The Aztec Calendar Wheel vs. The Mayan Pyramid of Chichenitza
The Aztec Calendar Wheel
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These two stamps of Pre-Hispanic civilization might not look as if they have much in common. One is huge and the other is just a wheel, one is round and the other is, well, a pyramid. However, these two artifacts of Mayan and Aztec civilization have a lot in common. First of all, both objects are calendars even though neither of them look much like one of today's calendar. The pyramid of Chichen itza has 91 steps on each one of the four sides plus the final temple step at the very top. 9*4+1=365. These steps represent the days of the year. The Aztec calendar wheel basically worked the way gears to today. 4 different sized wheels (one inside another inside another all next to the big stone one showed in the picture), spun around to define the day's date. It can also be seen as working with 365 as the most common denominator for these 4 wheels. Now, besides the fact that they are, believe it or not, calendars and are made of stone, these two artifacts set the bar when it comes to the technology and ingenuity required to design and construct them. Their religious value is also noticeable since they both depict gods on them. (continue down)
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The Mayan pyramid of Chichen Itza
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The Aztec wheel has days and months named after gods, and the Mayan pyramid has the equinox, which is a day every six months when the serpent god climbs down from the heavens to visit earth-dwelling creatures (us). They represent cultural and religious aspect in a sense where architects, mathematicians, astrologists and priests all came together to build these and as a result, were found high on the social hierarchy. These artifacts affected daily life because they were literally daily life. After deep analysis, it is easy to see the uncanny resemblance between these two artifacts, patterns in history and products of cultural diffusion.