Travel Back Through Time
with Ancient Civilizations
Aztec Calendar🗿
The Aztec calendar, was a dating system based on the Mayan calendar and used in the Valley of Mexico long before the destruction of the Aztec empire by the Spanish Explorers.
The Spaniards, in an effort to erase all signs of the magnificence of the Mexica culture, abandoned the monolith near the Viceregal Palace, leaving it outside at the mercy of the elements.
There it remained hidden for two centuries. In December of 1790, renovation workers discovered it under half a meter of dirt, incrusted in of mud.
What is the Aztec Calendar?
The Aztec calendar, also called the Mexica calendar, dates back to Pre-Columbian Mesoamerica. There are two Aztec calendars, that is to say, two measurements of time: the xiuhpohualli, or "year count," which was used as a civil and agricultural calendar, and the tonalpohualli, or "day count," which was used mainly by Aztec priests as a sacred ritual calendar. The Aztecs also divided time into 52-year periods called calendar rounds. Though it was mainly used by the Aztec civilization, some neighboring Mesoamerican groups likely used the calendar as well.
The calendar was recorded on the Aztec calendar stone, also known as the Aztec sun stone, which was carved in the 16th century. It depicts Aztec astrological signs, mythical figures, and gods, placing the sun god, Tonatiuh, at the center. The calendar stone was believed to have been kept in one of the capital city's important temples, so it was likely only accessible to priests and rulers. Though similar to the older Mayan calendar, the Aztec calendar was used as a unique measure of time. Article from Study.com
🌀 Maya Time Machines
In the dense jungles of Guatemala and the Yucatán, the Maya built cities that touched the sky and calendars that touched eternity. From towering temples to hidden caves, they mapped the cosmos with breathtaking precision, creating a system of time that was both sacred and scientific.
Glyphs, Gods, & Calendars
The Maya didn’t just measure days—they gave each one a soul. Their 260-day ritual calendar, the Tzolk’in, was used to name children, guide ceremonies, and interpret destiny. The Haab’, a 365-day solar calendar, tracked the agricultural cycle and marked the passage of seasons. And then there was the Long Count—a vast timeline that began on August 11, 3114 BCE and stretched across millennia, culminating in the much-misunderstood date of December 21, 2012.
Maya priests, known as Ajq’ijab’, read the calendar like a sacred book. They understood that time was cyclical, that every moment echoed another. Today, in highland villages, their descendants still perform ceremonies to honor the calendar’s wisdom. Time, for the Maya, was never lost—it simply transformed.
🌀 Maya Time Machines
In the dense jungles of Guatemala and the Yucatán, the Maya built cities that touched the sky and calendars that touched eternity. From towering temples to hidden caves, they mapped the cosmos with breathtaking precision, creating a system of time that was both sacred and scientific.
Glyphs, Gods, & Calendars
The Maya didn’t just measure days—they gave each one a soul. Their 260-day ritual calendar, the Tzolk’in, was used to name children, guide ceremonies, and interpret destiny. The Haab’, a 365-day solar calendar, tracked the agricultural cycle and marked the passage of seasons. And then there was the Long Count—a vast timeline that began on August 11, 3114 BCE and stretched across millennia, culminating in the much-misunderstood date of December 21, 2012.
Maya priests, known as Ajq’ijab’, read the calendar like a sacred book. They understood that time was cyclical, that every moment echoed another. Today, in highland villages, their descendants still perform ceremonies to honor the calendar’s wisdom. Time, for the Maya, was never lost—it simply transformed.