11 august: Ziua în care începe Calendarul lung mesoamerican. Cum a apărut ideea că „mayașii au prezis sfârșitul lumii”

August 11 marks the beginning of the Mesoamerican Long Count Calendar, a complex timekeeping system used by the Maya. This calendar, starting in 3114 BC, recorded historical events over vast periods. Unlike cyclical calendars, it was a continuous count of days, allowing precise historical documentation. The misconception that the Maya predicted the world's end on December 21, 2012, arose from misinterpretations of the calendar's cycles. For the Maya, the end of a baktun signified a transition to a new cycle, not an apocalypse. Their understanding of time was continuous, reflecting a worldview that embraced change rather than destruction.