Mayan legend has it world ends one year from today

CLEVELAND - The world is slated to end one year from today, on December 21, 2012. That's the day when the Mayan calendar simply ends, causing some people to believe it’s when the ancient civilization foresaw the end of the world.

A Cleveland bar plans to hold a kind of anniversary before the fact, to commemorate the coming occasion, whether or not the end of the world actually occurs.

Now That’s Class in Cleveland is holding an event called “One Year To The End Of The World Party” at 9 p.m. It's located at 11213 Detroit Ave.

Now That’s Class will have live music provided by the bands Brainwashed Drum Circle, Excremente and Wet Brain.

Legend has it that the apocalypse will begin in Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula on December 21, 2012. Some believe the ground will open up in Chichen Itza and a giant Mayan serpent will rise from the ground as the ruins usher in the end of the world.

Parts of Mexico are planning a year-long celebration to take advantage of tourism as the alleged doomsday date approaches.

Mexico’s tourism agency hopes to attract 52 million visitors by that date. That’s compared to the normal 22 million tourists that typically visit Mexico a year. New hotels are currently under construction for the rush of tourists.

Some Mexican resort towns in the Mayan region are starting a countdown to the date. One city actually put up an 8-foot doomsday clock to countdown the days.

The doomsday fears came about after the discovery of a stone tablet at a Mexican archeological site in the 1960s. The tablet divides centuries into 394-year periods, and the 13th period ends on December 21, 2012.

Some historians worry that the essence of the Mayan culture is getting lost amidst the hype about their ancient calendar, but Mexico is hoping that means big bucks during the 364 days in between.

More information about the Mayan calendar can be found here:  www.mayan-calendar.org/ . For those interested in seeing Chichen Itza, Mexico’s official tourism website is:  www.mayan-calendar.org/ .