| In Mesoamerica, two calendar systems were in use. The first of these was the 365-day cycle, the solar year, made up of 18 months of 20 days each (18 x 20= 360) plus 5 additional days called nemontemi, which were considered to be a time of bad luck so that people stayed at home. Each month had a name and was celebrated with rites, and each day was both numbered and named. The second calendar system was Tonalpohualli or the 260-day cycle, a divinatory calendar composed of 20 day signs (for example, Atl= water, Acatl= Reed, Ollin= Movement) which ran consecutively, combined with 13 numbers (20 x 13 =260). When the 13 numbers were used up, the I started again but with a different sign, that is, with the fourteenth sign. Thus, if the day was designated as 5 Calli "5 House," in order for that same day 5 Calli to come around again , 260 days elapse. |
