The earliest known inscription of a Long Count date is 36 B. Because this is outside of the Mayan territory, it is believed that the first use of the Long Count calendar predates the Mayans.
However, the Mayans made improvements to the calendar. Mayan time is marked in days one day is called a kin , periods of 20 days a uinal, or 20 kin , days a tun, or 18 uinal , 7, days a katun, or 20 tun and , days a baktun, or 20 katun. December 21, marks the ending of the 13th baktun, which ends the Long Count cycle of 5, solar years. A typical Mayan date would be a combination of all three calendars, for example: The At the end of the 13th baktun, the Long Count calendar resets to 0.
The ancient Maya reportedly believed that with each end of the Universal cycle, the Universe itself would "reset" by ending and starting over — not just the calendar — hence the doomsday interpretation. This interpretation was encouraged by a 1,year-old stone tablet from the Tortuguero archaeological site in Mexico, which contains hieroglyphs depicting the Mayan god of creation and war, Bolon Yokte, at the end of the 13th baktun.
It tells us about the relationship among all things, including the animals, the land, humans, and everything in the cosmos.
Tzolk'in Date:. Lord of the Night G8 in this example : A glyph that represents one the nine deities of the Maya Underworld. Skip to main content. Aside from these, the Maya also developed the Long Count calendar to chronologically date mythical and historical events.
The 13 baktun cycle of the Maya Long Count calendar measures 1,, days or 5, This is one of the longest cycles found in the Maya calendar system. This cycle ends on the winter solstice , December 21, The Haab cycle is days, and approximates the solar year. The Haab is a nineteen month calendar. The Haab is composed of 18 months made of 20 days, and one month, made of 5 days. This 5-day month is called "Wayeb.
This image shows the hieroglyphs corresponding to the nineteen months of the Haab calendar. Each of the day names is represented by a god who carries time across the sky, thus marking the passage of night and day. Some of these are animal gods, such as Chuen the dog , and Ahau the eagle , and archaeologists have pointed out that the Maya sequence of animals can be matched in similar sequence to the lunar zodiacs of many East and Southeast Asian civilizations.
Glyphs for two of the eighteen months of the Vague Year: Pop left and Zotz. In the day tzolkin , time does not run along a line, but moves in a repeating circle similar to a spiral. The two cycles of 13 and 20 intermesh and are repeated without interruption. Thus, the calendar would begin with 1 Imix, 2 Ik, 3 Akbal, and so on to 13 Ben, after which the cycle continues with 1 Ix, 2 Men, etc. This time the day Imix would be numbered 8 Imix, and the last day in this day cycle would be 13 Ahau.
No one is certain how such an unusual calendar came into being. The day cycle may tie several celestial events together, including the configuration of Mars, appearances of Venus, or eclipse seasons.
It may even represent the interval between conception and birth of a human baby. The day calendar was used to determine important activities related to the gods and humans. It was used to name individuals, predict the future, decide on auspicious dates for battles, marriages, and so on.
Each single day had its omens and associations, and the inexorable march of the 20 days was like a perpetual fortune-telling machine, guiding the destinies of the Maya.
The Vague Year or haab of days is similar to our modern calendar, consisting of 18 months of 20 days each, with an unlucky five-day period at the end.
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