The Aztec Calendar

This is the Aztec Calendar, perhaps the most famous symbol of Mexico. The original object is a 12' Pre- Columbian stone slab. Many renditions of it exist throughout Mexico.

Cuauhxicalli Historically, the Aztec name for the huge basaltic monolith is Cuauhxicalli (Eagle Bowl), but it is universally known as the Aztec Calendar or Sun Stone.

When Was It Created? It was during the reign of the 6th Aztec monarch in 1479 that this stone was carved and dedicated to the principal Aztec deity: the sun. The stone has both mythological and astronomical significance.

What Is It’s Size? It weighs almost 25 tons, has a diameter of just under 12 feet, and a thickness of 3 feet. On December 17th, 1760 the stone was discovered in the "Zocalo" (the main square) of Mexico City.

Where Is It Located? After it was discovered in 1760, it was embedded in the wall of the Western tower of the Metropolitan Cathedral, where it remained until In 1885 it was transferred to the National Museum of Archaeology and History in Mexico City.

Tonatiuh The face portrayed at the center of the stone is generally interpreted as the Mexican sun god,

Tonatiuh Symbolizes the Fifth Sun, the sun of Motion. Tonatiuh is also called the Earth-Quake Sun

Tonatiu, The Earth-Quake Sun The Aztecs believed that the world was destroyed and re- created four times prior to the current era or sun. They believe the current era will also be destroyed.

The four quadrants spaced around the central figure represent the preceding eras, or suns Each contains a representation of the name of the particular era derived from the sign of its last day, a name that also indicates the way of its destruction.

The first, on the upper right, designates the first Sun, 4-Jaguar, followed in counterclockwise order by the second Sun, 4-Wind; the third sun, 4-Rain; and the fourth sun, 4- Water.

The Second Ring The second ring from the center is composed of the 20 named days contained in one month. Each year starts on one of four of these 20 days.

1st Day: Crocodile Cipactli Protector of the day Cipactli (Crocodile) is Tonacatecuhtli, Lord of Nurturance, the primordial god of creation and fertility. Cipactli is an auspicious day, signifying advancement and honor. It depicts energy and work, rewards and recognition. A good day for beginnings.

2nd Day: Wind Ehecatl The protector of day Ehecatl (Wind) is Quetzalcoatl. Ehecatl is a bad day for working with others. Its influences are inconstant and vain. A good day to root out bad habits. Quetzalcoatl

3rd Day: Underworld or House Calli Daysign Calli The protector of day Calli (House) is Tepeyollotl, Heart of the Mountain. Calli is a good day for rest, tranquility and family life. Not a good day for participating in public life. Best spent cementing relationships of trust and mutual interests.

4th Day: Lizard Cuetzpallin The protector of day Cuetzpallin (Lizard) is Huehuecoyotl, Old Coyote, the Trickster, god of deception. Cuetzpallin signifies rapid reversals of fortune. It is a good day to work on your reputation through actions, not words.

5th Day: Snake Coatl The day Coatl (Snake) has Chalchihuitlicue as its protector. Coatl is the day of the snaking river that always changes without changing. It signifies the fleeting moment of eternal water. A good day for humility, a bad day for acting on self- interests.Chalchihuitlicue

6th Day: Death Miquiztli The protector of day Miquiztli (Death) is Tecciztecatl, god of the conch, symbol of Metztli, the Moon God, sometimes identified with Tezcatlipoca. He has the conch as an attribute, which is associated with the feminine. Miquiztli is the the Unknown, that which emanates shadow. It is a good day for reflecting on your priorities in life, a bad day for ignoring possibilities. It is a day of transformation, signifying that briefest moment between old endings and new beginnings.Tezcatlipoca

7th Day: Deer Mazatl The protector of day Mazatl (Deer) is Tlaloc, He Who Makes Seeds Sprout, god of rain and thunderstorms. Mazatl is the day of the hunt. It is a good day to stalk your quarry, a bad day to be stalked. Mazatl is a day for breaking old routines and to pay close attention to the routines of others. This is a day for doubling-back on your tracks.

8th Day: Rabbit Tochtli The bearer of this year is Tochtli (Rabbit). As a year-bearer Tochtli is associated with the south.

9th Day: Water Atl The protector of day Atl (Water) is Xiuhtecuhtli, Lord of the Year, the old god of fire. Atl is a day for purification by subjecting oneself to the ordeal of conflict. It is a good day for battle, a bad day for rest. Water brings out the scorpion, who must sting its enemies or else sting itself. Atl is the day of the holy war, which is always a battle with one's own enemies within.

10th Day: Dog Izcuintli The protector of day Itzcuintli (Dog) is Mictlantecuhtli, god of death. Itzcuintli is the guide for the dead, the spirit world's link with the living. Itzcuintli is a good day for funerals and wakes and remembering the dead. It is a good day for being trustworthy, a bad day for trusting others of questionable intent. Mictlantecuhtli

11th Day: Monkey Ozomatli The protector of day Ozomahtli (Monkey) is Xochipili, god of the arts, god of pleasure, feasting, frivolity. Ozomahtli is a day for creating, for play, for celebrating. A good day for lightheartedness, a bad day for seriousness. Ozomahtli is a warning about how easily the noble person can be trapped by the lures of public life. Xochipili

12th Day: Grass or Dry Herb Malinalli 13-day period Malinalli (Grass) is ruled by Mayahuel, Goddess of the Maguey and Pulque. These are 13 days of intoxication, infatuation, excitement and passion: it is a time of excesses, when moderation is impossible, and so is often a time of disastrous consequences. These are good days to bind the community together; bad days to sow discord and discontent.

13th Day: Reed or Cane Acatl he protector of day Acatl (Reed) is Tezcatlipoca. Acatl is the scepter of authority which is, paradoxically, hollow. It is a day when the arrows of fate fall from the sky like lightningbolts. A good day to seek justice, a bad day to act against others. Tezcatlipoca

14th Day: Jaguar Ocelotl The protector of day Ocelotl (Jaguar) is Tlazolteotl. Ocelotl is a good day for doing battle. It signifies power, valor, and reckless abandon in the face of danger. This is a day of the Warriors of Tezcatlipoca, those who willingly sacrifice their lives to keep the flame of the Old Ones burning forever. Tlazolteotl Tezcatlipoca

15th Day: Eagle Cuahtli The protector of day Cuauhtli (Eagle) is Xipe Totec, god of the shedding of skins, God of Seedtime, the elemental force of rebirth. Cuauhtli is a day of fighting for freedom and equality. It is a day of the Warriors of Huitzilopochtli, those who sacrifice their lives willingly to keep the present age, the Fifth Sol, moving. It is a good day for action, a bad day for reflection. A good day for invoking the gods, a bad day for ignoring them.

16th Day: Owl or Vulture Cozcacuauhtli The protector of day Cozcacuauhtli (Vulture) is Itzpapalotl. Cozcacuauhtli signifies long life, wisdom, good counsel and mental equilibrium. It is a good day to confront the discontinuities, disruptions, failures and deaths one suffers in life. Cozcacuauhtli is a day for tricking the Trickster. Itzpapalotl

17th Day: Movement or Earthquake Ollin The protector of day Ollin (Movement) is Xolotl. This is an auspicious day for the active principle, a bad day for the passive principle. Ollin is a day of the purified heart, signifying those moments where human beings may perceive what they are becoming. A good day for transmutation, which arrives like an earthquake that leaves in its wake the ruins of rationality, order and the preconceived.Xolotl

18th Day: Obsidian Knife or Stone Tecpatl The 13-day period Tecpatl (Stone Knife) is ruled by Mictlantecuhtli, Lord of the Region of the Dead, god of death. This trecena signifies an ordeal or trial that pushes one to the very threshhold of endurance: it forebodes an abrupt change in the continuity of things. These are 13 days influenced by the sun, which is a symbol of death: the stars are the warriors of the past and the sun is the gateway of that transformation. The sun is singing fire while the Evening Star guides it through the Region of the Dead: the combined efforts of the elementals are focused on producing a permanent change of heart. These are good days to shed old skins; bad days to cling to what is already known. Mictlantecuhtli

19th Day: Rain Quiahuitl The protector of day Quiahuitl (Rain) is Tonatiuh. Quiahuitl is a day of relying on the unpredictable fortunes of fate. It is a good day for traveling and learning, a bad day for business and planning. Tonatiuh

20th Day: Lord or Flower Xochitl The protector of day Xochitl (Flower) is Xochiquetzal. Xochitl is a day for creating beauty and truth, especially that which speaks to the heart who knows it will one day cease to beat. Xochitl reminds us that life, like the flower, is beautiful but quickly fades. It is a good day for reflection, companionship and poignancy; it is a bad day for repressing deep-seated wishes, desires and passions.