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Sitler visited Tulum, Mexico, three times because it's the home of a traditional Maya culture. I visited Tulum in July with my wife and son for exactly the same reason, assuming that traditional Maya culture is all about hanging out at the beach and going to an enormous water park. Though the Maya there didn't know about the ancient calendar, they happened to be really into predictions anyway. "They actually talk about the end of the world," Sitler said. "They were at war for a long time with the Mexican government. They said that some sort of war is on the horizon, that this time they will win." No offense to the very nice Maya who were serving me margaritas, but my money is on the Mexican army.
Wanting more specifics, I e-mailed Alessandro Carozzino, the guy who ran the hotel I stayed in, Posada Margherita. Though technically Italian, he's lived in Tulum for a really long time, so he probably knows something about the future. I remember talking with Carozzino over gelato as he made some bold predictions for 2012, including that he would open a second branch of his Italian restaurant in Los Angeles. "I spoke with all the Mayan guys working here," Carozzino e-mailed me. "All of them told me the same thing: It will be not the end of the world; it is the end of a period. Another time will start, and new things are going to happen." I am not going to argue with actual Maya about 2012, so I'm going with their prediction: This year, new things are going to happen. I feel almost as sure about this as I did about pimento cheese.