Maya Mystery School

of Northern California

Tzolkin Calendar

The Tzolkin Calendar is the sacred moon calendar of the Mayans.  It connects the energy of heaven with earth so that what occurs above is reflected below.  The calendar is composed of 20 day signs in combination with the numbers 1 to 13, creating a 260-day cycle. The 20-day signs correspond to one month of the Long Count Calendar and the 13 numbers correspond to the amount of days it takes the moon to go from new to full, and then another 13 to go from full to new. The 26-day moon cycle is the time it takes for us to actually "see" the start of the full moon, which then can be viewed for three more nights.  

The calendar is tied to a woman's birth cycle, which is one Tzolkin period or 260 days, and to three eclipse half-years, the equivalent of two Tzolkin periods or 520 days.

The importance of these cycles cannot be underestimated. Because of the "as above, so below" effect, all of the agricultural, seasonal, and natural cycles are reflected from the cosmos to the earth and are responsible for driving the life-blood and flow of Mother Earth.  The Tzolkin Calendar has traditionally been used for sacred divination and agricultural planning.

Go To:
[Calendar Round] [Long Count] [Venus Round] [Haab Calendar]

Back to Top