The Aetes Oalendar
Mayan, lmean, and Aaleo Oivilizations
ffiALEru&8ffi The AziEcs, iiko the Mayas &nd ansient Egyptians, us€d two different salondars, Ths first calondar was similar to tho one created by the Mayas and handed down thr0ugh the agos. lt was a lunar calonder hased on th€ phases of tha Moon, The lunar calondar had 8S0 days, The Aztecs divlded lhelr CIalsndar lnto 1S month$, each hav, ing P0 days" They thought this cal" enderwss maglcal. Theprlests used ths luner eelendar t0 decids whleh days would bs used for religious cgrornoniss and rituals. Priests also Tho irnage of the $un god Tonatluh ls can cd !n tho contersf usEd thls cglsndar to declde whictr the Aztoc calsndar otont, Others carvlutgs reprossn? tho
Autoc dayo and rullglouu symbola. days ware lucky and should be ueed for impofiant aetivities such as planting crop$ or going into battle, A number of dots represented tho rnonths, and each of the 20 days had a name, Each of tho days also had e hleroglyph {pieture word). The days' narnes and their hieroglyphs are shown below:
.
Clpaetli
eroeod!le
%ffi
Ehecatl Wlnd
Cuetzpallin LIzard
CIoatl
$erpemt
ft7
,x..fr F-*a-^.k jq\yrEfd,
G-4[*r.A" I'
LJ
Miquiat!i
Mazatl
Seath's-head
Seer
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Tochtli Hebblt
g0
itzocrintll
Ilog
TheAetec Calendar
Mayan, lircen, and Aztec Civilizetions
0aomatll
MElinalli
Aeatl
Ocelotl
ffinmlqey
Grass
Reed
Ocelot
h
ffi Cozcaquauhtli Vulture
€A)
B
\*
Tecpatl
Ollin ftilotlon
Cuauhtli Eegls
Fllnr Knll€
Quiauitl
Xochltl
ftaln
Flswer
Olrr New Year's day would have appeared on the AzteC calendar as:
( one dot
*
first
rnonth
crooodile
*
first da$ )
The Aztecs established thoirsecond ealendaron ths movement of tha $un. $imilar ts ogr ealendar today, lt had 86$ days based on the tlmo it took the earth to orbit the Sun, *"'uV CiriO*U their soiar calendar h[o '!8 months each containing 20 days, The extra fiva dayi were *nothing!'days added to tho Bnd of each year. The Aztecs tttought these five daYs were unlucky, so they CiO not givo lhern name$. Tho Aatec stopped all activitles durlng the five ,nothlng;.days, At ttre enO of the llve days, they gave a *acrlficlal victinn ln trlbute to the gods. Our ealendar has centuries using 100-year divlslons. Bottr of the Aztsc catendars used 52-year divisisns. Tha Aztscs had a maior oelebration at tho start of each new S2'year cyole" Part of the celebration included the New Flrs Cerernony. The priests extinguished the templo's altar fires, and the citizens let their hsusehold lires go out, rqt rnidnlght of the new era, the priost would light a flra on the ehest of a sacrllioial vietim. The people would then llght a fiie stiek {rom the altar fire and use lt to tlght thelr honno fires. Ono of the imponant artifacts from tlra Aztecs ls the farnous aalendar slone. Dlsesvered !n '1790, tha stone is about 12 teet ln diarreter and welghts ?0 tons. ln the conter of the stone is an image of the Sun god Tonattr,rh. Other garvings on the stene represent the Aztec days and retiglous symbols. Aztec priests may have placed the hearts of sacrificial victlnns sn the stons'$ center during religious ceremonies.
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