The Mayans were big on their Astrology…and pretty religious about it. The main manifestation of this that we see as it has been popularized by our media culture: the Mayan Calendar. That and graphic movies made by Mel Gibson where bloody heads roll down pyramid steps to ward off a permanent eclipse of the sun.
Baktun (properly b’ak’tun) is the designation given for a period of time representing 20 katun cycles (equivalent to about 400 years) of the ancient Maya Long Count Calendar. The Classic period of Maya civilization occurred during the 8th and 9th Baktuns (which ended about 2000 years ago) We are currently at the end of the Lucky number 13th Baktun, 13.0.0.0.0 – The Solstice (December 21, 2012 using the GMT correlation). This also marks the beginning of the 14th Baktun.
What we really didn’t care to acknowledge in our obsession with the apocalypse is that “every new beginning comes from some other beginning’s end” (thank you, Semisonic). So, it’s not closing time on our existence just yet – but perhaps the dawn of a new era.
What will the next Baktun bring? I suppose that’s either up to us, or in the stars.
Related articles
- Bak’tuns and More Bak’tuns (betweenasleepandawake.wordpress.com)
- End of the 13th Baktun: doomsday ‘cult’ members still waiting, nothing has happened yet (thenewstribe.com)
- Mayan Calendar Expires, No Apocalypse So Far, See You in 2240 (jewishpress.com)
- Chill Out, People. It’s Not the End of the World. (myveryowncorneroftheweb.wordpress.com)
- 13 Baktun (bloggeretterized.wordpress.com)
- Doomsday didn’t come: Spiritualists gather to mark end of Mayan calendar | CTV News (goodoldworld.wordpress.com)
- Let’s Party Like It’s Baktun 13 (or the end of the world) (blogs.berkeley.edu)
The Narcissistic (American) Anthropologist 
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