Did Mayans Think Dec. 21, 2012 Was the Apocalypse?
Short answer: No. But it’s complicated. December 21, 2012 is, some scholars believe, the last date on the Mayan’s 5,125-year “long count” calendar – one of as many as 24 calendars the ultra-precise Mayans used to schedule everything from festivals and planting times to (one would assume) dental appointments. But, because most Mayan writings were destroyed by Spanish conquistadors way back when, there’s very little to tell us just what the Mayans thought about that critical date: Was it of monumental significance or simply time to start another calendar? We do know that the Mayans actually had some things scheduled after 2012 – Lord Pakal of Palenque was due to celebrate a coronation anniversary sometime in 4772, for instance – and frankly, not everyone’s sure that that December 21, 2012 date is the one we should get all excited about. In fact, a number of modern-day Maya celebrated the beginning of the end of the calendar earlier this year – meaning they think the calendar’s going to r
