Aztec Calendar

The Aztec calendar consists of two main cycles: the Xiuhpōhualli (the solar year) and the Tōnalpōhualli (the sacred day count). Together, these cycles form a 52-year period, sometimes referred to as a “century” in Aztec terms.

Xiuhpōhualli (The Solar Year)

The Xiuhpōhualli was a 365-day agricultural calendar based on the solar year.

It marked the passage of the seasons and was deeply tied to the agricultural activities of the Aztecs. The calendar was divided into 18 months, each containing 20 days, plus a final month of 5 days known as “Nemontemi”.

Each month had a specific agricultural or ceremonial purpose, and the days were linked with various deities to ensure favorable conditions for planting, harvesting, and other critical tasks.

The Xiuhpōhualli closely follows the sun’s cycle, making it essential for the Aztec people to synchronize their agricultural activities with the changing seasons. However, it was also symbolic, representing the Aztecs’ profound connection with nature and their gods, whose divine intervention was believed to govern the fertility of the land.

Tōnalpōhualli (The Sacred Day Count)

The Tōnalpōhualli is a 260-day sacred calendar, perhaps the most mysterious and significant aspect of the Aztec timekeeping system.

This calendar cycle was made up of 20-day signs, each associated with a specific number from 1 to 13, forming a total of 260 unique combinations. Every day in this cycle was associated with a combination of a number (1-13) and a day sign (e.g., Crocodile, Wind, House, etc.).

The sacred calendar was used primarily for religious and ceremonial purposes.

It governed the Aztecs’ rituals, festivals, and the timing of various sacred events. This calendar was also believed to have astrological significance, guiding personal fate and the timing of important life events such as births, marriages, and sacrifices.

The calendar round is a period of 52 years formed by the combination of the Xiuhpōhualli and the Tōnalpōhualli. This alignment of the two cycles was a critical event for the Aztecs, as it marked the completion of a full cycle of time.

The Aztecs believed that at the end of each calendar round, the gods could destroy the world and initiate a new one. This belief was so powerful that it shaped much of their cultural and religious practices.

Every 52 years, the Aztecs would celebrate the New Fire Ceremony in an attempt to ensure the survival of the world. During this ritual, all fires in the city would be extinguished, and a new fire would be kindled at the heart of the capital, Tenochtitlán.

This act symbolized the renewal of the world and the rebirth of time itself.

The Aztec calendar was more than just a tool for tracking time—it was a fundamental part of Aztec cosmology, religion, and daily life. The calendar helped the Aztecs stay in harmony with the natural and divine worlds, dictating everything from the right time for planting crops to when sacrifices should be made to the gods. Time was not just linear for the Aztecs—it was cyclical, with the belief that all things would eventually return, just as they had been before.

The calendar also played a central role in understanding the past and predicting the future.

By tracking the cycles of time, the Aztecs believed they could see patterns that foretold important events, such as the rise and fall of empires or the arrival of significant celestial phenomena.

It was a form of divine communication, a way of reading the cosmos and understanding the will of the gods.

The Aztec Sun Stone, often mistakenly called the “calendar stone,” is one of the most iconic artifacts of Aztec culture. Found in the Zócalo (main square) of Mexico City in 1790, the stone is a representation of the Aztec worldview and cosmology.

The stone shows the sun surrounded by various symbolic motifs and inscriptions related to the calendar cycles.

The stone is thought to depict the Five Suns, each representing a previous era in Aztec mythology. The Aztecs believed that they were living in the Fifth Sun, the current age, which was destined to end in a great cataclysm.

The stone serves as a reminder of the cyclical nature of time and the impermanence of human existence.