In late 2012, a furious cocktail of doomsday documentaries, ancient aliens, and online panic had millions convinced that the end of the world was nigh. People raided supermarkets, stocked bunkers, and spent hours on conspiracy forums. The reason? A widespread belief that the ancient Maya had predicted the world would end on 21 December 2012.
But here’s the truth – and it might disappoint fans of apocalypse cinema: The Maya never predicted the end of the world!
What Actually Happened In 2012?
The entire 2012 phenomenon stems from a misinterpretation of the Mesoamerican Long Count calendar, a sophisticated system developed by the Maya to track vast spans of time. The calendar consists of several cyclical units, and the bʼakʼtun, which lasts approximately 394 years, is the most significant.
According to Mayan timekeeping, the 13th bʼakʼtun ended on 21 December 2012, which was a moment of cosmic significance, but not destruction. Think of it like our millennium celebrations in the year 2000. It wasn’t the end of time, just the end of a chapter.
In fact, Mayan inscriptions at sites like Tortuguero in modern-day Mexico mention events occurring far beyond 2012, including dates well into the 5th millennium AD. It’s rather hard to schedule ceremonies for the year 4772 if the universe is about to pack it in.
Credit: https://themayanscalendar2012.blogspot.com/
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