In a word...the Mayan are not only about December 21, 2012 or the Mayan winter solstice sun worship.
When a word is a series of symbols that intends to convey a message then that word can be written in many forms.
The Maya hieroglyphs are such words. They were words written in a time when the romantic languages hadn't yet infiltrated the american continents. Though the words of the mesoamericans were displayed in a different form they were nonetheless used for the same purposes that the then unknown world that existed across the vast oceans were using words for. The metaphysical world was the same mysterious realm to all of humanity then at it is now and that metaphysical world was being attended to by all people of every race then just as it is now.
Then like now, there were charismatic leaders and their were cultish followers. The symbols conveyed words of intention. The symbols of intention gained the attention of the few and then of the masses and reality, however political became recorded has what we read as history.
The reality of words can and does begin in the mind of everyone and to go further every lifeform has words or symbols of communication. However the power of the individuals words can only go as far as the thinkers power of persuasion. Such persuasion through symbols and words has often been used in political propoganda to influence the behaviour of the masses. As the meaning of the symbols becomes powerful enough in the minds of enough people then the words become a reality - truth or not.
That is the power of persuasion.
How did the Mayan, who developed a great pre-Columbian nation in the Americas use symbols and words? Their written method of communication was an hieroglyphic form of symbols. The written word was complex and mostly remained the intellectual property of the priest class who worshipped and served the governing high-priest or king god. The words of the high priest or ruler were the words of god.
The pre-Columbian Americas like the rest of the earth was a world in flux. And the political power of the ruling god figure and his priest caste changed hands several times. With the change of guard, the mental paradigm of the Maya often changed according to the words of the new God Ruler.
Of course the story of the Maya glyphs goes much deeper than that but what is known about Maya is that they lived in a pantheon caste system; as above so below. The ruler and his family were the head, the priest class were the scribes and authority who conveyed the words of the ruler to the masses.
To be a scribe for an unpopular ruler most likely was a very dangerous position to be in. To be a reformist scribe priest probably meant the same in mesoamerica as it did in Europe during the early years of inquisition.
Though the reformists message may have been a purer truth for the age it however needed to gain mass appeal through oral exposition or through the symbols of words. This change never happens without resistance. Charismatic people can be the most dangerous people on the face of the earth as they often are dogmatic about their intentions and will go to great lengths to preserve the status quo in order to manifest their intentions. It was no different in Maya as it is today on any continent in our world of man made realities.
Michael D. Coe is an archeologist, anthropologist, who has spent many years researching the Maya. Coe is a respected scholar and has served as curator of the Peabody Museum of Natural History at Yale University. His research has led to several published works which include articles, scientific papers, and novels. Much of this work revolves around the meaning of the written language of the Maya.
Michael D. Coe is mentioned in 218 publications some of which date back t0 1950. These can be reviewed at WorldCat Identities.
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