8. 2012 and the End of the World

A Mayan calendar column in Quirigua, Yucatan
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A Mayan calendar column in Quirigua, Yucatan peninsula, Mexico, Aug. 13, 1929.

We can blame it all on the Mayans. They created the Long Count Calendar, a time measurement system that had spiritual significance to their culture. They organized their calendar into several cycles, the last of which will end in ­December 2012. Some people think the Mayans had discovered that after 2012, the world would end.
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There are dozens of theories about how this might happen. Some claim that 2012 is when the Earth will experience a polar shift (see above). Others say that after 2012, the Earth will experience a period of terrible destruction followed by a new age of peace and enlightenment. A few claim that in 2012, a secret government will accomplish its goal of total world domination. What will actually happen? Check back with us on Jan. 1, 2013.