Once a great civilization centuries before the arrival of the Spanish in the 16th century, the collapse of the Maya remains an enigma to anthropologists. The “Mayan mystery” partly explains the contemporary fascination with and speculation about their ancient calendar system.

Head for the hills, folks! THE END IS NEAR! The Georgia rock band, R.E.M., wrote “It’s the End of the World as We Know it (And I Feel Fine)” in 1988. Whenever I hear threats of impending apocalypse, I always hum that song. But seriously, should a Christian be concerned when we hear doomsday talk?

At the time of this blog posting, the fascination has been with the end of the Mayan calendar on December 21, 2012. Much has been made of potential cataclysm on this date, but the fact is that it really is not a big deal. On that date, the Mesoamerican Long Count calendar will need to flip over to the next b’ak’tun, according to Mayan mythology. Anthropologists who study Mayan culture contend that linking the idea of universal catastrophe with the end of the Mesoamerican Long Count calendar is simply speculation, having absolutely zero correspondence to historical Mayan thought. However, this does not dissuade popular New Age theorists from “cashing-in” on all of the fuss.
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