The Facts on 2012

La Mojarra Stela 1: Left column gives a Long Count date of 8, 5, 16, 9, 7, which is 156 A.D.

Long Count Calendars were used in Central America by indigenous people groups, including the Mayans, before European explorers imposed their dating system in the region. The Long Count Calendar tracks time linearly (as opposed to cyclically) and when it concludes, it purportedly marks the close of one age and the opening of another.

The Mayan Long Count Calendar employs the following method for counting days:

1 uinal =  20 days
18 uinals (or 360 days) = 1 tun
20 tuns  = 1 k’atun
20 k’atuns (or 144,000 days) = 1 b’ka’tun

The Long Count Calendar began on the mythical date of Mayan creation, which was August 11, 3114 B.C. on the Gregorian calendar. After 13 b’ka’tuns – or 5,125 years – some Mayan inscriptions say that time will graduate to a higher order. The most widely accepted correlation of the end of the 13th b’ak’tun with the Western calendar is December 21, 2012.

Modern discussion about an apocalyptic event accompanying the completion of the Long Count Calendar started in the 1950’s and 1960’s with astronomer Maud Worcester Makemson and anthropologist Munro S. Edmonson. Author Michael Coe fueled the fire in 1966, referring to the end-date of the Mayan Long Count Calendar as “Armageddon” in his book, The Maya.

The majority of Mayan scholars argue against apocalyptic predictions, positing that all the 2012 Doom’s Day scenarios are contemporary inventions and that such forecasting misrepresents Mayan history. Moreover, not only do modern Mayans not attach significance to the date, but some ancient Mayans didn't either. Ancient Mayan cities used the Long Count Calendar in different ways and some even believed the calendar would end after 20 b’ak’tuns, not 13.

There are many contemproary interpretations on what the end of the Long Count Calendar means and what will happen on December 21, 2012. Although many of these teachers are on the fringe of the religion or group to which they profess allegiance, their theories are receiving a lot of attention.

Please see the articles below for more information.

	2012 and the New Age Some professing New Age spirituality see the prophecy as a world-changing event.
	2012 and the Bible Some believe the Bible speaks of the 2012 prophecy.
	2012 and Nostradamus Some believe the French seer predicted the 2012 prophecy.
	2012 and the Web Bot Some believe this computer's predictions validate the 2012 prophecy.
	2012 and NASA NASA scientists have responded to the 2012 hysteria.
	Mayan Religion Mayan religion was characterized by the worship of nature gods, a priestly class, the importance of astronomy and astrology, rituals of human sacrifice, and the building of elaborate pyramidical temples.