Tzolkin

The Tzolkin, also spelled Tzolk’in, is a 260-day ritual calendar used by the Maya and other pre-Columbian Mesoamerican cultures. It functions as a distinct cycle within the broader Maya calendrical system and has been employed for divination, ceremonial scheduling, and symbolic interpretation of time.

The calendar comprises two interlocking sequences: a set of 20 day signs and a sequence of 13 numbers. Each day is the combination of one number (1 through 13) and one day sign (for example Imix, Ik’, Ak’ab, Kan, Chicchan, Cimi, Manik’, Lamat, Muluk, Ok, Chuwen, Eb’, Ben, Ix, Men, Kib’, Kab’an, Etz’nab’, Kawak, Ajaw). The pairing produces 260 unique day-names, and after 260 days the cycles repeat.

The Tzolkin operates alongside the 365-day Haab to form the 18,980-day Calendar Round, which repeats roughly every 52 Haab years. In this system, a given date is specified by both its Tzolkin designation and its Haab date, providing a longer cycle for timing events and rituals.

History and use: The Tzolkin is attested in Maya inscriptions dating from the Classic period (circa 250–900 CE) and remained central to Maya calendrics in later periods. In many contemporary Maya communities, the calendar continues to influence ceremonial life and traditional timekeeping, though practices vary regionally.

Cultural interpretation: Each day sign is associated with deities or symbolic attributes within Maya cosmology. The Tzolkin shapes auspicious dates, ritual cycles, and divinatory practices, reflecting a worldview in which time and the cosmos are closely interwoven.