The Mayan Long Count Calendar

Thomas Chanier (1)

1 L2MP - Laboratoire matériaux et microélectronique de Provence

The Maya were known for their astronomical proficiency. Whereas Mayan mathematics were based on a vigesimal system, they used a different base when dealing with long periods of time, the Long Count Calendar (LCC), composed of different Long Count Periods: the Tun of 360 days, the Katun of 7200 days and the Baktun of 144000 days. There were three other calendars used in addition to the LCC: a civil year Haab' of 365 days, a religious year Tzolk'in of 260 days and a 3276-day cycle (combination of the 819-day Kawil cycle and 4 colors-directions). Based on astronomical arguments, we propose here an explanation of the origin of the LCC, the Tzolk'in and the 3276-day cycle. The study provides new evidences on the astronomical knowledge of the Maya.

Mots clés: Maya calendar long count

Domaines: Histoire et perspectives sur les mathématiques [math.HO]

Thomas Chanier. The Mayan Long Count Calendar. 2014. ⟨hal-00750006v8⟩