The Film “2012” has swept the world and brought about the panic of the doomsday of 2012 worldwide. But who on earth has initiatively and precisely predicted 2012 to be a catastrophic year for the human race? You are right, the Mayans. On 14th May, numbers of students attended the “Lingnan Great lecture” whose theme was “Maya—the lost civilization”, uncovering the mysterious veil of Maya civilization with Professor Zheng Junlei from the department of Anthropology.

Maya civilization was a highly developed civilization that had developed a mature and unique system of mathematics, astronomy, architecture etc. To begin with, Professor Zheng demonstrated the origin of the Mayans, arguing that their ancestors can be derived from the northeastern part of China. Following that, Professor Zheng introduced the life style of Mayans. Much to the students’ surprise, compared with the dazzling and glorious cultural heritages, the livelihood of Mayans was relatively simple and primitive. Their staple crops were corn and bean and their sources of meat were limited. At the end of the lecture, Professor Zheng explained the reasons why the once splendid Maya civilization was to perish instantaneously, factoring in the environmental changes and social reform. According to Professor Zheng, it is the continuously deteriorating environment and the accumulated conflicts between civilians and the aristocrats that result in the extinction of Maya civilization.

During the Q&A section, students actively raised questions concerning Maya civilization and Professor answered them with knowledge and humor. One student asked: “Professor Zheng, do you believe the 2012 doomsday prophecy of Maya?” “Well, to my knowledge, I don’t believe it. However, never will I expel the possibility that with the development of science, we’ll sooner or later find evidences to prove this prophecy.” His answer won him a big round of applause.

"The lecture is both interesting and instructive,” said one girl after the lecture. “I want to know more about the Maya civilization after the lecture. I’m sure I won’t miss the “Lingnan Great lecture” next time.”

By Su Zilin