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Scholars disagree about where to start the most recent Long Count from, but the generally agreed date that corresponds to 0.0.0.0.0 is August 11 3114 BC (Gregorian).
Hence 13.0.0.0.0 equates to Winter Solstice 2012.
From an astronomical perspective, there is something interesting going on in our Age at the Winter and Summer Solstices.
Firstly, we are approaching the 'top' or halfway point of the current Precessional Year.
Secondly, in 1999 the Winter and Summer Solstice points lay directly on the intersection of the Ecliptic and the Galactic Equator.
These two great circles on the stellar sphere - the former being the apparent path of the Sun during the year, the latter being line along the astronomical middle of the Milky Way - are at different angles and hence intersect each other at two points 180° opposite each other.
As the positions of the solstices and equinoxes drift along the Ecliptic at a rate of 1° every 72 years, sooner or later they are each bound to lie on one or other of the intersections.
 Winter Solstice 1999 - on the intersection of the Galactic Equator and the Ecliptic
 Summer Solstice 1999 - on the other (180° opposite) intersection of the Galactic Equator and the Ecliptic"
The Mayans did not have our modern astronomical definition of the Galactic Equator, but they did ascribe signficance to certain regions of the sky - notably the areas where the Ecliptic and the Milky Way meet, with more attention paid to the intersection in the direction of the centre of the galaxy where the Milky Way is most obvious.
Assuming we have deduced correctly the start point of their current Long Count, then Winter Solstice 2012 is 13 years late for the modern definition of astronomical intersection.
You can be sure that it is exactly on time from the Mayan perspective.
--
simon
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