chasMiss I don't believe Mayans have ever said that the end of their calendar cycle means end of the world. Some people have taken up on this ploy to their advantage and are waiting to make lot of money from individuals who blindly believe that the world is going to end. There were many attempts prior to this where people have linked up religious documentation to the end of civilization, I believe in 1994 in Nepal there was a huge deal made by some people that the so called "pralaya" would end the world and that it was predicted by a well known swami in India. I vagely remember this incident occuring around  the same time schumacher levi 9 colided with Jupiter. Well so much for that prediction.