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The Present Katun

The present katun is 4 Ahau. It’s believed by those who follow the 2012 end date that this katun began on April 6, 1993, and ends with the Long Count/creation age on December 21, 2012. This katun warns of scarcity of resource, food shortages, and many people dying. It also talks of “remembering (old) knowledge and writing it down.”

The Mayans predicted the coming of the Spanish to Maya lands, stating that their knowledge would have to retreat before the advent of the “wooden cross,” but would resurrect again at the end of the calendar. The Chilam Balam states that Kukulkan (Quetzalcoatl) returns during this period to establish the new world and guide the way. The Maya believed in reincarnation and talk of the return of the Mayan masters prior to 2012. The Chilam Balam writer says: “My part is to interpret to you, your part, later, as well as my own, is to be born again.” The purpose of coming back during the end times is to spread the wisdom and knowledge of the Maya, to ease the time of the purification, and to open the door to the transformation.

End of the World, 2012-2032

The katun 8 Ahau is the katun of the end date. The Chilam Balam states: “This is a time of total collapse where everything is lost. It is the time of the judgment of God. There will be epidemics and plagues and then famine. Governments will be lost to foreigners; wise men, and prophets will be lost.”

The katuns have a number of prophecies relating to the “end of the world,” which comes at the completion of the Great Cycles that started on 13.0.0.0.0 4 Ahau 8 Cumku. Remember, the start and end date are the same. Also, a katun lasts for 20 years, so a katun prediction covers the entire 20-year period.

The katuns refer to this time as the final days of misfortune at the end of the Long Count calendar. They predict earth changes in the form of storms, earthquakes, famine, and pestilence. In this time people lose confidence in religion, priests, government, and officials. In fact even the omens that connect the Maya to the gods are questioned. The omens themselves are said to be broken by the dishonor prevalent in the times.

In The Book of the Jaguar Priest, Maud Worcester Makemson translates from the Chilam Balam the actual events of the end times. From the sound of it, the Sacred Tree of Life itself falls. The days turn upside down, stones fall from the sky, and fire consumes everything. Many think this description sounds a lot like a massive super volcano and a magnetic pole shift where the earth actually turns onto a new axis. The description of the Sacred Tree of Life falling might describe the Milky Way changing position in the sky. Both of these possibilities are discussed in Chapter 10.

After speaking of great destruction and disillusionment, the Chilam Balam ends by saying, “These are the words which must be spoken: the prophecies are a solemn trust from ancient times. They are the first news of events and a valuable warning of things to come.”

Codex Cues

The Chilam Balam refers to a time when the calendars themselves will “pass away,” and the separation of time into periods will be no longer. It’s believed the reference is to the end of the Long Count calendar.

After 2012

What happens to the calendars if we have moved into the sixth age? Does the katun cycle just roll over and reset like your car’s odometer? This is how it worked in the past, but the sixth age is unknown. If the katuns do just roll over, here is the next in the cycle.

Katun 11 is the first katun and therefore always opens the new cycles. This was the katun that brought Spanish rule to the Yucatan. It predicts the end of traditional rule and the arrival of foreigners that invade and disperse the population. It also predicts scarcity of resources and food.

But again, there are two sides to the coin. Even as the katun talks of difficulty and death, it also predicts great opportunity. It’s a time when gifts are given by the gods. In fact, the gods actually come to visit, bringing enlightenment. They