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Wiki concept · Maya & Mesoamerican calendars

Long Count

A Maya system counting days through units including k’in, uinal, tun, katun and baktun; correlation links it to other calendars.

In this entry

Word origin · etymology

Descriptive English scholarly label.

Long distinguishes a continuing count of elapsed days from shorter repeating calendar cycles; count names its chronological tally.

Smithsonian NMAI: Maya Calendar Converter ↗

How we know · epistemology

Historical day-count notation

The units record elapsed days from an epoch rather than a recurring birthday category. Converting to another calendar requires a stated correlation; interpretation of an inscription also needs its historical and linguistic context.

Smithsonian NMAI: Maya calendar converter and units ↗

Connected concepts

These links connect subjects and terminology. They do not establish a shared historical origin.

Sources & provenance

Use the citations beside each section to distinguish a calculation convention, a historical teaching and an editorial example.

Find these sources across the wiki →

  1. Smithsonian NMAI: Maya calendar converter and units ↗