According to popular belief, the Mayan Long Count calendar, which spans roughly 5,125 years starting in 3114 B.C., reaches the end of a cycle on December 21, 2012. Many people involved in astrology and numerology believe that the Maya possessed a secret knowledge that foretold when the world will come to an end.
However, experts on the Mesoamerican culture claim that December 21, 2012 is merely a guess on the part of leading astrologists and by no means signifies the final word on when the Mayan calendar actually ends.
Experts explain the phenomenon saying that December 21, 2012 will bring to a close the 13th Bak'tun, an almost 400-year period in the Mayan Long Count calendar. But rather than moving to the next Bak'tun, the calendar will reset at the end of the 13th cycle.
The doomsday theories stem from a stone tablet discovered in the 1960s at the archaeological site of Tortuguero in the Gulf of Mexico state of Tabasco that describes the return of a Mayan god at the end of a 13th period.
The fact remains, the Mayan calendar is cyclical - much like the calendar we use today, and the 2012 reference only marks the end of a cycle in the Mayan calendar. In reality, the Mayans never predicted the end of the world as this April the Mayas released a letter to explain the Maya Calendar and clear up misconceptions.
“Contrary to popular belief, the living elders of the Maya do not agree that December 21, 2012 is the end of their calendar. A new “Sun” represents the beginning of a new Long Count cycle in the calendar system of approximately 5,200 years, which they say may not happen for many years,” the letter reads.
And goes on to say,” Most of this information comes from non-Mayans and it is not accurate…the Maya’s message is simple: Our actions have created a world out of balance that must be rebalanced immediately in order for us to avoid more suffering…to humans and to all life.”
Even so, the predictions of doom and gloom have been turned into highly-grossing Hollywood movies and History Channel documentaries, all telling us of dire things that might happen on December 21, 2012.
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