To delve into the world of the Maya is to find an integral path that is in harmony with the natural order. The wisdom of this tradition encompasses many topics of human knowledge, which are a legacy to mankind. Mayas developed great knowledge in astronomy, mathematics, art, philosophy, architecture, and agronomy, amongst many other disciplines. Their world revolves within a vision in which the physical, natural, cosmic, and magical interact. This is their Geo-Cosmovision, and the Sacred Cholq’ij Calendar is the key for this understanding. This calendar is the guide and axis around which all activities of the Maya people revolve; their mythology, ceremonies, social and personal endeavors, agricultural practices, architecture, and spirituality. Their every activity is bound to this calendar. More than just being a calendar that marks the passage of time, the Sacred Cholq’ij renders an account of the energies that influence daily life. It allows us to observe and understand our essence, to be in synchrony with the essence of Mother Earth and the Cosmos. It guides us to learn how to relate with the energies that manifest in this reality, to be able to develop ourselves fully and accomplish our purpose of being. 

 

Mayas were known to be the guardians of time. The counting of time was extremely important to them, as they developed several countings and calculations, now known as calendars (there is evidence of at least twenty), which measure energies, transits of the planets such as Venus, lunar cycles, agronomy, government, and even death. Their culture was shaped in such a way that it was always in harmony with nature and all forms of life, deriving from an awareness of everything that surrounded them, and a knowledge of being one with all. Their calendars were the basis to live by these principles. They created the Cholq’ij, which is the guide, starting point, and the element that unites and correlates to all the other calendars. The Cholq’ij is the synthesis of centuries of study and observation performed by the great Maya Wisepeople. This calendar is based on the convergence of 20 energies or Ch’umilab’ which give shape to what, in the Maya World, is known as Najt, the space-time macro-spiral within which the reality in which we live exists. Ten of these energies are related to the Cosmos and they are connected to our fingers, and ten rise from the telluric flow of Mother Earth and are related to our toes, which are in constant contact with Nature. Each of the 20 energies is also connected to one of the four prime elements: fire, earth, air, or water. The 20 Ch’umilab’ have 13 different manifestations that are related to the thirteen main joint articulations of the human body. The confluence of these 20 energies or Ch’umilab’ with the 13 numerals form this 260 day calendar. A calendar cycle is complete when each of the 13 numerals has combined with each of the 20 Ch’umilab’. In this way, the Cholq’ij has counted the days for thousands of years. Each of its days possesses a unique energy that connects us to what surrounds us. It guides us to act in harmony with the characteristics of the day, strengthens our spirituality, and leads us to better know ourselves, to have a deeper understanding of nature in order to live a balanced and harmonic existence, and to develop as integral beings in complete harmony with the energies of Father Sky and Mother Earth, so that we can reach our full potential. This Sacred Calendar is part of the longer Haab’ Calendar. The Haab’ Calendar is mathematically perfect. In it, the Wise Elders obtained the most exact measure of a solar year (365.242198 days.) The Haab’ is the calendar that marks the Solstices, Equinoxes, seasons and the way in which these influence us. It is a guide to transit and live in harmony with creation. This is also the calendar that indicates the cycles of planting and harvesting, the count that marks the carrier of the year - the energy that will rule over the year. The Haab’ is formed by 18 months of 20 days each, plus one month of 5 days called Tz’apiq’ij, known as Wayeb’ in Maya Yucatec. The Maya tradition believes the Tz’apiq’ij is a ceremonial time, a moment of purification, reflection, and renovation in every plane of existence, a time of abstinence in which we cleanse both physically and energetically, in which we recharge and guide our energy towards achieving our purposes for the new Haab’ year.  It is thought that to be able to fully walk our path of life, our Saq’ B’e (Sacred Path), we have to remain light, and the end of the Tz'apiq'ij cycle is the moment to cleanse and let go of the burdens we carry. The word Tz'apiq'ij is in K’iche’ language and literally translates to “closing the door to the days.” Each of the other months of the Haab’ also holds an energy that influences the period of time during which their energy rules. 

Ab’ and Cholq’ij calendars coincide every 52 years, from where the calendrical rotation begins anew in the initial position. The Mayas have a vision of a total connection between the Cosmos and Nature, and this vision imprints their every activity.  This is true for every aspect and endeavour of their life. One example can be agriculture, which is a practice of utmost importance to the Maya. It is the nourishment and medicine of their body. For this reason, agriculture is more than just fieldwork, it has a spiritual influence. With this purpose, the Haab’ Calendar measures the ideal times and cycles for planting and harvesting, running together with the Cholq’ij, which provides the more spiritual, energetic, and subtle part of the planting and harvesting process. They developed planting methods such as the milpa, where maize is not planted in a monoculture technique but rather combined with beans, as they enrich the soil with nitrogen, and squash to provide shadow and humidity, having a crop that is conscious about Mother Earth.  The Maya way of living brings a wisdom that motivates us to develop in such a way that we not only fulfill our purpose as individual human beings, for each of us has a life mission, but also our collective purpose, for we have a joint evolution as a humanity, which is also linked to Mother Earth.  As a society, ancient Mayas were highly oriented towards the community, and this is also reflected in today's tradition, where people live in a way of mutual aid and sharing, the well-being of the whole is always the priority. The Maya Geo-Cosmovision, which is a philosophy of harmonious coexistence with Nature and the Cosmos, has much to contribute and share with the Western world.