| Twenty twelve is set to be a momentous year, the | | | | A K'atun consisted of 20 tuns and 20 of those a |
| first winter youth Olympics will be held in January, the | | | | b'ak'tun. Again the number 13 was significant and a |
| USA will hold a presidential election and the UK will | | | | number of inscriptions in Mayan art show the date |
| celebrate the diamond jubilee of Queen Elizabeth. But | | | | changing at the end of 13 b'ak'tuns and spoke of |
| if you're looking forward to 2013 don't get your | | | | events to occur on that date. This lead to |
| hopes up, because according to some predictions, the | | | | suggestions that the Mayans expected something |
| world is due to end on December 21. If you enjoy | | | | significant to occur on the last day of the 13th |
| Christmas, make the most of this year and the next, | | | | B'ak'tun. That day has been calculated to be 21st or |
| because according to the Mayan calendar, they will | | | | 23 December 2012. So what can we expect? |
| be your last. Possibly. | | | | Well according to many scholars nothing at all. There |
| Before Europeans arrived in Meso-America the | | | | are some references to something happening about |
| inhabitants used a complicated combination of | | | | that time in inscriptions, but nothing really concrete, |
| calendars to record their dates. The Haab or solar | | | | so it's surprising just how much fuss 2012 seems to |
| calendar was made from 18 20 day months plus a | | | | be generating. Some say there will a spiritual |
| period of 5 days known as Wayeb to bring the total | | | | evolution, while others mention a momentous galactic |
| to 365. | | | | alignment, though as this is based on the location of |
| The Tzolkin on the other hand was a cycle of 260 | | | | the galactic equator, and that cannot be determined, |
| days, 13 times 20. No-one knows quite why 260 | | | | this doesn't seem very likely. Yet others worry about |
| days were chosen, though it seems that the | | | | planet Niburu. |
| numbers 13 and twenty were both important to | | | | Collision with planet X (or Niburu) has been predicted |
| these early cultures. There is a possibility that it was | | | | since 2003, yet any planet close enough to be in |
| related to the time between a woman's first missed | | | | collision with the Earth in 2012 would now be plainly |
| period and the birth of her child, and helped predict | | | | visible to astronomers in the night sky. Sadly this |
| when a baby would be born, however other theories | | | | fictional collision has become confused in the media |
| about crop planting and astronomical observations | | | | with the actual and expected approach of a large |
| may be just as correct. Most dates could be set by | | | | asteroid known as Eros which is expected to pass |
| a combination of the Haab and Tzolin, the cycle | | | | the Earth in 2012. Eros is larger than the asteroid |
| would come together once every 52 years, that is | | | | which we believe killed the dinosaurs 65 millions years |
| roughly once in every lifetime. | | | | ago but since it it will never be closer than 70 times |
| To look at periods longer than 52 years the Mayans | | | | the distance of the moon, it is unlikely to do any |
| used a different system which we now call the Long | | | | damage. |
| Count calendar. This system is shown in both Olmec | | | | Looking at the Mayan calendar is a great reason to |
| and Aztec art and wasn't invented by the Maya. | | | | think about how we measure time and why, to |
| Dates run forward from a mythical day zero, the | | | | understand the solar cycles which still dominate our |
| date of the beginning of the present world. Like all | | | | lives and to admire the art of a fascinating culture. As |
| civilizations the base units were days, with 20 days in | | | | to preparing for the end of the world, that still seems |
| a uinal and 18 uinals in a tun (approximately a year). | | | | a little premature. |