Maintaining Important Information for the Aztec Indians
The Aztec calendar is a complex system that actually utilizes two different systems. The Aztec calendar known as the xiuhpohualli consists of 365 days. This calendar displays a variety of information important to the Aztec Indians. For example, it is used to describe the days and rituals as they relate to the seasons. Since this Aztec calendar is driven primarily by the changing of the seasons, it is said to represent the solar year or the agricultural year.
The tonalpohualli, another Aztec calendar, spans 260 days. This calendar, also referred to as “day-count,” is considered to be the sacred Aztec calendar. This is because it allocates days and rituals to various deitie. This is extremely important in the Aztec culture because the calendar helps ensure a balance of time amongst the gods. According to the Aztec religion, it is necessary to divide time equally among the gods in order to maintain balance. Without a balance among the gods, a spiritual war would ensue and bring an end to the world.
Understanding the Tonalpohualli
The Tonalpohualli calendar of the Aztecs is composed of two interconnected wheels. One wheel contains the numbers 1-13. The second wheel contains twenty different symbols. The first day on this Aztec calendar is formed by pairing the number one with the first symbol. The second day is represented by combining the number two with the second symbol. This pattern continues, and after thirteen days, the first week ends. At this point, the first wheel resets to the number one, while the second wheel advances to the fourteenth symbol. After a full cycle of 260 days, both wheels complete their rotations and return to their starting positions.
The entire process then starts over again.
Giving Time to the Gods by using this specialized Aztec calendar, the Aztecs were able to divvy up days among 20 of their gods. Each day devoted to a particular god was referred to as a dayssign. For example, day 3 was dayssign Calli and was dedicated to the god Tepeyollotl. Because this Aztec calendar was divided into 13-day weeks for a total of 260 days, one week of the year was also dedicated to a specific god. For example, the 17 th week of the year was Atl and was dedicated to the god Chalchihuihtotlin. Due to its significance in Aztec culture and religion, the Aztec calendar stone has become one of Mexico’s most renowned symbols.