Mayan Calendar Calculator
Convert any date from our modern Gregorian calendar to the three interconnected Mayan calendars: the Tzolk'in (divine calendar), the Haab' (civil calendar), and the Long Count.
Date Converter
Unlocking the Mysteries of Mayan Timekeeping
The ancient Maya were not merely timekeepers; they were chronologists of the cosmos. While Western civilization typically relies on a single linear calendar (the Gregorian), the Maya developed a sophisticated, interlocking system of cyclical time that allowed them to track planetary movements, agricultural seasons, and spiritual events with astonishing precision. This calculator allows you to step back into that world, translating modern dates into the ancient glyphs of the Maya.
The Gearworks of Time: Understanding the Three Calendars
To understand the result generated above, you must understand the three distinct gears that drive the Mayan machine. They do not operate in isolation but turn together to create a unique date stamp.
1. The Tzolk'in (The Divine Count)
The Tzolk'in is a 260-day calendar, widely considered the oldest of the Mayan systems. It is not based on the sun, but rather is believed to relate to the human gestation period (approximately 9 months) or the cycle of Venus. It combines:
- 20 Day Names: Representing natural forces like "Imix'" (Water Lily/Crocodile) or "Ajaw" (Lord/Sun).
- 13 Numbers: A cycle of numbers from 1 to 13.
These two cycles mesh together like gears. If today is 1 Imix', tomorrow is 2 Ik'. After 13 days, the numbers reset, but the day names continue. It takes 260 days (20 × 13) for the cycle to return to 1 Imix'. This calendar was used to determine the best days for planting, marriage, and religious rituals.
2. The Haab' (The Civil Calendar)
The Haab' is a 365-day solar calendar, strikingly similar to our own. It was used for civil administration and farming. It consists of:
- 18 Months (Winals): Each containing 20 days.
- The Wayeb': A short, 5-day month at the end of the year.
The Wayeb' (days unnamed) was considered a dangerous time when the veil between the mortal world and the underworld was thin. People would fast and avoid unnecessary work during these five days to avoid attracting bad luck.
3. The Long Count (The Linear History)
While the Tzolk'in and Haab' are cyclical (repeating every 52 years, a period known as the Calendar Round), the Maya needed a way to record history over thousands of years. Enter the Long Count. This is a linear count of days beginning from the Mayan creation date (August 11, 3114 BCE). It uses a base-20 (vigesimal) system:
- K'in: 1 day.
- Winal: 20 k'ins (20 days).
- Tun: 18 winals (360 days - roughly a year).
- K'atun: 20 tuns (7,200 days - roughly 20 years).
- B'ak'tun: 20 k'atuns (144,000 days - roughly 394 years).
The Mathematics Behind the Conversion
Converting a Gregorian date to Mayan requires calculating the "Julian Day Number" (JDN)—a continuous count of days used by astronomers. The Mayan creation date corresponds to JDN 584,283. By finding the difference between today's JDN and the creation JDN, we get the total number of days elapsed. We then use modular arithmetic to break this total down into the B'ak'tuns, K'atuns, and Tuns displayed in the calculator.
The "2012 Phenomenon" Explained
On December 21, 2012, the Long Count calendar displayed `13.0.0.0.0`. Many misinterpreted this as the end of the world. In reality, for the Maya, this was simply the completion of a massive cycle (a Great Cycle of 13 B'ak'tuns) and the beginning of a new one. It was a cause for celebration and renewal, similar to how we celebrate the turn of a millennium, rather than a prediction of the apocalypse.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Yes! In the highlands of Guatemala and parts of Mexico, traditional Maya Daykeepers still use the 260-day Tzolk'in calendar to guide their communities, perform divinations, and schedule traditional ceremonies. It is a living tradition that survived the Spanish conquest.
Because the Maya and Gregorian calendars were never used side-by-side historically, scholars had to work backward to align them. The most widely accepted correlation is the GMT (Goodman-Martinez-Thompson) correlation, which sets the creation date to August 11, 3114 BCE. This calculator uses the GMT correlation.
A Calendar Round is the cycle formed by the interaction of the Tzolk'in and Haab' calendars. A specific date, like "4 Ahau 8 Kumk'u," will only repeat once every 18,980 days, or approximately 52 solar years. For the ancient Maya, reaching the age of 52 was a significant milestone of elder wisdom.
The Maya did not use leap years in the way we do (adding a day every 4 years). Instead, they were aware that the 365-day Haab' drifted slightly from the actual solar year (365.2422 days). They tracked this drift over centuries with incredible accuracy, correcting their calculations for long-term astronomical events without altering the day-to-day calendar count.