Aztec Calendar
The Aztec calendar was closely linked to the Aztec mythology. There were three:
- the Tonalpohualli, sacred divinatory calendar of 260 days divided into 20 groups ( Treizain ) of 13 days which corresponded to a symbol (eg rabbits, tochtli);
- the xiuhpohualli, solar calendar of 365 or 365.25 days (three years of 365 days followed by a hypothetical year of 366 days), serving civil calendar. Divided into 18 months of 20 days called "scores", this calendar also included, to approach the maximum of the tropical year , a "month" of five days epagomenal nemontoni called negative or nemontemi, which may be compounded sixth day every four years Mayan Influence
The sacred Aztec calendar and solar come actually Mayan calendars. Thus, construction and operation timetable Tonalpohualli correspond to the Mayan sacred calendar (Tzolkin), where only the glyphs and the patron gods change. It's the same for calendar Xiuhpohualli, like solar Mayan Haab calendar.
Origin and match times
Every calendar has a time origin (legendary founding of Rome, the birth of Christ, AH, etc.).. For the Aztec calendar, this is not yet known with precision.
For correspondence with the Julian calendar , we had to do otherwise. The reference is to the fall of Tenochtitlan (the capital of the Aztec empire, Mexico on the site): August 13, 1521 the Julian calendar and the day coatl 1-3-one years of calli of the Aztec calendar.
The Julian calendar was corrected by Pope Gregory 13 in 1582 (abolition of 10 days in October and elimination of leap years for centuries not divisible by 400). To calculate dates Aztec, we must take account of the Julian calendar, not Gregorian.
The origin of the sacred Mayan calendar corresponds to 12 August 3114 ACN (Gregorian), probable date of birth of the mythological world. The current cycle ends December 20, 2012 NCP.
Sacred Calendar - Tonalpohualli
He must imagine the sacred calendar as a system of two gears entrainant one another. The first wore numbers 1 through 13, and the second twenty glyphs , or 260 possible combinations. The ritual year were therefore 260 days. Each glyph is reflected by an associated word birth to a god and had thus an aspect of divination.
Days
The day was well defined by the combination of these two elements: the number and glyph. Day-rain and wind had the peculiarity of using the glyphs corresponding gods: Tlaloc and Ehecatl. The order on each of the "wheel" was fixed sequence of numbers was of course that of 1 to 13, the glyphs was:
Cipactli
(Crocodile)Ehecatl
(Wind)Calli
(Home)Cuetzpallin
(Lizard)Coatl
(Snake)Miquiztli
(Death)Mazatl
(Cerf)Tochtli
(Rabbit)Atl
(Water)Itzcuintli
(Dog)Tonacatecuhtli Quetzalcoatl Tepeyollotl Huehuecoyotl Chalchihuitlicue Tecciztecatl Tlaloc Mayahuel Xiuhtecuhtli Mictlantecuhtli 
Ozomahtli
(Monkey)Malinalli
(Dead grass)Acatl
(Roseau)Ocelotl
(Jaguar)Cuauhtli
(Eagle)Cozcacuauhtli
(Vulture)Ollin
(Earthquake)Tecpatl
(Flint)Quiahuitl
(Rain)Xochitl
(Flower)Xochipili Patecatl Tezcatlipoca Tlazolteotl Xipe Totec Itzpapalotl Xolotl Chalchihuihtotolin Tonatiuh Xochiquetzal
The two wheels were spinning simultaneously, so when they advanced a number, it should also advance of a glyph. A 1-crocodile, succeeding 2-wind, 3-house, etc.. When we arrived at 13-reed wheel numbers finished a tour and returned to its original position, without the glyphs had completed his, so we went to a Jaguar. These revolutions of the wheel of numbers defined cycles of thirteen days, Treizain, Mesoamerican ritual kinds of weeks. After 20 Treizain, it fell on a combination of base and a ritual year had elapsed.The Treizain
Each Treizain was defined as the date of its first day. Since the number was still "one" ("this" in Nahuatl ), it was retracted most of the time. As the days, all Treizain were devoted to a god.
The Codex Borbonicus can get a clear idea of the glyphs representing the day. Thus, this page represents the 13th Treizain the Aztec calendar, under the protection of the goddess Tlazolteotl. The read from bottom to top, left to right, boxes are numbered 1 to 13. The first day of the quake Treizain is 1-(1-Ollin), followed by 2-flint, 3-Rain, etc.. 13-up water.
Treizain God Crocodile 1 - 13 Reed Ometeotl Jaguar 1 - 13 Death Quetzalcoatl Cerf 1 - 13 Rain Tepeyollotl 1 Flower - 13 Grass Huehuecoyotl Roseau 1 - 13 Serpent Chalchiuhtlicue 1 Death - 13 Silex Tonatiuh Pluis 1 - 13 Monkey Tlaloc 1 Grass - 13 Lizard Mayahuel Snake 1 - 13 Earthquake Xiuhtecuhtli 1 Silex - 13 Dog Mictlantecuhtli Treizain God Monkey 1 - 13 House Patecatl Lizard 1 - 13 Vulture Itztlacoliuhqui Quake 1 - 13 Water Tlazolteotl 1 Dog - 13 Wind Xipe Totec 1 House - 13 Eagle Itzpapalotl Vulture 1 - 13 Rabbit Xolotl 1 Water - 13 Crocodile Chalchiuhtotolin Wind 1 - 13 Jaguar Chantico Eagle 1 - 13 Cerf Xochiquetzal Rabbit 1 - 13 Flower Xiuhtecuhtli The solar calendar - Xiuhpohualli
For dating ordinary one we used every day, we used a solar calendar of 365 days. The year began Feb. 2 and was divided into 18 months of 20 days, which linked him to the wheel of the glyphs of the sacred calendar. At the end of last month, there were also five or six days (nemontemi) . They allow to lock on the solar year, without delay, but were regarded as particularly harmful. We are therefore avoided any activity that may irritate the gods.
The year was called after the last day of last month (the last day before the regular nemontemi). Only 4 glyphs could fall right now: Acatl (grass) tecpatl (Flint), Calli (house) and tochtli (rabbit). The year 1-Reed was then followed by 2-flint, etc.. All combinations were exhausted in 52 years (4x13), which was a "century" Aztec, whose first year was still one year 1-Reed, under the protection of Quetzalcoatl, the creator god. Hernan Cortes arrived in Mexico precisely year 1-Reed, which was probably the cause of assimilation to the god.
Months
Usually (see the first two bibliographic resources), the relevant date for the beginning of the solar year is February 2 (Julian calendar). Thus, Atlcahualco runs from February 2 to 21, Tlacaxipehualitzi February 22 to March 13, etc.. This correspondence is obviously tentative, since both the Julian calendar (leap year) that Aztec (see below) contain adjustments.
- Atlacahualo: "Stop the water - Dedicated to Tlaloc, the God of Rain
- Tlacaxipehualitzi "skinned men" - Dedicated to Xipe Totec.
- Tozoztontli: "Little Eve" - Dedicated to Coatlicue.
- Huey Tozoztli "Great Watch" - Dedicated to Chicomecoatl.
- Toxcatl: Drought - Dedicated to Huitzilopochtli and Tezcatlipoca.
- Etzalcuauliztli "- Use etzalli (a kind of porridge)" - Dedicated to Tlaloc.
- Tecuilhuitontli "Small Day dignitaries" - Dedicated to Huixtociuatl.
- Huey Tecuilhuitl: "Big party dignitaries" - Dedicated to Xilonen.
- Tlaxochimaco: "Offering of flowers" - Dedicated to Huitzlilopochtli.
- Xocotl Huetz: "Fall Fruit" - Dedicated to Xiuhtecuhtli, god of fire.
- Ochpaniztli: "Scan the road" - Dedicated to earth goddesses.
- Teotleco: "Return of the Gods" - Dedicated to multiple gods.
- Tepeilhuitl "Mountain Day" - Dedicated to the peaks and Tlaloc.
- Quecholli: "Name a bird" - Dedicated to Mixcoatl, God of Hunting.
- Panquetzaliztli "Elevated flags" - Dedicated to Huitzlilopochtli.
- Atemoztli: "The descent of the water - Dedicated to tlaloque and Tlaloc.
- Tititl "shrinkage" - Dedicated to Illamatecuhtli.
- Izcalli: "Growth" - Dedicated to Xiuhtecuhtli, god of fire.
- Nemontemi five days of fasting and meditation adverse schedule (they do not constitute a month).
Holders of years
As noted, the holders of years are 4 in number.
- Reed: Is associated with the years Roseau are hot and fertile fertile symbol of abundance.
- Flint associated with North, years Silex are cold, austere and arid symbol of the underworld.
- Home: related to the West House years are hazy, humid and calm; symbol of femininity.
- Rabbit associated with South Rabbit years are changing, unpredictable and lunar symbol of the moon.
Adjustment
The Aztecs knew that a calendar of 365 days was too short for a tropical year (365.2422 days). Thus, in 249 ACN schedule was amended as follows for each of four years:
- Sign in Rabbit, the Rabbit nemontemi year will have six days except year 13.
- Sign in Roseau, the Roseau nemontemi year will have six days except year 13.
- Sign in Flint, the Flint nemontemi year will have six days except year 13.
- In the sign House, the House nemontemi year will have six days.
- The sixth day of the year 13 of the House sign is added only if it does not coincide with a period of 104 years (called "old age"). The sixth day was added so that once at the end of two cycles of 52 years.
- If "old age" coincides with a cycle of 260 years, it ignores the coincidence-old cycle 52 and the sixth day was added to the end of 13 which ends the cycle of 52 years. This condition is applied only once every 520 years (5 X 2 X 104 = 260).
As amended, the Aztec calendar has 365.2423 days. By comparison, a Gregorian year (Julian year amended in 1582) is 365.2425 days and one Earth year is 365.2422 days. The Aztec calendar is more accurate than ours!
The Feast of the New Fire
The combination of a sacred year of 260 days, and another-civil-365-days, it follows a match every 52 solar years. This is called Xiuhmolpilli (ligation time): the Aztec century ends. The night of the shift from one century to another is a night of prayer and anguish, where we celebrate the Feast of Fire again.
The minute provided the priests immolate a victim and try to bring out an open flame on the chest of the victim. If successful, the sun will reappear, otherwise it would be the end of the world.
Why such a prophecy? Because the 5 Suns. Indeed, as the Aztecs, the world has already seen four suns, each of which ended in a cataclysm. The fifth sun, the last, it must end after a 52-year cycle.
- The 4-jaguar: men were devoured by jaguars (symbol of Tezcatlipoca)
- The 4-Wind: A magical storm turned the men into monkeys (symbol of Quetzalcoatl, the rival of the above)
- The 4-Rain: Tlaloc, god of rain and lightning, swept over the universe in a rain of fire
- The 4-Water: under the sign of Chalchiuhtlicue, the world ended with a deluge of 52 years
- The 4-earthquake: the world must collapse in earthquakes, then humanity wiped out by tzitzimime, monsters living on the west steps of the Universe.
The role of the Aztecs is to extend the deadline, providing precious water to the Sun (the blood). What they did at the Feast of Fire again, every 52 years through a human sacrifice.
The Venusian calendar
As we have already seen the adjustment of the solar year, the Aztecs also used a measure of time known as Old (104 solar years). It follows from the Venusian calendar of 584 days .
Venus is indeed one of the incarnations of Quetzalcoatl, his cycle was therefore well known by the clergy. Now 5 years Venusian equivalent to 8 solar years. Thus, the figure and sign of the solar year are identical to those of the Venusian year after a cycle of 104 solar years. This cycle is called Ueuetiliztli, old age.
Notes
- Tena 1987 , p. 85
- a and b Mireille Simoni 2002 , p. 646
Bibliography
Specialized publications on the Aztec calendar system
- (Es) Rafael Tena, El calendario y la Mexica cronografa, INAH , coll. "scientist", 1987, 128 p. ( ISBN 9789680302932 ) .
General publications on the Aztecs
- Bernardino de Sahagn, Historia General de las Cosas de la Nueva Espaa.
- Jacques Soustelle, The Aztecs, Collection Que sais-je n 1391.
- Rene Dalemans, pre-Columbian Mexico, col. Arts and Cultures, Ed Artis-Historia.
- Mireille Simoni, Encyclopdia Universalis, vol. 3, Paris, Encyclopaedia Universalis, 2002 ( ISBN 2852295504 ), "Aztecs"
Related articles
External Links
- The Aztec solar calendar , C. Roll.
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