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AZTEC DAY SIGNS:
These strange and sometimes cartoonish symbols represent the 20 religious
calendar days of the Aztec 260-day tonalpohualli calendar. They may be at
least vaguely familiar from the famous Aztec Calendar Stone, displayed in
Mexico City and reproduced commonly. These hieroglyphic day signs and their
associated icons are as follows:
| 1. Crocodile (Cipactli) |
2. Wind (Ehecatl) |
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| CROCO-A1 | CROCO-A2 | CROCO-A3 |
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WIND-A1 | WIND-A3 | WIND-B1 | WIND-B2 |
| 3. House (Calli) |
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| HOUSE-A1 | HOUSE-A2 | HOUSE-A3 | HOUSE-B1 | HOUSE-B2 | HOUSE-B3 |
| 4. Lizard (Cuetzpallin) |
5. Serpent (Coatl) |
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| LIZARDA1 | LIZARDA2 | LIZARDA3 |
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SERPNTA1 | SERPNTA2 | SERPNTB3 |
| 6. Skull (Miquiztli) |
7. Deer (Mazatl) |
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| SKULL-A1 | SKULL-A2 | SKULL-A3 | SKULL-B
(Mixtec) |
|
DEER-A1 | DEER-A2 | DEER-A3 |
| 8. Rabbit (Tochtli) |
9. Water (Atl) |
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| RABBITA1 | RABBITA2 | RABBITA3 |
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WATER-A1 | WATER-A2 | WATER-B1 | WATER-B2 |
| 10. Dog (Itzcuintli) |
11. Monkey (Ozomatli) |
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| DOG-A1 | DOG-A2 |
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MONKEYA1 | MONKEYA2 | MONKEYA3 |
| 12. Grass (Malinalli) |
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13. Reed (Acatl) |
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| GRASS-A1 | GRASS-A2 | GRASS-B1 | GRASS-B2 |
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REED-A1 | REED-A2 | REED-B1 | REED-B2 |
| 14. Jaguar (Ocelotl) |
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| JAGUARA1 | JAGUARA2 | JAGUARB1 | JAGUARB2 | JAGUARB3 |
| 15. Eagle (Cuauhtli) |
16. Vulture (Cozcaquauhtli) |
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| EAGLE-A1 | EAGLE-A2 | EAGLE-A3 |
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VULTURA1 | VULTURA2 | VULTURA3 |
| 17. Motion (Ollin) |
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| MOTIONA1 | MOTIONA2 | MOTIONA3 | MOTIONB1 | MOTIONB2 | MOTIONB3 |
| 18. Flint knife (Tecpatl) |
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| KNIFE-A1 | KNIFE-A2 | KNIFE-A3 | KNIFE-B1 | KNIFE-B2 | KNIFE-C1 | KNIFE-C2 | KNIFE-D3 |
| 19. Rain (Quiahuitl) |
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| RAIN-A1 | RAIN-A2 | RAIN-A3 | RAIN-B1 | RAIN-B2 |
| 20. Flower (Xochitl) |
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| FLOWERA1 | FLOWERA2 | FLOWERA3 |
At the time of this writing, there is a website that presents the Aztec
calendar in some detail, presenting equivalents with the contemporary
calendar so that one can learn today's date or one's birthdate in the Aztec
calendar. It is a fun site to visit.
- These day-sign icons were drawn primarily from Ref.1.
- Icons whose names end with the numeral 1 are simple line drawings.
- Icons ending with the numeral 2 are colored to my personal taste.
- Icons ending with the numeral 3 and greater are colored, as best I can manage, with the same colors used by Aztec artists, as reproduced in Ref.2, 3, and elsewhere.
- Icons with name terminations of "A" are the first version I drew, and "B," etc., are subsequent versions.
OTHER MESOAMERICA-RELATED ICONS:
| 1AZTMOON |
The Aztecs saw a rabbit in the moon, not a man. Look for yourself the next time a full moon rolls around. The gods hurled the rabbit in the face of Tecciztecatl, the second sun, which/who was too bright. |
| 1-RABBT1 |
This and the following celebrate the year 1-Rabbit, the mythic date of the beginning of the present era. |
| 1-RABBT2 | As above |
| 1-REED1 |
This and the following recognize a crucial (to the Aztecs and to Hernan Cortes) year 1-Reed, or 1519. |
| 1-REED2 | As above |
| AO-01 | From the Mixtec document called the Codex Nuttall. Colored as I prefer it to be colored. I have no idea what it means. |
| AO-02 | Same, colored as the Mixtec artist preferred. |
| AO-03 | More or less the same, from Page 5 of the codex. |
| FTPRINTS | Used in the codices to suggest direction, travel, etc. |
| OYOUALLI | Never mind; don't even ask. |
| TOLTEC01 | The firebird symbol of the Toltec ruling class. |
| TOLTEC02 | Feathered serpent design from a Toltec back (kidney) shield. |
Ref. 1. Townsend RF. The Aztecs. New York, Thames and Hudson, 1992, page
124.
Ref. 2. Burland C, Forman W. The Aztecs. New York, Galahad, 1980, page 65
and others.
Ref. 3. Diaz G, Rodgers A. The Codex Borgia. New York, Dover, 1993,
passim.
Any comments or criticisms will be welcomed!
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ztec 
cons
