MAYAN CALENDAR: What it is, symbols, characteristics and more

The Mayans were a civilization from Pre-Columbian America that were characterized by a developed level of scientific knowledge, being capable of developing the advanced Mayan Calendar, which to this day is a source of interest.

Being one of the most relevant cultural achievements of this culture and of many that shared the same era, the Mayan calendar is undoubtedly a sample of the great astronomical and mathematical development of this civilization.

If you want to know everything about the Mayan calendar, which caused so much commotion in our time, continue reading this article.

What is the Mayan Calendar?

The Mayan Calendar is like other calendars, a system to divide and organize time into days, weeks, months and years.

This was designed, developed and used by pre-Columbian Mesoamerican communities and some a little more current in the highlands of Guatemala and Mexico (Veracruz, Oaxaca and Chiapas).

The Mayan Calendar is based mainly on elements that have been in frequent and common use in the region since the 5th century BC. (See article: Popol Vuh)

That is why it is natural to note that it has similar or very similar aspects with time systems of other older Mesoamerican civilizations, such as the Zapotecs or Olmecs and contemporary or later ones, for example, the Mixtec and Aztec calendars.

The Mayan calendar is a set of three interrelated calendars: the Tzolkin, the Haab, and a Long Count calendar.

Mayan mythological tradition indicates that Itzamna is the deity who is in charge of matters related to the calendar system, writing and important aspects of Mayan culture.

Discovery

The Mayan Calendar and its description were discovered and deciphered through the Dresden codex.

This is one of the four codices that are known and preserved today. This codex has thirty-nine pages, it is written in the Mayan language and it addresses some of his astronomical knowledge and describes:

The use of the three calendars

Some predictions of solar and lunar eclipses.

Tables that indicated the cycle of the planet Venus.

Importance in the life of the tribes

The Mayans highly valued the history of their people and recording it was a primary task, using according to their needs some of the calendars designed to keep track of time and accurately record each event and story.

The calendar had great influence on the life of the Mayan world, who were governed by it to carry out ceremonies, rituals, offerings, sowing and harvesting, among other things.

Some coincided and were related to the cycles of the Moon, the gestation stage of humans, the movements of the sun at its zenith and the cycle of development and growth of sacred corn.

It is also indicated, according to some scholars of the area, that when a child was born in the community, he was presented before the priest so that he could proceed to divine his destiny, his occupation in the future and choose a name for him.

It is said that their future was designated by the calendar, that is, depending on the day of birth, their occupation would be determined, the jobs and tasks to be carried out and the way in which their parents would educate them, for example:

Kan, Chuen and Men would be artisans. Khish and Kib were the warriors. Khets’-nab would be healers.

Characteristics

The cultural legacy of the Mayans represents a jewel of Mesoamerica. Its level of development in different areas and the large number of works that have prevailed in history make it very clear.

The impressive pyramidal temples, the funerary monuments, the palaces and homes, the beautiful murals, the codices and his extensive knowledge of mathematics and astronomy, which allowed him to create the impressive calendar, perhaps one of his most important legacies.

This calendar, so interesting and surprising even today, has some characteristics that you should know:

In the Mayan Calendar, different ways of keeping track of time are presented and occur at the same time, that is, the sacred or ritual calendar, the solar calendar, the calendar wheel, the long count and the lunar count, among others, come together. It is a cyclical calendar, since it repeats every fifty-two Mayan years. Scholars of the subject indicate that it is present in cultures older than the Mayan, for example, the Olmec, however, many indicate that it was an invention of the Mayan civilization. Cycles and symbols are associated with gods, cosmic events, living beings and natural phenomena. The 365-day solar calendar was much more accurate than that used on the European continent at the same time. It has great importance and scientific significance, closely linked to mathematics, astronomy, mythology, cosmology and theology. (See article: Shiva)

Guys

One of the most interesting aspects of the Mayan Calendar is the existence and interaction of various types of systems, which keep an orderly account of time in months, weeks and days.

Some of these systems are explained below:

The Tzolkin

The calendar known as Tzolkin, which means the count of daysis a Mayan version of the cycle that has 260 days, divided into 20 blocks of 13 days each.

It had a mostly ceremonial use, that is, it was their sacred calendar and each day was identified with a name, a symbol and a number from one to thirteen.

It is still not certain which Mesoamerican culture developed this calendar exactly. Its origins and uses date back to the Zapotec era in Oaxaca, in the year 500 BC.

It is still used in certain indigenous groups and communities located in the Guatemalan highlands and the state of Oaxaca.

Haab or solar Mayan calendar

It is considered the civil calendar of the Mayan civilization and was used by a large number of pre-Columbian cultures that were located in part of Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, El Salvador, western Honduras, Nicaragua and Costa Rica.

It has 365 days, divided into 18 blocks or months, with 20 days each. There are five isolated days known as uayeb.

Each day of the calendar is identified with a number from 0 to 19 next to the name of the month.

The uayeb or last five days of the year do not have a name or number, and are considered dangerous and confusing days or days of reflection and introspection.

The Haab calendar served as a guide for those who directed the Mayan society, as it was considered appropriate to carry out efficient work regarding the arts and crafts, which directly influenced the well-being and of course the supply of the community.

Writing and the Calendar

The writing system of the Mayan civilization had a wide variety of phonetic signs, which reproduce and represent syllables instead of individual sounds, as is the case with the most common alphabetic systems.

In addition to these syllabic signs, they also have various logograms or signs that symbolize or represent words.

The inventory of logographic and syllabic signs is rich and varied, and they were combined for functional and aesthetic purposes in many ways.

Writing was also used to create calendars, either with combinations of images to represent objects and actions or also the well-known glyphs, which indicate objects or actions in a symbolic way.

Symbols and meaning

The symbols used by the Mayans are generally related to mathematics, astronomy, hieroglyphic writing, as a way to represent and indicate their deities and of course those associated with their sacred calendar.

Each Mayan Calendar has its own symbols, as you can see below

Tolkien Mayan Calendar Symbols

These symbols of the sacred Mayan calendar are known as nawal, there are a total of twenty nawales or sacred glyphs. These are:

1-Imix’ is he dragon or crocodilea deity that symbolizes the birth or origin of things and creation on earth, therefore influencing births, procreation, maternal energy, the source of life and nutrition.

It is also associated with prosperity and wealth. It is associated with the planet and its god Mo’x, deity of the earth. The associated color is red and its glyph represents a jar of water, the mother’s breast and raindrops. (See article: Ramayana)

Name in Ki’che Mayan: Imox

Name in Yucatec Mayan: Imix’

2-Ik’ represents the wind and the spirit of the air is related to life, violence, fluidity and the current of life, which moves between the poles and between the earthly and spiritual planes.

Also known as the heart of heaven, The color associated with this day is white and the patron god is god B or Chaac. Its glyph reflects a window through which air flows.

Name in Mayan Ki’che: Ik’

Name in Yucatec Mayan: Iq’

3-Akb’al wave night or darknessassociated with the underworld and the relationship that exists between the jaguar and the Sun. The patron god of the day represented by this sign is Chaac Bolay, the jaguar of water lily and the color blue.

It is the darkness of the night and the dawn, the glyph reflects the macaw and the bat, symbols of day and night.

Name in Mayan Ki’che: Aq’b’al

Name in Yucatec Mayan: Akb’al

4-K’at either ripe corn, symbol of abundance and maturity. It is associated with the color yellow and the patron god is Yum Kax, god of corn or god E.

The glyph symbolizes a hammock, a spider web or a net that is used to fish or carry crops of sacred corn.

Name in Mayan Ki’che: K’at

Name in Yucatec Mayan: K’an

5-Khan, the Serpent or snake celestial, is related to the figure of the feathered serpent, carrier of the energy and light of the Sun. The patron god has the same name and is associated with the color red.

The symbol or glyph represents the snake coiled in a complete circle, with its eyes like points that perceive everything.

Name in Ki’che Mayan: Kan

Name in Yucatec Mayan: Chikchan

6-Kimi either death, obviously associated with death, but also with purification, transformation, changes and rebirth. Link between the visible and the invisible, the owl that predicts good and bad from its tree. (See article: Chilam Balam)

It is associated with god A or god of death and it is the day of the dead, when they can communicate with the living and vice versa.

It is associated with the colors white, black and yellow. The glyph represents the cycle of life, life and death.

Name in Mayan Ki’che: Keme

Name in Yucatec Mayan: Kimi

7-Manik’ represents the deer or deerthe patron god is the god R or Buluk Ch’Abtan, it is the day that gives thanks to the ancestors for what they inherited and bequeathed to us, it is also the representation of the god of hunting, strength and authority and the four pillars that supported the earth, the moon and the stars, according to Mayan tradition.

Ki’che Mayan name: Kiej

Name in Yucatec Mayan: Manik’

8-The mat either rabbit, is the representation of the planet Venus and the fall of the Sun or sunset. It symbolizes life and regeneration, specifically the seed that gives life, referring in this case to the seeds of plants and the semen of animals and humans.

Name in Mayan Ki’che:…