Apocalypse Not

The 2012 phenomenon

by Kevin García

On December 21st, 2012 the ancient Mayan Long Count Calendar will complete a 5,125-year cycle. A New Age interpretation of this transition posits that during this time Earth and its inhabitants may undergo a positive physical or spiritual transformation, and that 2012 may mark the beginning of a new era.

Others suggest that the 2012 date marks the end of the world or a similar catastrophe. Doomsday scenarios include the Earth’s collision with a passing planet or black hole, or the arrival of the next solar maximum.

Scholars from various disciplines have dismissed the idea of a catastrophe, stating that predictions of impending doom are not found in any of the existing classic Mayan accounts.

Mainstream Maya and Mayan scholars contend it misrepresents Mayan history to suggest that the Long Count Calendar “ends” in 2012.

The modern Maya, on the whole, have not attached much significance to the date, and the classical sources on the subject are scarce and contradictory, suggesting that there was little, if any, universal agreement among them about what, if anything, the date might mean.

Regardless of which theory any of us may subscribe to, we can be certain that the onset of 2012 will mark a heightened awareness of the ancient Mayan civilization and modern Mayan culture. An air of mystery will continue to build around the Maya, as is already evident in the ever-increasing attention the calendar event is generating worldwide.