December 21, 2012 'Doomsday': Mayan Culture Experts Debunk Apocalyptic Conspiracies

With the proposed doomsday looming closer, authorities and scientists have been working in overdrive to denounce any conspiracy theories based on Mayan calendar misinterpretations. During a recent symposium in Yucatan, Mexico, three Mayan culture experts readily debunked rumors of an impending apocalypse.

The conference, called "Mayan Cosmic Gathering," included archeologist Tomas Gallareta, astronomer Arcadio Poveda Ricalde and professor Marte Trejo, who delivered speeches clarifying misconceptions about the Mayan calendar. According to a statement released for the event, the three Mayan experts concurred that the Mayan calendar does not predict the end of the Earth.

Apocalyptic conspiracies based on the Mayan calendar contend that the Mayan calendar's end on December 21 signifies the destruction of Earth and ultimately the end of the world. However, several governments and scientists have debunked these conspiracies as purely rumors.

In the U.S., both the government and NASA have repeatedly denounced any and all doomsday conspiracies relating to December 21. In Russia, authorities were forced to issue a statement refuting apocalyptic claims after a series of bizarre events left parts of the country gripped with hysteria. In France, police guards have been sent to a southwestern sacred mountain, which will allegedly open up to a spacecraft that will take nearby humans to safety.

Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard took a slightly different approach than other international authorities and instead posted a spoof video claiming that the apocalypse was in fact going to occur on December 21. 

The Mayan calendar, which will in fact end on December 21, will actually just end its thirteenth 349-year cycle and begin a fourteenth cycle, called a b'ak'tun. According to the press release, a recent discovery at Xultun, a Mayan archaeological site in northern Guatemala, further supports the idea of a "New Era" after December 21, rather than the end of the world.