How the Enigmatic Maya Sky Calendar Foretold Doomsday

2. The Structure of the Maya Calendar

The Maya calendar interlocks several tracks. The 260-day Tzolk’in cycles through 13 numbers and 20 named days, each tied to particular deities and energies that guided births, rituals, and fate. The solar Haab holds 18 months of 20 days plus five liminal Wayeb days, anchoring planting and harvest to the sun’s path. Every 52 years the two counts realign in the Calendar Round, a moment of renewal marked by elaborate observances. Overlaying both is the Long Count, a running tally of days grouped in 144,000-day baktuns, letting scribes date events across millennia. Together these calendars display an elegant blend of astronomy, agriculture, and spirituality, binding Maya society to the rhythms of the universe.

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