The Maya Calendar: An Intricate System Of Recording The Days
The Maya Calendar systems were a distinct and unique to Mayan Life. Although the Mayan Calendar did not originate from the Maya but the Olmec, it was the Maya that gave it its refinements and extensions. The final form of the Maya calendar made its appearance at about the 1st century BC.
To start with the Maya had 20-day months and two calendar years. The 260 day or Tzolin calendar was one in which religious practices followed and the 365-day vague calendar called the Haab. These two distinct calendar coincided every 52 years. A 52-year cycle was called a bundle by the Maya and equal to what we call a century. In Maya calendar years the end or a 52-year cycle could be a disaster marking the end of the universe.
The Tzolin calendar was composed of two smaller cycles, the numbers 1through 13 coupled with 20 different day names. Each of the day names represents a god who carries the day across the sky. Thus there is the idea of day turns into night and into day again with a different name. In the 260-day or Tzolin calendar, time does not run in a line it goes in circular motions. It repeats the circle like a spiral never ending. The two cycles of 13 and 20 intertwine and repeat without interruption. The Tzolin was used to determine all the activities that were done by the Maya from birth to death. It was called the Sacred Round 260-day because it was used for ceremonies, religious practices and divination. Each day had a particular deity that ruled that day. The Ah k’in the shaman priest who’s title meant day keeper would preside over reading the Tzolin. He would answer yes and no questions based on what he read and more complex questions involving health wealth and family issues. The Sacred 260 day would also set auspicious days, for the family, lineage and community rituals. When a baby was born the equivalent of a natal chart was done based on the baby’s date of birth in the Tzolin. The day the baby was born was particular to specific characteristics and talents etc the baby would have. There were also several forms of divination that the shamans would do specifically with the Tzolin. Some of the tools sacred to the Tzolin shaman were sacred coral seeds, crystals and other things that they carried in a black bag. The pre-Columbian Maya would cast the seeds onto the calendar and to determine good and bad days. They also used beans, which are still used today to count in piles of 4 and 5 from the current sacred round day to arrive at a result. The Haab or Vague 365 days calendar is similar to ours. It consists of 18 months of 20 days each, with the last 5 days being unlucky at the end of the period. This calendar was considered secular and had to do with the seasons, agriculture and solar cycles.
Mayan Civilization Ancient Maya History
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