ANCIENT BOOKS: Mixtec Group Codices

Year Bearers

The Mixtec named their years and bound them into fifty-two year cycles. The Oaxacan pictorial motif for a year is an interlaced "A-O" sign (probably signifying a royal crown). Each year is then accompanied by one of four year bearers:

Like the day count, the year count employs thirteen numerical dots. After fifty-two-years is reached the count is begun all over again. This allowed the Mixtec to compose 52-year cycles, a time period comparable in usage to our 100-year "century." If one begins with the first year of 1 Reed in the Mixtec system one can count ahead 365 days to the day sign 2 Flint.  2 Flint then becomes the name of the second solar year. Every 52-year cycle began with the year 1 Reed, Day 1 Crocodile. Jill Furst suggested that this date also meant literally "the beginning of time."

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