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Mayan Calendar Foundation Date and the Days of Peleg

By Chris McCann
September 30, 2016

How did native Americans populating North America, or the Mayans of South American, get there? The Bible tells us the answer is a result of a continental shift that God brought about in the days of Peleg:

Genesis 10:25 And unto Eber were born two sons: the name of one was Peleg; for in his days was the earth divided;

After the flood the earth's land mass was one large continent until the days of Peleg. This was also around the time of the tower of Babel. God decided to confound man's languages (to divide mankind by language)---and also to divide mankind geographically be causing the one large continent to part and becomes several. The newly divided continents also began to move across the ocean floor (continental shift that scientists refer to). It is correctly understood, by looking at a map of the continents, that if they were moved together they would fit like pieces of a puzzle.

The Bible tells us that this amazing division of the continents took place in Peleg's life time. We would expect, after the dividing up of the human race by language, that those that spoke a similar tongue would band together, and those that spoke another would also band together. Once banded together by language, the continents began to drift apart, stranding a group on what became south America, and another on north America, and still another group that became Australia, etc, etc.

If you remember, there was a big deal made about the Mayan's calendar coming to a close a few years ago (in 2012). What is interesting, is that the Mayan calendar's foundation date was 3114 BC. (it's so exact we even know it was in the month of August).

When we search the Bible to find out when Peleg lived, we find these dates:

Born---3153 BC,

Died---2914 BC

He lived at the time the Mayans laid the foundation for their calendar. Peleg would have been 39 (going on 40) years of age at the time the Mayans started their calendar in the year 3114 BC.

Why did the Mayans pick that particular date for the start date of their calendar? What was so special about it?

We've experienced earthquakes, and an earthquake occurring in one city can be very terrible. But we've never experienced something like a continental shift. The movement of huge land mass over long distances must have felt like the end of the world. And when it finally stopped moving, it must have felt like a new beginning. Certainly something to recognize and remember---by making it the foundation date for a new calendar.

The Bible explains to us how people groups came to speak the various languages they do, and also how they got to be in their various locations scattered across the earth. It happened in the days of Peleg.