Image:Tracing of an artistic representation of Maya sun god
Stephen Houston
By Senior Writer
updated 11/16/2012 8:33:58 PM ET 2012-11-17T01:33:58




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"We are expecting a few visionaries, a few people who believe in this end of the world, but in extremely limited numbers," state official Eric Freysselinard told Raw Story. "We are expecting greater numbers of people who are just curious, but in numbers we cannot determine. Above all, we are expecting lots of journalists."


Other areas are welcoming the doomsday attention. In Belize, the Chaa Creek resort is trying to lure tourists with a seven-day, all-inclusive "Maya Winter Solstice" package, which includes workshops on Maya crafts, traditional Maya garb and names of guests inscribed into a giant stele that will be erected on Dec. 21.

In Guatamala, the national tourism bureau is organizing all sorts of festivities, including a "New Dawn for Humanity" summit in Tikal, a major ancient Maya city. Elton John, Bruce Springsteen and U2 will provide entertainment.

Mexico is aiming for the action, too, launching a tourism campaign called "Mayan World 2012" and encouraging visitors to seek out sites in southern Mexico, where the ancient Maya once built complex cities. In Cancun, the National Institute of Anthropology and History has opened the enormous "Museo Maya de Cancun," a museum dedicated to Maya history.


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