"Did the Maya really predict that the world would end in December of 2012? If not, how and why has 2012 millenarianism gained such popular appeal? In this deeply knowledgeable book, two leading historians of the Maya answer these questions in a succinct, readable, and accessible style. Matthew Restall and Amara Solari introduce, explain, and ultimately demystify the 2012 phenomenon. They begin by briefly examining the evidence for the prediction of the world's end in ancient Maya texts and images, analyzing precisely what Maya priests did and did not prophesize. The authors then convincingly show how 2012 millenarianism has roots far in time and place from Maya cultural traditions, but in those of medieval and Early Modern Western Europe. Revelatory and myth-busting, while remaining firmly grounded in historical fact, this fascinating book will be essential reading as the countdown to December 21, 2012, begins." --- They're speaking here on Nov. 28th, but I suspect I won't be able to make it.

"...collapse of the southern Maya lowland cities between the 8th and 10th centuries A.D. Although it generally is believed that no single factor was responsible, a commonly accepted cause is environmental degradation as a product of large-scale deforestation. ... most compelling scientific evidence ... comes from the archaeological site of Copan, Honduras ... sediment core suggested a dramatic increase in forest clearance in the Late Classic period (A.D. 600–900). [But we analyze] a longer sediment core [and show] that forest cover increased from A.D. 400 to A.D. 900 .... The highest levels of deforestation are found about 900 B.C. .... A second ... period of elevated deforestation peaked at approximately A.D. 400 ... The first ... likely coincided with the widespread adoption of agriculture ... The second [deforestation was probably] the incursion of Maya speakers into the Copan Valley and their subsequent construction of the earliest levels of the Copan Acropolis."

ATM cave really is a quite extraordinary thing.

Tikal is, indeed, an abandoned place...

Mini-review: http://bactra.org/weblog/algae-2009-04.html