Talk:Maya calendar/Archives/2006/September

Do Maya calendar glyphs each mean something?

The Aztec calendar glyphs each have a common cultural reference, usually an animal (buzzard, snake, dog), but they also include flint/knife, flower, and even rain, death, motion/earthquake, and wind.

Based on my readings, it would seem that each of the 20 day glyphs/signs in the Maya Calendar also represent "things", probably pretty much the same things in pretty much the same order. If this is true, perhaps these references could be noted in the article.

Just a thought, Madman 15:06, 3 September 2006 (UTC)

Agree that more on the various associations of calendric elements and calendric periods should be expanded on here, such as those you mention but also others such as patron deities, ceremonial or ritual observances, significance of period-endings, etc.

The interpreted associations of particular named days in the Mesoamerican 260-day calendar are roughly similar between known cultural instances of it, with exceptions and variations between (and sometimes within) cultures and region/time period. The tzolk'in article gives one version of common associations of each of the named days for the Maya calendar, for eg.

The particular example glyphs given here are logograms, a few of which contain or comprise of visual clues relating to the day's name/interpretation/association. The glyphs themselves can (when appearing in a different context) have a different, non-calendric meaning, including in some cases a phonemic one- either on their own or in combination with other glyphic elements.

Probably detailed accounts of these associations etc could when written appear in specific articles such as tzolk'in, haab' & so on, while some summary or high-level explanation can appear here (and in the general case at the Mesoamerica-level articles).--cjllw | TALK 00:21, 4 September 2006 (UTC)