With December approaching, some might be wondering if there is any truth behind the Maya calendar, which said that Dec. 21, 2012 will be the end of the world. According to SMU archaeologist Brigitte Kovacevich, who is an expert on Maya culture, these reports are inaccurate.

According to Kovacevich, the Maya used numerous calendars, which can be interpreted in different ways. For example, one of the Maya calendars turns over like an odometer.

The last time this occurred was on Aug. 11, 3114 B.C. where the event was creation, not destruction.

The Maya predict events still thousands of years in the future. They refer to 2012 as a rhetorical device, not a prediction.

These predictions of the world ending in December 2012 are inaccurate and they exploit, misrepresent and romanticize the Maya culture, Kovacevich said.

To learn more about the Maya culture, anyone can attend “Maya Apocalypse 2012: Fact or Fiction” on Nov. 26 at 4 p.m. in McCord Auditorium.

“It will be interesting to see what the experts have to say about the Maya and 2012. I know as we get closer to the new year people will start going crazy about their prediction,” sophomore Mehdi Hami said.

Maya archeologists Brigitte Kovacevich, assistant professor, and Michael Callaghan, visiting assistant professor, SMU Department of Anthropology will be the speakers at the free event. For more information on the event, email Pamela Hogan at [email protected].