The end of the world in postcard format: The Dresden Maya-Code – A virtual exhibition

By Wiebke Hauschildt (Online Editor)

The Book Museum of the Sächsische Landes- und Universitätsbibliothek (SLUB) (Saxon State and University Library) started to present the Maya-Code as early as in 1786 – however, in the end it was the American film director Roland Emmerich and his film “2012” who would draw streams of visitors not only into cinemas but also into the treasure chamber of the SLUB in Dresden.

On the occasion of the German-Mexican Cultural Year, which was introduced by the federal president Joachim Gauck and the Mexican president Enrique Peña Nieto with a joint walk through the Berlin exhibition “The Maya – Language of Beauty” in the Martin-Gropius-Bau on 11^th April, the Deutsche Digitale Bibliothek presents the virtual exhibition “Die Dresdner Maya-Handschrift: Prophetie und Ritual aus Yukatan” (“The Dresden Mayan Manuscript: Prophecy and Ritual from Yucatan”). The virtual exhibition, curated by Dr Thomas Haffner and Norman Köhler, illuminates history, content and significance of this for the Maya and today’s Mayan research very important document.

From Yucatan via Vienna to Dresden

The Code is one of the oldest preserved documents of the Mayan culture – the archaeologist Eric Thomson estimates that it is dated 1200 to 1250 A.D. This indicates that its origin lies in northern Yucatan, where at that time the last large Mayan community existed.

It is unknown how and when the Maya-Code found its way from Mexico to Europe. The Code probably travelled to Madrid with the Spanish conquerors in the 16^th century and from there to Vienna. However, it is established that the Code is purchased in Vienna in 1739 as an “invaluable Mexican book with hieroglyphic figures” by the supervisor of the Kurfürstliche Bibliothek (Electoral Library) in Dresden, Johann Christian Götze, and is brought to Dresden.

After this, however, the document falls into oblivion until Alexander von Humboldt sees the manuscript on 6^th June 1791 – on this day he signs the guestbook of the library – and publishes five pages from it in 1813. As from 1835, the Maya-Code is exhibited in a showcase in the Japanese Palais, the residence of the Königliche Öffentliche Bibliothek (Royal Public Library) at that time. Subsequently to Humboldt’s publication, research activities and the final identification as Mayan manuscript by the French historian and archaeologist Charles Étienne Brasseur de Bourbourg in 1853 begin.

The water-spilling Goddess Chak Chel with the features of a jaguar, snake headdress and crossbones on the black skirt. The figure 5.1.0 (=1.820) and the hieroglyph for the day Eb can be detected in the flush of water.

From deciphering the hieroglyphs to predicting the apocalypse

The deciphering of the manuscript was initially accomplished by the Dresden senior librarian Ernst Wilhelm Förstemann at the end of the 19^th century. Förstemann made fundamental discoveries concerning the numeral system, the calendrical calculation, the significance of the astronomical tables and detected the division into sections of 260 days (almanacs). Together with the Berlin judge on probation Paul Schellhas, the two scientists established a scheme for the designation of the Mayan Gods with the help of capital letters which is still in use today.

The Maya researcher Nicolai Grube from the University in Bonn explained to the FAZ (Frankfurt General Newspaper) concerning the content of the Code: “It is a manual for priests that contains almanacs with the help of which good or bad days for rites or farming can be predicted”. But why was it assumed that the Code predicted the end of the world?

One of originally 13 pages of a K’atun-calendar with 13 times 20 years of 360 days each. Fighting warriors at the top and the presentation of a prisoner at the bottom represent the calamity that is imminent after expiration of the first K'atun-period.

It can be considered true that one Mayan era ends on 21^st December 2012, namely the 13^th Baktun – the 13^th cycle of 400 years since the creation of the world. At the same time, the day “5 EB” is written along the side of the manuscript which allegedly shows the apocalypse in the form of a flood – this day appears in the calendar every 260 days and according to Grube means that “if there is a heavy tropical storm on this day … it is warned against a possible major flood”.

However, “5 EB” has nothing to do with the 21^st December 2012 and after the 13^th Baktun ends: the 14^th begins. Thus, it is rather a calendrical calculation with detailed weather observations of the Maya. The interpretation of this page as an end-of-the-world-scenario was provided by western esoterics, Roland Emmerich put the finishing Hollywood-touches to the story and consequently, worldwide attention for the Dresden Maya-Code was predictable – and not the end of the world.

More interesting background information on the Code, for example concerning the Mayan Gods, their calendrical calculation and the hieroglyphic writing is provided in the virtual exhibition of the Deutsche Digitale Bibliothek:

To the exhibition “Die Dresdner Maya-Handschrift: Prophetie und Ritual aus Yucatan”