CALENDAR
RELATED LINKS:
MAYA CALENDAR, MATH AND ASTRONOMY
Use our provided information to learn about the Maya.
MAYAN LANGUAGE
Learn about Mayan language and writing.
MAYA ARCHITECTURE
Learn why the Maya built their temples.
MAYA BALLGAME
Learn about the ancient Mesoamerican ballgame.
MAYA MUSIC
Learn about ancient Maya music.
ANCIENT FOODS
Learn some of the foods the ancient Maya and other groups ate.
- Frequently asked questions
- Vocabulary
- Book List
- Web Resources
The Mayan indians discovered an advanced system of astronomy that enabled them to develop intricate calendars. One calendar was for religious ceremonies; the other calendar was based on the moon phases. The Maya were so advanced in their knowledge of astronomy that they built observatories hundreds of years ago. Many are still standing today, including one that is well preserved in Chichen Itza.
The Maya believed that the heavenly bodies were gods and if they understood what the gods were doing they could predict what would happen on earth. The religious calendar was used to plan sacrifices, holy days and wars. It was also used to name children. Each symbol represented something in their environment and the children were supposed to have the characteristics of that symbol.
The regular calendar was based on the moon’s phases and helped the Maya judge when to plant, harvest and keep track of time. This calendar took 365 days of the year and divided them into eighteen months of twenty days each. The ‘leftover’ five days were considered unlucky and all activities were canceled.
Only priests were allowed to have the knowledge of calendars and math. In this way, they were able to keep power over the other citizens. The two calendars were consulted separately as well as together. The cogs (teeth) around the outside of both calendars fit and turned together. The combination of the two calendars gave the priests new information in regards to the relationship of the gods.
Known as the Calendar Round, both tied to a linear count of days, called the Long Count, whose zero point is an unknown mythical event that occurred on August 13, 3114 BC. That date, incidentally, is well before the beginnings of any advanced cultures in the region. The Maya themselves regarded the zero date as only the latest in an infinite series of such zero dates, repeating every five thousand years or so (guess when the next one is!).
Note: some Maya calendars have absolute beginning dates and some count from the beginning of each ruler's reign.