We only have two major sources of mayan culture/astrology, and neither tell what exactly will happen in 2012, they very well may have thought it to be the end of days, or maybe a prediction for a new wave or something. maybe they even just got sick of writing it all down.

im guessing the mayans win this battle on 2012. LOL

The reason that the Maya are thought by many to have been "onto something" is the accuracy of their calendar and their knowledge of the precessionary cycle of 1 degree every 72 years, foreshadowing our own knowledge of this phenomenon by some 350+ years.

I wouldn't take Mel Gibson's film as the epitome of accuracy, when it comes to the Maya and their practices. Archaeological evidence regarding them is thin on the ground, as the Spanish destroyed everything they could lay their hands on that might dispel the lie that the "Indians" in South America were illiterate savages. Much of Mel's sources come from that extremely biased source.

As I understand it, the Maya fully expected their civilisation to last until the end of their fourth age, in 2012, but obviously reckoned without the conquistadors. Could it be that they were expecting a purely galactic phenomenon, rather than a Human one? If so, and considering their accuracy in matters astronomical, perhaps their predictions do stand.

I have read contradictory accounts of the astronomical alignments that are supposed to be in effect on that day. Does anybody think they have the long and short of it?

First of all, people do the same thing with the Mayan calendar as they do with the bible. They think it predicts the "end of the world." In neither case is that the truth. Both the Mayan calendar and the bible only predict the end of the age.