Did you know that Maya astronomers were able to predict eclipses, centuries before this was common? The Maya’s scientific knowledge and its advancements are second to none in the ancient world. The Mayans were both expert astronomers and timekeepers, as well as incredible mathematicians. However, what this civilization is best known for, and perhaps what is its biggest achievement, is its sophisticated calendar system.
This is what allowed the civilization to predict eclipses, track planetary movements, plan agricultural cycles in advance, and perhaps most notably, measure the passage of time.
The Mayan Calendar
Make no mistake, the Mayan calendar is one of the most impressive achievements of ancient civilization. This intricate system was composed of two interlocking cycles, which provided the Maya with a highly accurate and sophisticated method of timekeeping.
The first cycle that composed the calendar was the solar year of 365 days, which was pretty close to the actual orbit of the heart around the sun. However, unlike our contemporary calendars, Mayans used to divide the solar year into 18 months of 20 days each, with an additional five years at the end of the solar year.
The second cycle in the Mayan calendar was known as “the sacred year”. It was a year of 260 days known as the “Tzolkin”. This year was divided into 20 weeks of 13 days each, with each day being associated with a specific deity and a sacred number.
Why was the Mayan calendar so impressive?
These two cycles would then intertwine to create a larger cycle of 52 years, known by historians as a calendar round. This cycle was used to track how time passed and was the calendar system used by the Mayans to predict important events like eclipses
But what made the Mayan calendar so impressive? Well, there are several factors that add to the impressiveness of the Mayan calendar, but perhaps the most important one is its accuracy. The Mayan calendar was remarkably accurate and had an error rate of only a few seconds per year. No other ancient civilization had a calendar this accurate.
This level of precision was largely achieved thanks to the complexity of the system, which involved a deep understanding of astronomical phenomena and mathematics.
The Mayans had an impressive understanding of astronomy
Beyond their calendar system, the Maya demonstrated incredible knowledge of celestial bodies and especially their movements. They focused their astronomical observations on the Sun, Moon, planets, and stars by consistently tracking their positions and predicting their movements.
This was used for three main purposes within Mayan culture. The first one was predicting eclipses. The Mayans could accurately predict when both a solar or a lunar eclipse would happen and often interpreted them as omens or divine messages.
The second purpose was tracking planetary movement. The Mayans were particularly interested in Venus because, in this culture, it was closely related to war and fertility. These movements were especially significant in the context of Mayan architecture, given that many pyramids and temples were aligned with astronomical phenomena such as solstices and equinoxes.