Maya Day Signs: The Twenty Signs of the Tzolk'in

Quick answer: The Maya day signs are the twenty named days of the tzolk'in, the 260-day sacred calendar of the Maya. Like its central Mexican counterpart, the calendar combined each of the twenty signs with a number from one to thirteen, and it is still kept today by daykeepers in highland Guatemala.

How the tzolk'in worked

Twenty day signs and thirteen numbers turned together, so each combination recurred every 260 days. The tzolk'in ran alongside the 365-day haab', and the two meshed every 52 years in the Calendar Round. Certain day signs, the year-bearers, gave their names to the years, which is why ceremonies such as the Maya fire-walking rite and the Bacabs, the sky-bearers of the four directions, are tied to particular years.

The twenty day signs

The names below are the Yucatec forms recorded in colonial Yucatán. The associations mostly follow the parallel Aztec signs and later Maya usage; the literal meaning of several Yucatec names is uncertain.

| # | Day sign (Yucatec) | Usual association | |---|---|---| | 1 | Imix | crocodile, water, earth | | 2 | Ik' | wind | | 3 | Ak'bal | night, darkness | | 4 | K'an | maize, ripeness | | 5 | Chikchan | serpent | | 6 | Kimi | death | | 7 | Manik' | deer | | 8 | Lamat | star, Venus | | 9 | Muluk | water | | 10 | Ok | dog | | 11 | Chuwen | monkey | | 12 | Eb | road, grass | | 13 | Ben | reed | | 14 | Ix | jaguar | | 15 | Men | eagle | | 16 | Kib | vulture, owl | | 17 | Kaban | earth, movement | | 18 | Etz'nab | flint | | 19 | Kawak | storm, rain | | 20 | Ajaw | lord, sun |

A living calendar

In the Guatemalan highlands, K'iche' and other Maya daykeepers still count the 260-day calendar, using their own names for the days: Kej for the deer, Tz'i' for the dog, Tijax for flint. The calendar is a living tradition, not only an archaeological one.

Day signs in jewellery

A Maya day sign can mark a birthday in the 260-day count or honour the art of Maya writing. AURYN's Mesoamerican designs can be found in the charms collection, and our guide to the twenty Aztec day signs sets out the parallel Nahua calendar.

Frequently asked questions

What is the Maya tzolk'in?

The tzolk'in is a 260-day Maya calendar formed by cycling twenty named day signs with the numbers one to thirteen. Each sign-and-number combination recurs every 260 days.

Are Maya day signs the same as a Western zodiac?

No. They belong to a Mesoamerican calendrical system, not the twelve-sign Western zodiac. Modern personality keywords may be part of contemporary practice or popular interpretation, but they should not be projected backwards as if they were all documented ancient meanings.

Are Maya day signs still used today?

Yes. Daykeepers in highland Guatemala continue to maintain forms of the 260-day count, using living Maya-language names such as Kej, Tz'i' and Tijax.