A Mayan shaman performs a ritual at the Quirigua archaeological site, Izabal department, 210 km north of Guatemala City. Ceremonies will be held here to celebrate the end of the Mayan cycle known as Bak'tun 13 and the start of the new Maya Era on December 21. The Mayan calendar has 18 months of 20 days each plus a sacred month, “Wayeb”, with five days. “B'aktun” is the largest unit in the time-cycle system, and is about 400 years. The broader era spans 13 B'aktun, or about 5,200 years. (Photo by Johan Ordonez)
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