The Maya and Aztec
ASTRO-based Rubber Ball Game
is based on a cycle of
20 days times 13 numbers = 260 combinations called a Cholk'in/Tzolk'in
(close to a 263 day average Venus appearance).
This system likely developed around Izapa, Mex. at 14 -15 degrees North latitude where
105 day corn was grown with two corresponding solar zenith days: 105+260 = 365.
The ballgame is also a symBALL of cosmic motion, and the Maya recorded time cycles
even longer than the 13.77 billion year
Big Bang!!
(see ballcourt and Coba stelae @ https://peabody.harvard.edu/coba)
Also, by inventing and applying the concept of ZERO as a placeholder,
the Maya were "keeping score" daily in the
Cosmic Ball Game of the Universe.
By giving every "K'in = Sun = Day" a number
from 0.0.0.0.1 to 13.0.0.0.0
from [Sept. 7?//Aug. 11/13?], -3114 B.C.E to
Dec. 21, 2012 C.E.
= 1,872,000 days = 5,125.37 years ,
precise event intervals and patterns are known.
(See eclipse numbers below)
This time period of 5,125.37 years
is called a
13 Baktun cycle.
13 x 144,000 days = 1,872,000 days.
Five of these "ages" are 25,626.83 yrs.
The precession cycle of the changing North Stars is 25,676 yrs.
So the Maya system is 99.81% accurate to our current best value.
The 26 ton Aztec sun stone (top right)
shows the five "world" ages.
This pattern of four around one center has been called the quincunx/quinque (Latin).
The Mexica/Nahual word and shape for this
is "ollin" for movement or motion (right).
NOTE: The Ollin symbol in this form (to right) compares nicely with the KAPEMNI symbol also.
Both describe motion!
(with an eye at center...
like the sun or Thunderbird eye?)
By observing and recording repeating cycles of intervals between types of eclipses and Venus cycles and Jupiter-Saturn conjunctions,
they could better predict future occurrences.
6585 k'in days versus
6797 k'in days
versus 6940 k'in days
(Saros, Babylonian, 18.03 years)
(Meton, Greek, 19 yrs.)
A saros is from the Babylonian word for 60,
but
the Mayan word for 20 days is winal...
so 3 winal is a saros!
winal winal winal = saros