UC Merced Undergraduate Research Journal

All throughout history, humanity was always fascinated with the sky, and this fascination reached far beyond cultural barriers. Societies all across the globe held some kind of significance in the sky above their heads. That significance would manifest in different ways. Some would look towards the sky for direction, while others based their cultural practices off of what they saw up in the sky. Following this pattern, Mesoamerican societies also held a lot of significance within the sky. This interest was reflected in the calendars that they used. While Mesoamerican societies used both the 365-day calendar and the 260-day calendar, the 365-day calendar was used for things like agriculture and predicting harvest, while the 260-day calendar was used for more ritualistic means. The combination of their fascination with the sky and the Tonalpohualli or the 260-day calendar culminated in the divination practices within Mesoamerica. Within Mesoamerica, the use of astrology and the 260-day calendar was used to predict the fates and temperaments of the people who are born in their society, and this divination practice and those who practice it are at the center of their society and cultural practices.