Mayan calendar

As the Maya were very good astronomers and observers they had a complex series of calendars, including a Sacred 260-day calendar, called the Tzol'kin[?], a 365-day calendar called the Haab[?], and a 52-Haab cycle called the Calendar Round[?], which synchronised the Tzol'kin and Haab cycles.

There was also a Long Count calendar which started at [0.0.0.0.0] (with Maya record) on August 11, 3114 BC according to "Goodman Martinez-Hernandez & Thompson", the most widely accepted correlation between the Mayan and Gregorian calendar. This cycle is 1,872,000 days in length and terminates on Winter Solstice (December 21) 2012 AD and designated [13.0.0.0.0] or [0.0.0.0.0], since Maya believed the time is somehow periodical. The other correlation, that of Lounsbury, correlates the start-day to August 13, 3114 BC and the terminal date to December 23, 2012 AD. The turn over of the great cycle was of great significance to the Maya, but is not necessarily a predicition of the end of the world if we consider periodisity of time. Maya were confident that day the Sun shall come to the Galactic pole, if we translate their conceptions with astronomical views.

See also:

• Aztec calendar