Tzolkin (CST)
| Epoch | Confidence |
|---|---|
| Unknown | Exact |
Overview
The Tzolkin is one of the calendars used by the Maya. It is a 260-day calendar with an unknown significance; suggestions include simple multiplications of important numbers as well as the length of a typical human gestation period.
The Tzolkin is a unique calendar, with day numbers increasing sequentially from 1-13 while the 20 day names also increment, leading to a system where 1 of a given day name is followed by 2 of the next day name, completing a cycle in 260 days.
The Tzolkin combines with another Maya calendar, the 365-day Haab, to create the Maya Calendar Round. This is the cycle that the two calendars create, which takes roughly 52 years to complete.
Cycles do not increment outside the Calendar Round, so it is impossible to say for certain what the epoch for the Tzolkin should be, but sometime around 1100 BCE is accepted among historians.
Info
| Day | Meaning | Day | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| Imix | Crocodile | Chuwen | Monkey |
| Ik' | Wind | Eb' | Road |
| Ak'b'al | Night | B'en | Reed |
| K'an | Seed | Ix | Jaguar |
| Chikchan | Serpent | Men | Eagle |
| Kimi | Death | K'ib' | Wisdom |
| Manik' | Deer | Kaban | Earth |
| Lamat | Star | Etz'nab' | Flint |
| Muluk | Water | Kawak | Storm |
| Ok | Dog | Ajaw | Sun |
Accuracy
This calendar is still used today in some Maya groups, and it has been calibrated using the calculator provided by the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian. However, it also relies on the Long Count calendar being accurate.
Source
Much of the information on this calendar can be found at its Wikipedia article.
The Smithsonian website has the current day as well as a converter, though it is broken for dates before the Long Count epoch.