Archaeologists have unearthed an ancient Mayan mural believed to be a calendar projecting events some 7,000 years into the future – thus contradicting doomsday warnings predicting the end of the world this December.
The excavation took place in the Guatemalan forest on the outskirts of Xultún and saw the mural revealed on the walls of an ancient house.
Featuring colourful portraits of the king, the wall also contains complex mathematical calculations, believed to be calendar and astronomy predictions with a 2.5million day timespan.
Excavation leader William Saturno told National Geographic News: “It’s important to understand that the ancient Maya predicted the world would continue. That was their point. They didn’t predict the end of the world.
"There would be cycles, new beginnings—but never endings. That’s what’s going on in this room. The numbers on the walls are calculations of when the same cosmic events would happen in the future.
"The Maya were looking for a guarantee that nothing would change. We keep looking for endings. It’s an entirely different mind-set."
One interpretation of the Mayan prophecy has stated the world will come to a sudden, cataclysmic end in 2012, with media, internet forums, Hollywood and pop culture perpetuating the belief.
Not everyone has been so sure, however. Last year, Sven Gronemeyer of Australia's La Trobe University said that his interpretation of certain hieroglyphs indicate that though 21 December 2012 is an important date for the ancient Mayan people, it won't necessarily be apocalyptic.
"The date acquired a symbolic value because it is seen as a reflection of the day of creation," Gronemeyer said whilst at an archaeological site in Palenque, Mexico. "It is the passage of a god and not necessarily a great leap for humanity."
His research shows that 21/12/2012 heralds the arrival of the Mayan god of creation and war, Bolon Yokte, 5,125 years after Mayan Long Count calendar began back in 3113 B.C.
His reappearance on earth is meant to indicate a new era on the planet, but not a destructive one.
Maya Ruins
(01 of10)
Open Image Modal"Younger Brother Obsidian," as labeled on the north wall of the Maya city's house by an unknown hand, was painted in the 9th century A.D. Archaeologist William Saturno of Boston University excavates the house in the ruins of the Maya city of Xultún. Younger Brother Obsidian may have been the town scribe. Excavation and preservation of the site were supported by the National Geographic Society.Photo by Tyrone Turner © 2012 National Geographic
(02 of10)
Open Image ModalTrees grow atop a newly discovered mound over a house built by the ancient Maya that contains the rendering of an ancient figure, possibly the town scribe. The house sits at the edge of the ancient site of Xultún in Guatemala, a city that once housed tens of thousands of people. Excavation and preservation of the site were supported by the National Geographic Society.Photo by Tyrone Turner © 2012 National Geographic
(03 of10)
Open Image ModalThree male figures, seated and painted in black. The men, wearing only white loincloths and medallions around their necks and a head dress bearing another medallion and a single feather, were uncovered on the ruined house's west wall. The painting recreates the design and colors of the original Maya mural. Excavation and preservation of the site were supported by the National Geographic Society.Painting by Heather Hurst
(04 of10)
Open Image ModalA Maya king, seated and wearing an elaborate head dress of blue feathers, adorns the north wall of the ruined house discovered at the Maya site of Xultún. An attendant, at right, leans out from behind the king's head dress. The painting by artist Heather Hurst recreates the design and colors of the original Maya artwork at the site. The excavation and preservation of the site were supported by the National Geographic Society.Painting by Heather Hurst
(05 of10)
Open Image ModalA vibrant orange figure, kneeling in front of the king on the ruined house's north wall, is labeled "Younger Brother Obsidian," a curious title seldom seen in Maya text. The man is holding a writing instrument, which may indicate he was a scribe. The painting recreates the design and colors of the figure in the original Maya mural. Excavation and preservation of the site were supported by the National Geographic Society.Painting by Heather Hurst
(06 of10)
Open Image ModalFour long numbers on the north wall of the ruined house relate to the Maya calendar and computations about the moon, sun and possibly Venus and Mars; the dates may stretch some 7,000 years into the future. These are the first calculations Maya archaeologists have found that seem to tabulate all of these cycles in this way. Although they all involve common multiples of key calendrical and astronomical cycles, the exact significance of these particular spans of time is not known.Illustration by William Saturno and David Stuart © 2012 National Geographic
(07 of10)
Open Image ModalThe painted figure of a man -- possibly a scribe who once lived in the house built by the ancient Maya -- is illuminated through a doorway to the dwelling, in northeastern Guatemala. The structure represents the first Maya house found to contain artwork on its walls. The research is supported by the National Geographic Society.Photo by Tyrone Turner © 2012 National Geographic
(08 of10)
Open Image ModalConservator Angelyn Bass cleans and stabilizes the surface of a wall of a Maya house that dates to the 9th century A.D. The figure of a man who may have been the town scribe appears on the wall to her left. Excavation and preservation of the site were supported by the National Geographic Society.Photo by Tyrone Turner © 2012 National Geographic
(09 of10)
Open Image ModalNever-before-seen artwork -- the first to be found on walls of a Maya house -- adorn the dwelling in the ruined city of Xultún. The figure at left is one of three men on the house's west wall who are painted in black and wear identical costumes. Excavation and preservation of the site were supported by the National Geographic Society.Photo by Tyrone Turner © 2012 National Geographic
(10 of10)
Open Image ModalArchaeologist William Saturno of Boston University carefully uncovers art and writings left by the Maya some 1,200 years ago. The art and other symbols on the walls may have been records kept by a scribe, Saturno theorizes. Saturno's excavation and documentation of the house were supported by the National Geographic Society. Photo by Tyrone Turner © 2012 National Geographic