Mexico wants "end of the world" to promote tourism in Mayan areas

Jul 5, 2011, 3:06 GMT

Mexico City - The Mayas predicted a sort of end of the world for December 21, 2012, and Mexico wants to make the most of that myth to promote tourism in its archaeological sites.

'The countdown that will make history. A new era is starting,' says the slogan.

The programme, launched at the National Museum of Anthropology and History in Mexico City in the presence of Mexican President Felipe Calderon, seeks to attract foreign tourists to five states in southeast Mexico where the Maya civilization developed: Quintana Roo, Yucatan, Chiapas, Campeche and Tabasco.

'We are going to reveal to the whole world the magic of the Mayas,' Calderon said.

The Mayas, who lived on modern-day Mexico, Guatemala and Belize, reached the peak of their civilization's development between 250 and 900 AD.

Experts have long noted that the Mayas never specifically said that the end of the world was to come on December 21, 2012, but said only that that date is to end 'the long countdown' in their time measurements.

However, even the most apocalyptic theories are good enough for Mexican authorities to promote knowledge of the Mayas, with over 500 cultural events planned over the coming 18 months to promote the economic and social development of the affected states.

The approaching date is an 'extraordinary opportunity' to promote cultural tourism, said Mexico's Tourism Minister Gloria Guevara.

The programme is to feature international exhibitions, festivals, conferences, the opening of new archaeological sites and museums and an improvement in existing tourist infrastructure in the area.