The tzolkʼinfrom the revised Guatemala Mayan languages Academy orthography, which is preferred by the linguists of the Summer Institute of Linguistics (, formerly and commonly tzolkin) is the 260-day Mesoamerican calendar used by the Maya civilization of pre-Columbian Mesoamerica.
The tzolkʼin, the basic cycle of the Maya calendar, is a preeminent component in the society and rituals of the ancient and the modern Maya. The tzolkʼin is still used by several Maya communities in the Guatemalan highlands. While its use has been spreading in this region, this practice is opposed by Evangelical Christian converts in some Maya communities.
The word tzolkʼin, meaning "division of days", is a western coinage in Yucatec Maya. Contemporary Maya groups who have maintained an unbroken count for over 500 years in the tzolk'in use other terms in their languages. For instance, the Kʼicheʼ use the term Aj Ilabal Qʼij [aχ ilaɓal qʼiχ] or Raj Ilabal Qʼij [ɾaχ ilaɓal qʼiχ], 'the sense of the day' or 'the round of the days' and the Kaqchikel use the term Chol Qʼij [t͡ʃol qʼiχ], 'the organization of time'. The names of this calendar among the pre-Columbian Maya are not widely known. The corresponding Postclassic Aztec calendar was called tonalpohualli in the Nahuatl language.
The twenty day names The tzolkʼin calendar combines a cycle of twenty named days with another cycle of thirteen numbers (the trecena), to produce 260 unique days (the least common multiple of 20 and 13, which happens to equal 20 × 13 since the two numbers are coprime, is 260). Each successive named day is numbered from 1 to 13, and then starting again at 1.
The 20 individual named days are the following:
+Tzolkʼin calendar: named days and associated glyphs (in sequence)The modern orthography and reconstructed Classic Maya names in the table follow the summary provided in Kettunen and Helmke (2020). The associations are based on Miller and Taube (1993), p.49.Seq. No. 1Day Name 2Inscription glyph example 3Codex glyph example 416th C. Yucatec 5Reconstructed Classic Maya 6Associated natural phenomena or meaning 7 01 Imix Imix Haʼ (?)Glyph to represent the Naah Kan (Primordial Snake, also called Waterlily Serpent or Water Serpent) this god is the essence of water, his body is the undulating band of water. 02 Ikʼ Ik Ikʼwind, breath, life force 03 Akʼbʼal Akbal Akʼab (?)darkness, night, early dawn 04 Kʼan Kan Ohl (?) Net, sacrifice 05 Chikchan Chicchan (unknown)cosmological snake 06 Kimi Cimi Cham (?)death 07 Manikʼ Manik Chij (?)deer 08 Lamat Lamat Ekʼ / Lamaht (?) Venus, star, ripe(ness), maize seeds 09 Muluk Muluc (unknown)jade, water, offering 10 Ok Oc Ook (?)dog 11 Chuwen Chuen (unknown)howler monkey 12 Ebʼ Eb (unknown)rain 13 Bʼen Ben (unknown)green/young maize, seed 14 Ix Ix Hix (?)jaguar 15 Men Men Tz'ikin (?)eagle 16 Kibʼ Cib (unknown)wax 17 Kabʼan Caban Chab / Kab (?)earth 18 Etzʼnabʼ Etznab (unknown)flint 19 Kawak Cauac (unknown)rain storm 20 Ajaw Ahau Ajawlord, ruler, sunNOTES: The sequence number of the named day in the Tzolkʼin calendar Day name, in the standardized and revised orthography of the Guatemalan Academia de Lenguas Mayas An example glyph (logogram) for the named day, typical of monumental inscriptions ("cartouche" version). Note that for most of these, several alternate forms also exist. Example glyph, Maya codex style. When drawn or painted, most often a more economical style of the glyph was used; the meaning is the same. Again, variations to codex-style glyphs also exist. Day name, as recorded from 16th-century Yucatec language accounts, according to Diego de Landa; this orthography has (until recently) been widely used In most cases, the day name as spoken in the time of the Classic Period (c. 200–900), when most inscriptions were made, is not known. The versions given here (in Classical Maya, the main language of the inscriptions) are reconstructed based on phonological comparisons; a '?' symbol indicates the reconstruction is tentative. Each named day had a common association or identification with particular natural phenomena
The tzolkʼin does not have a generally recognized start and end, although there are specific references in the books of Chilam Balam to 1 Imix as the beginning day.
Each of the twenty days has its specific primary association connected to the day name's meaning.The particular associations given below are based on Wright (1989).
Imix : 'Crocodile' – the reptilian body of the planet earth, or world Ik : 'Wind' – breath, life. Also violence. Akbal : 'Night-house' – darkness, the underworld, realm of the nocturnal jaguar-sun. Kan : 'Maize' – sign of the young maize lord who brings abundance, ripeness. Also lizard, net. Chicchan : 'Snake' – the celestial serpent Cimi : 'Death' Manik : 'Deer' – sign of the Lord of the Hunt Lamat : 'Rabbit' – sign of what is also known as the planet Venus, sunset. The glyph may depict four grains of maize. Invoked by the feminine name "Ixqʼanil" by Xquic. Muluc : 'Water' – symbolised by jade, an aspect of the water deities; fish. Invoked by the feminine name "Ixtoj" by Xquic. Oc : 'Dog' – who guides the night sun through the underworld. Chuen : 'Monkey' – the great craftsman, patron of arts and knowledge. Also thread. Eb : 'Grass' or 'Point' – associated with rain and storms. Ben : 'Reed' – who fosters the growth of corn, cane, and man. Ix : 'Jaguar' – the night sun. Also maize. Associated with the goddess Ixchel. Men : 'Eagle' – the wise one, bird, moon Cib : 'Owl/Vulture' – death-birds of night and day. Also wax, soul, insect. Caban : 'Earthquake' – formidable power. Also season, thought. Etzʼnab : 'Knife' – the obsidian sacrificial blade. Cauac : 'Rain' or 'Storm' – the celestial dragon serpents and the chacs, gods of thunder and lightning. Ahau : 'Lord' – the radiant sun god. Also associated with the Mayan hero twins.
The variant names and associations below are common to three post-conquest Guatemalan highland calendars. Their interpretations are based primarily on an 1854 manuscript by Hernandez Spina.The full three calendars, and information derived from Spina, are given by Weeks et al. (2009).
Imox is a bad day, associated with the insane, on which the priests of the sun pray that harm may come to their enemies through evil spirits. Iq is a bad day, symbolic in the same way of the destructive forces of nature; that power is localized in stone idols, who are honored with incense, roses, candles, pine needles, and aguardiente. Tumours and painful swellings are attributed to the influence of this day. Aqabal is a bad day, on which the priests of the sun go to shrines to pray against their enemies. The day is symbolic of evil in general and of slanderers, in particular. Kat is a bad day in the same sense as Aqabal, symbolic of evil in general. Kan is a bad day. It brings sickness and is symbolic of the arbitrary cruelty of nature. Kame is recorded as a bad day by one 19th-century source and as a good day by one 20th-century source, Ruth Leah Bunzel. It is symbolic of the ultimate dissolution by death of everything good and everything evil. It is a good day to confess one's evil deeds, and ask for pardon. Keej is a good day on which wishes are made. It is a good day to ask favors and to commemorate ancestors. Qanil is a good day, sacred to fertility gods, associated with human nourishment, the growth of crops, the cycle of death and rebirth, and of the milpa. After the harvest is completed, thanksgiving is made on Qanil. Toj is a bad day, symbolized by sickness, and anyone born on it will be perverse. It is a good day to wish sickness upon an enemy. Tzi is a bad day, symbolized by sexual depravity. No ceremonies must ever be held on this day. Batz is a bad day, symbolized by paralysis. According to some, it is a good day, symbolic of the ancestors. E is a good day, symbolized by destiny, fortune, and the essential characteristics of one's personality. It is a day on which marriages may be held, and sacrifices to benign deities may be made. Aj is a good day, consecrated to fertility gods, herdsmen, and domesticated animals. The day is symbolic of one's destiny as embodied in one's nagual. Ix is a good day, sacred to the mountain and forest spirits. On this day, protection may be sought from wolves and wild predators, in favor of flocks and animals. The day is symbolic of the creative force in general, and of the earth itself. Tzikin is the most excellent day of all. Double offerings are made at shrines, in forests, and in caves. It is a day on which wishes may be made, forgiveness may be sought, and important matters may be finalized. Ajmaq is also a very good day, one sacred to the spirits that preside over good health. Noj is an auspicious day, on which good judgement may be prayed for. The day is symbolic both of humanity's amoral and moral qualities. Tijax is a good day. It is a day of verbal arguments, and a good day to confess sins. Kawoq is recognized as an indifferent day or a bad day. It is symbolic of the malice of the dead. Junapu or Ajpu is an indifferent day, neither a bad or good portent, on which the power of the ancestors is embodied by the house itself.
Uses
The tzolkʼin was extensively used in Mayan inscriptions and codices. Symbolism related to the tzolkʼin is also observed in the Popol Vuh (which, though written in the early post-conquest period, is probably based on older texts). For instance, when Xmucane has set an impossible task for Xquic of collecting a netful of corn from one stalk and Xquic successfully completes it, she leaves the imprint of her net in the ground, and the day "net" is the opening of the Venus cycle which follows "ahau" ("ajpu" in Kʼicheʼ), just as her child is the heir of Hun Hunajpu.Dennis Tedlock (translator and editor), Popol Vuh: The Definitive Edition Of The Mayan Book Of The Dawn Of Life, 1996
The uses to which the ancient Maya applied the calendar are unknown, nonetheless modern Maya communities employ the calendar as follows: For Maize cultivation.(The zenith transit days may have been significant for agriculture along the south coast of Guatemala because April 30 occurs just before the rainy season. Modern Maya plant their corn at the end of April or early in May. In the August 13 zenith transit the Maya initiate its current era in this day', approximating the harvest of the dried corn. For modern Guatemalan highlanders, the 260 days are employed in training the Aj Kʼij, or 'calendar diviner'. Nine months after commencing training in divination, the novice is "reborn" and initiated into office. The tzolkʼin is explainable, in principle, as a calendar of midwives, since it counts 260 days from the 20 day period of the conception, from when the heart of the fetus starts to beat, until birth. For rituals performed every 260 days. Most famous of these is the "Initiation" celebration of 8 Chuwen, Waxakibʼ Bʼatz, in the Kʼiche town of Santa Cruz del Quiche. For days which are suitable for certain actions. For instance, a low-numbered Akʼabʼal or Bʼen would be a good day for a wedding, whereas Kʼan would be a good day for building or maintaining a house. For divination based on casting lots and counting forward through the calendar from the current 'year bearer' to arrive at a day which is then interpreted. This is not pure cleromancy because somatic twitches of "blood lightning" can either be specifically consulted or arise spontaneously during the process. For traditional Mayan names, which are based on calendar days, often birthdays. Somewhat analogous to astrology, personal characteristics are believed to be influenced by the name of the day on which a person was born, and the success of some particular types of endeavor depend on carrying them out on a day whose name is auspicious for those actions.
Origins