AZTEC CALENDAR FLARE
????HOLA AMIGOS!!, GREETINGS FROM MEXICO:
Introduction to the Aztec Calendar
Not just one calendar
There is not just one Aztec calendar, there are two more or less independent systems. One calendar, called the xiuhpohualli, has 365 days. It describes the days and rituals related to the seasons, and therefor might be called the agricultural year or the solar year. The other calendar has 260 days. In Nahuatl, the language of the Aztecs, it is called the tonalpohualli or, in English, the day-count. Most information on this Internet-siterefers to the tonalpohualli, which is the sacred calendar.
The tonalpohualli and Aztec cosmology
The tonalpohualli, or day-count, has been called a sacred calendar because its main purpose is that of a divinatory tool. It divides the days and rituals between the gods. For the Aztec mind this is extremely important. Without it the world would soon come to an end. According to Aztec cosmology, the universe is in a very delicate equilibrium. Opposing divine forces are competing for power. This equilibrium is in constant danger of being disrupted by shifting powers of the gods, of the elemental forces that influence our lifes. This struggle cannot be won by any god. The notion that everything ultimately consists of two opposing forces is essential to the Aztec worldview. The world is always on the brink of going under in a spiritual war, a war of gods competing for supreme power. To prevent this from happening, the gods have been given their own space, their own time, their own social groups, etcetera, to rule over. The tonalpohualli tells us how time is divided among the gods.
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AZTEC FLARE
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Topic authorJuan Marino
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AZTEC FLARE
Last edited by Juan Marino on 19.11.2005, 21:43, edited 7 times in total.
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Topic authorJuan Marino
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Bcelestia
Brendan wrote:who want to use this Aztec sun without restarting Celestia
...YES!!!, Bcelestia is a cool tool for these occasions.
Vita brevis, ars longa, Occasio praeceps, Experimentum periculosum, Iudicium difficile.
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Topic authorJuan Marino
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- With us: 19 years 8 months
About the Aztec Calendar
The Aztec date as presented above shows the name and number of the year (xiuhpohualli in Nahuatl, the language of the Aztecs), the name of the 13-day week and the name and number of the day in the tonalpohualli (260-day ritual day count).
To find out the Aztec equivalent of any given date, go to the Date Calculator. Enter your birthdate and find out your Aztec name!
The Aztec date as presented above shows the name and number of the year (xiuhpohualli in Nahuatl, the language of the Aztecs), the name of the 13-day week and the name and number of the day in the tonalpohualli (260-day ritual day count).
To find out the Aztec equivalent of any given date, go to the Date Calculator. Enter your birthdate and find out your Aztec name!
Vita brevis, ars longa, Occasio praeceps, Experimentum periculosum, Iudicium difficile.
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Topic authorJuan Marino
- Posts: 87
- Joined: 08.01.2005
- With us: 19 years 8 months
The system of the tonalpohualli
The system of the tonalpohualli can be best understood by imagining two wheels that are connected to each other. One wheel has the numbers "one" to "thirteen" written on it. The second wheel has twenty symbols on it. In the initial situation, number "one" combines with the first symbol. This is the first day of the tonalpohualli. Now the wheels start moving and number "two" combines with the second glyph. This is the second day. After fourteen days, an Aztec week (trecenas in Spanish) of thirteen days has passed. The wheel with the numbers shows number "one" again. The other wheel now shows the fourteenth symbol. After 260 days, the two wheels have returned to their initial position. The tonalpohualli starts all over again.
Dividing time among gods
A day (tonalli) in the tonalpohualli consists of a number and a symbol or daysign. Each daysign is dedicated to a god. The twenty dayssigns and their gods are successively:
The system of the tonalpohualli can be best understood by imagining two wheels that are connected to each other. One wheel has the numbers "one" to "thirteen" written on it. The second wheel has twenty symbols on it. In the initial situation, number "one" combines with the first symbol. This is the first day of the tonalpohualli. Now the wheels start moving and number "two" combines with the second glyph. This is the second day. After fourteen days, an Aztec week (trecenas in Spanish) of thirteen days has passed. The wheel with the numbers shows number "one" again. The other wheel now shows the fourteenth symbol. After 260 days, the two wheels have returned to their initial position. The tonalpohualli starts all over again.
Dividing time among gods
A day (tonalli) in the tonalpohualli consists of a number and a symbol or daysign. Each daysign is dedicated to a god. The twenty dayssigns and their gods are successively:
Last edited by Juan Marino on 08.08.2005, 18:51, edited 1 time in total.
Vita brevis, ars longa, Occasio praeceps, Experimentum periculosum, Iudicium difficile.
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Topic authorJuan Marino
- Posts: 87
- Joined: 08.01.2005
- With us: 19 years 8 months
Last edited by Juan Marino on 19.11.2005, 21:41, edited 1 time in total.
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