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Basic Aztec facts: AZTEC NUMBERS

Aztec number symbol of 8000, attached to canes, Codex Mendoza

All the peoples of ancient Mesoamerica counted in 20s, not 10s like we do: probably because we all have 20 fingers and toes! It’s one of the oldest ways of counting in the world. There are still some villages south of Mexico where a person is called ‘a twenty’. For the Aztecs it was a number linked to their sacred calendar. (Written/compiled by Ian Mursell/Mexicolore)

In the top picture, from the Codex Mendoza, there’s an Aztec incense bag tied to a bunch of canes - part of a list of tribute paid each year to the Aztecs. If you saw an incense bag being held by someone (see Pic 1) - well, it was an incense bag. But if it was on its own as a symbol, it was being used as a ‘glyph’ to show a number: in this case 8,000. Pity the poor folk that had to pay the Aztecs 8,000 canes every year in tax!

The symbol for 20 was a little flag or banner (see Pic 2), and the Aztec word for 20 was cempoalli meaning ‘one count’.
The first four Aztec numbers had simple names in their language, Náhuatl:-
1 = ce
2 = ome
3 = yei
4 = nahui

Up to 20 you could show numbers just by the right number of dots (or sometimes fingers). It was common among other ancient Mexican peoples to use a bar for 5, but for some funny reason the Aztecs insisted on being ‘dotty’..............!

From 20 up to 400 you could join flags together (100 would be 5 flags alongside each other) and add dots to them if need be.
400 - which is 20 x 20 - had its own symbol, a feather (see Pic 4). Some people say it was more like a hair or even a fir tree: the idea is the same, “as numerous as hairs or the ‘barbs’ [branches] of a feather...” The Náhuatl word for 400 was tzontli or hair.

Finally, 20 x 400 = 8,000, and the symbol for this was the incense bag or pouch (see Pic 5). The Náhuatl word for this was xiquipilli. Why a bag? Perhaps to show the almost uncountable contents of a sack of cacao beans. So drawing 8,000 of something was a bit like saying ‘a sackload’ of whatever it was... In fact the Aztecs/Mexica always measured their tribute by count and volume rather than by weight.

Thanks to our friend Felipe Dávalos for illustrating the number symbols specially for us!

By combining root words, ‘multiplier’ words (like 20) and word endings, the Aztecs could count up to 64,000,000
- a real ___ load of numbers!
AND, by the way, it was the ancient Mexicans who invented zero. Not exactly ‘featherweights’ when it came to Maths...

Comments (28)

Quintyn Fabela

23rd Nov 2024

Quick questions about the numbers. How do write 1,000 and would I write the dates in numbers? If not can you provide an example of how I would write it please.

Mexicolore

1,000 could be depicted symbolically by two ‘Feather’ symbols (each representing 400) and a half-feather symbol to show 200. Alternatively, it could be depicted with two feather symbols and ten flag/banner symbols, each meaning 20.
All dates were written with a combination of numbers and day signs.

Quintyn Fabela

19th Nov 2024

Thank you for answering so quickly. So I’ve read that you could read 20 as a flag a conch or a vase with flowers in it. Or I could read 10 as 10 dots or 2 bars or a diamond. Is this true? If so, does it really matter which one I use?

Mexicolore

Methinks some confusion here! 20 was either a flag or banner - we’ve never come across it being represented by a conch or vase with flowers. 10 was most commonly shown as two bars of 5 - again, not sure where the diamond comes from...

Quintyn Fabela

18th Nov 2024

I have a book on the Aztec numerical system and it says a feather glyph is 20 and a flag is 400. On this site it’s the other way around. So which one is correct?

Mexicolore

We’re glad to say we are!

Dave

26th Oct 2022

Thank you for providing this information!!! It’s hard to find sites that just want to share the beauty of of our ancestors!!! Thank you…

Mexicolore

Cheers!

Hello

28th Sep 2022

When did the Aztecs develop their number system?

Mexicolore

Most think they learned it from the ancient Maya, with whom they traded regularly.

Phoenix

11th May 2022

This website is very cool, I learned a lot from it.
(side note) I didnt think people would be commenting anymore.

Mexicolore

Comments still alive and kicking!

Curt

3rd May 2022

Teaches you every thing that you need to know about the Aztecs

Sam L

5th Apr 2022

I wonder if their’s an aztec symbol for infinity... That would be cool ngl

Mexicolore

We agree, but don’t think they had one...!

Alfredo Lopez

9th Feb 2021

Hi, I was wondering how you would write a date? Do you still use dots, flags, and feathers?

Mexicolore

No, today you would write the words themselves in Nahuatl. So, for instance the day/year One Flint would be written ‘Ce Tecpatl’.

Storm

4th Aug 2020

Hello! Do you know the names of the Aztec numbers up to 20 or where I could find the names for them? I’m curious and I can’t find any website as helpful as this one.

Mexicolore

Here you go:-
1 = ce
2 = ome
3 = yei
4 = nahui
5 = macuilli
6 = chicuacen
7 = chicome
8 = chicueyi
9 = chicnahui
10 = mahtlactli
11 = mahtlactli once
12 = mahtlactli omome
13 = mahtlactli omeyi
14 = mahtlactli onnahui
15 = caxtolli
16 = caxtolli once
17 = caxtolli omome
18 = caxtolli omeyi
19 = caxtolli onnahui
20 = cempohualli.

mr wowie

17th Jun 2020

im here in 2020 3 years after the last message and 10 years after the first im wondering if anyone is still here replying to stuff because i have a few questions

Mexicolore

You bet!

Homer

26th Dec 2017

A very poor, even annoying explanation. I had to force myself to read all of it. It could have been so much simpler and easy to understand It’s not as if there weren’t numerous examples of how it should be done.

Mexicolore

REALLY sorry you suffered so much reading this very humble contribution to kids’ education. Like so much run-of-the-mill negativity nowadays, your feedback doesn’t contain a single suggestion or specific point of discussion, nothing you could deem to contribute by way of improvement. Typical. Still, here’s wishing you a Happy Christmas...!

zac

21st May 2017

but it is a little hard to understand :L :O :H :( :3 $o$ @-@ 0_O but I really hope this will help with my work

isaac

21st May 2017

I really like how they use these kind of simbls

Mrs Hereward

9th Mar 2017

Many thanks for another amazing day at Danes Hill. We all loved it.

Mexicolore

Thank YOU. Danes Hill School always give us a great welcome and look after us really well - a lovely school!

Jeanette

14th Nov 2016

Hi I was wondering when the page on Basic Aztec facts: Aztec Numbers was published?

Mexicolore

I’m afraid we don’t have an exact record, but it must have been around September 2012.

lucy

10th Sep 2015

it has really helped with my home work i do recommend this to any other kids who need help with the Aztecs.:)

alisha

10th Jan 2014

wow my teacher just asked us to do a powerpoint or a booklet on the Aztec and it was the best and so was the work shop thank you for helping us I know a bit of Spanish but I didn’t put my hand up because a was shy

stephanie

6th Feb 2013

thanks helped with my posterboard!

Andrew

11th Nov 2012

thanks for helping me with my home work!!!!

1902937

9th Nov 2012

so what would the aztec emperor do to ask for 8000 bee hives?

Mexicolore

He’d put out an order for 8,000 bee hives! More seriously, he’d draw a pottery jar of honey, and ‘attach’ to it with a thin black line the glyph for an incense bag, meaning 8,000. Honey was traded, according to the Codex Mendoza, in ‘little jars’, not in bee hives.

2345

9th Nov 2012

so 4 fingers, a flag and a feather added together would equal 424 right? in aztec by the way

Mexicolore

Yup, dead on.

liz young

26th Oct 2012

wow this was exactly what i was looking for thanks so much!!!!

erica

24th May 2012

i think its amazing to find what your looking for!

Josie

2nd Apr 2012

What is Friend and Good Bye and Hello in Ancient Aztec?

Mexicolore

Thanks, Josie. In Náhuatl (the Aztec language) ‘friend’ would be icniuhtli, ‘hello’ is niltze! and the closest to ‘goodbye’ might be ‘Be well’ - Ma xipactinemi. (The ‘x’, BTW, is pronounced ‘sh’). Well, at least ‘hello’ is fairly easy!

zippy

16th Feb 2012

helped with homework

bella

17th Sep 2011

thanks for helping me with my home work!!!!

Aishah

23rd Nov 2010

I think you are right.

Aztec number symbol of 8000, attached to canes, Codex Mendoza