FIRST PART.
INTERPRETATION OF THE MEXICA CALENDAR.
A variant diagnosis of the Mesoamerican Calendar and the Precession Phenomenon.


by Marcos Adrián Villaseñor. © 2005.

The following text is a work in progress. If you wish to contact me please send an email to villas@nyphotostudio.com


CHAPTER I.
When the Eagle saw the Mexica, it bowed its head.
–Fernando Alvarado Ixtlixochitl.

THE PEOPLE OF THE SUN

Eight Aztlanteca tribes, misnamed “Azteca”1 by the sons of Castille, went forth from Aztlan in the year 1168. One tribe, the Mexica (MehShEEKa) guided by their deity or regent2 Huitzilopochtli (Hummingbird of the Left3), separated from the rest. In the year 1377, after their pilgrimage of 208 years or two Mexica centuries of 104 years each, they settled in the Valley of Mexico or Anahuac4 and founded their city, Mexico-Tenochtitlan. Under the rule of the Tepaneca, the most powerful group living Anahuac, the Mexica conquered various populations in and around the Valley of Mexico. In the year 1428, after forming a military aliance with the neighboring cities of Tezcoco and Tlacopan, the Mexica rebelled against the Tepaneca and conquered the city of Azcapotzalco, the capital of the Tepaneca nation. After vanquishing the Tepaneca, the Mexica conquered Coyoacan, Tacubaya, Cuajimalpa, Acolhuacan, Chalco, Tlatelolco and many more cities. During the following 93 years, the Mexica directed the expansion of the their nation, Cem Anahuac5 . In the process of absorbing other people into their dominion, the Mexica adopted other regents, some of them over a thousand years old, such as Tlaloc, the ancient rain regent of the agricultural people that lived in the Mexican southeast and the Golf of Mexico. The Mexica led numerous excavations of the ancient Toltec city of Teotihuacan (City of the Gods), and dedicated themselves to recreating different aspects of Toltec culture, and specially its calendar.
Nearing what would become the end of the Mexica empire, there was a shift in the official discourse toward a gentler and more peaceful rulership. Had the Spaniards not arrived6, the city of Mexico-Tenochtitlan could have become the capital of a great civilization illuminated by knowledge, the arts, poetry, a just government and science. Witness to this are not only the paintings, sculptures, pyramids, and codices that survived the effort of the Spanish Crown to rob the Mesoamerican people of their treasures and destroy their nations and cultures, but the written accounts of the astonished invaders, who had never seen or could possibly have imagined a city as impressive as Mexico-Tenochtitlan. It was the most populous city in the world, with over 200,000 inhabitants. The city possessed a magnificent aqueduct, with two canals to facilitate its cleaning, that brought potable water from Chapultepec (Grasshopper Hill) . Its chinampas (man made islands) built on lake Texcoco made the city agriculturally self-suficient. The city’s market in Tlatelolco was the bussiest in the world, and was very well organized with its own police force and tribunal to keep order and solve disputes among merchants. The Mexica had a government in which dishonesty and corruption were practically non existent; any violator of the public trust was severely punished, particularly if they were members of the royal family. Religious and civil authorities were separate and the Huey Tlatoani (Great Speaker) who governed the Mexica empire, was advised by the Huehuetque (Council of Elders), whose members had demonstrated courage in battle and wisdom in life. The Huhuetque functioned as an electoral college, they elected the next Huey Tlatoani when the previous one perished. In 1492 at the arrival of the Spaniards, The Mexica, People of the Sun, were in the process of developing a culture to rival any of its time.
After the Spaniards defeated the Mexica and destroyed the city of Mexico-Tenochtitlan in 1521, the religious authorities of New Spain, under the auspices of the Spanish Catholic Church, rescued some indigenous documents and created others through interviews with some Mexicas who survived the war. Although these scarce documents are full of contradictions, they offer a much greater treasure than any the invaders could have ever conceived: The knowledge of the unfolding of the universe.


CHAPTER II.
Who arranges how the year falls,
How the Count of Destiny follows its path and the days and each one of the months
this is what they do, they can speak of the gods.

–Coloquios.

THE TONALPOHUALLI OR COUNT OF DESTINY

The Tonalpohualli or Count of Destiny7 was created by the Olmecs8, and was adopted by most civilizations that followed. It was reverently used as a mantic or divination system. It is the key to the mechanism of the Mesoamerican calendar 9, of which, there were over twenty versions kept by different indigenous nations at the arrival of the Spaniards. The Mexica priests devoted to its reading and maintenance were called Tonalpouhques and belonged to the goddess Tlazolteotl, a Mexica regent of the planet venus, and an avocation of Tezcatlipoca10. (Smoking Mirror). The Count of Destiny is based on a series of 20 named days. The Mexica version of these 20 days is called the Fixed Round of Days (fig. 1).
.
FIXED ROUND OF DAYS  
1 Cipactli (Crocodile) East  
2 Ehecaltl (Wind) North  
3 Calli (House) West  
4 Cuetzpallin (Lizard) South  
5 Coatl (Serpent) East  
6 Miquistli (Death) North  
7 Mazatl (Deer) West  
8 Tochtli (Rabbit) South  
9 Atl (Water) East  
10 Itzcuintle (Dog) North  
11 Ozomahtli (Monkey) West  
12 Malinalli (Grass) South  
13 Acatl (Reed) East  
14 Ocelotl (Ocelot) North  
15 Cuauhtli (Eagle) West  
16 Cozcacuautli (Buzzard) South  
17 Ollin (Movement) East  
18 Tecpatl (Flint) North  
19 Quiahuitl (Rain) West  
20 Xochitl (Flower) South  
fig. 1
Thirteen sets of the Fixed Round of Days constitute one Count of Destiny . The 260 days in one Count of Destiny are numbered 1 through 13 consecutevly, until they form 20 trecenas (periods of 13 days) that, without repeating the same combination of name and number add up to a total of 260 days (fig. 2) .

  1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13
1 cipactli ehecatl calli cuetzpallin coatl miquiztli mazatl tochtli atl itzcuintli ozomahtli malinalli acatl
2 ocelotl cuauhtli cozcacuauhtli ollin tecpatl quiahuitl xochitl cipactli ehecatl calli cuetzpallin coatl miquiztli
3 mazatl tochtli atl itzcuintli ozomahtli malinalli acatl ocelotl cuauhtli cozcacuauhtli ollin tecpatl quiahuitl
4 xochitl cipactli ehecatl calli cuetzpallin coatl miquiztli mazatl tochtli atl itzcuintli ozomahtli malinalli
5 acatl ocelotl cuauhtli cozcacuauhtli ollin tecpatl quiahuitl xochitl cipactli ehecatl calli cuetzpallin coatl
6 miquiztli mazatl tochtli atl itzcuintli ozomahtli malinalli acatl ocelotl cuauhtli cozcacuauhtli ollin tecpatl
7 quiahuitl xochitl cipactli ehecatl calli cuetzpallin coatl miquiztli mazatl tochtli atl itzcuintli ozomahtli
8 malinalli acatl ocelotl cuauhtli cozcacuauhtli ollin tecpatl quiahuitl xochitl cipactli ehecatl calli cuetzpallin
9 coatl miquiztli mazatl tochtli atl itzcuintli ozomahtli malinalli acatl ocelotl cuauhtli cozcacuauhtli ollin
10 tecpatl quiahuitl xochitl cipactli ehecatl calli cuetzpallin coatl miquiztli mazatl tochtli atl itzcuintli
11 ozomahtli malinalli acatl ocelotl cuauhtli cozcacuauhtli ollin tecpatl quiahuitl xochitl cipactli ehecatl calli
12 cuetzpallin coatl miquiztli mazatl tochtli atl itzcuintli ozomahtli malinalli acatl ocelotl cuauhtli cozcacuauhtli
13 ollin tecpatl quiahuitl xochitl cipactli ehecatl calli cuetzpallin coatl miquiztli mazatl tochtli atl
15 itzcuintli ozomahtli malinalli acatl ocelotl cuauhtli cozcacuauhtli ollin tecpatl quiahuitl xochitl cipactli ehecatl
15 calli cuetzpallin coatl miquiztli mazatl tochtli atl itzcuintli ozomahtli malinalli acatl ocelotl cuauhtli
16 cozcacuauhtli ollin tecpatl quiahuitl xochitl cipactli ehecatl calli cuetzpallin coatl miquiztli mazatl tochtli
17 atl itzcuintli ozomahtli malinalli acatl ocelotl cuauhtli cozcacuauhtli ollin tecpatl quiahuitl xochitl cipactli
18 ehecatl calli cuetzpallin coatl miquiztli mazatl tochtli atl itzcuintli ozomahtli malinalli acatl ocelotl
19 cuauhtli cozcacuauhtli ollin tecpatl quiahuitl xochitl cipactli ehecatl calli cuetzpallin coatl miquiztli mazatl
20 tochtli atl itzcuintli ozomahtli malinalli acatl ocelotl cuauhtli cozcacuauhtli ollin tecpatl quiahuitl xochitl

fig.2
Using the Count of Destiny chart we can see that the first day of the first trecena is the first day in the Fixed Round of Days, 1- Crocodile, and the last day of the first trecena, 13 Reed, is the thirteenth day of the Fixed Round of Days. The first day of the second trecena, 1-Ocelot, is the fourteenth day of the Fixed Round of Days and the last day of the second trecena, 13-Death, is the sixth day of the Fixed Round of Days. The 13 days of the first trecena and the first 7 of the second trecena completes the 20 days of the Fixed Round of Days, since the last 6 days of the second trecena begin another count of the Fixed Round of Days, the last day of the third trecena, 13-Rain, is the nineteenth day of the Fixed Round of Days. The count continues until it forms 20 trecenas that add up to a total of 260 days. Each trecena of the Count of Destiny is ruled by a regent and corresponds to a cardinal direction in the same pattern as the days: east, north, west and south (fig.1). The cardinal direction of the first day of each trecena determines the cardinal direction of the trecena. The Count of Destiny version used by the Mayan calendar is callen the Tzolkin.


CHAPTER III.
And united in loud consonances,
Fire, Earth, Wind and Water,
Birds, Flowers, Beasts, Souls,
with lights, with whistles, with curls, with branches,
with eccoes, with shimmers, with cults, with gifts,
Celebrate, assist, celebrate, applaud
from the brightest sun the best Dawn !

–Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz.


THE MEXICA CALENDAR.

A calendar is a fixed sequence of named and numbered days that defines the passage of time in relation to repeating cycle. For instance solar calendar, adjusts the passage of time to the solar or Tropic year of 365.2422 solar days 11.
The Mexica calendar has presented a tremendous challenge to many. This researcher does not presume to have a definitive answer to the question of how the calendar was used by the Mexica, but only to propose a new approach to its analysis. The historical documents often contradict each other, particularly around the subject of leap days and the use of nemontemis (the set of five days added at the end of the 360 day civil calendar). Two strong proposals, both based on historical sources, have emerged to explain the mechanism of the Mexica calendar; the Model calendar, which is followed by the traditional groups in Mexico, and the Academic Hypothesis, which is used by most scholars. These two different proposals yield different correlations with respect to the Gregorian calendar. This researcher affirms that both proposals are right: The Mexica calendar is really made of three counts. The Model calendar measures time based on the solar or tropic year, the Academic Hypothesis measures time based on a “historic count” of basic periods of 520 years, and the Mexican Venusian calendar that counts synodic cycles of Venus in periods of 104 years. The three counts run parallel to each other and are easily correlated between themselves by the historic count. I will refer to the first as the Mexican Solar count, the second one as the Mexican Historic count and the third as the Mexican Venusian count. But first lets look at the Gregorian Calendar.
The Gregorian calendar is the Christian solar calendar that is used by most western nations today. It evolved from the Julian calendar which was derived from the Roman pagan calendar and the Judeo-Christian seven day week. The Gregorian calendar was created in 1582 and consists of 14 civil calendars: 7 of 365 days, one for each day of the week on which the years begin, (monday, tuesday, wednesday, etc) and 7 of 366 days, one for each day of the week on which the leap years (years with one leap day) begin. Which of these 14 civil calendars is used for any given year depends on the day on which that year starts. The 14 civil calendars of Gregorian calendar have a pattern that repeats itself every 28 years, which is how long it takes for the 7 leap year civil calendars to cycle through, (7x4=28). The leap years occur every 4 years in the years that are divisible by 4, with the exception of the last year of each century; only the final year of the centuries that are divisible by 400 are leap years (i.e. 1600 and 2000 were leap years, while 1700, 1800 and 1900 were not). In this way, the Gregorian calendar accumulates an error of an extra day with respect to the Tropic year every 3,319.8 years and forms a mean year of 365.2425 days.
The Mexican Solar count consists of 13 civil calendars of 360 days, since the civil calendar is numbered by the Count of Destiny each year begins with a different day number. The begining days for the 13 civil calendars are Crocodile 1, 10, 6, 2, 11, 7, 3, 12, 8, 4, 13, 9, and 5 in that order. At the end of each one of these 13 civil calendars, 5 nemontemi, are added. A leap day is added every 4 years in the year House (one of the four names by which the years are known), except in the final year House of a period of 130 years12, I call this exception the “128 rule”, it allows the leap day exception to take place on the 127th and 129th years alternatevly every two periods of 130 years. The 128 rule averages a skipped leap day every 128 years13 . The Mexican Solar Count accumulates an error of one day with respect to the Tropic year every 10,000 years14 and forms a mean year of 365.2423 solar days.
To understand the Mexica Solar count, it is necessary to know some of the terms used by this researcher. The majority of the terms will be familiar to students of the Mexica calendar, but from necesity I had to invent terms to cover concepts and time cycles for which I found no name.
Tonalli or Day: One 360º rotation of the earth around its own axis (24 hours). Each day corresponds to a cardinal direction: east, north, west, and south (fig.1).
Meztli or Veintena (period of 20 days): the Fixed Round of Days (fig.1). This is the fundamental unit of the civil calendar. Each veintena always begins with the day Crocodile, and ends with the day Flower. The days of the veintena can only be paired with the numbers 1 through 13. Its length is closer to a month in the Gregorian calendar, but its structure is closer to a week15 as it does not repeat day names.
Xiupohualli or Count of Fire: The civil calendar of 360 days, it consists of 18 veintenas (fig.3). The Count of Fire begins 10 days before the spring or vernal equinox16 . It has its own Count of Destiny; as a result, the last 5 veintenas (100 days) of every Count of Fire repeat the same name and number of the days in the first 5 veintenas (100 days). The last 100 days distinguish themselves from the first 100 days of the civil calendar by the name of the veintena to which they belong. This process moves the first day of the next Count of Fire 100 days ahead in the Count of Destiny. So in order for the Count of Fire to start again with the day 1-Crocodile, 13 years, or eighteen Counts of Destiny need to pass. (fig. 4.)

  Names of the 18 Months or Veintenas in a Xiupohualli or   Count of Fire. The Civil Calendar of 360 Days
1 Atlacahualo (Whats left by the waters) always starts ten days before equinox 10 Xocotl Huetzi (The Fall of the Fruits)
2 Tlacaxipehualiztli (The Change in People) 11 Ochpaniztli (Sweeping of the Roads)
3 Tozoztontli (The Small Abstinence) 12 Teotleco (Arrival of the Generating Priciples of Nature)
4 Hueytozoztli (The Big Abstinenece) 13 Tepelhuitl (The Feast of the Mountains)
5 Toxcatl (The Dry Things) 14 Quecholi (Flamingo)
6 Etzacualiztli (Eat Etzalli [a special meal made from young beans and corn]) 15 Panquetzaliztli (Raising of the Flags)
7 Tecuilhuitontli (Small Feast of the Lords) 16 Atemoztli (Fall of the Waters)
8 Huey Tecuilhuitontli (Big Feast of the Lords) 17 Tititl (Recollect)
9 Tlaxochimaco (Offering of Flowers) 18 Izcalli (Resurgance)
fig.3
Years Development of the 18 Counts of Destiny in one Tlalpilli Days
1 1(260) + 2 (100) 360
2 2 (160) + 3 (200) 360
3 3 (60) + 4 (260) + 5 (40) 360
4 5 (220) + 6 (140) 360
5 6 (120) + 7 (240) 360
6 7 (20) + 8 (260) + 9 (80) 360
7 9 (180) + 10 (180) 360
8 10 (80) + 11 (260) +12 (20) 360
9 12 (240) + 13 (120) 360
10 13 (140) + 14 (220) 360
11 14 (40) + 15 (260) + 16 (60) 360
12 16 (200) + 17 (160) 360
13 17 (100) + 18 (260) 360
fig. 4
Nemontemi (those who are there): Five days that are added to the end of each Count of Fire. These have their own sub-cycle of 260 days. It takes 52 years to complete the Count of Destiny (5x52=260) made from the nemontemi.
Teoxihuitl (Divine year) or Leap day: One Leap day that is added to the calendar every four years. Leap days are also counted in their own sub-cycle of 260 days. There are 13 leap days in most 52 years cycle17 .
Xihuitl or Year: 365(6) days: 18 veintenas, 5 nemontemis and 1 leap day every 4 years. Each year is assigned one of four names: Reed, Flint, House and Rabbit, and a number from 1 through 13, It takes 52 years to repeat the same name and number of any year. As with each day, each year also corresponds to a cardinal direction: Reed (east), Flint (north), House (west) and Rabbit (south).
Tlalpilli or Count of 13 Years: Each tlatlpilli consists of 13 years and belongs to a direction. Tlalpillis have one of four possible names; Rabbit, Reed, Flint, and House.18

TLALPILLIS

RABBIT

REED

FLINT

HOUSE

 

1 Tochtli (Rabbit)

1 Acatl (Reed)

1 Tecpatl (Flint)

1 Calli (House) Leap

 

2 Acatl (Reed)

2 Tecpatl (Flint)

2 Calli (House) Leap

2 Tochtli (Rabbit)

 

3 Tecpatl (Flint)

3 Calli (House) Leap

3 Tochtli (Rabbit)

3 Acatl (Reed)

 

4 Calli (House) Leap

4 Tochtli (Rabbit)

4 Acatl (Reed)

4 Tecpatl (Flint)

 

5 Tochtli (Rabbit)

5 Acatl (Reed)

5 Tecpatl (Flint)

5 Calli (House) Leap

 

6 Acatl (Reed)

6 Tecpatl (Flint)

6 Calli (House) Leap

6 Tochtli (Rabbit)

 

7 Tecpatl (Flint)

7 Calli (House) Leap

7 Tochtli (Rabbit)

7 Acatl (Reed)

 

8 Calli (House) Leap

8 Tochtli (Rabbit)

8 Acatl (Reed)

8 Tecpatl (Flint)

 

9 Tochtli (Rabbit)

9 Acatl (Reed)

9 Tecpatl (Flint)

9 Calli (House) Leap

 

10 Acatl (Reed)

10 Tecpatl (Flint)

10 Calli (House)

10 Tochtli (Rabbit)

 

11 Tecpatl (Flint)

11 Calli (House) Leap

11 Tochtli (Rabbit)

11 Acatl (Reed)

 

12 Calli (House) Leap

12 Tochtli (Rabbit)

12 Acatl (Reed)

12 Tecpatl (Flint)

 

13 Tochtli (Rabbit)

13 Acatl (Reed)

13 Tecpatl (Flint)

13 Calli (House) Leap

 
         
fig.5

Xiumolpilli
or Bundle of Fire:
A Mexica half century of 52 years. A Bundle of Fire is made of 4 tlalpillis.
Huehuetiliztli or Life Period:
A Mexica century of 104 years: 2 Bundle of Fire periods.
Huey Tonalpohualli o Great Count of Destiny: 260 years: 5 Bundle of Fire periods (52x5).
Cempoal- Xiumolpilli or (20 Bundles of Fire): A Mexica millennium of 1040 years: 4 Great Tonalpohuallis: 10 Life periods.
Tonatiuh or Sun: 5,200 years: 5 Mexica millennia of 1040 years: 100 Bundle of Fire periods. There are 5 Suns, each corresponding to a different directiion: east, north, west, south, and center.
Cem-Tonalpohualli or Grand Tonalpohualli: 26,000 years or five Suns.

In a Bundle of Fire of 52 years, each one of the 13 civil calendars (Counts of Fire) repeat 4 times under the 4 different names by which the years are called (fig.5). In this way, the first year of tlalpilli Rabbitt uses the same civil calendar as the first year of the other three tlalpillis and the same happens for the other 12 civil calendars. This is why the first year of each tlalpilli is the only one that begins with 1-Crocodile since 13 years are required for the day 1-Crocodile to coincide with the first day of the year (fig.4).
At the end of a Bundle of Fire of 52 years, there are 73.05 Counts of Destiny, 72 Counts of Destiny formed by 52 Counts of Fire or civil calendars, plus 1 formed by one sub-cycle of 260 nemontemis, and 1 additional trecena (.05) formed by the 13 teoxihuitls or leap days that also have their own Count of Destiny sub-cycle.
In the Mexica system there are four cardinal directions and one center. The four cardinal directions always occur in the same order: east, north, west, and south, sometimes. In the Mexica Calendar each day represents an uninterrupted transition from one cardinal direction to the next. However, to mark an annual transition from one cardinal point to another, a pause of five days (the nemontemis) is required. Just as each day has a cardinal direction, each cluster of five days from the Fixed Round of Days has its own cardinal direction (insert figure). As a group the first five days of the Fixed Round of the Days belongs to the east, the second group of five days to the north, the third group of five days to the west, and the last five days to the south. The nemontemis added every year belong to the same cardinal direction as the Count of Fire (civil calendar) that has ended. Thus the nemontemi of the years Reed are always the first five days of the Fixed Round of Days, that as a group correspond to the east: Crocodile, Wind, House, Lizard, Serpent. The years Flint have as nemontemis the second group of five days, they correspond to the north: Death, Dear, Rabbit, Water, Dog. The nemontemis for the years House belong to the west: Monkey, Grass, Reed, Ocelot and Eagle, and finally for the years Rabbit the Nemontemis correspond to the south: Buzzard, Movement, Flint, Rain and Flower. In this manner the years succeed each other moving from east, to north, to west to south.
In the time of the Toltec, the Bundle of Fire started with the year 1-Reed, but in the year 1454, under the rulership of the Great Speaker Mohtecuzoma Ihuilcamina (Our Angry Lord Archer of the Sky), the Mexica realized an error in their calculations, made the necessary corrections and established the 128 rule. The Mexica also changed the begining of the Bundle of Fire from the first year of the tlalpilli Reed, year 1-Reed, to the year 1-Rabbit, first year of the tlalpilli Rabbit. Thus altering the correspondence of the order of the tlalpillis with the traditional cardinal directions since the first tlalpilli in a Bundle of Fire is now Rabbit which belongs to the south when the first tlalpilli, which originally had been Reed, belonged to the east.19 In order to keep the Bundle of Fire ceremony on a year Reed, the Mexica also moved the ceremony of New Fire, to the year 2-Reed, second year of the Tlalpilli Rabbit. These measures were temporary: since each leap day belongs to a separate Count of Destiny that is counted in the years House, which went from being third of the series of four years to fourth and last of the series, this forces the Bundle of Fire to end in the days named after the separate leap day Count of Destiny, because the last year of the Tlalpilli House (now the last tlalpilli in a Bundle of Fire) is precisely year House. I can only asume that the arrival of the Spaniards prevented the Mexica from readjusting the begining of the Bundle of Fire to the year 1-Reed. If the Bundle of Fire of 52 years started with the year 1-Reed (east) it would always end in the year 13-Rabitt (south) with the day 13-Flower (south).
We have seen that the Mexican Solar Calendar repeats fundamental cycles of 52 years. Each Bundle of Fire of 52 years consists of, 73 Counts of Destiny and an additional 13 leap days, which by virtue of having their own count allow every Bundle of Fire to start with the year 1-Rabbit and the day 1-Crocodile. In two Bundles of Fire or 104 Tropic years, which is called a Huehuetiliztli (Life Period), the calendar counts 146 Counts of Destiny and acumulates 26 leap days. But at the end of the next Bundle of Fire, due to the 128 rule, it will only count an additional 12 days so that in 156 years (3 Bundles of Fire) it has accumulated 38 leap days. At the end of 208 Tropic years, it has counted 292 Counts of Destiny and accumulated 51 leap days. As we extend this calculation to a Mexica Millennium of 1040 Tropic years, we see that the Mexican Solar calendar has counted 1,460 Counts of Destiny and accumulated 252 leap days. The accumulated error of the Mexican Solar calendar in one Mexica millennium in reference to the Tropic year is .1 days. Five Mexican Mileniums of 1040 Tropic years make one Tonatiuh or Sun of 5,200 Tropic years. (insert table)
In one Sun the Mexican Solar calendar has counted 7304.84 Counts of Destiny, 7,300 counted by the civil calendar and the nemontemis and 4.84 by the leap days, with an accumulated error of .5 days in reference to the Tropic year of 365.2422 days. In one Cem-Tonalpohualli of 26,000 Tropic years, the Mexican Solar calendar has counted 36,500 Counts of Destiny parallel to the Count of Fire or civil year and the sub-cycles of nemontemis , and 24.23 Counts of Destiny made from the leap day sub-cycles. The accumulated error in reference to the Tropic year of 365.2422 is 2.63 solar days20. In these numbers we can see the marvellous accuracy of the Mexican Solar calendar achieved by the Mesoamerican people. In a Cem-Tonalpohualli of 26,000 Tropic years there are exactly 36,524.23 Counts of Destiny.
The Mexican Historic count: The problem of the correlation to the Gregorian calendar has baffled evreryone who has attempted to resolve the issue. Recently the Arqueologist Frank Diaz has proposed a solution that is simple and elegant. The historic count divides the 26,000 year count into 50 cycles of 520 years, it is kept by counting the days of the Tonalpohualli consecutevily without the interruptions of the nemontemis, this allows an accumulation of 13 days forward in the solar count in relation to the historic count every 52 years, this accumulation allows for the years to change year bearers every 52 years. Every Bundle of Fire, the day bearer will advance one trecena; for instance if the day bearer of the cycle are Reed, Flint, House and Rabbit, the next 52 years they will be Death, Monkey, Buzzard, Aligator, the next will be Rain, Lagartija, Water, Ocelot. the fourth cycle of 52 years are; Grass, Movement, Wind, Deer. The fifth cycle are Serpent, Dog, Eagle, Flower. The next cicle, the sixth of ten, the day bearers are the same but the order has rotated 5 days forward in the fixed round of days. Theses are: Flint, House, Rabbit and Reed. In this way the bearers rotate naming the 52 years of a cycle with a different sequence that does not repeat itself and at the end of 520 years the next 4 bearers would be; House, Rabbit, Reed, and Flint. But in order to adjust to the tropic year the historic count it has an a rule of stepping back four days in 520 years, and in fact counting years of 365.24.23
By skipping back 4 days in reference to the Tonalpohualli every 520 years the year bearers also move four steps back . If we start the first 520 year count with the day Cipaktli, the Bearers will be Reed, Flint, House, Rabbit The first day of the 521st year, will be 1 Deer and the year bearer will be Rain, Lizard, Movement and Wind. It takes 10 cycles of 520 years to repeat the same first day of the year and the same order of year bearers. We can see how this cycle of 520 years moves the year bearers
(Insert Table).
The Mexican Venusian count: The Mesoamerican people created an extremely accurate solar calendar, they also managed to create an extremely accurate Venusian calendar.
One Tropic revolution of Venus around the sun takes 224.695 solar days; a Tropic revolution of the earth around the sun takes 365.24219878 solar days; a synodic cycle of Venus21 is 583.92 solar days. In other words 1 synodic cycleof venus is time equivalent to; 2.6 revolutions of Venus, and 1.6 earth revolutions. In 8 years there are 5 synodic cycles and 13 revolutions or revolutions of venus around the sun. The synodic cycles move retrograde (bakcward in the calendar) an average of 2.33 days in five synodic cycles. The synodic cycles of Venus are the bases for the Mexican Venusian calendar. In one Sun of 5,200 Tropic years there are 3,252.6021 synodic cycles of the planet venus and in a Mexica century of 104 Tropic years, there are 65.0522 synodic cycles of Venus. The Mexican Venusian22 calendar has a basic tlalpilli made of 13 groups of 5 synodic cycles ( every 8 Tropic years) called Quinqueces, to total 65 synodic cycles in 103.9168 Tropic years or about 30 days less than 104 Tropic years of 365.2422 days23. The Mesoamerican people multiplied this count by 4 to total 415.66 Tropic years. This period of time is represented in the Sun Stone by the circle of quinqueces. (figure) A Venusian Bundle of Fire is made of 52 quinqueces, or 260 synodic cycles of venus.
Each synodic cycle has a day bearer in the Mexican Venusian calendar, and they are; Crocodile (east), Serpent (north), Water (west), Reed (south) and Movement (center). The five synodic cycle day bearers are days belonging to the east, and were chosen as cycle bearers because they invoke the morning star and anounce the begining of a cycle.
The Mexican Venusian calendar uses the Count of Destiny consecutevly without the interruption of the nemontemi that is used in the Mexican Solar calendar. I started the Mexican Venusian calendar with the day 1-Crocodile in order to make it easier to understand. The Mexican Venusian calendar chart that follows (fig.9) uses the value of 584 days per synodic cycle, and names the dates in an uninterrupted count of 146 Counts of Destiny. Without any further adjustments the Venusian calendar would begin the next 65 synodic count of 103.9 years with the day 1-Crocodile again.
Series of 5 synodic cycles in 13 groups of 8 years each. Days for series
Crocodile
Days for series
Serpent
Days for series
Water
Days for series
Reed
Days for series
Movement
1 1-Crocodile 13-Serpent 12-Water 11-Reed 10-Movement
2 9-Crocodile 8-Serpent 7-Water 6-Reed 5-Movement
3 4-Crocodile 3-Serpent 2-Water 1-Reed 13-Movement
4 12-Crocodile 11Serpent 10-Water 9-Reed 8-Movement
5 7-Crocodile 6-Serpent 5-Water 4-Reed 3-Movement
6 2-Crocodile 1-Serpent 13-Water 12-Reed 11-Movement
7 10-Crocodile 9-Serpent 8-Water 7-Reed 6-Movement
8 5-Crocodile 4-Serpent 3-Water 2-Reed 1-Movement
9 13-Crocodile 12-Serpent 11-Water 10-Reed 9-Movement
10 8-Crocodile 7-Serpent 6-Water 5-Reed 4-Movement
11 3-Crocodile 2-Serpent 1-Water 13-Reed 12-Movement
12 11-Crocodile 10-Serpent 9-Water 8-Reed 7-Movement
13 6-Crocodile 5-Serpent 4-Water 3-Reed 2-Movement
(fig. 9)
The difference in days between 104 Tropic years (37985.1924 days) and 65 synodic cycles of 584 days (584x5x13=37960) is 25.1925 days, plus an additional 5.2 solar day difference between a synodic cycle value of 584 days and a real synodic cycle of 583.92 days adds up to a total of 30.39 days. For now, lets consider the 25.19 days between 104 Tropic years and 65 synodic cycles of 584 days.
Due to the 26 leap days in one Huehuetiliztli or Mexica century of 104 Tropic years, the Mexican Solar calendar has advanced 26 days in relation to the Mexican venusian calendar. The accumulated difference between of the Venusian calendar in reference to the Solar calendar is -.8126 days (25.19-26= -.81) thus both cycles could start again with the same day name 1-Crocodile, though they wouldl be 26 days apart. The next 104 year period will only have 25 leap days due to the leap year 128 rule, so in 208 years the Venusian calendar accumulates an error in relation to the Solar calendar of only -.427 solar days. As we extend this calculation to a Mexica millennium of 1040 years, we can see that the accumulated error of the Venusian calendar in relation to the Solar calendar is -3 hours, and in a Sun of 5,200 year the accumulated error of the Venusian calendar in relation to the Solar calendar is -.56 days. Following this calculation we can see that in 26,000 years, the accumulated difference between the Solar and Venusian calendars of -202.828 solar days is offset by 203 leap days skipped by the solar calendar with an accumulated error of less than a quarter of a day in reference to a 584 day synodic cycle. This would allow both calendars to run parallel to each other as the venusian synodic cycles slip back in relation to the Tropic year. Anyone who is familiar with these numbers could easily calculate where the Mexican Venusian calendar was in relation to the Mexican Solar calendar, or viceversa at any given point in 26,000 years. But there is a further adjustment to the Venusian calendar which is needed to maintain accuracy with the real synodic cycles of Venus of 583.92 days.
The difference in 104 years between an “ideal” synodic cycle of 584 days and a real synodic cycle of 583.92 is -5.2 days. In order to correct for this difference and keep track of the dates in which to observe the begining of a synodic cycle the Mexican Venusian calendar leaps back five days every 65 synodic cycles or 104 years. Using our Venusian tlalpilli chart and our Count of Destiny chart, we can see that the second Venusian tlalpilli would starts on the day 9-Buzzard of the Mexican Solar Calendar instead of 1-Crocodile, and the third Venusian tlalpilli would start on the day 4-Monkey, the fourth Venusian tlalpilli would start on the day 12-Death, this completes one Venusian Bundle Fire of 52 Quinqueces (groups of five synodic cycles), to total 260 Synodic cycles and an backwatd adjustment of 121 days, in reference to the solar year, and an accumulated difference of .8 days in reference to the synodic cycles of 583.92 days. Every 520 years the Venusian Calendar leaps back an additional day to adjust for the -.2 days remaining (.2X5=1). So the Fifth Venusian tlalpilli, which is the first of a second Bundle of Fire of Venusian tlalpillis, starts on the day 7-Crocodile. But the second Venusian tlalpilli of the Second Venusian Bundle of Fire starts on the day 1-Eagle (6 days before 7-Crocodile), and so on.


Table of 6,500 synodic cycles 1-1,300 1,301-2,600 2,601-3,900 3,901-5,200 5,201-6,500
Each square is composed of 4 groups of 65 synodic cycles of Venus of 583.92 days to total 260.
1-Cipaktli (Crocodile)
9-Cozcacuauhtli (Buzzard
4-Ozomahtli (Monkey)
12-Miquiztli (Death)
1-Ollin (Movement)
9-Malinalli (Grass)
4-Mazatl (Deer)
12-Ehecatl (Wind)
1-Acatl (Reed)
9-Tochtli (Rabbit)
4-Calli (House)
12-Tecpatl (Flint)
1-Atl (Water)
9-Cuetzpallin (Lizard)
4-Quiahuitl (Rain)
12-Ocelotl (Ocelot)
1-Coatl (Serpent)
9-Xochitl (Flower)
4-Cuauhtli (Eagle)
12-Itzcuintli (Dog)
Each vertical column is 1,300 synodic cycles of Venus or 2,078.3359 Tropic years. 7-Cipaktli (Crocodile)
1-Cuauhtli (Eagle)
9-Itzcuintli (Dog)
4-Coatl (Serpent)
7-Ollin (Movement)
1-Ozomahtli (Monkey)
9-Miquiztli (Death)
4-Cipaktli (Crocodile)
7-Acatl (Reed)
1-Mazatl (Deer)
9-Ehecatl (Wind)
4-Ollin (Movement)
7-Atl (Water)
1-Calli (House)
9-Tecpatl (Flint)
4-Acatl (Reed)
7-Coatl (Serpent)
1-Quiahuitl (Rain)
9-Ocelotl (Ocelot)
4-Atl
The total number of Tropic years represented in five columns is 10,391.68
12-Xochitl (Flower)
7-Cuahtli (Eagle)
1-Atl (Water)
9-Cuetzpallin
12-Cozcacuauhtli (Buzzard)
7-Ozomahtli (Monkey)
1-Coatll (Serpent)
9-Xochitl (Flower)
12-Malinalli (Grass)
7-Mazatl (Deer)
1-Cipaktli (Crocodile)
9-Cozcacuauhtli (Buzzard)
12-Tochtli (Rabbit)
7-Calli (House)
1-Ollin (Movement)
9-Malinalli (Grass)
12-Cuetzpaliin (Lizard)
7-Quiahuitl (Rain)
1-Acatl (Reed)
9-Tochtli (Rabbit)
In 10,400 years the synodic cycles of Venus have completed 8.33 backward rounds around the solar calendar 4-Quiahuitl (Rain)
12-Ocelotl (Ocelot)
7-Atl (Water)
1-Calli (House)
4-Cuauhtli (eagle)
12-Itzcuintli (Monkey)
7-Coatl (Serpent)
1-Quiahuitl (Rain)
4-Ozomahtli (Monkey)
12-Miquiztli (Death)
7-Cipaktli (Crocodile)
1-Cuauhtli (Eagle)
4-Mazatl (Deer)
12-Ehecatl (Wind)
7-Ollin (Movement)
1-Ozomahtli (Monkey)
4-Calli (House)
12-Tecpatl (Flint)
7-Acatl (Reed)
1-Mazatl (Deer)
  9-Tecpatl (Flint)
4-Acatl (Reed)
12-(Tochtli)
7-Calli (House)
9-Ocelotl (Ocelot)
4-Atl (Water)
12-Cuetzpallin (Lizard)
7-Quiahuitl (Rain)
9-Itzcuintli (Dog)
4-Coatl (Serpent)
12-Xochitl (Flower)
7-Cuauhtli (Eagle)
9-Miquiztli (Death)
4-Cipaktli (Crocodile)
12-Cozcacuauhtli (Buzzard
7-Ozomahtli (Monkey)
9-Ehecatl (Wind)
4-Ollin (Movement)
12-Malinalli (Grass)
7-Mazatl (Deer)

At the end of the second Venusian Bundle of Fire of 260 synodic cycles, the Venusian calendar has leapt back 243 days in relation to the solar calendar and has an accumulated error in relation to the synodic cycles of -0.1 days. In this way, the Mexican Venusian calendar observes in exactly 12 huehuetiliztlis or periods of 104 Tropic years (1248 years) a backward movement of the synodic cycles of 365 days. Or to say the same thing, we will witness the begining of a synodic cycle a year earlier. Using this system it takes exactly 6,500 synodic cycles (10,391.6 years) to start the count again with 1-Crocodile. In 10,400 Tropic years (3798518.86 days) the Mexican Venusian calendar measures 6,505.2 synodic cycles of Venus (3798516.384 days) with an accumulated difference of -2.5 days. In this same period of time, the synodic cycles of Venus have made 8.33 backward rounds of the Solar calendar.
The average lenght of venus synodic cycles is dependent upon an accurate measurement of a 360º revolution of the Earth around the sun and other complex relationships within the solar system. This researcher is unable to extend his calculations into larger periods of time because the average lenght of synodic cycles isn’t certain in the thousand fraction. But the relationship between these two calendars, as reconstructed by this researcher has a solid base in the Mesoamerican system of reckoning the passage of time.

CHAPTER IV.
And yet it moves.
–Galileo Galilei.

OLLIN (MOVEMENT).
To understand the magnitud of the calendar developed by the Mesoamerican nations, we must study two astronomical phenomena as well as the Mayan calculation known as the Long Count. One is the Precession of the Equinoxes; and the other one is the Transits of Venus. The following material is complicated and might require the reader two read it a couple of times before a full grasp of it is acquired.
The Precession of the Equinoxes.
We will start by familiarizing ourselves with some terms.
Celestial sphere: the sphere that surrounds our planet. On it are drawn all the stars. Also called Inertial Space.
Celestial equator: the projection of the terrestrial equator on the celestial sphere, dividing it into two hemispheres.
Cuauxicalli (eagle’s gourd) or celestial dome: the half sphere that covers our sky from horizon to horizon. It is roughly divided into two half spheres by the Milky Way, the galaxy to which our solar system belongs.
Zenith: the center of the celestial dome. When the sun is in the zenith of the celestial dome it does not produce shadows. Between the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn ,the sun crosses the zenith of the sky twice a year at midday. The dates for these solar Transits through the zenith of the Celestial Dome are fixed on the calendar, though they vary according to geographic location.
Conjunction:
When two celestial bodies have the same celestial longitud or Sidereal hour angle in the celestial sphere, often seen as, the apparent encounter of two celestial bodies in the sky.
Eagle’s path or Ecliptic of the Sun: the path the sun travels across the celestial sphere in its apparent movement.
Sidereal: of or related to the stars. In general Sidereal referst to the stars and Tropical to the vernal equinox, yet the definitions of Sidereal time and Sidereal day are based on the vernal equinox and only the definition for Sidereal year is based on the stars.
Solar Day
:. The National Aerospace Agency (NASA) defines this days as “the period of time in which the earth completes one rotation on its axis in relationship to the sun”. It is 24 hours long or 86,400 solar seconds. Since 1955 it is measured in Atomic time29 . The Tropic day is an astrodynamic constant and is the absolute criterion of time. The earth’s rotation is slowing down, but he rate30 at which it does so, means that the solar day will lose a second somewhere between the next 45,000 to 90,000 years.
Tropic or Sidereal day: Is 86,164.0905 seconds in duration. NASA tells us that it “is the duration of a rotation of the earth on its own axis in relationship to the vernal equinox. Due to precession of the equinoxes, a Sidereal or Tropic day is less than a period of rotation in relationship to the stars but the difference is less than 0.01 seconds.” To add to NASA’s definition, a Tropic day31 is considered an absolute rotation of 360º of the Earth on its own axis. The difference between a solar day of 24 hours and a Tropic day is 3 minutes 55.8” seconds, or a complete rotation of the earth in relation to the vernal equinox in one Tropic year. In other words, one Tropic year of 365.2422 solar days has exactly 366.2422 Tropic days. This difference is due to the inclination of the earth’s axis in relationship to the sun’s ecliptical plane, due to this inclination we have four seasons every Tropic year.
Day without name or Galilean day: a rotation of the earth on its own axis in relationship to the stars, it has no official name. In 1955 it was measured as 86,164.09966 seconds long; in 2004, it was measured as 86,164.0989 seconds long. Apparently its use is purely theoretical. This day provides the measure used by astronomers to calculate the value of precession. The duration of this day, which I will call Galilean day, as this is the name used by researchers on the topic, was established in 1955 as .00912 seconds or 9.12 milliseconds longer than a Tropic day. The latest calculations published by the International Earth Rotation and Reference System Service (a multidisciplinary organization working at the Paris Observatory) are based on measurements using quasars,32 (which were unknown in 1955). The IERRSS 2004 measurements indicate that a Galilean day is 8.36 milliseconds longer than a Tropic day.
Sidereal year: According to the Dictionary of Technical Terms for Aerospace Use edited by the NASA, a Sidereal year is ”the period of one revolution of the earth around the sun in relationship to the stars”. This revolution or revolution of the earth is considered by modern astronomy as an exact 360º revolution around the sun. The Sidereal year consists of 365.2564 solar days,33 and lasts 20.33 minutes more than the Tropic year. In other words, a Sidereal year is 3.34 seconds longer per solar day; the difference between a Sidereal year and a Tropic year is equivalent in angular time to 50.26”arcseconds34 .
Tropic year: the Dictionary of Technical Terms for Aerospace Use, says a Tropic year “is the period of one revolution of the earth around the sun in relationship to the vernal equinox. Due to the precession of the equinoxes, a Tropic year isn’t 360º around the sun in relationship to the stars but 50.3” arcseconds less. One Tropic year is aproximately 20 minutes shorter than a Sidereal year”. In other words modern astronomy considers a Tropic year a revolution of 359º 59 arcminutes 09.74 arcseconds, so in one Tropic year, the earth must travel an additional 50.26 arcseconds to equal a Sidereal year revolution. A Tropic year consists of 365.24219878 solar days.


Precession of the Equinoxes:
the astronomical phenomena of the apparent westward movement of the equinoxes in relationship to the constellations in the ecliptic of the sun. The constellations on the sun’s ecliptic are commonly known by their zodiacal names. Even though precession means a forward movement, we should note that the precession of the equinoxes is a regression, since in a precession cycle, the zodiacal constelations move in the reverse order than their apparent movement throughout a year. Not all the zodiacal constellations coincide with the Mexica constellations, they identified thirteen constelations. The complete period of time of a precession of the equinoxes is known as a Great Year or Platonic Year; its duration estimate today is 25,78635 Tropic years.
Theory of Luni-Solar Precession: formulated in -----? by the English astronomer Sir. Isaac Newton, to add support to Copernicus’ idea that the apparent movement of the constellations on the ecliptic of the sun, was due to the earth’s axis wobble. This theory explains that the apparent eastward movement of the “fixed stars” through the vernal equinox, is due to the influence that the gravitational forces of the earth’s moon exert on the ecuatorial bulge of our planet, causing in one Great Year, a westward conical movement of the earth’s axis in a 360º circle in relation to the pole of the ecliptic. This theory proposes that the sun is fixed and doesn’t move in relation to inertial space36.

Oriental or Binary Theory of Precession: the theory that our sun is part of a binary (or multiple) star system, moving in its own revolution around a common center of gravity. This theory makes a distinction between the orbital movement of the sun, and the 240 million year long curved movement of the galaxy (and the solar system) around the galactic center. The binary theory accounts for the westward movement of the earth’s axis, in relation to the fixed stars in the celestial sphere, as commesurate with the orbital motion of the sun, plus or minus the local effects (i.e. lunisolar forces). It explains that the apparent eastward movement of the fixed stars through the vernal equinox is due mainly to the geometric effect of a solar system that curves through space in its own revolution, and that the solar system acts as a distinct frame of reference, containing all the motions of the planets and their moons, which maintain all their own relative gravitational relationships.


Great year: the period of time also known as a Platonic year, over which is observed a complete retrograde revolution of the constelations in the ecliptic of the sun in relation to the vernal equinox. The lenght of the Great Year is determined by the value of precession which is derived from the angular rotation time difference between a Tropic day and a Galilean day.. The problem with any estimate of the duration of the Great Year is that, it is based on a very limited observations of Galilean days throughout the last century, as well as an assumption of a 360º circular movement of: the earth’s axis (Lunisolar theory) or of the sun’s revolution (Binary theory)37,. Since Simon Newcomb’s time, astronomers have measured a small but constant increase in the rate of precession, so even if the currently accepted value of precession of 25,876 Tropic years is true today, it doesn’t mean that the rate at which the stars appear to move will still be the same a thousand years from now, or was the same a thousand years ago. In truth nobody knows for certain the exact durationof the Great year.
After becoming familiar with the previous definitions, the reader will have noted that modern astronomy is telling us that, an observer on the earth will measure in one Tropic year of 365.24219878 solar days, two different revolutions of 360º of the earth in relation to the stars. One is 365.2564 solar days or roughly 20 minutes longer; and the other one is only 3.34 seconds longer38. For reasons that astronomers cannot explain, modern astronomy divorces earth’s revolution from its rotation. (see appendix A.) Yet regardless of how much modern astronomers insist, it is physically impossible39 to have two different earth revolutions of 360º around the sun in relation to the stars without an equivalent movement of the stars or of the sun.


The Transits of Venus.

The planet Venus has several characteristics similar to those of the earth. We have already learned about the close synchronous relationship between its synodic cycles and the solar year. It is aproximately the same size as the earth and during Transits of Venus, it appears to us as a black dot measuring one 1/32 the size of the sun. The Transits of Venus are extremely important to understand the movement of the stars.
Transits of Venus: when Venus crosses the sun as viewed from the earth. Modern astronomy has witnessed only six Transits of venus. The German astronomer Johannes Kepler predicted the 7 December 1631 Transit of Venus, but died before being able to witness it. In 4 December 1639, the English astronomer Jeremiah Harrocks became the first modern astronomer to witness a Transit of Venus. Transits occur in a predictable pattern, with two occuring in a period of eight years followed by one in 105.5 years and another one 8 years later, after another 121.5 years the pattern begins again. The transit pair pattern is 243 Tropic years. –8+105.5+8+121.5=243–. The last Transit occured on 8 June 2004; the next Transit will occur on 6 June 2012.



Venus nodes: The two points known as ascending and descending nodes, where the orbital planes of venus and the earth cross. Transits happen by necessity within two days of these nodes; they are the only places where earth and venus can enter a conjunction with the sun.
Venus nodeline movement: The venus nodeline (an imaginary straight line between both nodes), moves prograde (forward in the calendar) in relation to the vernal equinox by 32.44 arcseconds per year40 or aproximately 2.217 solar days in a 243 tropic years41 . This nodeline movement is due to the entire orbital plane of venus torquing prograde in relation to the vernal equinox.This prograde nodeline movement is synchronous with the retrograde movement (backward in the calendar) of the synodic cycles of Venus of 2.33 days accumulated in 5 synodic cycles, for example the descending node Transit pair series, that happened on 06 June 1761 and 03 June 1769 are now happening on 8 June 2004 and 6 June 2012.



The people of Mesoamerica spent at least two millenia observing the planet venus. There are at least two known depictions of a Transit of venus by Mesoamerican people. (Both the Filadelfia Disc and the Stone of Tizoc are in the Museum of Anthropology in Mexico City). In addition, Mesoamerican pyramids demonstrate their nations had a keen understanding of mathematics and geometry as well as astronomy.
We shall now compare the difference between the Tropic revolutions of 360º and the Sidereal revolutions of 360º in relation to the Transits of Venus.
A synodic cycle of Venus is 583.92 solar days, a Tropic revolution of Venus is 224.695 solar days and earth’s Tropic revolution is 365.24219878. We will now explore this periods.

5 synodic cycles (8 years) = 2919.6 days
152 synodic cycles (243 years) = 88755.84 days
157 synodic cycles (251 years) = 91675.44 days

13 revolutions of Venus (8 years) = 2921.035 days
395 revolutions of Venus (243 years) = 88754.52499 days
408 revolutions of Venus (251 years) = 91675.56 days

According to these numbers, we can conclude that the most precise relationship between synodic cycles of venus and Transits of venus occur every 251 Tropic years. In other words the relation 408 (revolutions of Venus) to 251 (Tropic years) has a greater resonance than 395 to 243 or the more common 13 to 8.


This resonance does not occur if we use 360º Sidereal revolutions to make our calculations. A synodic cycle of venus is 583.92 days, a Sidereal revolution of Venus is 224.701 days and a Sidereal revolution of the Earth is 365.256361
5 synodic cycles (8 years) = 2919.6135 days
152 synodic cycles (243 years) = 88756.2504 days
157 synodic cycles (251 years) = 91675.8639 days

13 revolutions of Venus (8 years) = 2921.113 days
395 revolutions of Venus (243 years) = 88756.895 days
408 revolutions of Venus (251 years) = 91678.008 days
As we can discern a difference of 2.14 solar days exist between 157 synodic cycles of venus and 408 Sidereal revolutions of venus. Since for us, venus appears to be 32 times smaller than the sun, venus doesn’t need to be precisely at the node for a transit of venus to be observed, but it needs to be within 1.71 days (1.81º) for a June (descending) transit and within1.69 days (1.72º) for a December (ascending) transit. If we take the transit of 06 June 1761 as a base, it would be physically impossible for us to witness a transit on 06 june 2012 .
Considering the previous data , one must ask, why are the transits of venus harmonious with Tropic year revolutions and not with Sidereal year revolutions?
There are two apparent answers. The one modern astronomy insists on is provided by the Theory of Lunisolar Precession, which tells us that an unknown and misterious force exerts an inmense42 gravitational power over the orbital plane of venus, causing it to torque in the opposite direction of its Sidereal revolution movement and in exact synchrony with a less than 360º Tropic year revolution. The second possible answer is provided by the Binary Theory of Precession, that asserts that a Tropic year is really a 360º revolution of the earth around the sun. In this model, the earth’s axis is stable, a Tropic revolution of venus is its real 360º revolution around the sun. And the nodeline of venus moves in a resonant relationship with earth’s Tropic revolution due to the harmonius forces that keep the solar system and the universe from collapsing43. It concludes that the sun is moving in its own celestial revolution around another celestial body or a center of gravity common to a binary star star system –a center not yet determined, though some indications point toward the star Sirius.


Other astronomical cycles. Modern astronomy tells us that the earth’s wobble is responsible for the observed phenomena of the precession of the equinoxes. If the precession of the equinoxes is caused by a local effect, then all movements in the celestial sphere should reflect this. Think of it this way; if you move your body 90º, then everything outside your body reflects that movement. We have seen that the cycles of venus are synchronous with a tropic year and not with a sidereal year, and that modern astronomy explains this by saying that an inmense and mysterious force causes the orbital plane of venus to torque in the opposite direction of its revolution movement in relation to a 360º sidereal year.
But what about other cycles? Lets examine some well known cycles.
The Tears of Saint Lawrence, also known as the Perseid meteor shower, is visible every year, its peak occurs every year on the 11th of August, the day after the Feast of St. Lawrence,. This date has not changed in the last 500 years. Lunisolar theory cannot explain what causes the westward drift of the Perseid meteors that allows it to be visible on the same day every year, and in perfect synchrony with a less than 360º Tropic year.
Probably the best known astronomical cycle is the Saros cycle, it is the cycle of periodicity and recurrence of eclipses, it is 6,583.33 solar days long (18 years 11 days 8 hours). It is applicable to solar and lunar eclipses. Any two eclipses separated by one Saros cycle share similar geometries. They occur at the same node, at nearly the same distance from earth, and at the same time of the year. A saros cycle is not equal to a whole number of days, subsequent eclipses are visible from different parts of the earth. The extra 0.3 day displacement means that the earth rotates an additional 8 hours with each cycle. For solar eclipses, this results in the shifting of each successive eclipse path by ~120º westward or 360º per 54 years and 34 solar days. Thus, a saros series returns to about the same geographic region every 3 saroses. The 34 day drift of the cycle is due to the Moon's nodeline eastward movement by about 0.5º with each cycle. In other words in 54 years and 34 days a tropic observer will witness an eclipse, while a sidereal observer will be 18 hours behind.
The Moon is slowly receding from the earth. This means that the gravitational forces that the Moon exerts over the equatorial bulge of the earth is diminishing, yet astronomers have measured a steady increase in the rate of precession. Before 1900, when Simon Newcomb started keeping accuarte records, the rate of precession was 50.255 arcseconds/year, but today the rate of precession is estimated at 50.29 arcseconds/year. In order to explain this discrepancy, astronomers tell us that the increase in the rate of precession is due to breaking effect that the ocean tides have over the earth’s wobble. While the effects that the ocean’s tides, tsunamis, earthquakes and weather patterns have on the earth is significant and they might have an influence on the earth’s rotation and revolution periods, the fact of the matter is that the gravity of the sun and the moon have been very stable for millions of years and there is no reason in the Lunisolar model for this significant upward trend in the earth’s wobble rate. If anything it should be slowing down as the Moon recedes from the earth and sun burns up a small part of its mass.
The previous examples are just some more anomalies that Lunisolar precession theory cannot explain, yet, none of these anomalies exist under a Binary Theory of Precession. The firts two examples are explained easily by a 360º tropic revolution of the earth, while the rate of precession increase is explained by the sun’s movement on an elliptical orbit in which the sun speeds or slows down according to its position in that Great Year orbit.





CHAPTER V.

(insert poem).
The Mayan Long Count.
The Mayan calendar consists of three different calendars: The Tzolkin (Count of Days); a calendar of 260 days, is the Mayan equivalent to the Mexica Count of Destiny. Second the Haab, often called the “vague year”, is a historic count44 of 365 days, without any leap days45 , made by 18 months (Uinal) of twenty days (Kin), plus 5 “empty days” (18X20+5=365), and the third is the Long Count.
The year 2012 marks the end of the Mayan Long Count . This is of significant importance not only to the study of Mesoamerican calendaric systems, but also for modern astronomy. The Long Count ends on December 2012, and consists of 7,200 uninterrupted counts of the Tzolkin. The basic cycle of the Long Count is the Tun. One Tun consists of 18 months of 20 days that add up to 360 days, these Tuns of 360 days, are counted repeteadly in cycles of 20, known as Katun (20 Tun). Each Katun consists of 7,200 days (19.7 years). Katuns are grouped in two different counts, one consists of 13 Katuns of (93,600 days, 256.27 Tropic years) known as a Round of Katuns, and the other consists of 20 Katuns, this cycle is known as a Baktun (400 Tun) it consists of 144,000 days or 394.26 Tropic years, one cycle of 13 Baktuns is called an Ixtabaktun (13 Baktun). The Long Count is counted in the Ixtabaktun group. And to be precise it is a count of 1,872,000 solar days, or 5125.3661 Tropic years.
The Long Count was created by the ancient Olmec civilization, the oldest Long Count stelae dates back to 236 b.C.46 It functions as a chronometer that counts the number of solar days between two dates. There are two versions of its starting and ending dates: 11 August 3114 bC. and 21 December 2012 or 13 August 3114 bC. and 23 December 2012. According to modern day calculations in the year 3114 b.C.the Pleiades were within a few degrees of the vernal equinox , but most importantly 13 August is the date of the zenithal passage of the sun47 in the latitude of the Mayan city of Izapa, where one of the oldest Long Count Stelae was found.
Lets examine four astronomical events that take place in the year 2012. (All of these events are local and they will be seen only from the earth.)
The first one, a celestial alignment (sun-stars) will occur on 20 May 201248 at midday, when the Pleiades and the sun are in the acme of their conjunction in the zenith of the celestial dome as seen from the latitude of the Ancient Toltec capital city of Tula (Tollan). The Transit of the Pleiades through the zenith of the sky at midday on the 20th of May lasts approximately 70 years.
The second one is an annular eclipse (when the moon almost covers the entire sun), while eclipses are fairly common this one is important because it falls precisely on 20 May 2012, and will be visible from the mexican southeast around 5:56 PM (23:56 UT) . Two days later on 22 May 2012, we can see that mercury and jupiter align very close to the sun49.
(insert illustrations)
The third event is a planetary alignment, a transit of venus. Because transits of venus occur in pairs, it has two parts. the first was on 8 June 2004, the second, eight years later, will occur on 6 June 2012. As we have seen above, this phenomenon is due to the fact that 13 Tropic revolutions of venus (2921.035 days) are practically 8 earth Tropic years (2921.9375 days), the transits of venus are a celestial phenomena with a pattern of 243 years.
The fourth important astronomical event is a galactic alignment (sun-galaxy); on 21 December 2012 we will witness the conjunction, of the solsticial sun with the center of the Dark Rift of the Milky Way Galaxy . This is also a long term event, for a period of approximately twenty years the solsticial sun transist the Dark Rift of the Milky Way.
Both the celestial and galactic alignments that we will see in 2012; the May 20th Pleiades transit through the zenith of the sky at midday, and the solsticial sun’s transit through the Dark Rift of the Milky Way. are long term events that are already happening. Curiously, the celestial and galactic alignments are invisible to the human eye, since the brightness of the sun obscures the stars. Only the annular eclipse on 20 May 2012 and the transit of Venus on 6 June 2012 will be visible to the human eye. The transit of venus will repeat in a just over a century in the year 2117, as part of the transit pair cycle of 243 years. The solar eclipse will repeat in 54 years and 34 days, according to the saros cycle of solar and lunar eclipses50 . But as the constelations march eastward on the eagles path, the galactic and celestial alignments will run their course, and will recur only at the end of the next precession cycle.
Recently the theory that the end of the Long Count was created to synchronize with these celestial and galactic alignments proposed by a Maya researcher, has gained in popularity. But this theory has several problems: Neither alignment is verifiable by plain sight, and even though there has been some speculation as to whether the Maya had constructed a “camera oscura”, we can’t assume that it was the case with the Olmecs. These two alignments have long transit spans, about twenty years for the dark rift-solsticial sun galactic alignment, and 70 years for the pleiades-sun celestial alignment, within those periods of time, the centers of both alignments have a life of at least five years, particularly as seen with the naked eye, mainly these two alignments will look essentially the same on the same dates in the year 2011 or 2013. The fact that these alignments happen has to be understood from the perspective of the Olmecs, and we lack the necessary knowledge to do so.
This leaves us with two important astronomical events at the end of the Long Count: the annular eclipse on 20 May 2012, and the visible planetary alignment that causes a sun-venus transit on 6 June 2012.
Lets take a closer look at the 2012 transit of venus. The Long Count consists of 1,872,000 solar days. In that period of time, there are 3205.9186 synodic cycles of venus (3205 synodic cycles plus 536.38 days). Very importantly, starting from the 21 December 2012 date we can see that, in an additional 48 days, we will have completed 3206 synodic cycles of venus. This calculation takes us from 21 december 2012 to 7 February of 2013. In other words, If we consider that on 6 June 2012 we witness a descending node transit of venus (an inferior conjunction), then on 7 February 2013 (246 days later), venus begin its disapperance as the Morning Star, and starts its journey through the superior invisibility period (behind the sun). As we have seen in the previous chapter, the nodeline of venus moves prograde at a rate of 2.3 days every 243 years. In the period of a Long Count the number of days that the venus nodeline has moved forward in the calendar is precisley 48 days. In other words, if the orbital plane of venus didn’t torque, on 21 december 2012 we sould witness venus begining its journey behind the sun (superior invisibility period).
To determine what phase venus was in, on the date of the beginning of the Long Count, 12 August 3114 bC. (the middle date between the two posible dates of the creation of the long count), we take the venus transit of 9 December 1874 (an inferior conjunction), and subtract four periods of 1247 years (venus synodic cycles complete one backward round of the calendar in 1247 Tropic years), to arrive at the date 9 December 3115 bC. Since we know that there was an inferior conjunction on December 9, 1874, we can then affirm that on 9 December 3115 bC.. there was an inferior conjunction, but not a transit. The difference between 9 December 3115 bC. and 12 August 3114 bC. is 246 days, so we can determine that at the begining of the Long Count, venus was also beginning its journey through the superior invisibility period (behind the sun).
This researcher can safely say that the Olmecs who created the Long Count, were attempting to precisely frame their Long Count calculation between two superior invisibility periods of venus. They also must have known that transits occur in a 243 year cycle to accurately predict a transits of venus in 2012. This researcher concludes that, the Long Count was designed to end on the solstice day of a year; in which a transit of venus would occur, and in which, the solstice day would coincide with a superior invisibility period of venus.
The Long Count is one fifth of the measure of the precession of the equinoxes established by its creators. As we know there are five Suns in the Mesoamerican calendars, and by multiplying the Long Count by five we can see that the Olmec Great Year was estimated at 25,627.84 Tropic years and its value of precession is 50.57 arcseconds a year, which is about three tenths of a arcseconds more than todays accepted value of precession of 50.26 arcseconds a year. Due to this difference (which is equal to 3I years, in one Long Count), this researcher can safely assume that the celestial and galactic alignments that the Olmecs were aiming for at the end of the Long Count, will occur 31 years after to 2012. Mainly on 20 May 2043, the pleiades will be ending their transit through the zenith of the sky, and on 21 December 2043, the solsticial sun will also be ending its transit through the Milky Way.
In other words, at the end of the Long Count; its precession of the equinoxes calculation is short by 31 years51 ; while its venus calculation is short by 48 days.



CHAPTER VI.

This will be our fame: As long as the world remains, there will be no end to the renown, the glory of Mexico-Tenochtitlan.
–Netzahualcóyotl.

Cem Anáhuac

The ancient Mexicans didn’t know Newton’s Theory of Luni-Solar Precession; it’s an invention of modern astronomy. Yet the Mesomerican people made extremely accurate measurements of venus cycles, venus transit periods, and precession of the equinoxes using Tropic years. They measured the passage of time based on the equinoxial movements of the earth and the synodic cycles of venus, and with these measurements calculated a value of precession that aproximates the modern value of precession within 0.32 arcseconds a year.
It needs to be pointed out that no one knows the exact duration of a Great Year. Diferent values have been used at different times, and even modern observations in the last centuries have rendered different values producing estimates ranging from 25,786 to 28,218 years. In addition the Luni-Solar Precession Theory used by modern astronomy to explain the phenomena of the Precession of the Equinoxes has many problems. While it explains astronomical movements outside the solar system, it has considerable shortcomings in explaining movements within the solar system52, of which venus and its cycles is just part of a list that includes eclipses, meteor showers, comets, moon phases and planetary node movements53 . Perhaps when modern astronomers free the Sun from the fixed position, dictated by Copernicus’ historical context and Newton’s religious concerns, and set it in its orbital motion around an as yet undetermined center of gravity, we will join the rest of the stars in the universe and will learn the true lenght of the Great Year.
Some researchers who have realized that the Mexica Calendar is a 26,000 year cycle, often cite this period as a aproximate measure of the Great Year. But we have seen that the Long Count (X5) gives us the precise measure of precession used by the ancient Mexicans, 50.57 arcseconds/year. The question that remains to be answered is why the ancient Mexicans developed a calendar of exactly 26,000 years. The answer can be understood in the context of the relationship between Tropic years, venus synodic cycles, venus Tropic revolutions, venus transits and a 260 day count.
We have learned that the Mexican Solar calendar counts 36,524.23 Counts of Destiny in 26,000 years. It is interesting to note that if we start the Mexica calendar the day of a venus transit and venus nodeline didn’t prograde 32.44” arcseconds a year in reference to the Tropic year (see venus nodes. pg. 40) we would witness 107 venus transit cycles of 243 years in exactly 26,001 Tropic years. Once we take the nodeline movement into account we can see that 18.5 days after the 26,000 year cycle we will witness an earth-venus conjunction (beginning of a heliacal risiing), and 583.92 days after that conjunction, we will witness the first of two transits pairs. Considering this, we can safely assume that the period of 26,000 years was chosen, so that in time, and by using careful observations, and the cycles of 13, 52, 104, 416, 520, 1040, 1300, 5,200, and 26,000 years one can precsiely calibrate the calculations of the different celestial movements in the eagle’s gourd, in relation to the Tropic revolutions of earth and the synodic cycles of venus, the sister planets.
As the Mexica and Maya calendars show, ancient Mexicans, in order to explain their careful observations, achieved a heliocentric view of a solar system, with planets orbiting in it and a sun moving in a huge revolution of 25,627.84 Tropic years. Or perhaps astronomers would like to suggest thatin order to make such accuarte calculations, the Mesoamerican people, also created a theory of lunisolar precession with its concommitant wobbling.
The question of how the Mexican Calendar extended the reckoning of time beyond one 26,000 years cycle indicated by the Sun Stone can only be speculated. But it becomes very easy to project cycles of 52,000 and 104,000 years, and more.
The Mexica calendar is a living calendar, started in the year 1116 by the Toltec in Teotihuacan. Throughout time it has had several modifications. Lost in the sieve of history are theknowledge of the count of its Suns or Toantiuhs (5200 year epochs) and their different markers –we know that the Mexicas flourished during the Fifth Sun. But the count of the tlalpillis has continued due to the knowledge of the Mexica date of the surrender of Mexico-Tenochtitlan to the Spanish invaders.
This researcher believes that the numerical value attached to of each of the five Suns represented in the Sun Stone, indicate that the current MagnoTonalpohualli is the fourth one, since each of the five suns has the number four attached to it. This means that we are at the end of a 104,000 year count and that are about to start not only a new Magno Tonalpohualli of 26,000 years with its five suns, but a new count of 104,000 years. Following this line of reasoning one can only think that a larger count would consist of 20 Mexican Solar Calendars, that measure 520,000 years. Perhaps the glyph 13-Acatl, on top of the Sun Stone is indicative of a 520,000 year cycle. Since the Count of Destiny is a fractal count that can measure the movement of the earth as well as the stars with an absolute precision, and encodes them in a calendar of 26,000 years, we can, by knowing the numeric relations between the earth and the different celestial bodies that populate our skies, readily multiply back and forth through time and just as readily establish the dates for any astronomical event. including, lunations, eclipses, planetary synodic cycles, transits, orbital node movements, meteor showers, comet cycles and the movement of the constellations in the celestial sphere.
In this calendar that not only measures our movement through space, but is able to project it in important magnitudes of time, we can observe the ingenuity with which ancient Mexican people touched the face of the cosmos and painted it in a fractal system, in which an immutable count of 260 days is multiplied into a concert of infinite harmony.
Today we know that the time of the Fifth Sun, Nahui Ollin, 4-Movement, is coming to an end, if it hasn’t already. We recognize this because of the traditional narratives of Indigenous America, from the Native Americans in the USA, to the indigenous people of South America, their traditions foretell them the same thing; the fifth sun is ending. Yet until now we have been unable to understand the meaning of these traditions.
The question of when to start the First Sun of a fifth Magno Tonalpohualli of 26,000 years needs to be resolved. The choices are limited by the traditions. The tools provided by the calendaric reconstruction offered in this book can prove useful to determine if a single correlation is possible between the different dates in the historical documents, and even between the different calendars kept by the varied Mesoamerican nations that lived in Cem-Anawak. Once this is accomplished we can restart a count that mainatins the continuity of, and gives renewed meaning to, the Toltec Count of Destiny.












Bibliography

I. Primary Sources

Códice Borbónico. Facsimile Edition, Siglo Veintiuno, México, 1993.
Codice Borgia, Facsimile edition, Sociedad Estatal Quinto Centenario, España, Akademische Druckund Verglagsanstalt, Austria, Fondo de Cultura Economica, Mexico, 1993.
Códice Telleriano-Remensis, reproduction, see Séjourné.
The Aztec Calendar Stone, Polychrome acetate reproduction of its front and side based on a study by Robert Sieck, INAH, Mexico, 1992.

II. Secondary Sources.

Anders, Ferdinand, Jansen, Marten and Reyes Garcia, Luis, Los Templos del Cielo y de la Oscuridad Oráculo y Liturgia libro Explicativo del LLamado Códice Borgia, Sociedad Estatal Quinto Centenario, España, Akademische Druckund Verglagsanstalt, Austria, Fondo de Cultura Economica, Mexico, 1993.
Anzaldo Meneses, Juan and Anzaldo Meneses, Alfonso, Hueyi Tlalnamic Tonalamatl Gran Libro Agenda 2003. Centro de Estudios Antropológicos Ce-Acatl, México, 2002
Bonewitz, Ronald L, Dr. Wisdom of the Maya. St. Martin’s Press, New York, 2000.
Cabrera, Luis, Diccionario de Aztequismos. Colofón, México, 2000.
Christa, Maria and Kerler, Richard, El Horoscopo Azteca. EDAF, España, 2000.
Clendinnen, Inga, Aztecs. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 1992.
Covo Torres, Javier, El Calendario Azteca Sin Estres. Dante, Mérida, 2001.
Cruttenden, Walter, Comparison of Precession Theories: An Argument for the Binary Model, Binary Research Institute, USA, 2003.
Díaz Infante, fernando, La Estela de los Soles o Calendario Azteca. Panorama, México, 1987.
Diaz, Daniel, “Calendarios y Nacionalismo”, Arqueología Mexicana, Vol. VII-Num. 41 (2000), 56-59.
Díaz, Gisele and Rodgers, Alan, The Codex Borgia a Full Color Restoration of the Ancient Mexican Manuscript. Dover Publications, New York, 1993.
Dictionary for Technical Terms for Aerospace Use, Web edition edited by Daniel R Glover, Jr., NASA Lewis Research Center, Cleveland, 2004.
Edmonson, Munro S., “Los Calendarios de la Conquista”, Arqueología Mexicana, Vol. VII-Num. 41 (2000), 40-47.
Espenak, Fred, Transits of Venus Six Millenium Catalog: 2000 BCE to 4000 CE. National Space Agency (NASA), Houston, 2004.
Fernández, Adela, Diccionario Ritual de Voces Nahuas. Panorama, México, 1992.
Garcia Escamilla, Enrique, Historia de Mexico Narrada en Nahuatl y Español de Acuerdo al Calendario Azteca. Plaza Y Valdes, México, 2001.
Gillespie, Susan D, Los reyes Aztecas. Siglo Veintiuno, México, 1999.
Heinz, Carl and Homann, Uwe, Debunking Lunisolar Precession - It’s About Time. Sirius Research Group, Canada, 2003.
Hers, Marie-Areti, “Chicomóstoc Un Mito Revisado”, Arqueología Mexicana, Vol. X-Num. 56 (2002), 48-53.
Homann, Uwe, On a Different Node Comments on Venus Transit Pairs and Node Movement”, Sirius Research Group, Canada, 2004.
Homann, Uwe, Transits of Venus Prove That The Earth Does Not Wobble, Sirius Research Group, Canada, 2004.
Homann, Uwe, Transits of Venus vs. Nasa’s Astronomical Data. Sirius Research Group, Canada, 2004.
Homann, Uwe, Venus Transits and Precession. Sirius Research Group, Canada, 2004.
Jimenez, Randall C, Dr. and Graeber, Richard B, The Aztec Calendar Handbook. Historical Science Publishing, Saratoga, 2002.
Johanna, Broda, “Ciclos de Fiestas y Calendario Solar Mexica”, Arqueología Mexicana, Vol. VII-Num. 41 (2000), 52-55.
Leon y Gama, Antonio de, Descripcion Historica y Cronologia de las Dos Estelas...Facsimilar edition. Porrua-IPN, Mexico, 1978.
Leon-Portilla, Miguel, “Mitos de los Orígenes en Mesoamérica”, Arqueología Mexicana, Vol. X-Num. 56 (2002), 20-27.
Leon-Portilla, Miguel, Aztec Thought and Culture. Translated to English by Jack Emory Davis, University of Oklahoma Press, Norman, 1978.
Leon-Portilla, Miguel, Quince Poetas del Mundo Nahuatl. Editorial Diana, Mexico, 2002.
Leon-Portilla, Miguel, The Broken Spears. Translated to English by Lysander Kemp, edited by Miguel Leon-Portilla. Beacon Press, Boston, 1999.
Libura, Krystyna M, Los Días y los Doses del Códice Borgia. Tecolote, Mexico, 2000.
Limón Olvera, Silvia, El Fuego Sagrado Simbolismo y Ritualidad entre los Nahua. Colección Científica, INAH-UNAM, Mexico, 2001.
Linares, Navarrete, federico, “Vivir en el Universo de los Nahuas”, Arqueología Mexicana, Vol. X-Num. 56 (2002), 30-35.
López-Austin, Alfredo, Tamoanchan y Tlalocac. Fondo de Cultura Económica, Mexico, 2000.
Lorenzo, Antonio, Todos a Usar el Calendario Azteca. Porrúa, Mexico, 2002.
Major Jenkins, John, The How and Why of the Mayan end Date in 2012 A.D., Four Ahau Press, Boulder, 1994.
Marcus, Joyce, “Los Calendarios Prehispánicos”, Arqueología Mexicana, Vol. VII-Num. 41 (2000), 12-19.
Matos Moctezuma, Eduardo, Huehuetéotl-Xiutecuhtli en el Centro de México”, Arqueología Mexicana, Vol. X-Num. 56 (2002), 58- 63.
Matos Moctezuma, Eduardo, La Estela del Sol, INAH, Mexico, 1992.
Mc.Henry, Patrick J, A Short History of Mexico. Doubleday, New York, 1970.
Meeus, J, and Vitagliano, A, “Simultaneous Transits”, Journal of the British Astronomical Association, Vol. 114, 3, (2004), 132-135.
Paso y Troncoso, Francisco del, Descripcion, Historia y Exposicón del Códice Borbónico. Facsimilar Edition, Siglo Veintiuno, Mexico, 1993.
Rius, Quetzalcoatl no era del PRI. Grijalbo, México, 1987.
Robelo, Cecilio A, Diccionario de Mitologia Nahuatl. 2 vols. Editorial Inovacion, Mexico, 1980.
Scofield, Bruce and Córdova, Angela, El Círculo Azteca del Destino. Diana, Mexico, 1996.
Séjourné, Laurette, El Pensamiento Náhuatl Cifrado por los Calendarios. Siglo Veintiuno Editores, Mexico, 1998.
Simeon, Remi, Diccionario de la Lengua Nahuatl o Mexicana. Siglo Veintiuno, México, 1999.
Solís, Felipe, “La Estela del Sol”, Arqueología Mexicana, Vol. VII-Num. 41 (2000), 32-39.
Soustelle, Jacques, El Universo de los Aztecas, Fondo de Cultura Economica, Mexico, 1996.
Spranz, Bodo, Los Dioses en los Codices Mexicanos del Grupo Borgia. Fondo de Cultura Económica, México, 1993.
Tena, Rafael, “El calendario Mesoamericano”, Arqueología Mexicana, Vol. VII-Num. 41 (2000), 4-11.
Bohm, Bohumi and Bohm, Vladimir, Establecimiento de los Años Bisisestos en el Códice Madrid,




1 Because “Azteca” is a spanish distortion, I use the word “Mexica” which is the correct name of the people known as “Aztec”.

2 It is important to note that the Judeo-Christian concept of a trascendent god was foreign to the Mesoamerican nations as their conception of god(s) was an immanent one in which the gods are representatives of cosmic, natural and cultural forces. Thus I will use the term regent and god or deity interchangeably.

3 The Hummingbird of the Left refers to the sun at midday since the sun’s left in its apparent movement is the south.

4 It means; surrounded by water in Nahuatl..

5 Great Anahuac.

6 Or any other european armies.

7 From the Nahuatl word Tonal, which means day and also destiny , and Pohualli, which means count. It is also known as the Count of Days, Divination Calendar and Ritual Calendar.8

9 The mysterious “mother culture” of Mesoamerica that flourished in the Golf of Mexico between 1300 bC. and 600 bC.

10 The term Mesoamerican calendar , refers the calendars in Mesoamerica that are based on the mechanism of 360 days in 18 months of 20 days each, that is based on a repeating count of 260 days. (i.e. the Olmecs, Toltec, Maya, Zapotec and Mexica calendars).

11 Tezcatlipoca is one of two regents locked in an eternal battle out of which the universe is created. The other regent is Quetzalcoatl. Tezcatlipoca and Quetzalcoare two of the most important regents in Mesoamerica, Tezcatlipoca has multiple names, meanings and atributes. In his different avocations he represents the world, the moon, the night, the night wind, the stars and even venus

12 The following chapter deals in detail with the different astronomical cycles observed by astronomers. You can find most astronomical definitions used in this book there.

13 The Mexica established these 130 year period by dividing their millennium of 1040 years into 8.

14 128 years is how long it takes for a calendar of 365.25 days (like the Julian calendar) to accumulate a one day error.

15There are several proposals for Gregorian calendar reform to make it more accurate with in relation to the Tropic year, one of them eliminates the leap day every 4,000 years, and in this way, acumulates an error of one day for every 50,000 Tropic years. A similar adjustment to the Mexican Solar calendar in which avoiding the 128 rule every last year house in every 77 periods of 130 years (10010 years) would allow the Mexican Solar calendar to accumulate an error of one day for every million Tropic years. The Mexican Solar calendar would then average a year of 365.2422 days.

16 The Mesoamerican week was five days long, there are four weeks in a veintena and exactly 73 weeks in a year of 365 days.

17 I use the 21st of March as the day of the vernal equinox. Due to the oscillation of the Gregorian calendar the vernal equinox can fall on the 19th, 20th and 21st of March for extended periods of time, but most spring equinoxes occur on the 21st of March.

18 As we will study later the leap day rules allow for an exception to a leap day once in evry 130 years cycle.

19 In the section Mexican Solar Calendar of this chapter, I explain why the order of the tlalpillis isn’t the same as the order of years.

20 Placing the rule in the year House only makes sense if the order if the tlalpillis is kept in concordance with the order of the years: Reed, Flint, House, Rabbit. Placing the 128 rule in the third year of the group of four allows for the leap day to be skipped on the 127th and 129th years alternately to average one skipped leap day every 128 years, which is the time it takes for the leap year system to accumulate a one day error. On the other hand placing this rule on the fourth year means the leap day is skipped on the 126th and 128th years of the 130 year period averaging one skipped leap day every127 years.

21 As was mentioned earlier a simple rule of avoiding the 128 rule every last year House in every 77 periods of 130 years(10,010 years) means the Mexican Solar Calendar would accumulate an error of1 day every million years!

22 This is a cycle in which venus appears as the “Morning Star”, dissapears behind the sun, appears as the “Evening Star” and dissapears infront of the sun.

23

24 With a real lenght of 103.9168 Tropic years or about 30 days less than 104 Tropic years of 365.2422 days.

25 37985.18867312

26 25.18867312

27 .81132688

28 .40566344

29 202.83172

30 Atomic time adds a layer of complication to the measure of time. It is based on an Atomic clock that runs fast in relation to Solar time. The reason Atomic time is used is due to its precision as a time keeper, it just doesn’t keep time to 86,400 solar seconds, but to 86,399.008 solar seconds (86400 Atomic seconds). The Atomic clock is adjusted to solar time by virtue of using atomic leap seconds almost every year. There were 22 leap atomic seconds added in the 27 years to January1999.

31 The rate of earth’s rotation slowdown is due to complex movements of the earth’s oceans and the moons gravitational forces. Some of which can only be guessed at.

32 To avoid confusion, I will refer to this day as Tropic day only because the Sidereal denomination can cause confusion.

33 Quasars are extremely stable celestial bodies billions of light years away in the universe.

34 The duration of the Sidereal year is determined by the accepted value of precssion.

35 arcseconds are the unit of measurement for a circle. A circle measures 360 degrees; and each degree cosists of 60 arcminutes and each arcminute is 60 arcseconds. 50.26 arcseconds is the currently accepted value of precession. This value was established by Simon Newcomb in the late 19th century, and is based on a difference of .00915 seconds between the Tropic day and the slightly longer Galilean day. In 1955, the reported measurement was .00912 seconds In 2004, the measured difference between a Tropic day and a galilean day was .00836 seconds.

36 The following equation is used to determine the period of a Great Year: 1,296,000 arcseconds divided by 50.26 arcseconds equals 25,786 Tropic years.

37 For several historic and religious reasons, that go back to Copernicus, Galileo Galilei and the Catholic Church, Newton was obliged to explain the precession of the equinoxes using a model of a fixed sun at the center of the universe.

38 Such movements could very well be eliptical and that would completely alter the calculations.

39 (.00912 x 366.2422 = 3.34)

40 The earth cannot move 50.26’ arcseconds (or 45.93 arcseconds) without rotational movement.

41 The 32.44 arcseconds prograde movement of the nodes in relation to the vernal equinox represents a 17.88 arcseconds retrograde or backward movement of the nodes in relation to the fixed stars (and Sidereal year) under Luni-solar Precession Theory. Luni-solar precession theory cannot explain this retrograde movement, so astronomers attribute it to “unknown forces”. To better imagine this movement, paint a line on a coin, then stand the coin on its side holding it between your right thumb and your left index and give it a counterclockwise spin. You will notice the line you painted moving in a counterclockwise manner in the same direction as the coin’s spin, as it woobles to a standstill. Luni-solar Theory would have you see that line move clockwise against the direction of the spin.

42 2.29 days every 251 years

43 Using the coin example used in the previous footnote: Imagine the force necessary to counteract the inertia of your cpoin’s spin (asides from regular friction and gravity) that would cause your coin to spin clockwise multiply that force by the order of magnitude needed to countera