What is the meaning of the Aztec calendar? The tonalpohualli, or day-count, has been called a sacred calendar because its main purpose is that of a divinatory tool. It divides the days and rituals between the gods. For the Aztec mind this is extremely important. Without it the world would soon come to an end. Click to see full answer.
What is the difference between Mayan and Aztec calendars?
Their units of time included:
- K’in – a day
- Winal or Uinal – a 20-day month
- Tun – an 18-month solar calendar year or 360 days
- K’atun – 20 years or 7,200 days
- Calendar round – a 52-year period that re-aligns with the 260-day religious year or 18,980 days
- B’ak’tun – 20 k’atun cycles or 400 tuns/years or ~144,00 days
- Piktun – 20 b’aktun or ~2,880,000 days
What is the purpose of the Aztec calendar?
Aztec Calendar Purpose. Since the Aztec calendar consisted of two calendar cycles, it had two main purposes. One was the calculation of ordinary days and years and had a 365-day calendar cycle. This particular calendar cycle is also known as the agricultural calendar since it was based on the sun.
How do you read an Aztec calendar?
How to Read an Aztec Calendar
- Reading the Ritual Calendar
- Divide the ritual period of 260 days. Divide the ritual period of 260 days into 20 13-day units called "trecena." Designate a number from 1 to 13 for each ...
- Assign a symbol. ...
- Read the date. ...
- Record the date in a folded paper book. ...
- Reading the Solar Calendar. ...
What does the Aztec calendar represent?
What does the Aztec calendar represent?The Aztec solar year contained 18 months of 20 days each, with 5 extra days. Time was divided into “centuries” of 52 years. The calendar represents the Aztec belief that the universe had already passed through four world creations, which had all been destroyed
What does the Aztec calendar symbolize?
In addition, both individual days and periods of days were given their own gods in the calendar, highlighting the Aztec view that time and daily life was inseparable from religious beliefs. The date, every 52 years, when the calendars coincided exactly was regarded as particularly significant and auspicious.
What was the Aztec calendar used for?
The Aztec calendar consists of 260 days (13 months, each containing 20 days), which determined the life of each Mexica (Aztec). In Aztec society, priests consulted the calendar to determine auspicious days for weddings and other important events.
What God is on the Aztec calendar?
The tonalpohualli and Aztec cosmology Depicts the 20 daysigns around the Sun God. The tonalpohualli, or day-count, has been called a sacred calendar because its main purpose is that of a divinatory tool.
Why is the calendar stone important?
The Aztec Calendar Stone, became a very important national symbol during the Porfirio Diaz era. The Calendar Stone was used in the movement to unify the states of Mexico into a nation. The movement used the history and symbols of the indigenous people, particularly the Aztecs.
Is the Aztec calendar actually a calendar?
The so-called Aztec Calendar Stone was not a calendar, but most likely a ceremonial container or altar linked to the Aztec sun god, Tonatiuh, and festivities dedicated to him.
How are the 2 Aztec calendars different?
Each day was represented by a combination of 21 day signs and thirteen day signs. The other calendar was used to track time. This calendar was called the Xiuhpohualli or "solar year". It had 365 days divided up into 18 months of 20 days each.
How is the Aztecs calendar different from ours?
There is not just one Aztec calendar there are two more or less independent systems. One calendar called the xiuhpohualli has 365 days. It describes the days and rituals related to the seasons and therefor might be called the agricultural year or the solar year. The other calendar has 260 days.
What year is 2022 in Aztec calendar?
What Year Is It Now? If you're curious, as of the writing of this text, we are in the year 9 calli (2021), near the end of the current Xiuhmolpilli/century. 2022 would be 10 tochtli, 2023 – 11 acati, 2024 – 12 tecpati, 2025 – 13 calli.
What is the Aztec calendar?
The Aztec or Mexica calendar is the calendrical system 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 Aztec sun stone, also called the calendar stone, is on display at the National Museum ...
What is the 20 day period of the Aztec calendar?
Through Spanish usage, the 20-day period of the Aztec calendar has become commonly known as a veintena . Each 20-day period started on Cipactli (Crocodile) for which a festival was held. The eighteen veintena are listed below. The dates are from early eyewitnesses; each wrote what they saw.
What is the date of the first day of the year in Mexico?
His correlation argues that the first day of the Mexica year was February 13 of the old Julian calendar or February 23 of the current Gregorian calendar . Using the same count, it has been the date of the birth of Huitzilopochtli, the end of the year and a cycle or "Tie of the Years", and the New Fire Ceremony, day-sign 1 Tecpatl of the year 2 Acatl, corresponding to the date February 22. Another correlation by Ruben Ochoa uses pre-Columbian sources to reconstruct the calendar, using a method that fixes the year count to the vernal equinox and placing the first day of the year on the first day after the equinox.
How many days are in a year in Aztec?
Xiuhpōhualli is the Aztec year ( xihuitl) count ( pōhualli ). One year consists of 360 named days and 5 nameless ( nēmontēmi ). These 'extra' days are thought to be unlucky. The year was broken into 18 periods of twenty days each, sometimes compared to the Julian month.
How many days are in the tinalphualli?
Tōnalpōhualli. The tōnalpōhualli ("day count") consists of a cycle of 260 days, each day signified by a combination of a number from 1 to 13, and one of the twenty day signs.
How many months are there in a year?
In ancient times the year was composed of eighteen months, and thus it was observed by the native people. Since their months were made of no more than twenty days, these were all the days contained in a month, because they were not guided by the moon but by the days; therefore, the year had eighteen months. The days of the year were counted twenty by twenty.
What are the day signs in Mexico?
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.
Where did the Aztec calendar come from?
The calendar of the Aztecs was derived from earlier calendars in the Valley of Mexico and was basically similar to that of the Maya. The ritual day cycle was called tonalpohualli and was formed, as was the Mayan Tzolkin, by the concurrence…. chronology: Aztec.
How many days were in the Aztec calendar?
Like the Mayan calendar, the Aztec calendar consisted of a ritual cycle of 260 days and a 365-day civil cycle. The ritual cycle, or tonalpohualli, contained two smaller cycles, an ordered sequence of 20 named days and a sequence of days numbered from 1 to 13.
What is the Aztec sun god's face?
The face of the Aztec sun god, Tonatiuh, appears at the centre of the stone, surrounded by four square panels honouring previous incarnations of the deity that represent the four previous ages of the world. Circumscribing these are signs that represent the 20 days of the Aztec month. Read More on This Topic.
Why is the 13 day cycle important?
The 13-day cycle was particularly important for religious observance, and each of the 20 numbered cycles within the ritual year was associated with a different deity. Similarly, each named day was associated with a unique deity, and scholars believe that the combinations of ruling deities were used for divination.
What is an encyclopedia editor?
Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. ...
What was the Aztec calendar?
Aztec Calendar. Aztecs used a sophisticated calendar system for the calculation of ordinary days and religious ceremonies. The Basic structure of Aztec calendar was also used by other ancient civilisations of Mesoamerica. The Aztecs added their own features to this calendar and adapted it to their own needs. This Aztec calendar had two parts: one ...
What was the first day of the Aztec calendar?
The accepted reconstruction of Aztec calendar is the one proposed by Rafael Tena which asserts that the first day of the Mexica year was February 13 of the old Julian calendar of February 23 of the Gregorian calendar. Various other aspects of the calendar have been varied using the same count.
What are the Aztec day signs?
Aztec Calendar Day Signs. On the Aztec calendar, different signs or images are used for the day counts which are also associated with one of the four cardinal directions. The day signs start with 1 cipactli meaning crocodile, with an actual image of the crocodile used to represent it. This image is associated with the east.
How many periods of 13 days are there in the Aztec calendar?
20 periods of 13 days were used to organise the total of 260 days on the sacred Aztec calendar. Each of these 13-day periods is known as trecenas. The calendar date of the first day of the 13 days in a specific trecena is used to name that trecena.
How often did the Aztec calendars coincide?
While both agricultural and religious calendars are more or less independent, they coincided after every 52 years. According to the Aztec beliefs, sacrifice needed to be offered to gods at the end of this 52-year cycle, in the absence of which a cataclysmic event could take place. The calendar system thus bore heavy religious influence, just like several other aspects of the Aztec culture.
How many days are in a trecena?
These 13-day weeks are often referred to as trecenas by scholars. Each of the twenty trecenas in the calendar had a specific deity associated with it.
Why is the agricultural calendar called the agricultural calendar?
This particular calendar cycle is also known as the agricultural calendar since it was based on the sun. The other calendar cycle was used to keep track of religious ceremonies and was thus considered a sacred calendar. This one had a 260-day ritual cycle. Both these calendars coincided after every 52 years had passed.
When did the Aztec calendar start?
The Aztec Calendar Stone was carved from solidified lava in the late 15th century. It somehow got lost for 300 years and was found in 1790, buried under the zocalo, or central square of Mexico City.
What are the two different Aztec calendars?
There is not just one Aztec calendar, there are two more or less independent systems. One calendar, called the xiuhpohualli, has 365 days. It describes the days and rituals related to the seasons, and therefor might be called the agricultural year or the solar year. The other calendar has 260 days.
How accurate is the Aztec calendar?
Little is known about the Maya calendar itself, but it's known that the Aztec calendar, very well documented, was a variation of the Mayan, and acknowledged to be less accurate. The lunar portion is the sacred calendar, of 260 days per lunar year, and that's what they used to record historic events.
What is the face in the middle of the Aztec calendar?
In the center of the monolith is often believed to be the face of the solar deity, Tonatiuh, which appears inside the glyph for "movement" (Nahuatl: Ōllin), the name of the current era.
How was the Aztec calendar arranged and divided?
In a similar manner, within each year, the days of the tonalámatl or Sacred Calendar were divided into 65-day series of five 13-day "weeks." In a year of 260 days there were four of these 65-day groups, and each carried a sign which related it to one of the four cardinal directions.
How large is the Aztec calendar stone?
Aztec calendar A circular calendar stone measuring about 12 feet (3.7 metres) in diameter and weighing some 25 tons was uncovered in Mexico City in 1790 and is currently on display in the National Museum of Anthropology in Mexico City.
What do Aztec symbols mean?
Most Aztec symbols had layers of meaning. A butterfly symbol, for instance, represented transformation while frogs symbolized joy. The day signs and coefficients corresponded to one of the Aztec gods, which means the 260-day calendar could be used for divination. An order of the Aztec priesthood were diviners.
What Is The Aztec Calendar?
The Aztec Calendar, also known as the Sun Stone, is a monumental sculpture which weighs a mammoth 24,590kg and slightly over 3ft thick. The circular front panel, which has a huge diameter of around 11.5ft, displays eight concentric circles, on which appear various symbols. These represent a selection of native animals, like crocodiles, jaguars and eagles; natural elements, including wind, water and rain; some rudimentary markers of civilization, such as houses; shared features of humanity, including movement and death.
How many days are in the Aztec calendar?
The Aztec year was made up of 260 days, divided into 13 months, each with 20 days . The concentric circles on the monolith display these divisions of time, adding weight to the argument that the Sun Stone was used as a chronological record.
What does the circle on the Tonatiuh represent?
The circles emanating from the image of Tonatiuh represent the four previous Aztec eras, each of which was believed to have ended in apocalyptic catastrophes caused by wild beasts, hurricanes, fires and floods. The Aztecs believed that humanity was annihilated each time, and reborn at the start of the next era. The central circle is meant to represent the fifth age, in which the Aztecs who made it, were living.
Why are there two bands on the Aztec sun?
In particular, there are two bands which are thought to depict the victory of the Aztec armies over the combined forces of their enemies. Some even believe that the portrait at the center of the stone is meant to represent Moctezuma himself.
What is the significance of the sun stone?
All of the evidence for the purpose and meaning of the Sun Stone points towards its importance as a symbol of Aztec culture. There is undoubtedly a religious aspect to the monolith, and its symbols strongly indicate that it could also be used to record time. Whether or not there is an overtly political element to its design, it is clear that such a monumental sculpture was designed to impress.
What does the sun stone mean?
The chronological symbols and structure of the Sun Stone indicate that it was designed to show the passing of time, and therefore may have served as a calendar after all.
When was the Aztec calendar discovered?
Since its discovery in 1790, the Aztec Calendar (or Sun Stone) has intrigued archaeologists, historians and conspiracy theorists alike. Various interpretations have been put forward about its use and until recently, almost everyone has agreed that it was some form of calendar. But new research has brought to light facts that suggest otherwise. Read on to discover more about this mysterious stone, and why it may not be all it seems.
What is the Aztec calendar called?
In Nahuatl, the language of the Aztecs, it is called the tonalpohualli or, the day-count. Most information on this website refers to the tonalpohualli, which is the sacred calendar.
How many days are there in the Aztec calendar?
There is not just one Aztec calendar, there are two more or less independent systems. One calendar, called the xiuhpohualli, has 365 days. It describes the days and rituals related to the seasons, and therefor might be called the agricultural year or the solar year. The other calendar has 260 days.
How many days are in a 365 day year?
The 365-day year or xihuitl consists of 18 months (meztli) of 20 days (also called veintenas) plus five extra (unlucky) days. According to Caso, the last day of the last veintena of the year gives its (tonalpohualli-) name to the xihuitl. This name is the "Xihuitl" information that is displayed by the calendar. A simple calculation learns that only four daysigns can "bear" (i.e. give their name to) the year. These are Calli, Tochtli, Acatl and Tecpatl for the Aztec calendar. A similar calculation tells us that the number of the xihuitl is raised every year. So year 1-Calli is followed by 2-Tochtli, etcetera. This means that every 52 years (4 times 13) the name of the year will be the same. A combination of 52 years is called a calendar round or xiuhmolpilli (bundle).
What is the Aztec worldview?
The notion that everything ultimately consists of two opposing forces is essential to the Aztec worldview. The world is always on the brink of going under in a spiritual war, a war of gods competing for supreme power.
Why is the Tonalpohualli calendar important?
It divides the days and rituals between the gods. For the Aztec mind this is extremely important. Without it the world would soon come to an end.
What is the Aztec cosmology?
According to Aztec cosmology, the universe is in a very delicate equilibrium. Opposing divine forces are competing for power. This equilibrium is in constant danger of being disrupted by shifting powers of the gods, of the elemental forces that influence our lives. This struggle cannot be won by any god.
What is a day in Tonalpohualli?
A day (tonalli) in the tonalpohualli consists of a number and a symbol or daysign. Each daysign is dedicated to a god or elemental force, the provider of tonalli (Shadow Soul) life energy for the day. The twenty daysigns and their gods are successively: Nr. Daysign.
What were the Aztec calendars?
Aztec Calendar Facts. The Aztecs had a profound interest in astronomy and observed astral bodies very closely to track their movements. They were able to create an unusually complex and accurate calendar based on their knowledge of astronomy. The calendar was also tied closely with Aztec symbolism and a specific symbol was assigned to each day.
What was the last five days of the Aztec calendar called?
The Aztecs considered these last five days as unlucky days. 260-day ritual cycle: The 260-day cycle on the Aztec calendar was called the ritual cycle. This cycle had immense religious significance for the Aztecs and they used it to mark different religious ceremonies and rituals.
How many phases are there in the Sun Stone?
The Sun Stone is divided into five portions, or five eras which are associated with five different Suns. This is in compliance with the Aztec mythology which says that mankind has perished at the end of four previous Sun cycles and that we are currently living in the fifth cycle of the Sun.
How many cycles were there in the Aztec calendar?
Aztec calendar cycles: The Aztec calendar comprised of two cycles. One was a 365-day solar cycle which the Aztecs called the Year Count. The other was a 260-day cycle which was called the Day Count. Together, these cycles aligned after every 52 years which the Aztecs called a century.
What is the meaning of the 20 day month?
Moreover, symbols were ascribed to each of these 20-day periods in the 365-day cycle. Unlucky days: The end of each 365-day cycle in the Aztec calendar was marked by 360 named days and 5 nameless days. The Aztecs considered these last five days as unlucky days.
What is the 52 year cycle?
52-year cycle: Cycles are a prominent feature of Aztec mythology as well as their notions about time and space . The Aztec calendar comprises of several cycles. Among these is the 52-year cycle which marks the end of the Year Count and Day Count. Aztecs believed that every new 52 year cycle starts at the same day.
Why did the Aztecs perform rituals and sacrifices?
So they performed rituals and sacrifices to ensure that the transition from one cycle to another happened without any catastrophes.
What is the Aztec calendar?
The Aztec calendar stone is a combination of a number of different symbols, with different meanings and it is also known as glyphs. The actual Calendar Stone was carved at the time of the reign of the sixth Aztec monarch in 1479. This Aztec calendar was dedicated to the deity Tonatiuh, or the Sun, whose face is placed in the middle of the calendar, which appears inside the glyph for “movement.”
What is the significance of the calendar stone?
The famous calendar stone is actually a brilliant combination of artistry and geometry. It reflects the Aztec understanding of the time, as well as space as wheels within wheels. The detailed surface of the stone also combines the understanding of the gods which the people had created over the centuries and their observations of the heavens.
Where is the calendar stone?
The calendar stone was uncovered in Mexico City in 1970, and it measures almost twelve feet in diameter and weighs some twenty-five tons. It was carved from basalt, which is solidified lava, this being an area where volcanoes were a common thing. But, after that, it was lost – buried under the central square of Mexico City, for more than 300 years.
What is the Aztec calendar?
The Aztec Calendar Stone, better known in the archaeological literature as the Aztec Sun Stone (Piedra del Sol in Spanish), is an enormous basalt disk covered with hieroglyphic carvings of calendar signs and other images referring to the Aztec creation myth.
Where was the Aztec calendar found?
If the Aztec Calendar Stone was not a calendar, what was it? Sun Stone or Aztec Calendar Stone, found in Tenochtitlan in 1789, Mexico, Azteca civilization, 15th century. Nicoletta Maestri holds a Ph.D. in Mesoamerican archaeology with fieldwork experience in Italy, the Near East, and throughout Mesoamerica.
What do the Aztec motifs represent?
They suggest that the motifs represent petroglyphic prayers or exhortations advertising the success of the Aztec armies, recitations of which might have been part of the ceremonies which took place on and around the Sun Stone.
What is the meaning of the Aztec sun stone?
Aztec Sun Stone Origins and Religious Meaning. The so-called Aztec Calendar Stone was not a calendar, but most likely a ceremonial container or altar linked to the Aztec sun god, Tonatiuh, and festivities dedicated to him. At its center is what is typically interpreted as the image of the god Tonatiuh, within the sign Ollin, ...
Where was the Aztec sun stone found?
Scholars surmise that the basalt was quarried somewhere in the southern basin of Mexico, at least 18-22 kilometers (10-12 miles) south of Tenochtitlan.
Where is the Aztec artifact today?
Today it is displayed on the ground floor of the National Museum of Anthropology, in Mexico City, within the Aztec/Mexica exhibition room. Edited and updated by K. Kris Hirst .
Who was the Aztec sun stone dedicated to?
The Aztec sun stone was dedicated to Motecuhzoma II and was likely carved during his reign, 1502-1520. A sign representing the date 13 Acatl, 13 Reed, is visible on the surface of the stone.
Overview
The Aztec or Mexica calendar is the calendrical system 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 Aztec sun stone, also called the calendar stone, is on display at the Nationa…
Tōnalpōhualli
The tōnalpōhualli ("day count") consists of a cycle of 260 days, each day signified by a combination of a number from 1 to 13, 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 (though the twenty day signs had not yet been exhausted) resulting in 1 Jaguar, 2 Eagle, and so on, as the days immediately f…
Xiuhpōhualli
In ancient times the year was composed of eighteen months, and thus it was observed by the native people. Since their months were made of no more than twenty days, these were all the days contained in a month, because they were not guided by the moon but by the days; therefore, the year had eighteen months. The days of the year were counted twenty by twenty.— Diego Durán
Xiuhpōhualli is the Aztec year (xihuitl) count (pōhualli). One year consists of 360 named days an…
Reconstruction of the Solar calendar
For many centuries scholars had tried to reconstruct the Calendar. A widely accepted version was proposed by Professor Rafael Tena of the Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia, based on the studies of Sahagún and Alfonso Caso of the National Autonomous University of Mexico. His correlation argues that the first day of the Mexica year was February 13 of the old Julian calendar or February 23 of the current Gregorian calendar. Using the same count, it has been the date of t…
See also
• Maya calendar
• Mesoamerican calendars
• Aztec New Year
• Muisca calendar
External links
• The Aztec Calendar - Ancient History Encyclopedia
• (in Spanish) Detailed description of the temalacatl from Mexico's Museo Nacional de Antropología
• Daily Aztec Calendar
• Aztec Calendar Ruben Ochoa Correlation