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The Tzolk’in, the 260-day count
The Tzolk’in has been kept across Mesoamerica for more than two thousand years, and daykeepers in highland Guatemala still keep it today. Each day joins a number from 1 to 13 with one of twenty day signs. Both advance by one each day, so the same pair comes back only after 13 × 20 = 260 days.
The day sign of the day you were born is your sign, and its number colours it. Someone born on 11 Ik and someone born on 3 Ik share a sign, but not the same day.
How we count
To match a Maya date to ours you need a fixed point that joins the two calendars. We use the GMT correlation (584283), the one most Maya scholars accept, and which agrees with the count the K’iche’ daykeepers have kept unbroken. The calculator runs in your browser and gives the same answer as our readings.
Why some sites give a different sign
Many websites use the Dreamspell, a system published by José Argüelles in 1990. It borrows the Maya day names but uses different titles, such as Red Dragon or White Wind, and it does not count February 29. Its days drift away from the traditional count, so the two often give different signs for the same birthday. If another site gave you a different answer, that is usually why. Ours follows the traditional count.
The twenty day signs
The names most often used come from Yucatec Maya. K’iche’ daykeepers use their own names for the same days. The meanings are the usual English glosses; each sign carries far more than one word.
| # | Yucatec | K’iche’ | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Imix | Imox | Crocodile |
| 2 | Ik | Iq’ | Wind |
| 3 | Akbal | Aq’ab’al | Night |
| 4 | Kan | K’at | Seed |
| 5 | Chicchan | Kan | Serpent |
| 6 | Cimi | Kame | Death |
| 7 | Manik | Kej | Deer |
| 8 | Lamat | Q’anil | Star |
| 9 | Muluc | Toj | Water |
| 10 | Oc | Tz’i’ | Dog |
| 11 | Chuen | B’atz’ | Monkey |
| 12 | Eb | E | Road |
| 13 | Ben | Aj | Reed |
| 14 | Ix | I’x | Jaguar |
| 15 | Men | Tz’ikin | Eagle |
| 16 | Cib | Ajmaq | Owl |
| 17 | Caban | No’j | Earth |
| 18 | Etznab | Tijax | Flint |
| 19 | Cauac | Kawoq | Storm |
| 20 | Ahau | Ajpu | Sun |
The thirteen numbers and the trecenas
The numbers run from 1 to 13 and then start again. Every 13 days a new run begins, led by the day sign that falls on number 1. These 13-day stretches are called trecenas, and each takes its character from the sign that opens it. Our sky calendar shows which trecena today falls in, next to the Western and Chinese calendars.