when did the mayans think the world would end?

1999

3978

2012

1643

The Mayans did not think that the world will end at the end of the cycle of their calendar. They even had dates beyond 2012.

Since it is a cycle and there are only four elements in nature, fire, earth, water, and air, the cycle will repeat with the first one--fire. And this may mean that the destruction will be by fire. A nuclear World War III as I explain below may be that fire. And the earth will be enveloped by smoke for a year. There will be no place in this world where we can hide without being affected by the coming war.