2012: The end of a "Long Count" cycle in the ancient Mayan calendar

The calendar used by the Mayan civilization dates back to 6th century BCE. It is extremely complex, but one of the systems - called the "Long Count" - was used to measure dates over periods longer than 52 years. According to ancient Mayan mythology we are currently living in the "fourth world," and the previous three worlds aligned with the completion of Long Count cycles. Dec. 21, 2012 will mark the end of another Long Count cycle. There is an interesting debate among New Age theorists, historians, and archaeologists about the significance of this date.

Links:

The Maya World Studies Center in Yucatan, Mexico
Read about the 2012 controversy in USA Today