Maya Mystery School

of Northern California

Calendar Round

The Calendar Round is a combination of the Tzolkin Calendar and Haab Calendar. It creates a cycle that is just under fifty two years.  The fifty-two year cycle is tied to the New Fire Ceremony, which is performed to usher the passing of the Pleaides through the zenith at midnight. The ceremony involves astronomical events and rituals for renewal of the earth and its resources. 

This midnight alignment was traditionally studied to correct the ever-shifting date of the Sun, zenith, and Pleaides alignment due to the precession of the equinoxes.  This Sun/zenith/Pleaides event was historically viewed at the sacred Mayan sites where the monuments were built to reflect astronomical events.  

Originally, in the tropics at Izapa where the Calendar Round supposedly originated, the solar zenith passage was on August 12th and May 1st. August 12th also aligned with the star Sirius. As the solar zenith passage changed, new sites were built at more northern latitudes so that they would align and mirror the rising Pleaides event.  However, while the date of the solar passage changed, the calculations for future events were encoded into newer and more northernly monuments based on the original August 12th zenith.

Currently, in Chichen Itza, the pyramid of Kukulcan and the ballcourt serve as living monuments to current and future astrological configurations.  The Sun will pass through the zenith at high noon in May of 2012, following the appearance of the Pleaides in the east. This will occur 60 days after the spring equinox, and will usher in the new age.  It heralds the return of Quetzecoatl also known as the Plumed Serpent. The conjunction can be seen at Chichen Itza from the year 2000 through 2020 and will extend through the next century. This conjunction coincides with the return of the ancient knowledge and mysteries to the Mayans and their followers.

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

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