30 May 2025 / 10 House
Article suitable for Top Juniors and above
Find out moreSpot the scribe’s mistake
Codex Magliabecchiano page
Burning the midnight oil, an Aztec ‘tlacuilo’ (scribe) made a mistake when setting out this sequence of days in the 260-day ritual calendar. Can you spot it? (Written/compiled by Ian Mursell/Mexicolore)
In the main picture are four days, beginning with 9-Death. The 260-day ritual calendar was composed of an imaginary 'wheel' of 20 day signs and another of 13 numbers. To work out the next day's name, you simply move forward a number and move forward a day sign.
This particular 13-day sequence begins (pic 1) with 1-Flint and ends (pic 3) with 13-Dog.
Notice how the day sign glyphs look very different to those found in the Aztec Sunstone (see these on our 20-day-sign resource sheet, link below). You can tell straight away that a different scribe is at work!
Comments (0)
Codex Magliabecchiano page
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!