Mesoamerican Long Count calendar

E160464

The Mesoamerican Long Count calendar is an ancient Mesoamerican timekeeping system that tracks days in a linear count from a mythological starting point, most famously used by the Maya and other regional civilizations.

All labels observed (3)

How this entity was disambiguated

Statements (51)

Predicate Object
instanceOf Maya calendar
Mesoamerican calendar
calendar system
associatedWith Haabʼ calendar
linked to: Haabʼ

Maya calendar round
linked to: Calendar Round

Tzolkʼin calendar
base 20
continuity extends beyond 13 bʼakʼtun in Maya inscriptions
correlationConstant GMT 584283
culturalSignificance used to anchor mythological and historical events
earliestKnownUse Late Preclassic period
earliestLongCountDateApproxGregorian 32 BCE (GMT correlation)
earliestLongCountDateOnMonument 7.16.6.16.18
earliestMonumentWithLongCount Stela C at Tres Zapotes
linked to: Tres Zapotes
function dating monuments and inscriptions
recording historical dates
tracking elapsed time from creation date
hasMythologicalStartDate 13.0.0.0.0 4 Ajaw 8 Kumkʼu
hasUnit bʼakʼtun
kʼatun
kʼin
tun
winal
misinterpretation incorrectly associated with doomsday predictions in 2012
modifiedBase 18 in second position (tun) for 360-day year
mythologicalStartDateInGregorian 3114-08-11 BCE (proleptic Gregorian, GMT correlation)
mythologicalStartDateInJulian 3114-08-13 BCE (Julian, GMT correlation)
notation vigesimal positional
popularCultureEvent 2012-12-21 CE interpreted as end of 13th bʼakʼtun
primaryRegion Chiapas
Mesoamerica
Veracruz
highland Guatemala
southern Maya lowlands
linked to: Maya lowlands
smallestUnit kʼin
smallestUnitLength 1 day
timeScale days
linear day count
typicalNotationFormat bʼakʼtun.kʼatun.tun.winal.kʼin
unitLength 1 bʼakʼtun = 20 kʼatun = 144,000 days
1 kʼatun = 20 tun = 7,200 days
1 tun = 18 winal = 360 days
1 winal = 20 kʼin = 20 days
usedBy Aztec civilization
linked to: Aztec culture

Classic Maya
linked to: Maya city‑states

Izapa culture
linked to: Epi-Olmec culture

Maya civilization
Mixtec civilization
Olmec civilization
Zapotec civilization
writingSystem Maya hieroglyphs

How these facts were elicited

Referenced by (7)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Toltec civilization usedCalendar Mesoamerican Long Count calendar
Calendar Round associatedWith Mesoamerican Long Count
linked to: Mesoamerican Long Count calendar
Goodman–Martínez–Thompson correlation appliesTo Maya Long Count calendar
linked to: Mesoamerican Long Count calendar
Spinden correlation appliesTo Maya Long Count calendar
linked to: Mesoamerican Long Count calendar
Spinden correlation relates Maya Long Count calendar
linked to: Mesoamerican Long Count calendar
Lounsbury correlation appliesTo Maya Long Count calendar
linked to: Mesoamerican Long Count calendar
Kaan usedCalendar Maya Long Count calendar
linked to: Mesoamerican Long Count calendar