Tzolk'in day signs

Twenty named days in a cycle.

Also known as: Tzolkin day glyphs, Sacred round day signs, 260-day calendar signs

Astrology & astronomyCulturalReligiousStandard profile

Meanings

The Maya set of twenty day signs which, combined with thirteen numbers, form the 260-day ritual calendar.

Culturally establishedVerified fact
Still counted in some Guatemalan Maya communities, making it among the longest continuously observed calendars anywhere.
Contexts: History, Religion
Historically documentedVerified fact
Name the twenty days which, cycled against thirteen numbers, generate the 260-day ritual calendar.
Contexts: History, Religion
Historically documentedVerified fact
Twenty signs against thirteen numbers produce 260 distinct combinations before repeating, so the cycle's length is a consequence of the notation rather than an astronomical period.
Contexts: History, Religion

Visual description

Twenty distinct glyphs, each a head or object form set in a rounded cartouche, paired with a numeral from one to thirteen.

Symmetry: none
Orientation: upright

Confidence

IdentityModerate confidence: Moderate confidence because the identity is documented in encyclopedic references, but only a single source has been found so far.
Historical originLow confidence: Low confidence because the historical origin is documented in encyclopedic references, but only a single source has been found so far, but the regional or cultural match to this specific claim is not precise.
Current useModerate confidence: Moderate confidence because the current use is documented in encyclopedic references, but only a single source has been found so far.
Visual matchModerate confidence: Moderate confidence because the visual match is documented in encyclopedic references, but only a single source has been found so far.

Sources

Mesoamerican calendrical and numerical notation
University of Texas Press and comparable scholarly editions · retrieved 2026-08-27
Scholarly treatment of Maya and related notation. Cited for the identity and reading of a sign; decipherment is an active field and a reading that is contested is recorded as contested.

Last reviewed 2026-08-27

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Meanings

The Maya set of twenty day signs which, combined with thirteen numbers, form the 260-day ritual calendar.

Culturally establishedVerified fact

Still counted in some Guatemalan Maya communities, making it among the longest continuously observed calendars anywhere.

Contexts: History, Religion

Historically documentedVerified fact

Name the twenty days which, cycled against thirteen numbers, generate the 260-day ritual calendar.

Contexts: History, Religion

Historically documentedVerified fact

Twenty signs against thirteen numbers produce 260 distinct combinations before repeating, so the cycle's length is a consequence of the notation rather than an astronomical period.

Contexts: History, Religion

Confidence

IdentityModerate confidence: Moderate confidence because the identity is documented in encyclopedic references, but only a single source has been found so far.
Historical originLow confidence: Low confidence because the historical origin is documented in encyclopedic references, but only a single source has been found so far, but the regional or cultural match to this specific claim is not precise.
Current useModerate confidence: Moderate confidence because the current use is documented in encyclopedic references, but only a single source has been found so far.
Visual matchModerate confidence: Moderate confidence because the visual match is documented in encyclopedic references, but only a single source has been found so far.

Sources

Mesoamerican calendrical and numerical notation
University of Texas Press and comparable scholarly editions · retrieved 2026-08-27
Scholarly treatment of Maya and related notation. Cited for the identity and reading of a sign; decipherment is an active field and a reading that is contested is recorded as contested.

Last reviewed 2026-08-27