Mayan Calendar Research Paper

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Most people around the world follow some form of a calendar each day. Students use it to keep track of school to work, mothers confirm their children lessons, and business men and woman ensure the dates of important meetings. For the people of ancient Maya, their calendars were as important as it is to people today. The Mayans come from the Mesoamerica region, which is between Mexico and South America. The Mayans lived in what is known today as Guatemala, Beliza, Honsuras, El Salvador and Southern Mexico. The Maya calendar in its final form dates from about the first century BC. The Mayans broke history into three periods: Pre-Classic-2000 B.C until A.D 300; Classic-300 until 900; Post-Classic 900 until 1400. They were the first people to keep any kind of historical record, and this is how the calendar was created. The Mayans used stone monuments, known as stelae, to engrave civil events, astronomy and calendars. Although they weren’t the first people to use a calendar, they were first to have several different calendars; the Tzolk’in, the Haab and the Long Count. They used the combination of two calendars to record an event. Their Long Count Calendar ends in 2012, which was believed to be the ‘end of…show more content…
Like the Tzolk’in calendar, it was made or uinals, which were periods of 20 days, and each day has its own hieroglyph and number. Although instead of using 13 uinals for 260 days, the Haab calendar has 18 uinals(months), making 360 days. The Mayan astronomers realised 360 days wasn’t enough time for a solar cycle. They then agreens to 18 uinals, with five nameless days called wayeb. The wayeb is considered one month of five days. Even though the Haab calendar was longer than the Tzolk’in calendar, the Mayans wanted to create a calendar that would record more time. It is for this reason, the Tzolk’in and Haab calendars were combined to create the Calendar
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