The Aztec Calendar

1
The Aztec Calendar
2
This is the Aztec Calendar, perhaps the most
famous symbol of Mexico.

• The original object is a 12' Pre-Columbian stone
  slab.
• Many renditions of it exist throughout Mexico.

3
Cuauhxicalli

• Historically, the Aztec name for the huge
  basaltic monolith is Cuauhxicalli (Eagle Bowl),
  but it is universally known as the Aztec Calendar
  or Sun Stone.

4
When Was It Created?

• It was during the reign of the 6th Aztec monarch
  in 1479 that this stone was carved and dedicated
  to the principal Aztec deity the sun.
• The stone has both mythological and astronomical
  significance.

5
What Is Its Size?

• It weighs almost 25 tons, has a diameter of just
  under 12 feet, and a thickness of 3 feet.
• On December 17th, 1760 the stone was discovered
  in the "Zocalo" (the main square) of Mexico City.

6
Where Is It Located?

• After it was discovered in 1760, it was embedded
  in the wall of the Western tower of the
  Metropolitan Cathedral, where it remained until
  1885.
• In 1885 it was transferred to the National Museum
  of Archaeology and History in Mexico City.

7
Tonatiuh
The face portrayed at the center of the stone is
generally interpreted as the Mexican sun god,
8
Tonatiuh
Symbolizes the Fifth Sun, the sun of Motion .
Tonatiuh is also called the Earth-Quake Sun
9
Tonatiu, The Earth-Quake Sun
The Aztecs believed that the world was destroyed
and re-created four times prior to the current
era or sun. They believe
the current era will also be destroyed.
10
The four quadrants spaced around the central
figure represent the preceding eras, or suns Each
contains a representation of the name of the
particular era derived from the sign of its last
day, a name that also indicates the way of its
destruction.
11
The first, on the upper right, designates the
first Sun, 4-Jaguar, followed in counterclockwise
order by the second Sun, 4-Wind the third sun,
4-Rain and the fourth sun, 4-Water.
12
The Second Ring

• The second ring from the center is composed of
  the 20 named days contained in one month. Each
  year starts on one of four of these 20 days.

13
1st Day CrocodileCipactli

• Protector of the day Cipactli (Crocodile) is
  Tonacatecuhtli, Lord of Nurturance, the
  primordial god of creation and fertility.
  Cipactli is an auspicious day, signifying
  advancement and honor. It depicts energy and
  work, rewards and recognition. A good day for
  beginnings.

14
2nd Day WindEhecatl

• The protector of day Ehecatl (Wind) is
  Quetzalcoatl. Ehecatl is a bad day for working
  with others. Its influences are inconstant and
  vain. A good day to root out bad habits.

15
3rd Day Underworld or HouseCalli

• Daysign Calli The protector of day Calli
  (House) is Tepeyollotl, Heart of the Mountain.
  Calli is a good day for rest, tranquility and
  family life. Not a good day for participating in
  public life. Best spent cementing relationships
  of trust and mutual interests.

16
4th Day LizardCuetzpallin

• The protector of day Cuetzpallin (Lizard) is
  Huehuecoyotl, Old Coyote, the Trickster, god of
  deception. Cuetzpallin signifies rapid reversals
  of fortune. It is a good day to work on your
  reputation through actions, not words.

17
5th Day SnakeCoatl

• The day Coatl (Snake) has Chalchihuitlicue as
  its protector. Coatl is the day of the snaking
  river that always changes without changing. It
  signifies the fleeting moment of eternal water. A
  good day for humility, a bad day for acting on
  self-interests.

18
6th Day DeathMiquiztli

• The protector of day Miquiztli (Death) is
  Tecciztecatl, god of the conch, symbol of
  Metztli, the Moon God, sometimes identified with
  Tezcatlipoca. He has the conch as an attribute,
  which is associated with the feminine. Miquiztli
  is the the Unknown, that which emanates shadow.
  It is a good day for reflecting on your
  priorities in life, a bad day for ignoring
  possibilities. It is a day of transformation,
  signifying that briefest moment between old
  endings and new beginnings.

19
7th Day DeerMazatl

• The protector of day Mazatl (Deer) is Tlaloc, He
  Who Makes Seeds Sprout, god of rain and
  thunderstorms. Mazatl is the day of the hunt. It
  is a good day to stalk your quarry, a bad day to
  be stalked. Mazatl is a day for breaking old
  routines and to pay close attention to the
  routines of others. This is a day for
  doubling-back on your tracks.

20
8th Day RabbitTochtli

• The bearer of this year is Tochtli (Rabbit). As a
  year-bearer Tochtli is associated with the south.

21
9th Day WaterAtl

• The protector of day Atl (Water) is
  Xiuhtecuhtli, Lord of the Year, the old god of
  fire. Atl is a day for purification by subjecting
  oneself to the ordeal of conflict. It is a good
  day for battle, a bad day for rest. Water brings
  out the scorpion, who must sting its enemies or
  else sting itself. Atl is the day of the holy
  war, which is always a battle with one's own
  enemies within.

22
10th Day DogIzcuintli

• The protector of day Itzcuintli (Dog) is
  Mictlantecuhtli, god of death. Itzcuintli is the
  guide for the dead, the spirit world's link with
  the living. Itzcuintli is a good day for funerals
  and wakes and remembering the dead. It is a good
  day for being trustworthy, a bad day for trusting
  others of questionable intent.

23
11th Day MonkeyOzomatli

• The protector of day Ozomahtli (Monkey) is
  Xochipili, god of the arts, god of pleasure,
  feasting, frivolity. Ozomahtli is a day for
  creating, for play, for celebrating. A good day
  for lightheartedness, a bad day for seriousness.
  Ozomahtli is a warning about how easily the noble
  person can be trapped by the lures of public
  life.

24
12th Day Grass or Dry HerbMalinalli

• 13-day period Malinalli (Grass) is ruled by
  Mayahuel, Goddess of the Maguey and Pulque. These
  are 13 days of intoxication, infatuation,
  excitement and passion it is a time of excesses,
  when moderation is impossible, and so is often a
  time of disastrous consequences. These are good
  days to bind the community together bad days to
  sow discord and discontent.

25
13th Day Reed or CaneAcatl

• he protector of day Acatl (Reed) is Tezcatlipoca.
  Acatl is the scepter of authority which is,
  paradoxically, hollow. It is a day when the
  arrows of fate fall from the sky like
  lightningbolts. A good day to seek justice, a bad
  day to act against others.

26
14th Day JaguarOcelotl

• The protector of day Ocelotl (Jaguar) is
  Tlazolteotl. Ocelotl is a good day for doing
  battle. It signifies power, valor, and reckless
  abandon in the face of danger. This is a day of
  the Warriors of Tezcatlipoca, those who willingly
  sacrifice their lives to keep the flame of the
  Old Ones burning forever.

27
15th Day EagleCuahtli

• The protector of day Cuauhtli (Eagle) is Xipe
  Totec, god of the shedding of skins, God of
  Seedtime, the elemental force of rebirth.
  Cuauhtli is a day of fighting for freedom and
  equality. It is a day of the Warriors of
  Huitzilopochtli, those who sacrifice their lives
  willingly to keep the present age, the Fifth Sol,
  moving. It is a good day for action, a bad day
  for reflection. A good day for invoking the gods,
  a bad day for ignoring them.

28
16th Day Owl or VultureCozcacuauhtli

• The protector of day Cozcacuauhtli (Vulture) is
  Itzpapalotl. Cozcacuauhtli signifies long life,
  wisdom, good counsel and mental equilibrium. It
  is a good day to confront the discontinuities,
  disruptions, failures and deaths one suffers in
  life. Cozcacuauhtli is a day for tricking the
  Trickster.

29
17th Day Movement or EarthquakeOllin

• The protector of day Ollin (Movement) is Xolotl.
  This is an auspicious day for the active
  principle, a bad day for the passive principle.
  Ollin is a day of the purified heart, signifying
  those moments where human beings may perceive
  what they are becoming. A good day for
  transmutation, which arrives like an earthquake
  that leaves in its wake the ruins of rationality,
  order and the preconceived.

30
18th Day Obsidian Knife or StoneTecpatl

• The 13-day period Tecpatl (Stone Knife) is ruled
  by Mictlantecuhtli, Lord of the Region of the
  Dead, god of death. This trecena signifies an
  ordeal or trial that pushes one to the very
  threshhold of endurance it forebodes an abrupt
  change in the continuity of things. These are 13
  days influenced by the sun, which is a symbol of
  death the stars are the warriors of the past and
  the sun is the gateway of that transformation.
  The sun is singing fire while the Evening Star
  guides it through the Region of the Dead the
  combined efforts of the elementals are focused on
  producing a permanent change of heart. These are
  good days to shed old skins bad days to cling to
  what is already known.

31
19th Day RainQuiahuitl

• The protector of day Quiahuitl (Rain) is
  Tonatiuh. Quiahuitl is a day of relying on the
  unpredictable fortunes of fate. It is a good day
  for traveling and learning, a bad day for
  business and planning.

32
20th Day Lord or FlowerXochitl

• The protector of day Xochitl (Flower) is
  Xochiquetzal. Xochitl is a day for creating
  beauty and truth, especially that which speaks to
  the heart who knows it will one day cease to
  beat. Xochitl reminds us that life, like the
  flower, is beautiful but quickly fades. It is a
  good day for reflection, companionship and
  poignancy it is a bad day for repressing
  deep-seated wishes, desires and passions.