Mayan Calendar Converter | Ancient Calendar Tool

Mayan Calendar Converter

Convert Gregorian dates to the ancient Mayan calendar system, including Long Count, Tzolk'in, and Haab' dates.

Convert to Mayan Calendar

Enter any date to see its Mayan calendar equivalent

What is the Mayan Calendar?

The Mayan calendar is actually a sophisticated system of three interlocking calendars used by the ancient Maya civilization of Mesoamerica. Rather than a single calendar, it's a complex timekeeping system that tracked multiple cycles simultaneously.

The Three Calendars:

  • Long Count: Linear count of days since creation date (August 11, 3114 BCE in Gregorian calendar). Written as bak'tun.k'atun.tun.uinal.k'in (e.g., 13.0.0.0.0)
  • Tzolk'in: 260-day sacred calendar used for ceremonies and prophecy. Combines 13 numbers with 20 day names in a repeating cycle
  • Haab': 365-day civil calendar with 18 months of 20 days plus 5 unlucky days (Wayeb')

The combination of Tzolk'in and Haab' creates the Calendar Round — a 52-year cycle (18,980 days) before the same date combination repeats. This was the primary calendar for most Maya purposes.

How to Use This Converter

1

Enter a Gregorian Date

Input any date from our modern calendar. The converter automatically displays today's date when you load the page.

2

View All Three Calendar Systems

The converter shows the Long Count (absolute date), Tzolk'in (sacred calendar), and Haab' (civil calendar) for your selected date.

3

Explore Significant Dates

Try converting historically significant dates, your birthday, or December 21, 2012 (the famous "end" of the 13th bak'tun).

Significant Mayan Dates

Creation Date (Mayan Zero Day)

Gregorian Date: August 11, 3114 BCE

Long Count: 0.0.0.0.0

Significance: The Mayan creation date, when the current world age began according to Maya mythology. This is day zero of the Long Count calendar.

December 21, 2012 - End of 13th Bak'tun

Long Count: 13.0.0.0.0

Tzolk'in: 4 Ajaw

Haab': 3 K'ank'in

Significance: Completion of the 13th bak'tun (a 394-year cycle). Widely misinterpreted as "end of the world" but actually just the end of a calendar cycle, similar to our millennium celebrations. The calendar simply rolled over to 0.0.0.0.1 (starting the 14th bak'tun).

January 1, 2000 - Y2K in Mayan Calendar

Long Count: 12.19.6.15.2

Tzolk'in: 7 Ik'

Haab': 10 K'ank'in

Significance: The turn of the millennium in our calendar. In the Mayan Long Count, this was near the end of the 12th bak'tun, about 12 years before the completion of the full 13-bak'tun cycle.

Frequently Asked Questions

Did the Mayan calendar predict the end of the world in 2012?

No. December 21, 2012 marked the completion of the 13th bak'tun (13.0.0.0.0), which is like reaching 12/31/1999 in our calendar — a notable milestone, but not an end. The Maya themselves never predicted apocalypse; they recorded dates far into the future. The calendar simply rolled over to the 14th bak'tun (0.0.0.0.1).

Why is there a "correlation constant"?

We need to align the Mayan Long Count with our Gregorian calendar. The GMT (Goodman-Martinez-Thompson) correlation constant of 584,283 is the most widely accepted, placing the Mayan creation date at August 11, 3114 BCE. However, other correlations exist with different constants.

How long is a bak'tun?

A bak'tun is 144,000 days, approximately 394 years. The Long Count uses base-20 (vigesimal) system: 1 k'in = 1 day, 1 uinal = 20 k'in (20 days), 1 tun = 18 uinal (360 days), 1 k'atun = 20 tun (7,200 days), 1 bak'tun = 20 k'atun (144,000 days).

What is Wayeb'?

Wayeb' is the unlucky 5-day period at the end of the Haab' calendar (days 360-364). The Maya considered these days dangerous and performed rituals to protect themselves. People stayed indoors, avoided work, and made offerings to the gods during Wayeb'.

Can I convert Mayan dates back to Gregorian?

Yes, though this converter only goes one direction. To reverse the process, you'd add the Long Count days to the correlation constant, convert to Julian Day Number, then to Gregorian date. The math works both ways!

Do modern Maya still use this calendar?

Yes! Many Maya communities in Guatemala, Mexico, Belize, and Honduras continue using the Tzolk'in for ceremonies, agriculture, and divination. Some daykeepers (aj k'ij) still maintain the sacred 260-day count that has run continuously for over 3,000 years.

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