Did you know scientists have finally cracked the mystery behind the ancient Mayan calendar? For years, people were fascinated by its complex design and thought it might predict the end of the world. Turns out, it’s way cooler than that! The calendar is actually a brilliant system that tracks time, the movements of the sun, moon, and planets, and even helps predict eclipses. Researchers discovered it’s tied to the Mayans' deep understanding of astronomy and their unique way of blending math with their beliefs. It’s like an ancient cosmic planner! So next time you see those intricate symbols, remember—it’s not just history, it’s genius in action! 🛕✨ Credit:
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God K effigy 2: By Tom Eppenberger Jr., Simon Burchell - https://flic.kr/p/49W8ov, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=18994213
Animation is created by Bright Side.
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This video is made for entertainment purposes. We do not make any warranties about the completeness, safety and reliability. Any action you take upon the information in this video is strictly at your own risk, and we will not be liable for any damages or losses. It is the viewer's responsibility to use judgement, care and precaution if you plan to replicate.
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FunTranscript
00:00Back in December 2012, a lot of people were freaking out over the idea that the world
00:05might end in some catastrophic event.
00:08And it was all thanks to the famous Maya calendar.
00:11This ancient way of tracking time had been the subject of endless speculation.
00:16But one of its biggest mysteries was definitely an 819-day count found in some versions of
00:23the calendar.
00:24No one could explain why it was there or how it worked, until recently, when a group of
00:29researchers from Cambridge might have finally cracked the code.
00:34First things first, how does the Maya calendar work?
00:38So the system the Maya civilization used to track days was based on something we now call
00:44the calendar round.
00:46Think of it like three interlocking gears.
00:49These are three cycles working together.
00:52The first is a 365-day solar year, known as Hab.
00:58The second is a cycle of 20 names.
01:01And the third is a cycle of 13 numbers, which forms a 260-day sacred calendar, called Tzolk'in.
01:12Just like we'd say something like December 25th, 2025, they named their days based on
01:18how these three cycles lined up.
01:21For example, here we have the day 3 Manic and the 14th of the month Hab.
01:28It takes 52 years for the three cycles to align in the same way again.
01:33After that, the days start repeating.
01:37But this is where things start to get more complicated and mysterious.
01:42On some Mayan monuments, we have also found enigmatic inscriptions pointing to the existence
01:48of another cycle, the 819-day count.
01:53There are about 20 examples of these inscriptions mostly found in places like Palenque and Yaxchilan
01:59in Mexico.
02:00So it didn't seem random at all, and this calendar must have been hiding a big secret.
02:07Early research showed that the 819-day cycle was represented by one of four colors and
02:13the cardinal directions associated with them.
02:17Dark was tied to the west, red to the east, white to the north, and yellow to the south.
02:24Researchers also discovered that this period of time could be broken down into three smaller
02:28cycles.
02:30One of 9 days, one of 7 days, and one of 13 days.
02:35Multiply them together, and you'd get 819 days.
02:39Pretty cool, but why did they do that?
02:43This color scheme and the three cycles seemed like a basic level of interpretation, and
02:48experts were pretty sure its real purpose was still hidden from us.
02:54Another thing researchers noticed is that this strange count of days was mostly shown
02:59using a wide glyph, followed by a number.
03:03But in some cases, they also added a glyph representing Kawil.
03:09This was a powerful Maya deity, often associated with creation and lightning.
03:15He was usually symbolized by a torch coming out of his forehead, representing the spark
03:20of light.
03:21But in the 90s, a study suggested that when Kawil's inscription showed smoke and fire
03:26coming from his forehead, it could actually represent the planets Jupiter or Saturn, or
03:31maybe even both.
03:34Wait, that means that the 819 days count could be linked to both planets in some way.
03:41From there, research focused on figuring out what that link might be.
03:47The first conclusion is that this calendar might have helped the Maya track the movements
03:51of those planets in some way.
03:54Then they started noticing something interesting.
03:57These cycles could be specifically tied to the synodic periods of Jupiter and Saturn.
04:03By synodic periods, we mean the time it takes for a celestial body, like a planet, to return
04:08to the same or nearly the same position as seen from Earth.
04:14While this possibility was pretty exciting, something didn't quite add up.
04:20Each planet moves very differently, and trying to fit multiple planets into an 819-day span
04:26just didn't seem to work.
04:28In other words, this four-part color-coded calendar system was simply too short to align
04:34perfectly with the synodic periods of the visible planets.
04:39So it looks like we're back to square one.
04:42This mystery had people scratching their heads for ages, until 2023, when specialists realized
04:48they might have been looking at it all wrong.
04:52Researchers actually needed to shift their perspective.
04:55Instead of seeing this system as 819 days, they needed to consider the number as representing
05:01timelines, and this period of time could be just a small part of a much, much bigger calendar.
05:10You see, as we said earlier, this cycle seemed to track the period when a planet became visible
05:15to people on Earth.
05:17To prove that these 819 cycles were timelines, not actual days, researchers needed a planet
05:24that could serve as a starting point to back up their theory.
05:29In this case, it was Mercury.
05:31And there's a pretty simple reason for that.
05:33Mercury's synodic period is 117 days, which fits perfectly into the calendar count.
05:39I mean, if you take 1819 and divide by 117, you get the number 7.
05:47So Mercury is the only visible planet whose synodic cycle fits neatly into this period
05:53as whole numbers.
05:55Perfect.
05:56Now they had a solid starting point.
05:59From there, they needed to expand the calendar by increasing its length to 20 periods of
06:04819 days.
06:06Suddenly, a pattern emerges.
06:09And just like that, all the synodic cycles of the planets fit perfectly into the system.
06:16For example, Saturn's synodic period from 378 days lines up perfectly after 6 819-day
06:25cycles, Venus aligns every 5 cycles, Jupiter every 19 cycles, and Mars, which takes the
06:33longest, needs 20 cycles.
06:36In other words, it takes about 45 years for Mars to align with the synodic periods of
06:41all visible planets.
06:45So this is how researchers determined that the ancient civilization wasn't referring
06:49to days, but rather to timelines.
06:52The Maya astronomers came up with this count as part of a larger calendar system of 20
06:58periods.
06:59But then a question comes up.
07:01Why was studying the synodic period so important to the Maya?
07:05Well, we don't have super specific answers about this mysterious calendar yet.
07:11But what we can say for sure is that the Maya truly believed in the powerful influence
07:16of the cosmos on daily life.
07:18So maybe they wanted to analyze how the movements of all the visible planets lined up with their
07:24other calendars.
07:27Of course, this system is just one part of the Maya's amazing and advanced understanding
07:32of astrology.
07:34And it wasn't just about using astrological cycles for planting and harvesting.
07:39They also had crazy specific knowledge, like how to predict solar eclipses.
07:47Archaeologists believe the Maya connection to the stars is reflected in the ruins of
07:50their world.
07:52Take the famous pyramid in the ancient city of Chichen Itza, located in Mexico's Yucatan
07:57Peninsula.
07:59If you look closely at the base of its staircase, you will see a snake's head carved in stone.
08:05But here's the coolest part.
08:07During the spring and fall equinoxes, when day and night are exactly the same length,
08:12the sun casts sharp triangular shadows on the staircase.
08:16It creates the illusion of a snake slithering down the steps.
08:22Another example of how they used their knowledge of astronomy in their temples is in Tikal,
08:27Guatemala.
08:28Built around year one of the Common Era, this pyramid is considered one of the Maya's earliest
08:34astronomical complexes.
08:36And its alignment and orientation allowed them to track and calculate solstices and
08:41equinoxes with incredible precision.
08:46The Maya were skilled sky watchers.
08:48Just like we have modern-day high-tech observatories with round domes, they had something similar.
08:55Meet El Caracol.
08:56The name means snail in Spanish and refers to the spiral staircase inside the tower.
09:03Built around 906 Common Era, it was the perfect place to observe all the changes in the sky
09:09and track the movements of the sun, moon, planets, and stars.
09:14Unlike us today with our telescopes, satellites, and advanced tools, the Maya relied entirely
09:20on naked-eye observation.
09:22And that makes their achievements even more incredible.
09:29That's it for today.
09:30Hey, if you pacified your curiosity, then give the video a like and share it with your
09:34friends.
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