AZTEC CALENDAR

The 'Aztec calendar' is the calendar system that was used by the Aztecs as well as other Pre-Columbian peoples of central Mexico. It is one of the Mesoamerican calendars, sharing the basic structure of calendars from throughout ancient Mesoamerica.
The calendar consisted of a 365 day calendar cycle called ''xiuhpohualli'' (year count) and a 260 day ritual cycle called ''tonalpohualli'' (day count). These two cycles together formed a 52 year "century", sometimes called the "Calendar Round".
The calendric year began with the first appearance of the Pleiades asterism in the east immediately before the dawn light.^[1] (See heliacal rising.)

Contents

Tonalpohualli

Day signs

Trecenas

Note

Further reading

See also

External links

Tonalpohualli

The ''tonalpohualli'' ("day count") consists of a cycle of 260 days, each day signified by a combination of a number from one to thirteen, and one of the twenty day signs. With each new day, both the number and day sign would be incremented: 1 Crocodile is followed by 2 Wind, 3 House, 4 Lizard, and so forth up to 13 Reed, after which the cycle of numbers would restart, giving 1 Jaguar. The cycle of twenty day signs, however, would continue until 7 Flower, after which it would restart and give 8 Crocodile. It would take a full 260 days (13×20) for the two cycles of twenty day signs and thirteen numbers to realign and repeat the combination 1 Crocodile.

Day signs

The set of day signs used in central Mexico is identical to that used by Mixtecs, and to a lesser degree similar to those of other Mesoamerican calendars.
Each of the day signs also bears an association with one of the four cardinal directions.
There is some variation in the way the day signs were drawn or carved. Those here were taken from the Codex Magliabechiano.

Image Nahuatl name Pronunciation (IPA) English translation Direction ''Cipactli'' Crocodile Alligator Caiman Crocodilian Monster East ''Ehecatl'' Wind North ''Calli'' House West ''Cuetzpalin'' Lizard South ''Coatl'' Serpent Snake East ''Miquiztli'' Death North ''Mazatl'' Deer West ''Tochtli'' Rabbit South ''Atl'' Water East ''Itzcuintli'' Dog North ''Ozomatli'' ''Ozomahtli'' Monkey West

Image Nahuatl name Pronunciation (IPA) English translation Direction ''Malinalli'' Grass South ''Acatl'' Reed East ''Ocelotl'' Jaguar North ''Quauhtli'' ''Cuauhtli'' Eagle West ''Cozcaquauhtli'' ''Cozcacuauhtli'' Vulture South ''Ollin'' ''Olin'' Movement Quake Earthquake East ''Tecpatl'' Flint Flint Knife North ''Quiahuitl'' ''Quiyahuitl'' Rain West ''Xochitl'' Flower South

Wind and Rain are represented by images of their associated gods, Ehecatl and Tlaloc (respectively).

Trecenas

A set of thirteen numbered days is known by the Spanish term ''trecena'' (from ''trece'' "thirteen"). Each of the twenty ''trecenas'' in the 260-day cycle was associated with a particular deity:

Trecena Deity 1 Crocodile – 13 Reed Ometeotl 1 Jaguar – 13 Death Quetzalcoatl 1 Deer – 13 Rain Tepeyollotl 1 Flower – 13 Grass Huehuecoyotl 1 Reed – 13 Snake Chalchiuhtlicue 1 Death – 13 Flint Tonatiuh 1 Rain – 13 Monkey Tlaloc 1 Grass – 13 Lizard Mayahuel 1 Snake – 13 Quake Xiuhtecuhtli 1 Flint – 13 Dog Mictlantecuhtli

Trecena Deity 1 Monkey – 13 House Patecatl 1 Lizard – 13 Vulture Itztlacoliuhqui 1 Quake – 13 Water Tlazolteotl 1 Dog – 13 Wind Xipe Totec 1 House – 13 Eagle Itzpapalotl 1 Vulture – 13 Rabbit Xolotl 1 Water – 13 Crocodile Chalchiuhtotolin 1 Wind – 13 Jaguar Chantico 1 Eagle – 13 Deer Xochiquetzal 1 Rabbit – 13 Flower Xiuhtecuhtli

Note

1. Brad Schaefer (Yale University). ''Heliacal Rising: Definitions, Calculations, and some Specific Cases'' (''Essays'' from Archaeoastronomy & Ethnoastronomy News, the Quarterly Bulletin of the Center for Archaeoastronomy, Number 25.) [1]

Further reading

★ Aztec Calendar Handbook, by Dr. Randall C. Jimenez / Richard Graeber, ISBN: 0966116313

See also

★ Maya calendar

External links

★ Detailed description of the temalactl from Mexico's Museo Nacional de Antropolgía

★ Daily Aztec Calendar