The Maya Calendar

The artifact I chose from the museum is the Maya calendar. It’s a big brown circle figured stone with 2 layers; each one contains symbols with a different meaning each. It was used dating back to at least the 6th century BC by the Mayas, in pre-Columbian Mesoamerica, and in many modern communities in the Guatemalan highlands. The Maya Calendar was made through the knowledge of ancient civilizations and it was carved and improved by the Mayas. It has a diameter of 3.54 meters and weighs 24 tons. They used it to channel their energy, to stay synchronized with the universe, and their own spirit. With this artifact the Mayas were able to observe the energy sent from the center of the Galaxy’s and from the Sun. All this information was translated
They believed in a cyclical and spiral time meanwhile we use a lineal measurement of time. Nowadays we have improved technology that has analyzed the earth and its changes. For this reason we have improved calendars as well as theories for events and tragedies that for the Mayas could have had a different explanation. I believe that people don’t make conclusions out of the blew. They consist on series of conclusions made in the past or ideas that improve over time. The Mayas as well as the other civilizations helped the actual civilization to create logical explanations about time. However, this type of artifact that made us accomplish what we have is so important that needs to be kept safe. Every day we discover new things and we understand the world more profoundly and if we look back at this artifact and draw new conclusions this could be very important for the whole
With it they organized their every day, they were more conscious of time and of their own special events. Like us, we know what day it is, what time is it, our whole days work with time and we give meaning to our days. This piece of stone wasn’t something one person could afford; it was something everyone needed to be a part of. From this, this civilization stopped living like animals, they turned into an advanced culture. This progress gave them a voice, they were growing into a better and more improved community.

Additionally, this calendar was the collection of all the information this culture gathered to create a legacy. In here is all of the knowledge they acquired through time and only the people who knew this information who understood their meaning were able to work on it.

To conclude, I belief this artifact is an alternative of the measurement of time, but no matter how much knowledge I obtain by reading about it I first need to understand what each symbol means in order to make a contrast on what I think about it. This artifact was mainly used to prevent, to forecast, to know when exactly to grow food or go on a journey. For this reason, it influences only the people who understood how this artifact