Mayan Calendar vs Aztec Calendar
The Mayan and Aztec calendars are two ancient calendars that have sparked much interest due to doomsday prophecies based on them. Both the Mayan and Aztec civilizations thrived in the American subcontinent. The Mayan civilization flourished from 300AD to 900 AD in Mexico and other parts of America, while the Aztecs arrived later in 1100 AD and thrived until 1500 AD. These calendars have many similarities in their beliefs, cultures, and even structures, but there are also some differences.
Mayan Calendar
The Mayans were highly skilled and noticed that the Universe moved in cycles by observing the movements of celestial objects. They developed a system of three calendars: the Long Count, the Haab, and the Tzolkin. The Long Count calculated long time periods; the Haab was primarily the civil calendar, while the Tzolkin was the religious calendar. The Mayan calendar became popular and was adopted by many other cultures and civilizations at the time. All three calendars contain a set number of days, and a new cycle begins only after a certain number of days have passed. Out of these three calendars, it is the Haab that corresponds with the modern Christian calendar of 365 days. The Mayans believed that the world was destroyed and recreated at the end of a long count.
Aztec Calendar
The Aztec calendar not only recorded time but also kept track of religious festivals. People used the calendar to know the best times to plant crops and when to appease Gods for their blessings. The 365-day year was divided into 18 months of 20 days each, and the remaining five days were accounted for by bad luck days at the end of the year. The religious calendar was 260 days and was referred to as tonalpohualli, which means “the count of days” in English. Although both calendars ran simultaneously, the same day fell at the same time in both calendars only once every 52 years.
Key Takeaways
- The Mayan civilization developed three calendars (Long Count, Haab, and Tzolkin), while the Aztec civilization had two calendars.
- The Aztec calendar is an adaptation of the Mayan calendar and is simpler in comparison.
- Both calendars have similarities, such as the religious calendar, which consists of 13 months of 20 days each.
