In this episode of History Fix, I explore the concept of "Mayanism" - the centuries old notion that the Maya were a mystical, lost civilization with abilities, knowledge, and powers that modern humans no longer possess. And how these beliefs were started by European conquistadors who couldn’t fathom that the Maya were possibly capable of their impressive accomplishments without some kind of supernatural interference, beliefs based in racist ideas that white Europeans were undeniably superior to all other races on Earth and therefore should be the most advanced. I'll explore how Mayanism led to the 2012 end of the world calendar debacle and how it still affects Maya people living in Mexico and Central America today.
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Sources:
- A Short History of podcast episode "The Maya"
- BBC "'Mayan Day of Apocalypse' Arrives"
- National Geographic "Who were the Maya? Decoding the ancient civilization's secrets"
- maya-aztec.com "European Influence and Conquest of the Maya"
- puraveda.org "Nixtamal: The Process of Making Corn Digestible and Nutritious"
- Encyclopedia Britannica "Popol Vuh"
- worldhistory.org "Maya Religion"
- worldhistory.org "Early Explorers of the Maya Civilization: John Lloyd Stephens and Frederick Catherwood"
- American Association of the Advancement of Science "Myths of the Mayan Long Count Calendar"
- Mayan Health Initiative "About Guatemala"
- Wikipedia "2012 Phenomenon"
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