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Need help with Mayan Calander project

PostPosted: Tue Jan 18, 2005 9:34 pm
by bakura_fan
ok...so...for my History/Astronomy class, my group has to create the Mayan Calander and explain how it works...and why it was used....Here's the problem....We are kind of having a problem finding much in the way of how to build one...and answers to our questions....I've searched Google and have come up with very little....and we are not sure when our presentation is..the teacher's kind of keeping that from us for awhile...so..if any of you know about any sites that talk about this thing...or have any info about it....PLEASE I AM BEGGING YOU PLEASE HELP US OUT HERE!....thank you.

PostPosted: Wed Jan 19, 2005 1:52 pm
by bakura_fan
>_> no one knows anything? Sorry....I probably seem a bit pushy....

PostPosted: Wed Jan 19, 2005 1:59 pm
by Kenshin17
I wish I could help. You tried google and missed?? Now that is a world record. You managed to stump the internet search engine. The world is coming to an end. Run, run for your lives....

*ahem*

Did you try just looking for a history site or something like that?? There have to be sites on mayan history out there. I should try searching myself. In fact I will.

*goes to search* Mayan calander...mayan calander

PostPosted: Wed Jan 19, 2005 2:00 pm
by Mr. SmartyPants
ah its okay, ur having a rough day

mayan calendar eh.... i dont know much.

ive found a site, but perhaps youve already run into it
http://webexhibits.org/calendars/calendar-mayan.html

PostPosted: Wed Jan 19, 2005 2:01 pm
by Kenshin17
http://webexhibits.org/calendars/calendar-mayan.html

try this one.

O_O SP and I found the exact same site. O_O

PostPosted: Wed Jan 19, 2005 2:21 pm
by bakura_fan
lol....tis ok.....thanks....at least it's a start....

PostPosted: Wed Jan 19, 2005 4:05 pm
by Esoteric
Build one? Do you mean make a replica of the Stone of the Sun? (that circular calendar stone) If that's your intent you might try looking up "Aztec calendar" or "the fifth sun" instead. I'm not sure that they've found any Mayan calendar stones... at least not like that one, but they're calendar worked the same way.

If you actually mean building a calendar out of cardboard or something where you turn wheels to follow dates... That's gonna be a little tough! I recommend you go to a local library, preferably a college library and search there. You should confirm that the Aztec and Mayan callendars work the same, but assuming they do, The aztec calendar has two parts, the secular and the sacred which behave like two gear cogs. The secular had 360 days and the Sacred 260 days. These both had separate arraingments of days and months. The Secular had 18 months, each 20 days long. The sacred only had 13 symbols, which rotated with the 20 days, creating '65 day long' weeks . Note: There were 5 1/4 days at the end of the 360 day year which were considered unlucky. They are extra days, not part of any month. Because these 'gear cogs' are of uneven size, it takes 52 years for the calendars to 'reset'. This 52 years are an Aztec Century.

Source: From Black Land to Fifth Sun by Brian Fagan

PostPosted: Wed Jan 19, 2005 5:23 pm
by bakura_fan
wow...that sound a lot like what our teacher was telling us about the Mayan calender(just not in that much detail)...I'll show it to one of my partners in this...she's also on CAA...but doesn't log in much....thanks. ^_^