Preprints, Working Papers, ... Year : 2015

The Mayan Long Count Calendar

Abstract

The Maya were known for their astronomical proficiency. This is demonstrated in the Mayan codices where ritual practices were related to astronomical events/predictions. Whereas Mayan mathematics were based on a vigesimal system, they used a different base when dealing with long periods of time, the Long Count Calendar (LCC), composed of different Long Count Periods: the Tun of 360 days, the Katun of 7200 days and the Baktun of 144000 days. There were two other calendars used in addition to the LCC: a civil year Haab' of 365 days and a religious year Tzolk'in of 260 days. Another cycle was also in use: a 3276-day cycle (combination of the 819-day Kawil cycle and the 4 directions-colors). Based on the hypothesis that Mayan astronomers had a good knowledge of naked-eye astronomy, we propose here an explanation of the origin of the LCC, the Haab', the Tzolk'in and the 3276-day cycle. This study sheds more light on the connection between arithmetic, astronomy and religion in Maya civilization.

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Dates and versions

hal-00750006 , version 1 (08-11-2012)
hal-00750006 , version 2 (27-08-2013)
hal-00750006 , version 3 (28-08-2013)
hal-00750006 , version 4 (04-12-2013)
hal-00750006 , version 5 (11-12-2013)
hal-00750006 , version 6 (21-01-2014)
hal-00750006 , version 7 (28-04-2014)
hal-00750006 , version 8 (06-07-2014)
hal-00750006 , version 9 (05-08-2014)
hal-00750006 , version 10 (19-01-2015)
hal-00750006 , version 11 (08-12-2015)
hal-00750006 , version 12 (16-12-2015)

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Thomas Chanier. The Mayan Long Count Calendar. 2015. ⟨hal-00750006v12⟩
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