Beginning of the end? Mexico Mayan region launches apocalypse countdown
Tourists observe the Kukulcan temple, also known as El Castillo (The Castle), a step pyramid dominating Chichen Itza archaeological site - a complex built by the Mayan civilization in the Yucatan Peninsula. / Getty Images
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Posted: 12/21/2011
MEXICO CITY (AP) - Seize the day.
Only 52 weeks are left before Dec. 21, 2012, when some believe the Maya predicted the end of the world.
Unlike enthusiasts of other doomsday theories who suggest putting together survival kits, southeastern Mexico, the heart of Maya territory, plans a yearlong celebration.
Mexico's tourism agency expects to draw 52 million visitors by next year only to the regions of Chiapas, Yucatan, Quintana Roo, Tabasco and Campeche. All of Mexico usually lures about 22 million foreigners in a year.
It's selling the date, the Winter Solstice in the coming year, as a time of renewal. Many archeologists argue that the 2012 reference on a 1,300-year-old stone tablet only marks the end of a cycle in the Mayan calendar.
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The Associated Press
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