Calendar round
Encyclopedia
In the Mesoamerican calendars
, calendar round dates are composed by interlacing the dates of a 260-day period (Tzolk'in
in the Maya Calendar
or Tonalpohualli
in the Aztec calendar
) with dates from a 365-day period (Haab'
and in in the Maya Calendar
or Xiuhpohualli
in the Aztec calendar
). One calendar round cycle thus includes 18980 distinct dates and lasts approximately 52 years (the least common multiple
of 260 and 365 is 18980).
A typical calendar round date such as 8 Cauac 2 Zip shows the day 8 Cauac of the Tzolk'in cycle with 2 Zip month date of the Haab'.
Many modern Maya communities in highland Guatemala
still use the Calendar round today
Mesoamerican calendars
Mesoamerican calendars are the calendrical systems devised and used by the pre-Columbian cultures of Mesoamerica. In addition to the basic function of a calendar—defining and organizing periods of time in a way that allows events to be fixed, ordered and noted relative to each other and some...
, calendar round dates are composed by interlacing the dates of a 260-day period (Tzolk'in
Tzolk'in
Tzolk'in is the name bestowed by Mayanists on the 260-day Mesoamerican calendar used by the Maya civilization of pre-Columbian Mesoamerica.The tzolk'in, the basic cycle of the Maya calendar, is a pre-eminent...
in the Maya Calendar
Maya calendar
The Maya calendar is a system of calendars and almanacs used in the Maya civilization of pre-Columbian Mesoamerica, and in many modern Maya communities in highland Guatemala. and in Chiapas....
or Tonalpohualli
Tonalpohualli
The tonalpohualli, a Nahuatl word meaning "count of days", is a 260-day sacred period in use in pre-Columbian Mesoamerica, especially among the Aztecs. This calendrical period is neither solar nor lunar, but rather consists of 20 trecena, or 13-day periods...
in the Aztec calendar
Aztec calendar
The Aztec calendar is the calendar system that was used by the Aztecs as well as other Pre-Columbian peoples of central Mexico. It is one of the Mesoamerican calendars, sharing the basic structure of calendars from throughout ancient Mesoamerica....
) with dates from a 365-day period (Haab'
Haab'
The Haab is part of the Maya calendric system. It was the Maya version of the 365-day calendar known to many of the pre-Columbian cultures of Mesoamerica...
and in in the Maya Calendar
Maya calendar
The Maya calendar is a system of calendars and almanacs used in the Maya civilization of pre-Columbian Mesoamerica, and in many modern Maya communities in highland Guatemala. and in Chiapas....
or Xiuhpohualli
Xiuhpohualli
The Xiuhpohualli was a 365-day calendar used by the Aztecs and other pre-Columbian Nahua peoples in central Mexico. It was composed of eighteen 20-day "months," called veintenas or metzli with a separate 5 day period at the end of the year called the nemontemi...
in the Aztec calendar
Aztec calendar
The Aztec calendar is the calendar system that was used by the Aztecs as well as other Pre-Columbian peoples of central Mexico. It is one of the Mesoamerican calendars, sharing the basic structure of calendars from throughout ancient Mesoamerica....
). One calendar round cycle thus includes 18980 distinct dates and lasts approximately 52 years (the least common multiple
Least common multiple
In arithmetic and number theory, the least common multiple of two integers a and b, usually denoted by LCM, is the smallest positive integer that is a multiple of both a and b...
of 260 and 365 is 18980).
A typical calendar round date such as 8 Cauac 2 Zip shows the day 8 Cauac of the Tzolk'in cycle with 2 Zip month date of the Haab'.
Many modern Maya communities in highland Guatemala
Guatemala
Guatemala is a country in Central America bordered by Mexico to the north and west, the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, Belize to the northeast, the Caribbean to the east, and Honduras and El Salvador to the southeast...
still use the Calendar round today