What type of calendar did the mayans use

Akbal 4. Kan 5. Chicchan 6. Cimi 7. Manik 8. Lamat 9. Muluc Oc Chuen Eb Ben Ix Men Cib Caban Etznab The next time Cimi rolls around, 20 days later, it will be 10 Cimi instead of 3 Cimi. The next 3 Cimi will not occur until or 13 x 20 days have passed.

This day cycle also had good-luck or bad-luck associations connected with each day, and for this reason, it became known as the "divinatory year. The Haab was the civil calendar of the Mayas. It consisted of 18 "months" of 20 days each, followed by 5 extra days, known as Uayeb. This gives a year length of days. Pop 7. Yaxkin Mac 2.

Mol Kankin 3. Zip 9. Chen Muan 4. Zotz Yax Pax 5. Tzec Zac The Maya calendar in its final form probably dates from about the 1st century B. It is extremely accurate, and the calculations of Maya priests were so precise that their calendar correction is 10,th of a day more exact than the standard calendar the world uses today. Of all the ancient calendar systems, the Maya and other Mesoamerican systems are the most complex and intricate.

They used day months, and had two calendar years: the day Sacred Round, or tzolkin , and the day Vague Year, or haab. These two calendars coincided every 52 years. The year period of time was called a "bundle" and meant the same to the Maya as our century does to us. The Sacred Round of days is composed of two smaller cycles: the numbers 1 through 13, coupled with 20 different day names. Each of the day names is represented by a god who carries time across the sky, thus marking the passage of night and day.

Some of these are animal gods, such as Chuen the dog , and Ahau the eagle , and archaeologists have pointed out that the Maya sequence of animals can be matched in similar sequence to the lunar zodiacs of many East and Southeast Asian civilizations. Glyphs for two of the eighteen months of the Vague Year: Pop left and Zotz. In the day tzolkin , time does not run along a line, but moves in a repeating circle similar to a spiral.

The two cycles of 13 and 20 intermesh and are repeated without interruption. Thus, the calendar would begin with 1 Imix, 2 Ik, 3 Akbal, and so on to 13 Ben, after which the cycle continues with 1 Ix, 2 Men, etc.

This time the day Imix would be numbered 8 Imix, and the last day in this day cycle would be 13 Ahau. No one is certain how such an unusual calendar came into being. The day cycle may tie several celestial events together, including the configuration of Mars, appearances of Venus, or eclipse seasons. It may even represent the interval between conception and birth of a human baby.

The day calendar was used to determine important activities related to the gods and humans. The Calendar System Click on image to view larger. The ancient Maya were accomplished observers of the sky. This image shows Maya animal constellations found in the Paris Codex. Using their knowledge of astronomy and mathematics, the ancient Maya developed one of the most accurate calendar systems in human history. The ancient Maya had a fascination with cycles of time.

Aside from these, the Maya also developed the Long Count calendar to chronologically date mythical and historical events. The 13 baktun cycle of the Maya Long Count calendar measures 1,, days or 5, This is one of the longest cycles found in the Maya calendar system. This cycle ends on the winter solstice , December 21, The Haab cycle is days, and approximates the solar year. The Haab is a nineteen month calendar.

The Haab is composed of 18 months made of 20 days, and one month, made of 5 days.