Mayan calendar draws spotlight; a troubled culture struggles

Because the ancient 5,125-year Mayan calendar will end on Dec. 21, 2012, global interest in Mayans has skyrocketed in recent years. Many Mayans, meanwhile, remain trapped in a spiritual darkness drawn from old traditions, says Gary Stone, a missionary among one of the Mayan people groups, the Tajumulco Mam. “Villages feud between each other and land wars are never ending,” Stone says. “The culture is broken…. Incest, stealing, lying, alcoholism, multiple partners, greed and other sins keep the Mam people in darkness.”