The Tzolkin or Ritual Calendar: the other calendar used was the Ritual calendar which
consisted of 13 months with 20 days each, coming to a total of 260 days per year. This 260 day
cycle is thought by many scholars to be based on the rotational movements of Venus though this
is highly dubious and due to recent discoveries it is now much more reasonable to assume a
geographic reasoning behind the invention. It is true however, that the Mayans were aware that
the morning star and the evening star were both the same object and kept accurate tables on the
rotation and movements of the planets.
The Tzolkin months did not have names but the days were named as follows:
- Imik
- Ik
- Akbal
- Kan
- Chicchan
- Simmi
- Manik
- Lamat
- Maluc
- Oc
- Chueb
- Eb
- Ben
- Ix
- Men
- Cib
- Caban
- Etz’nab
- Cauac
- Ahua
In this calendar method the number from 1 – 13 increased along with the days. For example:
The first day in the Cycle was 1.Imik the second was 2.Ik and so on. Eventually, after 260 days,
every possible combination of name and number (1 – 13) would have been achieved.
The Calendar Round: Every 52 years both the Haab and the Tzolkin would coincide and begin
on the same day, this was always considered to be a time of great renewal and worthy of
celebration. On such occasions temples would be refaced, houses built and repaired and other
more ritualistic acts. A longer cycle of 22 calendar rounds was also followed. This cycle
consisted of 13 ‘Heavens’ followed by 9 ‘Hells’. The last completed cycle was in 1987 which
places us currently in the first Heaven.
It is now known that the Mayan Civilization was preceded by the Toltecs who were in turn
preceded by the Olmecs and that this is most likely where the Maya obtained their astronomical
information and there is also the persistent Mayan legend of a great teacher named Quetzalcoatl.
There have been huge debates over the end of this particular Sun of the Mayan Calendar due to
the fact that it’s the end of the 5 sun cycle and the date corresponds so closely to the completion
of a 26,000 year Galactic Orbital cycle and a significant and previously unrecorded sunspot event.
Sunspot activity can greatly affect things on Earth such as electro-magnetism and radio and
television communications and can produce brilliant auroras at the Earths poles. This Sunspot
activity happens in 11 year cycles. But more major events of increased activity also occur in
longer cycles of 33, 110 and sunspot activity of unprecedented proportions is predicted by
scientists to occur in late 2012.