You are bound to hear a great deal about the Mayans this year. It’s been said that the Mayans predicted the world would end in 2012. That is not true. The world may or may not end in 2012, but the Mayans never predicted it.

For a traveler, a student of history, or just a person living in the Americas there is a lot to be learned from a society that whose height lasted for 600 years, according to William R. Coe’s article in “American Anthropologist.” But let’s start by laying the persistent rumor to bed.

Mayan elders have heard a number of questions on the subject of the coming apocalypse. Apolinario Chile Pixtun is quoted in an AP article saying “they had me fed up with this (2012) stuff.” The same article later quotes David Stuart a specialist in Mayan writing who says flatly, “The Maya never said the world would end.”

This sentiment is echoed by physicist and Discovery News contributor Ian O’Neill. “There’s no evidence to suggest the Mayans believed the end of their long count calendar would spell doomsday,” he said.

"There's no real prophecy that says this is going to be the end of the world, not from the Mayan ruins, anyway," added archeologist Christopher Powell.

The idea of a Mayan predicted apocalypse was greatly strengthened by the viral promotion for and 2009 release of the film “2012.” The Internet Movie Database says the John Cusack vehicle has grossed more than $750 million worldwide at last count. So, at least somebody is getting something out of this misinformation.

But behind the popular pseudo-science and movie lip service, a vibrant culture occupied the Yucatan Peninsula as far back as 2600 B.C. The dates for the earliest Mayans come ...