Skip to main content

The Tzolk'in Calendar

The Tzolk'in Calendar

The Tzolk'in calendar was the first one used by the Mayans. Most calendars used throughout Mesoamerica consisted of 260 days. The Tzolk'in, or Sacred Round, calendar followed suit. One theory for its length is that 260 days is the length of pregnancy, and the calendar was based on that [source: Maya Mystery School]. Another states that it was the length of time to cultivate corn. It's more likely that it was based on numbers.

Numbers had great significance in the Mayan culture. For example, the number 20 signifies the number of digits a person has -- 10 fingers and 10 toes. The number 13 refers to the major joints in the human body where it's believed disease and illness enter and attack -- one neck, two shoulders, two elbows, two wrists, two hips, two knees and two ankles [source: Garcia]. The number 13 also represented the levels of heaven where sacred lords ruled the Earth [source: Tzolk'in Calendar].

It's these numbers, 20 and 13, that are used to make up the Tzolk'in calendar. In the Gregorian calendar, we have seven days of the week and, depending on the month, anywhere from 28 to 31 days. The Tzolk'in calendar is made up of 20 day names and 13 numbers. The days are numbered one through 13, and the names are also given in sequence.

Tzolk'in Calendar Day Names

1. Imix'

2. Ik'

3. Ak'b'al

4. K'an

5. Chikchan

6. Kimi

7. Manik'

8. Lamat

9. Muluk

10. Ok

11. Chuwen

12. Eb'

13. B'en

14. Ix

15. Men

16. Kib'

17. Kab'an

18. Etz'nab'

19. Kawak

20. Ajaw

The beginning of the Tzolk'in calendar begins with the first day name, Imix', and the number one. The days continue in sequence until all 13 numbers are used. Then, the numbers begin again with one, but the day names continue with the 14th day. Once you reach 13 B'en, you will continue on with 1 Ix, 2 Men, 3 Kib', and so forth until you reach 7 Ajaw. At this point, the day names begin again, but the numbers continue: 8 Imix', 9 Ik', 10 Ak'b'al, and so on.

Think of two gears that interlock together. One has the 20 day names and the corresponding hieroglyphics. The other, smaller one has the numbers one through 13. If you lock those gears together at the number one and the day name Imix', then rotate them until you reach one and Imix' again, you'll have 260 unique days, making up the Tzolk'in calendar.

­ ­

It's easy to see the significance the Mayans put in the Tzolk'in calendar. For example, they believed that the date of your birth determines the characteristics you'll show in your personality -- much like some people believe your astrological sign does today.

The Mayans also used the calendar to determine the crop schedule: It takes one 260-day cycle to prepare the land to plant corn, and one 260-day cycle to grow and harvest the corn.

Holy men used the calendar to determine when certain events would take place throughout the year. At the beginning of each uinal (period of 20 days), a shaman would count forward to determine when religious and ceremonial events would occur. Then he set the dates that would be the most prosperous or lucky for the community.

While these were some of the uses of the Tzolk'in calendar, it couldn't be used for everything. For example, it didn't measure a solar year, the time it takes for the sun to make a complete cycle. Because of this, the Mayans needed a more accurate calendar to measure what we know as a full year.

On the next page, we'll look at their next attempts, the Haab calendar and the Calendar Round.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Mayan Numbers and Math

Mayan mathematical system-1-20 Mayan Numbers and Math Along with their advances to the calendar -- like the Tzolk'in, the Haab, and the Long Count -- the Mayans also created their own math system. They used a series of dots and bars to signify numbers. One dot equaled one unit while one bar equaled five units. A shell symbol signified zero. In a system similar to the one we use now, the Mayans used place values to designate large numbers. However, the similarities end there. Mayan math - 27Mayan math - 29 Their place values are vertical, where ours are horizontal. For instance, we write the number 27 horizontally -- the number 2, then the number 7 to the right of it. The Mayans, however, would write 27 vertical­ly -- their symbol for 7 (a line with 2 dots over it) would be on the bottom, and the symbol for 20 (a dot on the line above) would be directly over it. The same applies for other numbers, like 29.
Post a Comment
Read more

electric water bender

Don’t give up on this trick! It works best on very dry days and probably not at all on warm humid days. You’ll also need very clean dry hair and a clean plastic comb (ie no styling products in your hair or on the comb). Try it when the conditions are right and you will be amazed! 1. Set up a system to catch the running water from a tap so that you don’t waste it (use it to water plants later, for example). 2. You’ll need to experiment with the tap until you get a smooth stream of water that does not break up. You might need to elevate your cup if it’s not tall enough. 3. Once you have your smooth stream working, comb your clean hair vigorously to charge the comb. 4. Now carefully bring the comb as near as you can but without touching the stream of water and watch what happens. what's going on? If you were lucky, the stream would have bent when you brought the comb nearby. Combing your hair generates a static electric charge on...
Post a Comment
Read more