Xiuhpohualli

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The Xiuhpohualli was a calendar cycle constructed from a count of 365 days, used by the Aztecs and other Nahua peoples from the central Mexican region during the Postclassic period of Mesoamerican chronology. This calendar, also known as the "vague year" to scholars of Mesoamerican historical cultures since it approximated the progression of the solar year (xihuitl in Classical Nahuatl), had its antecedents in form and function in earlier Mesoamerican calendars, and the 365-day count has a long history of use throughout the region. In common with other Mesoamerican cultures this Aztec version of the 365-day calendar was interlocked with a separate 260-day calendar (Nahuatl name: tonalpohualli), to form the "Calendar Round", a cycle of approximately 52 years.

The Aztec solar year was divided into 18 "months" of twenty days each, called in spanish veintenas, with an addition of an extra five days at the end. The Aztec years were named by name of the last day of the 18^th month according to the 260-day calendar the tonalpohualli, called the "yearbearer". The yearbearer could be one of the signs Acatl "reed", Tecpatl "flint", Calli "house" or Tochtli "Rabbit", combined with a number from one to thirteen (the trecena cycle). When four times thirteen years (every 52 years) had passed in this way a new calendar round was initiated by a New Fire ceremony. The first year of the Aztec calendar round was called 2 Acatl and the last 1 Tochtli. The solar calendar was connected to agricultural practices and held an important place in Aztec religion, with each month being associated with its own particular religious and agricultural festival.

The 20-day months (veintenas) of the Aztec solar calendar were called (in sequence):

1. Izcalli
2. Atlcahualo or Xilomanaliztli
3. Tlacaxipehualiztli
4. Tozoztontli
5. Hueytozoztli
6. Toxcatl or Tepopochtli
7. Etzalcualiztli
8. Tecuilhuitontli
9. Hueytecuilhuitl
10. Tlaxochimaco or Miccailhuitontli
11. Xocotlhuetzi or Hueymiccailhuitl
12. Ochpaniztli
13. Teotleco or Pachtontli
14. Tepeilhiuitl or Hueypachtli
15. Quecholli
16. Panquetzaliztli
17. Atemoztli
18. Tititl

The five days inserted at the end of a year and which were considered unlucky:

• Nemontemi

The Maya civilization version of the xiuhpohualli is known to Mayanist archaeologists as the Haab', and the Maya equivalent of the tonalpohualli is the Tzolk'in.

[edit] References

• Miller, Mary; and Karl Taube (1993). The Gods and Symbols of Ancient Mexico and the Maya. London: Thames and Hudson. ISBN 0-500-05068-6.