Beautiful pictures Of The Aztec Calendar.

The Aztec calendar may look puzzling, so many glyps. What it all means? The central figure, is Tonatiu, the spirit of the sun. His tongue is an obsidian knife, symbol of gift and pleasure.

To the right and left claws with hearts; the divine food of the sun.

The Era of the Jaguar

 The four glyphs surrounding him represent the past eras.The first era Ocelotonatiuh "Jaguar Sun" lived a race of giants that was attacked and devoured by jaguars.

aztec gliph picture

 The second era Ehecatonatiuh, "Sun of the Wind" is represented by a crocodiles head, the symbol of ehécatl, spirit of the air. This era was destroyed by strong winds and huracanes and men became monkeys.

Era of Thunder

The third era, Quiauhtonatiuh, "Sun of Rain and Fire", is symbolized by Tlaloc, the spirit of celestial fire and Rain. A storm of lava and fire ended this era, and men transformed into birds.

The Era of Water

The fourth era, Atonatiuh, "Sun of water", is represented by the head of Chalchiuhtlicue, spirit of water. This era ended with rain that forced men into the sea, becoming fish.

You can see two examples with the following pictures of the Aztecs calendar:


Picture courtesy of allposters.com
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This one has no color in it, and it is displayed the same way it was found in the late XVIII century.



Here is Another picture of the Aztec calendar with color:



Picture courtesy of allposters.com



Can you appreciate the difference?

Here is yet annother reproduction of the aztec-calendar or sun stone. This is a large picture open it separately to view in full size.

The important thing is to understand that color placement is very important in ancient Mexico. Here is a Black and white picture of the Aztec calendar so you can color it anyway you want!

Click On Image for Large Picture of Aztec Calendar you can print!

If you want to visit aztecs you can see our travel guide, we have searched for inexpensive locations in Mexico you will love to discover.

 It is said that the Aztec calendar is not exactly a calendar, since you don't use it to know what is todays date, I'll post the real calendar soon and how it is used to count dates, please come back soon.

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