Apocalypse now (or later)
By Kelly O'Mara | Yahoo! Travel – Wed, Apr 18, 2012 7:18 PM EDT
Where will you be during the end of the world? If you happen to believe that the Mayans got it right and the end is coming soon – on Dec. 21, 2012, to be exact – then visiting ancient Mayan sites probably seems like a great (and appropriate) way to spend your last days. And, if you don’t think Dec. 21 is going to be the big day, then Central America is still a pretty nice vacation spot, with the bonus of sticking around to see Dec. 22.
Tourists camp overnight at Caracol for the Spring Equinox. (Photo: Courtesty of Caracol 2012 Belize)At least that’s the theory behind Mundo Maya 2012 – a joint effort of Mexico, Belize, El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras to boost tourism by capitalizing on doomsday predictions. When the effort kicked off at the end of 2011, Mexico’s Secretary of Tourism predicted that the country would see 52 million visitors during this “Year of the Maya.”
While the focus of Mundo Maya 2012 is the cultural significance of the Mayan region, that hasn’t stopped the group from using the sly tagline: “The countdown has begun.”
Belize, itself, opted for the more upbeat: “Where will you be when the world begins anew?”
Because, according to scholars, not even the Mayans really thought the world would end on Dec. 21, 2012. It simply begins again.
The winter solstice on Dec. 21, 2012 marks the end of the 13th Bak’tun, or cycle, in the Mayan calendar. A bak’tun runs about 400 years, but the 13th one is particularly special as it marks the last cycle in the “long-count” calendar after 5,123 years. All that means, say experts, is that a new long-count calendar starts over at year one.
Tulum ruin in the state of Quintana Roo in southern Mexico (Photo: Courtesy of Mundo Maya 2012)“Just as the calendar you have on your kitchen wall does not cease to exist after Dec. 31, the Mayan calendar does not cease to exist on Dec. 21, 2012,” says the NASA website on frequently asked questions.
NASA even goes so far as to promise, “Nothing bad will happen to the Earth in 2012.”
The Mundo Maya (The Mayan World) is certainly hoping nothing bad happens – or it’ll ruin all the big plans they have in celebration of the year. Enticements for tourists range from a mass wedding on Dec. 12 (12-12-12) at the Cahal Pech Mayan site in Belize to a newly-built Palace of Mayan Civilization at the Chichen Itza site on the Yucatan peninsula in Mexico.
Travel companies and hotels are cashing in on the frenzy by offering trips like the Maya End of World package at Hamanasi Adventure and Dive resort. For $1,850, the Maya End of the World package gets you seven nights, a dinner with a genuine Mayan family, a trip to a secret Mayan waterfall site, and a “special Mayan gift!”
Although some of the doomsday tourism may seem misguided, government officials, Mayan scholars, and archeologists think that the increased interest offers a chance to show off their culture and country
“It does bring more attention to the sites and to the ancient Maya culture as a whole,” said Toni Beardall, a research assistant at the Belize Institute of Archeology.
The institute is spearheading four first-of-their-kind overnight trips at the largest Mayan site, Caracol. Caracol at one point (around 640 A.D.) housed 140,000 people and is larger than modern-day Belize City.
On the seasonal equinoxes and solstices, June 20-21, Sept. 20-21, and Dec. 20-21, 100 visitors can camp out at Caracol, participate in a fire ceremony performed by Mayan shamans to welcome the rising sun, and get a tour of the massive Mayan site with prominent Belize archaeologist, Dr. Jaime Awe – all for just $150 USD.
Now, that’s a deal for the end of the world.
Tourists camp overnight at Caracol for the Spring Equinox. (Photo: Courtesty of Caracol 2012 Belize)At least that’s the theory behind Mundo Maya 2012 – a joint effort of Mexico, Belize, El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras to boost tourism by capitalizing on doomsday predictions. When the effort kicked off at the end of 2011, Mexico’s Secretary of Tourism predicted that the country would see 52 million visitors during this “Year of the Maya.”While the focus of Mundo Maya 2012 is the cultural significance of the Mayan region, that hasn’t stopped the group from using the sly tagline: “The countdown has begun.”
Belize, itself, opted for the more upbeat: “Where will you be when the world begins anew?”
Because, according to scholars, not even the Mayans really thought the world would end on Dec. 21, 2012. It simply begins again.
The winter solstice on Dec. 21, 2012 marks the end of the 13th Bak’tun, or cycle, in the Mayan calendar. A bak’tun runs about 400 years, but the 13th one is particularly special as it marks the last cycle in the “long-count” calendar after 5,123 years. All that means, say experts, is that a new long-count calendar starts over at year one.
Tulum ruin in the state of Quintana Roo in southern Mexico (Photo: Courtesy of Mundo Maya 2012)“Just as the calendar you have on your kitchen wall does not cease to exist after Dec. 31, the Mayan calendar does not cease to exist on Dec. 21, 2012,” says the NASA website on frequently asked questions.NASA even goes so far as to promise, “Nothing bad will happen to the Earth in 2012.”
The Mundo Maya (The Mayan World) is certainly hoping nothing bad happens – or it’ll ruin all the big plans they have in celebration of the year. Enticements for tourists range from a mass wedding on Dec. 12 (12-12-12) at the Cahal Pech Mayan site in Belize to a newly-built Palace of Mayan Civilization at the Chichen Itza site on the Yucatan peninsula in Mexico.
Travel companies and hotels are cashing in on the frenzy by offering trips like the Maya End of World package at Hamanasi Adventure and Dive resort. For $1,850, the Maya End of the World package gets you seven nights, a dinner with a genuine Mayan family, a trip to a secret Mayan waterfall site, and a “special Mayan gift!”
Although some of the doomsday tourism may seem misguided, government officials, Mayan scholars, and archeologists think that the increased interest offers a chance to show off their culture and country
“It does bring more attention to the sites and to the ancient Maya culture as a whole,” said Toni Beardall, a research assistant at the Belize Institute of Archeology.
The institute is spearheading four first-of-their-kind overnight trips at the largest Mayan site, Caracol. Caracol at one point (around 640 A.D.) housed 140,000 people and is larger than modern-day Belize City.
On the seasonal equinoxes and solstices, June 20-21, Sept. 20-21, and Dec. 20-21, 100 visitors can camp out at Caracol, participate in a fire ceremony performed by Mayan shamans to welcome the rising sun, and get a tour of the massive Mayan site with prominent Belize archaeologist, Dr. Jaime Awe – all for just $150 USD.
Now, that’s a deal for the end of the world.
(Photo: Courtesy of Mundo Maya 2012)
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