Aztec

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Aztec Calendar
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The Aztecs lived in the Valley of Mexico and
surrounding areas from about A.D 1200 until 1521,
when they were conquered by the Spanish, under
the leader Hernando Cortés. The capital city of
the Aztec empire was Tenochtitlán, which is now
Mexico City
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The carved stone is about 12 feet in diameter and
had a mass of 24 metric tons. It took 52 years to
make the calendar, from 1427 to 1479.
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The calendar was originally at the top of the
main temple in Tenochtitlán. Today Mexico City's
cathedral stands on this site.
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The tonalpohualli and Aztec cosmology The
tonalpohualli, or day-count, has been called a
sacred calendar because its main purpose is that
of a divinatory tool. It divides the days and
rituals between the gods. For the Aztec mind this
is extremely important. Without it the world
would soon come to an end. According to Aztec
cosmology, the universe is in a very delicate
equilibrium. Opposing divine forces are competing
for power. This equilibrium is in constant danger
of being disrupted by shifting powers of the
gods, of the elemental forces that influence our
lifes. This struggle cannot be won by any god.
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The notion that everything ultimately consists of
two opposing forces is essential to the Aztec
worldview. The world is always on the brink of
going under in a spiritual war, a war of gods
competing for supreme power. To prevent this from
happening, the gods have been given their own
space, their own time, their own social groups,
etcetera, to rule over. The tonalpohualli tells
us how time is divided among the gods.
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This is the god Quetzalcoatl, the Feathered
Serpent or Precious Twin. He is the god of
intelligence and self-reflection. As the Lord of
the East he is associated with the Morning Star,
Venus Rising.
Dividing time among gods A day (tonalli) in the
tonalpohualli consists of a number and a symbol
or daysign. Each daysign is dedicated to a god.
Each daysign is ruled by a god. The nature of a
day is also influenced by its number. More
important, each trecenas has a god that rules
over that very 13-day period.
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TonatiuhStone of Axayacatl, The Sun God. Symbol
of the fifth and present era. According to Aztec
Mythology, there have been four historical ages,
called Suns - those of earth, wind, fire and
water. Each has been destroyed. The present era
is that of the Sun of Movement, Ollintonatiuh. It
is also known as Nahuiollin or 4-Ollin
(Movement). In the famous stone of Axayacatl, as
you can see on the left, Tonatiuhs face is
embedded in this calendrical sign. The wings of
the Ollin symbol show the calendrical signs of
the past four eras.
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