THE TZOLK'IN: THE COUNT OF DAYS

The Tzolk'in is the Sacred Calendar that the Maya utilized for their own sacred personal journey.  It is both a master calendar providing a unifying pattern for all creation and the hub of the Mayan calendar system.

The meaning of the Tzolk’in is mostly given as “the count of days” [but] it may also be translated into “pieces of the sun” and by inference to “pieces of divine creation”, which may come closest to its true meaning given that among the Maya, the sun has often been identified with God.^*

The Tzolk’in calendar is based on a system of twenty named day signs, combined with thirteen numbers to produce 260 unique days (13x20=260).  Despite popular convention declaring that the start of the Tzolk'in is 1 imix, there is in fact no "beginning" and no "end" to the Tzolk’in.  It is an eternal, cyclical calendar which is not related to or dependent upon astronomical cycles, "end dates", or any other linear phenomena or concepts.  To our knowledge, no contemporary Maya village starts the Tzolk'in New Year on 1 Imix.  In Momostenango, Guatemala, the K'iche' Maya celebrate on 8 B'atz' (Chuen).  

In the upper navigation links, you can see one titled "the daily tzolkin."  This is the same set of calendar rings as in the "calendar" link, but it allows you to calculate the Day sign/Number combination for any day since 1900, including loved ones' birthdays, special occasions, important events, or simply today's date.

Use the Daily Tzolk'in to learn about the combinations of sacred energies—once the wheels stop turning, you can click on the day signs or tone symbols to open up a dialog that will tell you more about their meanings.

* Excerpt from Solving the Greatest Mystery of Our Time: The Mayan Calendar, by Carl Johan Calleman, p. 221.