2012 and the Maya: Past Predictions and Future Histories

With December 21, 2012 fast approaching, attention on the Maya and their alleged doomsday prediction is growing. With poverty and violence increasing in Guatemala, tourism and foreigners increasingly dominating Yucatán, and militarized security and the forces of globalization shaping even Chiapas—the home of the revolutionary Zapatista movement—many Mayas have good reason to hope for dramatic change. After briefly examining the evidence in Maya calendrical systems for millenarian predictions, we will explore more recent Maya histories and the ways indigenous women and men reconstruct their own pasts and forge their own futures in nations that often celebrate their ancestors but discriminate against their contemporaries.