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Maya Time and Date

Calendars

Knowing the date was as important to the Maya as it is to us now! Every inscription began with the date. Their calendars were very precise and helped them to record the movements and positions of stars and planets in the night sky (astronomy).

The Maya calendar consisted of two cycles:

Tzolk’in, The sacred year made up of 20 months of 13 days each. Haab, The solar year of 365 days made up of 18 months of 20 days each with 5 days added to the end.

Alongside these calendars there was the Mayan Long Count, a cycle that lasted 5,125 years. At the end of the cycle it was repeated. Maya Mythbuster

The ancient Maya predicted that the world would end on 21 December 2012.

No they didn’t! A great cycle of the Maya Long Count ended on 21 December 2012, but the next day the Maya believed that a new cycle would begin. There was to be no end of the world!

Glyphs Licensed under CC BY 2.5 via Wikimedia Commons

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. K'ib'

17. Kab'an

18. Etz'nab'

19. Kawak

20. Ajaw

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There are 20 ‘day names’ in the Tzolk’in. Their names are shown here in modern Mayan. How many can you say?

To hear how to say Tzolk’in point your device at this glyph!

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www.maya.lgfl.org.uk | www.mayaarchaeologist.co.uk