With 52 weeks left until the Mayan prophecy’s predicted end of the world—December 21, 2012—some believers are advising everyone to prepare survival backpacks. Meanwhile, in southeastern Mexico, the heartland of the Maya civilization, a series of countdown events to the "end of the world" are being planned.
Mexico’s tourism board is turning next year’s winter solstice into a selling point. Many archaeologists believe that December 21, 2012, as mentioned in the Mayan prophecy, merely marks the end of a cycle in the Mayan calendar, not the end of the world. The agency expects that in the coming year alone, the four states of Chiapas, Yucatán, Tabasco, and Campeche will attract 52 million tourists. Normally, Mexico attracts only 22 million foreign tourists annually.
Inés Sardo, a spokesperson for Quintana Roo State’s tourism board, said: "The end of the world won’t come. This will be a new era, and for us, it represents hope."
According to the Associated Press, on December 21 local time, towns inhabited by the Maya will launch a one-year countdown event. In Chiapas, which borders Guatemala, people will set up a 2.5-meter-high electronic clock in the central park, starting the countdown exactly one year before the "end of the world."
At the nearby ancient ruins in Ixpa, Mayan priests will burn incense and chant prayers, offering blessings for those participating in the countdown kickoff ceremony. In Quintana Roo State, located between the resort cities of Cancún and Playa del Carmen, people are placing photos and letters into a "time capsule."
On December 21, Mayan priests and indigenous dancers will light the "time capsule" to commence the countdown ceremony. It is reported that this "time capsule" can burn for 50 years. Yucatán State has announced that it will complete the Mérida Maya Museum by next summer. People still living in Maya villages will hold ceremonies to pray that modern people can understand the wisdom of the ancient Maya.
Maya Culture in Mexico