the aztec calendar

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the aztec calendar
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Information on the Aztec Calendar Often referred
to as the Aztec Cosmos The Great and Venerable
Mechanism of the Universe It is a 26 ton monolith
that was found buried face down near what was
once a corner of the ceremonial center of
Tenochititilan (Now , Mexico City.) The stone
was carved with symbols depicting the Aztec
universe, calendar, history, and lore. It was
determined to have been sculpted in the 1400s.
Only one face of the entire stone was damaged.
While many Indians came to accept the new
religion brought by the Spanish, the old rituals
and beliefs were not so easily erased. A sacred
period of time to the Aztecs was 52 years at
which time they held a special ceremony. The
stone when found was not colored but, probably
was created originally in color.
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The Aztecs did not have an alphabet. They used a
set series of letters or signs (pictographs) to
form the elements of a written language. They
used hieroglyphs (glyphs) to represent or express
an idea. Those glyphs depict names, places,
numbers, and objects. The outer ring of the
stone represents the universe that surrounds the
earth. This is represented by the pictograph of
2 fire serpents. The four past suns in the next
ring represent the Earths four previous epochs.
They could refer to things like the Ice Age
catastrophes survived by the Earth. One
represents wind (upper left), one represents sky
(upper right), one represents rain (lower left),
and one represents water (lower right). The
fifth sun, the era we are now around the central
face. The central face is an image of
controversy. Maybe it is the face of the current
sun or the night sun (sunset). No one knows for
sure.
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There is a twenty day calendar represented by the
ring with 20 symbols. It runs counterclockwise.
Each symbol can be looked up on the web to
determine its meaning. This calendar system
creates a 260 day year. They believed in both
the 260 day year and the 365 day year. The cogs
of these two wheels only coincided once every 52
years. To them, this was a magical and notable
connection. http//www.ai.mit.edu/people/montalv
o/Hotlist/aztec.html These sites offer a list and
a brief description of each day symbol and other
symbols on the Aztec Calendar. http//www.azteccal
endar.com/introduction.html
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• Suggested Lesson Sequence
• Read and discuss the information provided about
  the Aztec Calendar. Take notes.
• View the examples. Point out features noted in
  the information phase.
• Have students to read about the different glyphs
  for the days. Ask them to choose one of the
  glyphs that they identify with personality
  traits, etc.
• Use dictionary.com to define mandala and
  concentric.
• Ask students to design a concentric circle
  mandala calendar featuring their favorite glyph
  in the center and using other glyphs of choice to
  orchestrate the remaining component parts of the
  mandala design.
• Cut out large circles of blueboard styrofoam
  (3to4). Draw the image with marker and paint
  with oil pastels. Make homemade compasses with
  markers and yarn to draw the concentric circles.
  Use brilliant colors like the Aztec would have.

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aztec day names
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the aztec calendar
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How can you use the Aztec Cosmos to create your
own calendar wheel? What symbols do you relate
to? What pictographs symbolize your connection to
the world?
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Will you represent one day, one week, one
year? or some other division of time? Tip
Organize your work using concentric circles.
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