.... Bighead, you did say that.

Bighead wrote:

I don't 'get' the whole 2012 thing. I mean, the Mayans obviously weren't sharp enough to foresee the Spaniards showing up and exterminating them- otherwise those Spaniards would've been killed on sight. And the Mayans could have EASILY done that if they'd understood the threat posed.

But in reality, the Mayans could have caused the Spaniards alot of problems being on their home ground. The VC caused a ton of trouble for our well equipped troops with simple booby traps and bolt action rifles.

No- I didn't say that. The Mayans could NOT have defeated the sustained campaign of genocide made by those Good Christian Spaniards. They could, however, have killed the Spaniards on sight at their initial arrival. But they didn't- in many cases they were downright friendly initially.

If, however, the Mayans had foreseen their demise at the hands of the Spaniards... I don't reckon they would've been so nice at first.

Well let's just say you made it sound like you said it. You said the Mayans could have "EASILY" killed the Spaniards on sight. How else would you expect the reader to interpret that?

Doesn't really matter what I said. What's important here is what I MEANT.

Bighead wrote:

Doesn't really matter what I said. What's important here is what I MEANT.

Sounds like slider again.

The Other One wrote:

Bighead wrote:

Doesn't really matter what I said. What's important here is what I MEANT.

Sounds like slider again.

I'd hate to rent from him. A $300 agreement could become $1500 on collection day.

Bighead wrote:

Didn't say that they could've. Only that they clearly didn't see their demise coming.

"otherwise those Spaniards would've been killed on sight. And the Mayans could have EASILY done that if they'd understood the threat posed."

SciFi wrote:

Bighead wrote:

Didn't say that they could've. Only that they clearly didn't see their demise coming.

"otherwise those Spaniards would've been killed on sight. And the Mayans could have EASILY done that if they'd understood the threat posed."

To bad for my ancestors that they did not kill the Mayflower people on site. Things may have been better for us

slickjay12 wrote:

SciFi wrote:

Bighead wrote:

Didn't say that they could've. Only that they clearly didn't see their demise coming.

"otherwise those Spaniards would've been killed on sight. And the Mayans could have EASILY done that if they'd understood the threat posed."

To bad for my ancestors that they did not kill the Mayflower people on site. Things may have been better for us

You'd have probably been under Mexican rule since they were coming up from the south, and then the US wouldn't have been here to be a sanctuary for all those German physicists trying to escape Nazi rule so Hitler would have gotten nukes first. One nuke on Mexico City and this land would be under Nazi occupation. Slickjay!! ist your turn to report to das de-lousing station. Schnell!! Schnell!!

Or maybe not. No offense man, but if your ancestors had been left alone while Europe and Asia advanced their technology, you'd have just died faster a couple centuries later when someone decided to claim the place.