The Question—
Hello Jim and MWiz, I recently watched the televised program on Isla de Robinson Crusoe or “Apocalypse Island”. Is the location of this possible monument the only place these cosmic events of 2012 will be visible anywhere on earth? Also, why would the Mayans go to such lengths to carve such an important landmark using unfamiliar materials and risk the destruction of such an important monument? By looking at the pictures on your website I fail to see any resemblance to a jaguar or Mayan sun god. I am looking forward to your reply
The Answers—-
Hi xxxx
You can go to my website (www.apocalypseisland.com) and visit the photo gallery for additional photos of the monument. The movie did not do it justice and it is understandable that you would be disappointed. In the Photo Gallery is an overlay showing the Mayan Sun God image over the monument. The Maya used the material on hand because, at double the size of the Egyptian Sphinx, it was an arduous task to carve. They stripped away the exterior of the volcanic ridge, likely exposing harder material underneath. As rock made from cooled lava it was strong enough to survive this long. I am leaving on Saturday for another expedition to the island monument, this time to film the Solar Eclipse of July 11. I intend to spend much time photographing the monument from all angles. You can pre-order a copy of the expedition DVD from my website. Thanks for your interest. Cheers, Jim
Hixxxx,
Don’t you hate when you email someone with questions and they just don’t answer them? Sorry but I forgot to talk about the visibility of the 2012 cosmic events. The Transit of Venus will be visible over a large swath of the earth and will be observed for only moments before sunset as seen from the island monument. However, horizon viewing was apparently preferred by the ancients, perhaps because the sun is passing through a thicker cross-section of atmosphere and therefore easier to look at with the unprotected eye. The November 13, 2012 total solar eclipse is visible in the Western Hemisphere only from the Juan Fernandez Archipelago, the islands of Alexander Selkirk and Robinson Crusoe. In truth, the 2012 eclipse is only 90% eclipsed as seen from the island monument since the eclipse path passes to the north of the island. Some may find this cause to dismiss the entire thing because the eclipse is not total but when you consider the sophistication of the science involved in the prediction and the inability of the Maya to reformat the cosmos for their celestial mythology you have to cut them some slack. Another interpretation might suggest that, since the eclipse path ends precisely on the 80th line of longitude, that we are simply misunderstanding the intention of the Maya and that the true import of this mystery transcends a single celestial event (ie. the 2012 eclipse). As defined by NASA’s calculations the central line of the 2012 eclipse ends at 79 degrees 58.2 minutes West of Greenwich, a mere 1.8 SECONDS of longitude away from the 80th meridian. For the importance of this meridian I would direct you to Volume 3 of The Ahau Chronicles where I detail the sacred cartography involved with this line. As a discrete marking of time I feel the Maya have come as close as heavenly possible to accurately measuring the orbit of our planet around the sun. See the attached animation for another perspective. Hopefully that answers your questions. Now I have to go and pack for the expedition. Cheers, Jim