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# 2012 and the Maya Calendar
- URL: https://www.foodconsumer.org/maya_calendar_1112100808/
- Published: 2010-12-11T21:06:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-09-15T13:05:03.000Z
- Description: Archaeologists say the Maya Long Count calendar simply ends its 13th b'ak'tun on December 21, 2012, with the 14th starting the next day and running to 2406. The Maya celebrated cycle endings, and no record predicts catastrophe; NASA published an FAQ to calm the fears.
- Author: Food Consumer
- Tags: Miscellaneous, Health News, #vivvo-import

Over the past few years, a cultural phenomenon of curiosity has grown around the date of [December 21, 2012](http://www.nasa.gov/topics/earth/features/2012-guest.html?ref=foodconsumer.org), just like it did over the year 2000 (Y2K). Events such as the 1910 appearance of [Halley's Comet](http://www.nasa.gov/worldbook/comet%5Fworldbook.html?ref=foodconsumer.org), certain planetary alignments, Hollywood movies, and other events have long been used to predict the end of the world. Fortunately for us, none of these have proven themselves true.

Most of the curiosity surrounding the date has to do with how the ancient Maya civilization viewed time. Archaeologists have shown that the Maya had at least three highly accurate calendar systems, including one known as the Long Count calendar. It counts days from when the Maya believed they were created (August 11, 3114 B.C.), and uses a system of periods (cycles). According to the Long Count calendar, December 21, 2012, marks the end of the 13th 394.3 year long cycle known as a B'ak'tun. The 14th B'ak'tun begins on the following day and ends in 2406.

The Maya considered the end of any calendar cycle as a cause for celebration, and there is no archaeological record indicating that the world would suffer a catastrophic event then. Those fears stem from a single inscription found at just one site in Mexico; all Maya sites mention future cycles, as all Maya calendars extend trillions of years into the past and future. Archaeologists also point out that other cultures created similar calendars, and those reset on different dates. On the [Aztec](http://edsitement.neh.gov/view%5Flesson%5Fplan.asp?id=446&ref=foodconsumer.org) calendar, for example, the current cycle ends in 2027.

To help dispel fears surrounding the year 2012, the [National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)](http://answers.usa.gov/system/web/view/selfservice/templates/USAgov/egredirect.jsp?p%5Ffaq%5Fid=12290&ref=foodconsumer.org) published a series of [frequently asked questions](http://www.nasa.gov/topics/earth/features/2012.html?ref=foodconsumer.org) on the subject on their website.

**2012 Trivia:**

- 2012 was designated as the [Alan Turing Year](http://www.turingcentenary.eu/?ref=foodconsumer.org) in the United Kingdom, with related events around the world.
- 2012 is the next [leap year](http://answers.usa.gov/system/web/view/selfservice/templates/USAgov/egredirect.jsp?p%5Ffaq%5Fid=10649&ref=foodconsumer.org).
- January-June: The United States will hold its next [Presidential primaries](http://answers.usa.gov/system/web/view/selfservice/templates/USAgov/egredirect.jsp?p%5Ffaq%5Fid=11322&ref=foodconsumer.org).
- February: [Super Bowl XLVI](http://answers.usa.gov/system/web/view/selfservice/templates/USAgov/egredirect.jsp?p%5Ffaq%5Fid=10444&ref=foodconsumer.org) will be played in Indianapolis, Indiana.
- April: The 50 year-old [Combined Forces Command](http://www.usfk.mil/?ref=foodconsumer.org) in South Korea will be dissolved.
- May: A solar [eclipse](http://answers.usa.gov/system/web/view/selfservice/templates/USAgov/egredirect.jsp?p%5Ffaq%5Fid=11131&ref=foodconsumer.org) will be visible from China to California.
- July-August: The 30th [Summer Olympic Games](http://answers.usa.gov/system/web/view/selfservice/templates/USAgov/egredirect.jsp?p%5Ffaq%5Fid=10450&ref=foodconsumer.org) will be held in London, England.
- December 21, 2012: The [winter solstice](http://answers.usa.gov/system/web/view/selfservice/templates/USAgov/egredirect.jsp?p%5Ffaq%5Fid=10512&ref=foodconsumer.org) takes place at 23:11 GMT. When it does, the sun will be aligned with the center of the Milky Way galaxy as seen from Earth— the first such alignment in 26,000 years.

By the usa.gov team