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Tales From Aztlantis

Episode 56: Four Things to Know About the Mexika Calendar!

Apr 23, 2024
Learn about the Mexika calendar and its ties to naked-eye astronomy, decipher the complexities of Mesoamerican timekeeping, explore the traditions and celebrations of the Aztec calendar, all with a touch of humor and shameless promotion of a new calendar publication!
51:22

Podcast summary created with Snipd AI

Quick takeaways

  • The Mexika calendar system divides the year into two seasons based on observing the sun's movement, marking equinoxes and solstices.
  • Days in the Mexica calendar always start at sunrise to align with the sun's daily movement, simplifying timekeeping.

Deep dives

Using Naked Eye Horizon-Based Astronomy to Track the Sun's Movement

The Mexica calendar system is based on observing the sun's movement in relation to the horizon using the naked eye. By tracking the daily sunrise from a fixed point like a mountain peak, they divided the year into two seasons, Chopin and Tonalco. This method allowed them to mark the spring and fall equinoxes and the winter and summer solstices, guiding the division of the year into distinct halves.

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