Actually we visited a Maya ruin (Kahunlich) a few years ago and it was pointed out to us several times that the plural of Maya is Maya, not the Mayans.
So, the Maya did not predict the end of the world, this was just when their long count calendar started over, like our calendar does every year.
I expect the Maya would be having a New Years eve party on the 20th. And maybe they are, contrary to popular belief, there are still Maya around, they just don't live in the old cities. We met a few.
It was a very interesting but pretty bloodthirsty culture.