HEAVEN BORN MERIDA AND ITS DESTINY - Histomesoamericana

IO INTRODUCTION
the Chumayel; the latest one known is the one cited above, 11.17.0.0.0,
corresponding to 1559, the beginning of katun 9 Ahau. There is clear evidence
that the Maya were still counting them at 12.0.0.0.0 (1618).
The Hab. The use of the tun, katun, and baktun was unique to the
Yucatecan Maya, but they shared with the other cultures of nuclear Middle
America the 260-day tzol kin and the 365-day hab or "vague year."
They reached this cycle by counting 18 uinals of 20 days each and adding
another uinal of 5 days. The uinals of the hab are different from those of
the tun because of these extra 5 days, so they were distinguished by being
given names, and their days were numbered serially from 0 to 19 (or, in
the last uinal, from 0 to 4; see appendix C).
Also because of the extra 5 days, the tzol kin count operated differently
within the hab from the way it worked in the tun. The first day of the
year advanced by 5 day names each year, and, since 5 goes into 20 4 times,
only 4 of the 20 sacred days (every fifth one) could begin the year. These
were the yearbearers [ah cuch hab) or the four changers [can hel). The
yearbearer that began the first uinal of a given year also began all the
others.
Different calendars used different yearbearers. The Olmecs, for example,
used their equivalents of Type I (Imix, Cimi, Chuen, Cib). The Quiche,
Cakchiquel, Ixil, and Classic Maya used Type II (Ik, Manik, Eb, Caban).
The Aztecs, Tzotzil, and Tzeltal used Type III (Akbal, Lamat, Ben,
Etz'nab). The colonial Maya used Type IV (Kan, Muluc, Ix, Cauac). The
Type V set (Chicchan, Oc, Men, Ahau) is the focus of the Yucatecan
Burner cycle of fire ceremonies, which is completed once in each quarter
tzol kin (65 days). Each of the yearbearer sets is ranked; Kan, for example,
is the senior yearbearer in the colonial Mayan system (see appendix C).
Since 13 goes into 365 28 times with a remainder of 1, the numeral coefficient
of the first day of the year advanced by 1 each year, thus producing
a cycle of 13 years, each such cycle being associated with a direction.
The cycle beginning with 1 Kan was east, 1 Muluc was north, 1 Ix west,
and 1 Cauac south. The same day appeared with the same coefficient only
after all four cycles had been completed, producing the kin tun y abil or
calendar round of 52 years. In the colonial calendar, the calendar round
began on 1 Kan in 1581, for example.
The yearbearer for each year was also associated with a direction, the
yearbearer for the current year always being seated in the east. At the beginning
of the 5 dreaded days of the final uinal, Uayeb 'specter steps', the
year's end ceremonies were initiated. These 5 were called nameless days
[x ma kaba kin), although they were numbered and named normally both
in the tzol kin count and in the hab count. The yearbearers were then rotated
counterclockwise and the new year ceremonies were held, the yearbearer
for the new year taking his seat in the east.
The general relationship among these various cycles was well understood
by the Maya. They realized that 73 tzol kins equaled 52 habs (52 x
365 = 73 x 260). They knew that 72 habs equaled 73 tuns (72 x 365 =
73 x 360). And they calculated that 9 x 65 = 13 x 45 = 585, just a day
more than the Venus year of 584 days! They concluded that they were
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