I know this topic is very, very outdated, specially since the world did not end; but I am sick and tired of the confusion around the Mayan and Aztec calendars.
For some reason that escapes my understanding, the Aztec calendar is more often than not presented as the Mayan calendar. Well, I am very sorry, but it is not, and both calendars are VERY DIFFERENT.
Also, they were created, designed and promoted by entirely different peoples in equally different geographical regions.
So, I decided to add my two cents of value to this particular topic and shed some light to this issue. The Aztec calendar looks like this:
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The meticulous observer, will immediately note the very revealing character in the center some say is sticking his tongue out. This is one of the most easily recognized features of this piece.On the other hand, the completely different Mayan calendar looks like this: |
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I don’t know where the confusion comes from, but they are two completely different sets of time keeping tools.
So, next time the end of the world comes around, and they refer to the Mayan or Aztec calendar to determine when the next dooms day is going to happen, you will one very well informed end-of-the-worlder.
-Stein