Mayan Calendar and the 2012 Apocalypse

The video explores the popular belief that the ancient Maya predicted the apocalypse on December 21, 2012. The presenter travels to Tikal, Guatemala, to meet Stanley Gunter, an expert in Mayan inscriptions. They discuss the significance of the Baktun cycles in the Maya calendar, which mark periods of time, and examine Stella 10, a monument depicting a king and a captive. The video clarifies that the end of the 13th Baktun in 2012 was not the end of the world but rather the end of one cycle within a series of larger nested cycles in the Maya calendar.

What date was popularly believed to be the Mayan prediction for the apocalypse?

• October 31, 2020

• December 21, 2012

• January 1, 2000

• July 4, 1776

Where did the narrator travel to investigate the Mayan apocalypse prediction?

• Machu Picchu, Peru

• Cuzco, Peru

• Chichen Itza, Mexico

• Tikal, Guatemala

Who is Stanley Gunter?

• A famous archaeologist

• A leading decoder of Mayan inscriptions

• A modern-day Mayan priest

• A Mayan king

What are 'stele' in the context of the Mayan calendar?

• Ancient Mayan cities

• Mayan festivals

• Mayan gods

• Monuments commemorating periods in the calendar

What event marked the end of a baktun cycle in Mayan culture?

• The king sacrificing a captive

• A royal wedding

• A solar eclipse

• A lunar festival

What does Stella 10 depict?

• A map of Tikal

• A king and a captive prepared for sacrifice

• A Mayan god

• A Mayan festival

What does the examination of Stella 10 reveal about the Mayan calendar?

• It was based on lunar phases

• It included multiple nested cycles

• It was a simple calendar with no cycles

• It predicted the end of the world in 2012

How many baktuns ended in 2012 according to the Mayan calendar?

• 11

• 19

• 9

• 13

What is the significance of the higher units mentioned on Stella 10?

• They are used for agricultural purposes

• They are unrelated to the Mayan calendar

• They represent Mayan gods

• They indicate a continuation of cycles beyond 13 baktuns

What is the main conclusion about the Mayan calendar and the 2012 apocalypse?

• The Mayans had no concept of time

• The Mayan calendar was inaccurate

• The end of 13 baktuns was just part of a larger cycle

• The Mayans predicted the end of the world