How did the mayans come to the prediction of the world ending on December 23, 2012?

Question

my world history teacher told me that it was probably incorrect, but the mayans were right about almost all of the celestial occurances that happened that they had predicted.

Answer 1

They didn't. They just made a calendar that ran out at that time. That was long enough for them, given that their calendar outlasted their civilization.

In any case, the ability to predict recurring phenomena such as moon phases and eclipses doesn't necessarily imply an ability to predict a unique catastrophe, such as the end of the world.

Answer 2

anybody is responsive to the Mayans had a particular date for the great of the international. What maximum human beings fail to understand, besides the undeniable fact that, is that the Mayans also had a date for the starting up of the international. This date became, so some distance as I save in recommendations, sometime round 3000 BCE Now, we've documentary information demonstrating that the international existed earlier to this time. That being stated, if the Mayans were given the date of the starting up of the international incorrect, why ought to we've self assurance they were ideal about the great?

Answer 3

I once read a book that they knew about precession, and that their calendar was supposed to end when the winter solstice entered the Galactic Bulge, the navel of the Milky Way (hence the date and maybe 2012 was the end of one of their very long cycles)
But I have no idea whether the author was a crackpot or not.




(if it's true they were slightly off with their date too, a little too early)

Answer 4

The Mayans were very good astronomers. But predicting the clockwork motion of the stars is one thing and the end of the world another.

Answer 5

WOW! Your history teacher is talking to you about 2012? I'm impressed! The myans had 12 cycles, and the is 2012 is the end of the 12th cycle.