4 Ajaw 3 Xul. Drawing by Jorge Pérez de Lara.

Let me take this opportunity to announce that our blogs will now follow a schedule of every two winals or 40 days, so that the day Ajaw will remain the same, while the number of the day will advance by one. Floyd Lounsbury noted that the Jakaltek Maya refer to this as the “Steps of the Year” or U Yok Habil. Today’s date is 4 Ajaw 3 Xul, while the subsequent blog will follow on 5 Ajaw 3 Mol, August 22, followed by 6 Ajaw 3 Yax on October 1, etc. This gives us an easy progression to follow, while allowing ample time for our colleagues to report back from the field.

Today, the auspicious day of 4 Ajaw commemorates the same Tzolk’in day of the Long Count Era Base on 4 Ajaw 8 Kumk’u, mentioned with reverence throughout the inscriptions of the Classic Period as a day of renewal. Continue reading →