Maya calendar

The Maya calendar is actually a system of distinct calendars and almanacs used by the Maya civilization of pre-Columbian Mesoamerica. These different calendars tracked observable phenomena such as the solar year, the lunar year, and the synodic period of the planet Venus; others had a divinatory or ritualistic purpose without any known association to natural cycles.

Related Topics:
Calendar - Almanac - Maya civilization - Pre-Columbian - Mesoamerica - Solar year - Lunar year - Synodic period - Venus - Divinatory - Ritualistic

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These calendars could be synchronised and interlocked in complex ways, their combinations giving rise to further, more extensive cycles.

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The essentials of the Maya calendric system are based upon a system which had been in common use throughout the region, dating back to at least the 6th century BCE. It shares many aspects with calendars employed by other earlier Mesoamerican civilizations, such as the Zapotec, Olmec, and Mixtec, and later ones such as the Aztec. Although the Mesoamerican calendar did not originate with the Maya, their subsequent extensions and refinements to it were the most sophisticated. Along with those of the Aztecs, the Maya calendars are the best-documented and most completely understood.

Related Topics:
6th century - BCE - Zapotec - Olmec - Mixtec - Aztec - Mesoamerican calendar

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