30 May 2025 / 10 House
Article suitable for all
Find out moreAztec and Maya day signs
5th Sep 2015
Most of the 20 Aztec and Maya calendar day signs are the same
A quick glance at the world-wide web shows plenty of places where you can study the 20 Mexica (Aztec) calendar or day signs and plenty of places where you can study the Maya equivalent, but here we give you the chance to compare the two sets... (Written by Ian Mursell/Mexicolore)
In fact, most (16) of them are virtually identical! (Enlarge the picture to check). This is hardly surprising given that the Aztecs developed much of their calendar system from the (much older) Maya. The ones that are different are:-
• no. 3: instead of House, the Maya had Night
• no. 4: instead of Lizard, the Maya had Maize/Net/Sacrifice
• no. 17: instead of Movement, the Maya had Earth, and
• no. 20: instead of Flower, the Maya had Lord or Ruler.
Aztec day sign illustrations (top pictures in each row) produced for and © Mexicolore by Felipe Dávalos
Maya day sign illustrations (bottom pictures in each row) courtesy of authenticmaya.com.
Comments (0)
Most of the 20 Aztec and Maya calendar day signs are the same
More Aztec Calendar
- WelcomeCalendars and board gamesAztec feasts of the deadSpecial feasts meant special foodsNatural forces had calendrical namesThe Atamalcualiztli festivalHow the monthly festivals fit into our calendarHow do the solar and sacred calendars combine?Which Aztec festivals involved cannibalism?One-Death: good day for a slave!School children vote for their favourite day signWhat do the day signs represent?Aztec and Maya day signsThe Central Mexican CalendarTime, ritual and sacred landscape in Aztec MexicoWelcome to a new Maya ‘Long Count’...!Creating a Sunstone modelCyclical views of timeThe ‘Calendar Stone’Daysign Destinies!Daysign PollInteractive Sunstone ExperienceBirth Sign Bonanza: One-AlligatorBirth Sign Bonanza: One-JaguarBirth Sign Bonanza: One-DeerBirth Sign Bonanza: One-FlowerBirth Sign Bonanza: One-ReedSunstone LectureSchools, beware!Spot the scribe’s mistakeDecember 21st. 2012 (1)December 21st. 2012 (2)2012 - humour!The ‘sky band’Win a prize!