Stela Fragment with Glyphs 4th-9th century Maya This is a fragment of the bas relief known as Tortuguero Monument 6, which contains one of the most infamous and contentious hieroglyphic texts in the Classic Maya (ca. a.d. 250-900) corpus. For many years epigraphers and lay enthusiasts honed in on the final passage of the text as a "prophecy," a tale of what would have happened on the date 13.0.0.0.0 4 Ahaw 3 K'ank'in in the Maya calendar. This corresponded to a day in December 2012, leading to spurious and sensational claims about an end of days predicted by the ancient Maya. The Met's fragment contains a pivotal portion of the text. The main event of the Tortuguero Monument 6 text is the ritual dedication of a building, quite possibly a mortuary structure, on the date January 11, a.d. 669 (9.11.16.8.18 9 Etz'nab 6 K'ayab). A local lord of Tortuguero, calling himself "Lord Jaguar," burned fire for the first time in the structure on that date, activating it as a ritual space. Throughout