Mesoamerican Calendars: Tzolkin

From azteccalendar.com

When we look at the calendar systems around the world, both past and present, we generally find an astronomical foundation to them.  In a world full of chaos and disaster, it only makes sense that our ancestors might try to harmonize their lives to the unwavering cycles of the heavens.  From the Greeks to the Egyptians to the Mesoamericans, man has tried to mimic the order in the heavens with their calendars.

 We are all familiar with the 365 day solar calendar, but the cosmic influence on ancient calendars far exceeds the cycles of the sun.  One such example would be the 260 day calendar known to the Maya as the Tzolkin.  The Aztecs and Toltecs of central Mexico knew it as their “Book of Days.”  This calendar is a prime example of the Mesoamerican’s attempt to unite human and heavenly cycles.  For instance, 260 days is the approximate length of human gestation.  Meanwhile, two Tzolkin periods (520 days) measure 3 eclipse periods.

 This sacred calendar was in use long before the Maya or Toltecs even established themselves culturally.  Nearly 3,000 years ago the 260 day calendar was in use by the Olmecs, who are credited for using the calendar alongside the 365 day solar (agricultural) calendar.  Their influence spans even today as some devout groups of Maya still follow the old traditions.

So how did the Tzolkin work.  Simple.  The days were marked by a number and a day sign.  There were 20 day signs that ran alongside the number 1 through 13.  With this system, it took 260 days for the calendar to run through its cycle of numbers and day signs before the first day sign aligned with the number 1 again.

 The day signs differ slightly between the Nahuatl-speaking people of central Mexico and the Maya.  In fact, there are even slight variations between Mayan sub-cultures.  But for illustration purposes, and in keeping with simplicity, I'll share the 20 day signs of the Nahuatl Book of Days, which are:  Crocodile, Wind, House, Lizard, Serpent, Death, Deer, Rabbit, Water, Dog, Monkey, Grass, Reed, Jaguar, Eagle, Vulture, Movement, Flint, Rain, Flower.

Photographic Journey Through EFFIGY

University of Utah

Southern Utah

 

Pottery

Chaco Canyon

Quetzalcoatl

Ten Coatl

Zocalo - Mexico City

National Museum of Anthropology

Aztec Sunstone

Teotihuacan

Feathered Serpent

La Gruta Resteraunt

Tezcatlipoca Mask

                                                       

Tezcatlipoca

                    

                                                 

Pyramid of the Moon

Temple of Quetzalcoatl Panel

The Eclipse

Tula's Colonnade

Pyramid B - Tula

Descending Serpent Shadow

Tour Tula: The Ball Courts

In anticipation of Super Bowl Sunday, I thought it only appropriate to finish my tour of Tula at the ball courts.  Tula’s archaeological zone boasts two ball courts.  These low cobble-walled depressions consist simply of a long central alleyway capped at both ends by  perpendicular endzones.  The effect is an I-shaped playing field.

Tula Ball Court
From abrock.com

The origins of the ball game date back to the 1^st millennium BC with the Olmec culture who discovered the elasticity of the latex they collected from the rubber trees.  The ball game grew to be a staple throughout Mesoamerica, from the early Olmecs to the pre-conquest Aztecs.  It may surprise you to know that the ball game is still being played today in parts of north-western Mexico!

The rules of the game varied slightly from site to site, but essentially, two teams battled it out on the ball courts, directing a solid rubber ball into their opponents half of the court without letting it hit the ground.  The catch – the players could not use their hands or feet.

Unlike our modern game of Football (unless you want to consider Tim Tebow’s influence) the Mesoamerican ball game had great religious significance.  According to independent Mesoamerican researcher, John Major Jenkins, the ball game also had tremendous cosmological symbolism.   And unlike Football (thankfully), the losing team of the ball game were often sacrificed or decapitated and their heads strung on skull racks called tzompantlis.  The demolished remains of a tzompanti has even been found in Tula, which shouldn’t surprise us coming from a culture that celebrated Team Tezcatlipoca’s victory over Team Quetzalcoatl!


Depiction of Tzompantli in Chichen Itza
From Crystalinks.com

Tour Tula: Chacmools

The Atlanteans aren't the only statues to admire among the ruins of Tula.

If there were any figures in Toltec artistry that could contrast the Atlanteans, it would be the chacmools.  The Atlanteans stand boldly against the skyline - a rigid, stern, militaristic troop of sentries maintaining watch atop their pyramid.  The chacmools, however, recline randomly within the shadows of the ancient city.  Their comical postures lend more mystery to a widely enigmatic culture. 

These statues appear harmless enough enough - figures of men lying on their backs with their knees up and legs pulled up tight against their buttocks.  Their heads are also up, and turned to the side like surprised children caught with their hand in a cookie jar.  But that vessel they hold upon their bellies is hardly Pooh Bear's hunny pot.  In fact, these bowls and plates often lend to more questions regarding the chacmools purpose than the curiosities raised by the Atlanteans.

Polychrome chacmool discovered in Tenochtitlan's Templo Mayor.
From ChessBase.com

Although they don't appear nearly as elaborate as EFFIGY's polychrome Jaguar Chacmool, the chacmools we see today may have been just as brilliant if we could just erase the toll time and weather has taken on them.  Variations of the chacmool are found not only in Tula, but in other Mesoamerican cities that seem to display a strong Toltec influence, from the Aztec capital of Tenochtitlan in present day Mexico City to the Mayan city of Chichen Itza in Yucatan. 

So just what was the significance of the chacmools?  Nobody knows for sure.  However, several Mesoamerican sites contain stone bas reliefs of captives reclined similarly to the chacmools.  The typical situ placement of chacmools within temple antechambers suggest a religious importance.  Perhaps it was a combination of these two facts that led to the common theory that these strange figures served as altars, long awaiting one more offering to the gods.  And the offerings themselves have led to considerable debate ranging from sacred gifts of butterflies to the sacrificial offerings of (you guessed it) human hearts.

Whatever the chacmools were intended for, one thing is for certain, they are just one more reason writers love "lost" civilizations!

Tour Tula: The Atlanteans

From atlantislinks.com

Although the Toltec city of Tula has many notable and fascinating features (some of which we’ll visit on this tour), the city’s watermark is undoubtedly the colossal Atlanteans that maintain their silent vigil atop the platform of Pyramid B.  These four rigid telamons with their severe, chiseled forms and hauntingly stern expressions, command the eye’s focus against a lofty backdrop of Mexican clouds.

At least, that’s how we see them today. 

Originally, the Atlanteans served as support columns for the roof of a wood and adobe temple that once crowned Pyramid B.  However, when they were discovered centuries later by archaeologists, the Atlanteans lay in segments at the base of the pyramid where they had been toppled when Tula was destroyed. 

It is believed that the Atlanteans represent Tula's cultural shift to an increasingly militaristic society.  At first glance, these fierce-looking figures with butterfly breastplates across their chests and large feathered headdresses do have a warrior-like appearance.  They even appear to be holding dart-throwers at their sides.  All tell-tale accessories of a warrior, right?

Not everyone sees them this way.  Another interpretation claims that the Atlanteans are nothing more than ballplayers, adorned to play in one of the two large ballcourts located in Tula's archaeological zone.  Some suggest they are statues carved in the likeness of Tula's founder, Ce Acatl Topiltzin Quetzalcoatl, while others somehow link Tula to the lost city of Atlantis, hence giving the Atlanteans their name.

The tools held at the statues' sides have especially offered color to the debate.  While the more practical interpretation identifies them as mining tools,  others take an out-of-this-world approach, arguing that the Atlanteans represent extraterrestrial visitors armed with ray-guns. 

Whatever or whoever the Atlanteans are, one thing is clear - these stone sentinals continue to inflict wonder upon those who see them.  And maybe that was the intent to begin with.