tonalpohualli (FCbk4f55r)

Glyph or Iconographic Image Description:

This iconographic example from the Florentine Codex shows eight day signs (and their companion numbers) from the religious tonalpohualli (260-day divinatory calendar). This sample includes, starting from the top left: Ce Calli (One House), Ome Cuetzpalin (Two Lizard), Eyi Coatl (Three Serpent), Nahui Miquiztli (Four Death), Macuilli Mazatl (Five Deer), Chicuace Tochtli (Six Rabbit), Chicome Coatl (Seven Serpent, this one is out of order given that, in the normal order of days, atl or water would follow), and Chicuey Itzcuintli (Eight Dog). This book of the Florentine Codex discusses the pros and cons of being born on certain days in the calendar.

Description, Credit:

Stephanie Wood

Added Analysis:

See William L. Barnes' explanation of the two Aztec calendars (the tonalpohualli and the xiuhpohualli, counts of the days and the years, respectively) in his article published by Mexicolore, https://www.mexicolore.co.uk/aztecs/calendar/the-aztec-or-central-mexica....

The mistake in the order of the day signs is curious. Was this tlacuilo forgetting the old patterns? Sometimes, in the glyphs for names from the tonalpohualli in the 1560 Matrícula de Huexotzinco, either the number is omitted or the day name is missing, which could suggest a faulty memory. Another explanation in those cases could be that the tlacuilo was trying to disguise the fact that families had still been naming their babies by using the ancient calendar, with all of its Indigenous religious significance.

Added Analysis, Credit:

Stephanie Wood

Source Manuscript:

Florentine/Florentinus, Codex (FC)

Semantic Categories:

calendrics

day name

deity name/theonym

numbers

Syntax:

line connecting elements

Cultural Content & Iconography:

Animals: Misc.

Architecture, Construction, Buildings

Death, decay, decomposition

Numbers, Math

Religion (Indigenous)

Time, Calendar, Frequency

Shapes and Perspectives:

boxed in

circle(s) (small, often concentric)

facing left

profile view

Keywords:

xiuhpohualli, año, turquesa, xihuitl

Museum & Rare Book Comparisons:

Museum/Rare Book Notes:

This chart of day signs from the tonalpohualli (260-day religious divinatory calendar) shows the 20 hieroglyphs that are the day signs that combined with 13 numbers in a rotating fashion. The Templo Calendárico at the archaeological site of the main temple of Tlatelolco preserves these day signs with notations for specific dates of ritual significance at the time the temple was built. We present here a photo of an educational sign at the site, shot by S. Wood on 2 May 2025. The sign has been exposed to the elements, and so we have tried to “clean” it digitally. Many of the glyphs (which are from pre-contact times) vary somewhat from those found in manuscripts, while others in the manuscripts remain remarkably unchanged. Comparisons can be very valuable.

Glyph or Iconographic Image:

Relevant Nahuatl Dictionary Word(s):

Glyph/Icon Name, Spanish Translation:

la cuenta de los días

Spanish Translation, Credit:

Stephanie Wood

Image Source:

Florentine Codex, World Digital Library and Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/resource/gdcwdl.wdl_10615/?sp=111&st=image&r=0.588,0..., image 111 of 188.

Image Source, Rights:

The Library of Congress is unaware of any copyright or other restrictions in the World Digital Library Collection. Absent any such restrictions, these materials are free to use and reuse. Researchers are encouraged to review the source information attached to each item. If you do publish anything from this database, please cite the Visual Lexicon of Aztec Hieroglyphs.