YUCATAN, MEXICO—Across the Maya world, people gathered to mark the end of a cycle of the Maya long count calendar. Some thought that the end of the 13^th Baktun meant the end of the world; others felt that they were greeting a new and better age. “We believe that the beginning of a new baktun means the beginning of a new era, and we’re receiving it with great optimism,” said Rolando Zapata, governor of Yucatan.