Mayan And Aztec Calendar

Both the Mayan and Aztec civilizations utilized what is known as the Mesoamerican calendar. The Olmec civilization, which flourished between 1300 and 400 B.C. in what is now southeastern Mexico along the Gulf, may have inspired this ancient calendar. 

Between 1000 and 900 B.C., the Mesoamerican calendrical system used not just one calendar, but a system of two interconnected calendars: 

  1. a 260-day calendar and 
  2. a 365-day calendar. 

These two calendars were shown side by side. 

A named day from the 260-day calendar would be the same as a named day from the 365-day calendar once every 52 years (there are 18,980 days in 52 years, and 18,980 is the least common multiple of both 365 and 260). 

Both the Mayans and the Aztecs were aware of this 52-year cycle. 

Between 300 and 900 A.D., Mayan civilization thrived in what is now southeastern Mexico, Belize, and parts of Guatemala and Honduras, a period known as the Classical Mayan Period. 

  • The 260-day tzolkin calendar was utilized for religious reasons, while the 365-day solar-based calendar, known as the haab, was employed for agricultural purposes. 
  • The Mayan calendar system used glyphs, which are tiny graphic inscriptions, to indicate time periods such as a day, a month, and a year, as well as particular months and days within those months. 
  • Each day was named after a deity who was said to have shown himself on that particular day. 
  • The numbers for the days were written using a mix of dots and bars. 
  • The Mayan calendar was split into 13 months, each of which included 20 designated days. 
  • The 365-day calendar was split into 18 months with 20 named days each, plus a five-day month called Uayeb, which meant "ominous days." 
  • The Calendar Round is a Mayan cycle that lasts 52 years. 
  • The 260-day method is said to be the world's only one of its type. 
  • Scholars are unsure what the significance of 260 is, but some have pointed out that the typical human pregnancy lasts around 260 days. 

Furthermore, the Mayans had a sophisticated understanding of astronomy, and 260 was a significant number in calculating the appearance of Venus — the planet associated with the Mayan god Kukulcán, known to the Toltecs as Quetzalcoatl — who dominated Mesoamerica from the 10th century to the middle of the 12th century. 

  • Mayans also devised the Long Count, a complex time-keeping system that sought to cover the whole history of the planet from its beginning to its conclusion. 
  • Between 400 B.C. and 100 A.D., the Mayans are believed to have created the Long Count. 
  • They calculated that the present creation took place in 3114 B.C. using this method (or 3113 B.C., by some contemporary calculations). 
  • According to some experts, the Long Count will finish in December 2011. (or 2012). 
  • After the fall of the Toltec kingdom, the Aztecs (who called themselves Mexica) ruled Mesoamerica from the early 1300s until the Spanish started colonization in the early 1600s. 

  • The Aztecs, like the Mayans, employed a 260-day calendar split into 13 months of 20 days, which they termed tonalpohualli, or "day count." 
  • Their 365-day calendar also had 18 months of 20 days and a five-day interval that the Aztecs considered bad. 
  • The Aztecs also named their days after gods, but unlike the Mayans, they used just dots for number representation. 

  • A Long Count was most likely not used by the Aztecs. 
  • The Aztecs celebrated the new beginning with a huge renewal ritual at the conclusion of their 52-year cycle, which they termed xiuhmolpilli, or "year bundle". 
  • The 365-day civil calendar is now widely used across the area, but some Mayans still utilize the 260-day calendar to commemorate holy events.

You may also want to learn more about Global Calendar Systems here.