Mayan Calendar Converter
Convert any Gregorian date to the Mayan Long Count, Tzolk'in, Haab, and Lord of the Night calendars. Free online converter for students and history enthusiasts.
About This Calculator
The Mayan Calendar Converter transforms any Gregorian date into its equivalent in the ancient Maya calendar system, which includes the Long Count, Tzolk'in, Haab, and Lord of the Night calendars. This tool is ideal for students of Mesoamerican history, archaeology enthusiasts, or anyone curious about what their birthday looks like in the Mayan calendar.
The Maya developed one of the most sophisticated calendar systems in the ancient world, combining multiple interlocking cycles to track time with remarkable precision. The Long Count calendar records days linearly from a fixed creation date — August 11, 3114 BCE (0.0.0.0.0) — using a vigesimal (base-20) hierarchy of time periods: k'in (1 day), uinal (20 days), tun (360 days), k'atun (7,200 days), and b'ak'tun (144,000 days). The Tzolk'in is a 260-day sacred calendar formed by cycling 20 named days through 13 numbers, while the Haab is a 365-day solar year of 18 months with 20 days each plus a five-day Wayeb' period considered unlucky. Each day also falls under the patronage of one of nine Lords of the Night in a repeating cycle.
To use the converter, simply enter a year, month, and day. For dates before year 1 CE, check the BCE box. The calculator computes the Julian Day Number (JDN) using the Richards algorithm, subtracts the creation JDN (584,283), and then computes each calendar component independently. The URL saves your inputs automatically, enabling easy sharing of specific date conversions.
Frequently Asked Questions
How does the Mayan calendar converter work?
Enter any Gregorian date (year, month, day) and click Convert. The calculator computes the Julian Day Number (JDN), finds the number of days since the Mayan creation epoch (August 11, 3114 BCE), and then calculates the Long Count, Tzolk'in day, Haab date, and Lord of the Night all at once.
What is the Mayan Long Count calendar?
The Long Count is a linear day count from the Mayan creation date (0.0.0.0.0) using a vigesimal hierarchy of five units: 1 k'in (day), 20 k'in = 1 uinal (20 days), 18 uinal = 1 tun (360 days), 20 tun = 1 k'atun (7,200 days), and 20 k'atun = 1 b'ak'tun (144,000 days or about 394 years).
What is the Tzolk'in calendar?
The Tzolk'in is a 260-day sacred calendar combining 20 day names with 13 day numbers. It was used by the Maya for religious ceremonies and divination. The cycle repeats every 260 days, producing unique combinations such as 4 Ajaw, 5 Imix', or 13 Ik'. Each combination was believed to carry specific spiritual significance.
What is the Haab calendar?
The Haab is a 365-day solar calendar consisting of 18 months of 20 days each (360 days total) plus a short five-day period called Wayeb'. The five unlucky days of Wayeb' were considered a dangerous time. The Haab year began with 0 Pop and ended with 4 Wayeb', after which the new year cycle restarted.
What are the Lords of the Night?
The Lords of the Night are a cycle of nine underworld deities that each rule over a day in a repeating nine-day sequence. The cycle began with G1 (Xiuhtecuhtli, the Fire Lord) on the Mayan creation day. The nine lords are: Xiuhtecuhtli, Tezcatlipoca, Piltzintecuhtli, Centeotl, Mictlantecuhtli, Chalchiuhtlicue, Tlazolteotl, Tepeyollotl, and Tlaloc.
Is this Mayan calendar converter free?
Yes, this Mayan calendar converter is completely free to use with no registration or account required. Simply enter your date and get instant Mayan calendar results with charts and breakdowns.
What is the Mayan creation date?
The Mayan creation date corresponds to August 11, 3114 BCE in the proleptic Gregorian calendar, marked as Long Count 0.0.0.0.0 and associated with Tzolk'in 4 Ajaw and Haab 8 Kumk'u. This date represents the start of the current world era in Mayan cosmology, believed by the ancient Maya to be the day of creation.
Did the Mayan calendar predict the end of the world in 2012?
No. December 21, 2012 (Long Count 13.0.0.0.0) marked the end of a 13-b'ak'tun cycle and the beginning of a new one, similar to New Year's Eve. It was not an end-of-world prediction. The Long Count calendar has no upper bound — it continues indefinitely with higher units like piktun, kalabtun, and alautun, each 20 times longer than the previous.