It bears a striking resemblance to the Cuauhxicalli Eagle Bowl discovered in 1760 buried under the main square in what is today Mexico City. Carved from solid rock during the reign of the 6th Aztec monarch the stone weighs over 25 tons and is three feet thick.
The stone was dedicated to the deity which appears represented at it's center, the Aztec sun god Tonatiuh. Around him are four square panels representing his four previous incarnations as well as the four ages of the world. Around these are scribed signs representing the 20-day Aztec month.
The Aztec calendar was, in fact, a combination of a 365 day "calendar" cycle and a 260 day "ritual" cycle. Once every 52 years these cycles coincide thus forming the Aztec "century", otherwise known as the "Calendar Round".
The calender cycle of 365 days, known alternately as the Vague Year or Civil Year, consisted of 18 months of 20 days. These 20 months made up the 360 day period known to the Aztecs as the "xihuitl". The remaining 5-6 days were called the "nemontemi" and were considered either unlucky or extremely lucky depending on which source you believe. Though I find the evidence more compelling for the consideration by the Aztecs of these days as "unlucky". Each month had a distinct name and were numbered 0 - 19 (as opposed to 1 - 20). The final days of the nemontemi period were simply numbered 0 - 4 (again as opposed to 1 - 5)
The ritual cycle of 260 days, also known as the Sacred Round or Sacred Almanac, was used exclusively by the priests and known as the "Tonalpohualli" by the Aztecs. Days were named in this system by combining one of twenty pictoral signs with the numbers 1 - 13. Furthermore, these days were each associated with one of the four cardinal directions. This partially explains the compass-like shape of the calendar.
The methods of breaking down and systemizing the ritual calendar and endlessly complex, as the Aztecs shared not only a similar calendar with the Incas, but also a seemingly insatiable fascination with the mathematics of the heavens. On a whim I found an online Aztec calender converter and entered in the dates for Samor's disappearance. These were the results:
The Aztec calendar was, in fact, a combination of a 365 day "calendar" cycle and a 260 day "ritual" cycle. Once every 52 years these cycles coincide thus forming the Aztec "century", otherwise known as the "Calendar Round".
The calender cycle of 365 days, known alternately as the Vague Year or Civil Year, consisted of 18 months of 20 days. These 20 months made up the 360 day period known to the Aztecs as the "xihuitl". The remaining 5-6 days were called the "nemontemi" and were considered either unlucky or extremely lucky depending on which source you believe. Though I find the evidence more compelling for the consideration by the Aztecs of these days as "unlucky". Each month had a distinct name and were numbered 0 - 19 (as opposed to 1 - 20). The final days of the nemontemi period were simply numbered 0 - 4 (again as opposed to 1 - 5)
The ritual cycle of 260 days, also known as the Sacred Round or Sacred Almanac, was used exclusively by the priests and known as the "Tonalpohualli" by the Aztecs. Days were named in this system by combining one of twenty pictoral signs with the numbers 1 - 13. Furthermore, these days were each associated with one of the four cardinal directions. This partially explains the compass-like shape of the calendar.
The methods of breaking down and systemizing the ritual calendar and endlessly complex, as the Aztecs shared not only a similar calendar with the Incas, but also a seemingly insatiable fascination with the mathematics of the heavens. On a whim I found an online Aztec calender converter and entered in the dates for Samor's disappearance. These were the results:
Year – Acatl (Reed), as a year-bearer, Acatl is associated with the East
13 Day Period – Cipactli (Crocodile), ruled by Tonacatecuhtli, Lord of Nurturance, the primordial god of creation and fertility. Cipactli is god of the land, the great earth monster, floating on the sea of stars. This is the first trecena of the sacred year. The 13 days of this trecena are governed by the primordial urge to create order out of chaos. The three means by which the Old Ones established order are still our most important treasures: speech, agriculture, and the family. The lineage of thought runs from seed to fruit to seed: these are good days to participate in the community; bad days for solitude.
Day - Mazatl, The protector of day Mazatl (Deer) is Tlaloc, He Who Makes Seeds Sprout, god of rain and thunderstorms. Mazatl is the day of the hunt. It is a good day to stalk your quarry, a bad day to be stalked. Mazatl is a day for breaking old routines and to pay close attention to the routines of others. This is a day for doubling-back on your tracks.
Is this simply more coincidence or did Samor choose this date for a reason? Though I am unsure if this whim of mine is of any significance several phrases within the conversion stand out to me, especially the line ". . .these are good days to participate in the community; bad days for solitude." These are nearly the same words used by the anonymous email which first warned me that Samor was in trouble.
"These are bad days for solitude", it read, "it is imperative that you find your friend."
No comments:
Post a Comment