Mayan Sky Watchers and their Astonishing Astronomical Calendars

Dr. Dora Musielak

July 2, 2009
International Year of Astronomy

Space Age

17th Century

Copernicus

MAYAS

Who were the Maya?

A Mesoamerican civilization, only one known to have fully developed written language of pre-Columbian Americas, as well as art, culture, architecture, mathematics, and sophisticated accurate astronomy. Mysterious civilization ruled a territory of 125,000 sq. miles across parts of Mexico Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador and Belize. The Maya engineered sky-high temple-pyramids, ornate palaces and advanced hydraulic systems, without use of metal, pack animals or wheels!
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Ancient Mayan Metropolis

http://www.history.ca/ontv/titledetails.aspx?titleid=104664

Tikal is the greatest of all Mayan cities with the tallest pyramids in the western hemisphere. Tikal was founded c. 200 B.C. and seems to have been abandoned in 900 A.D. for unknown reasons. Tallest structure is 229 ft (70 m) high.

Over 13 billion years B.C.

~2000 B.C. Olmecs Mayas begin to develop (1800)

~700 400 B.C. Writing is developed in Mexico and Central America ; earliest known solar calendars carved in stone by Maya.

36 B.C. Maya mathematics and concept of zero.

Written inscription in Maya glyphs (250 B.C.)

250 A.D. Classic Period of Maya Civilization begins

30,000 B.C.10,000 B.C. Hunter-gatherers cross over frozen Bering Strait to become first humans in America.

1450 B.C. Earliest record of Greek language.

~ 280 B.C. Aristarchus attempts first estimation of Earth-Sun distance.

~ 130 B.C. Hipparchus starts first star map and catalogues 850 stars.

140 A.D. Ptolemy suggests geocentric theory of the universe.

~550 - Pythagoras

~240 B.C. Eratosthenes estimates Earths circumference

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Ancient Maya were exquisitely talented architects, brilliant mathematicians, and astonishingly accurate astronomers. They invented a calendar system of remarkable accuracy and complexity.

To devise a calendar, the Maya Mayan Calendars

developed mathematics and concept of zero to enable them to deal with time and distance; advanced an accurate system of astronomy to enable them to measure movement and positions of celestial bodies; and invented writing, both to communicate with each other and to record their concepts and conclusions in mathematics and astronomy .

wrote with drawing glyphs to represent their ideas. counted using a vigesimal numerical system made with just three different symbols to represent numbers. made phenomenally accurate, complex, orbit calculations of stars, planets, and moon, and precise reckoning of solstices and eclipses. Maya astronomers established an incredibly accurate calendar. It was not easy: only a few could calculate it!

Ancient Mayan people dedicated themselves to precision in mathematics, time measurements, and cosmic cycles to develop accurate calendars.
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Astronomy between 250 A.D. and 1200 A.D.

250 c. 370 410 1050 1054 1120 Maya Astronomy flourishes in Mexico Hypatia of Alexandria Dark Ages in Europe Mayan Pyramid of Kukulkan at Chichn Itz is also used as calendar Chinese astronomers observe supernova in Taurus First astronomical observatory built in Cairo, Egypt

Mayans carried out astronomical measurements with remarkable accuracy yet they had no instruments. They used two sticks in the form of a cross, viewing astronomical objects through right angle formed by sticks.

Mayan Writing
Mayan inscriptions date back to 250 B.C. Maya writing used logograms complemented by a set of syllabic glyphs. Codices are books, texts written by scribes, perhaps Mayan priests.

Maya wrote with set of glyphs painted on ceramics, walls, bark-paper books or codices, carved in wood or stone, or molded in stucco.
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The Maya, one of only 5 ancient cultures that developed a unique writing system ~600 B.C. Mayas recorded words and grammarvocabulary, phonetics and syntaxof spoken language.

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Mayan Books
Madrid Codex Dresden Codex Paris Codex Grolier Codex

Copy of the Dresden Codex

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Mayan Architecture and Astronomy

In Uaxactn (Guatemala), 3 structures are aligned north-south and form an astronomical observatory. Mayas could watch Sun rise behind buildings and mark summer and winter solstices, and vernal and autumnal equinoxes.

http://www.authenticmaya.com/

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Mayan Astronomical Observatories

El Caracol in Chichn Itza (Mexico) a Mayan star observatory. Windows are positioned to line up with setting Sun on spring equinox.

Structure is aligned with motions of Venus, considered Suns twin and a war god.

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Astronomical Observatory in Chichn Itza, Yucatan (Mexico)

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El Castillo at Chichn Itza (Mexico)

El Castilloin Spanish, the castlelooms at center of Chichn Itz, a 79-foot pyramid of stone. Also known as the Pyramid of Kukulkn, the structure embodies Mayan myth along with natural astronomical cycles. A phenomenon occurs twice each year, at spring and fall equinoxes. As Sun sets, a play of light and shadow creates appearance of a snake that gradually undulates down the stairway of the pyramid. A 34-m long, diamond-backed snake is formed of seven triangular shadows, cast by stepped terraces. Sinking Sun seems to give life to the sinuous shadows, which make a decidedly snaky pattern on their way down the stairs.

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Mayan Calendars
To place events on a timeline, the Maya adopted and refined a 5,125-year calendar known as Long Count Calendar that enabled them to place celestial and terrestrial events in absolute time (from distant past to distant future!). Main calendars used in concert with Long Count calendar were Tzolkin (260 days long) and Haab (365 days long). Combination of Tzolkin and Haab also gave rise to a 52-year cycle called Calendar Round.
The Maya were masters of three things: time, astronomy, and numbers.

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Mayan Calendar Elements: Numbers

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Maya Mathematics
Mayas developed a unique mathematical system that used dots for units , bars for five units , and a shell for zero .. Numbers can be written vertically or horizontally. Mayas discovered zero, and used it , centuries before it was discovered in Europe or Asia. Mayas used a vigesimal positioning system. Numbers greater than 20 use same symbols but are 20 times what they really represent just add 0 after it. Using this system one can write up to 399. And from 400 to 7999, multiply 20 times 20.

20x1=20

20x5=100

20x20=400

400x3=1200 20x8 = 160

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Mayan Vigesimal System

To write 20 Mayas would place a zero at bottom position with a dot on top of it. Dot in this place means one unit of second order which is worth 20. To write 21, zero would change to a dot and for subsequent numbers original 19 number count will follow in first position. As 19 is reached again, another units is added to second position. This unit, for normal mathematical calculations, is worth 400 (20 x 20) , so to write 401 a dot goes in first position , a zero in second and a dot in third. Positions higher than third also grow multiplied by twenties from previous ones. For calendar calculations, third place unit is worth 360 instead of 400, but after that, all positions also grow multiplied by twenties.
400 20 1

360 20

2009

809

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Tzolkin Sacred Calendar 260 days

Combines a cycle of twenty days with a cycle of thirteen numbers, to produce 260 day-cycles (i.e., 20 13 = 260). Days were named: imix, ik, akbal, kan, chucchan, cimi, manik, lamat, mucuk, oc, chuen, eb, ben, ix, men, cib, caban, etznab, cauac, ahau. Each successive named day was numbered from 1 to 13 and then cycle started again: 1 imix, 2 ik, 3 akbal, 4 kan,, 13 eb; 1 ben, 2 ix, 3 men, 4 cib,

Tzolkin predates Classic Maya period and some experts believe it was established by Olmecs as early as 3000 B.C.

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https://sites.google.com/a/brvgs.k12.va.us/precolumbian-america/Home/the-maya-calendar

Tzolkin kins were named and represented

Crocodile body of planet earth, or world

Wind breath, life.

Night-house - darkness, Maize- young underworld, realm of maize lord who nocturnal jaguar-sun brings abundance

Snake - celestial serpent

Death

Deer - sign of Lord of the Hunt

Rabbit - sign of planet Venus, sunset

Water - jade, water deities, fish

Dog - guides night Monkey - great sun through craftsman, patron of underworld arts and knowledge

Grass- ~rain and storms

Reed

Jaguar

Eagle

Owl

Earthquake, thought

Knife

Rain

Lord, sun god

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http://www.mayacalendar.com/imagen/kines.jpg

Haab Calendar 365 days

Haab calendar or solar year, divided in 19 months (Uinal). First eighteen months have twenty days, and last month, called Uayeb, has only five days (18x20 = 360 + 5 = 365 days) Days within a month are numbered from 0 to 19, and Uayeb is numbered from 0 to 4. Haab month names changed every 20 days; day after 4 Yaxkin would be 5 Yaxkin, followed by 6 Yaxkin ... up to 18 Yaxkin, which is followed by 0 Mol, etc.

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Haab Calendar 365 days

Haab' is 365-day calendar ~ solar year, divided in 19 months Anthropologist Bricker estimates Haab' was first used c.550 BC with starting point of December winter solstice. Haab' month names are based on seasons and agricultural events. Although there were only 365 days in Haab year, Mayas were aware that a year is slightly longer than 365 days even though they did not employ leap days in their calculations.

20 year Calendar stone ,Tikal

Inscriptions on a Temple at Palenque appear to show periods of 1,507 Haab, which equate to 550,420 days. Thus, 550,420/1,507 = 365.2422

Bricker, Victoria (1982). "The Origin of the Maya Solar Calendar". Current Anthropology 23 (1): pp.101 103.

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Haab and Chichn Itza

Kukulkan pyramid at Chichn Itz has four stairways, each with 91 steps and a top platform, making a total of 365 steps, equivalent to number of days in a Haab calendar year. Number of terrace segments on each side equals 18 - number of months in Mayan Haab calendar.

constructed c. 1050

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Maya Calendar Round

Maya described a date by specifying its position in both 260-day Tzolkin and 365-day Haab calendars. Alignment of Tzolkin and Haab calendars generates a 52-year cycle called Calendar Round, which is like two gears that inter-mesh synchronized. Any day calculated on these cycles would not repeat for 18,980 days Some people refer to 52 year-cycle as Mayan century.

A 20 B 13 C 20

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Maya Long Count Calendar

Mayan civilization left evidence of their knowledge of time and cosmology. Mayan Long Count Calendar is a mixed base-20/base18 representation of number of days since start of fifth Mayan era, which lasts 5,125 years!

Dates in Long Count begin in 3114 B.C., zero Mayan year (as January 1, 1 AD is for us) or 13.0.0.0.0 as written by the Mayas. Thus, 13 cycles of 394 years will have to pass before next cycle begins, which is in 2012 A.D.
Note: First date in Long Count should be 0.0.0.0.0, but as baktun (first component) are numbered from 1 to 13 rather than 0 to 12, this first date is actually written 13.0.0.0.0.

Stele 1 from Coba, Mexico showing 0 date of Long Count

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Mayan Calendar Time Units

Kin - Basic time unit of Maya year (day), a word that means Sun. 1 kin = 1 day Uinal - Maya month, equal to 20 days or 20 kin, numbered from 0 to 17 Tun - unit of time in Long Count calendar, equal to 360 days or 18 uinals Katun or k'atun- unit of time equal to 20 tuns or 7,200 days (~ 20 years) Baktun = 20 katuns = 144,000 days ~395 years
Origin of Long Count 5th cycle = 3114 B.C.

First date in Long Count should be 0.0.0.0.0, but as baktun (first component) are numbered from 1 to 13 rather than 0 to 12, Maya wrote first date as 13.0.0.0.0.

End of Long Count 5th cycle = 2012 A.D.

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Long Count Calendar

Stela at Tonin (Chiapas, Mexico) depicts start of Long Count Calendar: 4 Ahau 8 Kumka. Date is represented in Gregorian calendar by August 13, 3114 B.C.

Tonin contains over 100 carved monuments, most dating from Maya Classic Era.
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MAYAN CALENDARS
52-year CALENDAR ROUND 260-day Tzolkin 365-day Haab

5125-year LONG COUNT CALENDAR

Mayan Typical Date:
12.18.16.2.6, 3 Cimi 4 Zotz
12.18.16.2.6 is Long Count date. 3 Cimi is Tzolkin date.

4 Zotz is Haab date.

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Mayan astronomers had a remarkably accurate knowledge of apparent motion of Venus. They knew on what day Venus would appear again in the east after it had disappeared in the west, and that every 2920 days (~eight years) Venus repeats its movements in relation to Sun. Mayans determined with great approximation synodic period of Venus, which according to modern astronomers is 583.92 days. For the Mayan, it was 584 days!

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Mayas and the Planets

Ancient Mayans tracked motion of 5 planets. They used doorways and windows as astronomical sightings. At Uxmal, for instance, entire city is aligned with reference to planets positions, with Venus predominating. Frstmann contended that pages 51-58 of Dresden codex were related to Mercury synodic period of 117 days and Tzolkin of 260 days.

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This is the account of how all was in suspense, all calm, in silence; all motionless, still, and the expanse of the sky was empty. There was neither man, nor animal, birds, fishes, crabs, trees, stones, caves, ravines, grasses, nor forests; there was only the sky.
The Popol Vuh, the sacred book of the Mayas

Glyph representation of Itzamna, supreme god of creation and destruction

Orion Nebula - Chandra Image Credit: NASA/CXC/Penn State/E.Feigelson & K.Getman et al

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Something to think about

Fifth age of Mayan calendar, which started on August 13, 3114 B.C., is due to end on December 21, 2012. Scholars know this from recently decoding of stone monuments and codices that survived. Mayan astronomers calculated in advance when winter solstice point would pass through dark band in Milky Way, an important place in Mayan mythology and a place located on Galaxy plane. 2,000 years ago Mayan astronomers calculated this date to be December 21, 2012. With this as end date, Mayas may have strung their Long Count calendar backwards, arriving at its starting point in 3114 B.C. So-called "end of Mayan calendar is a final point of a 25,695-year cycle.
References: http://www.authenticmaya.com/calendar.htm http://www.playa.info/playa-del-carmen-info-mayan-ruins-of-chichen-itza.html http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q0kOyGZxKh4

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