Divine Thirteen: The Sacred Aztec Number
Throughout the world, the number thirteen is fraught with varying degrees of superstition. In most cultures today, the number is seen as an ill omen meant to be avoided. Rarely will the number ever be considered lucky or have a positive connotation. In the time of the Aztec Empire in the Valley of Mexico (1318 C.E. – 1524 C.E), however, thirteen was a sacred number that reflected the beliefs of the Aztec people; not only was it symbolic for the empire’s celestial heavens, but it also played a key role in the Aztec ritual calendar and throughout the empire’s history.
The Aztec Thirteen
The Aztecs had many numbers they believed to be lucky—3, 7 and 10, to name a few—but none was so important as the number …show more content…
The Celestial Plane or “the heavens” was broken down into thirteen levels (Aguilar-Moreno, 2006). These level were referred to as the “skies” and were believed to be the individual domains of their deities. The topmost layer was the realm of Ometeotl, the supreme deity of the Aztec pantheon. This was followed by the red sky, the yellow sky, the White sky, the sky of ice and rays, the blue-green sky of the wind, the black sky of the dust, the sky of stars of fire and dust (stars, planets, and comets), the dwelling of Huixtocihuatl (salt or saltwater and birds), the dwelling of Tonatiuh (the Sun and the demonic female entities known as tzitzimime, the dwelling of Citlalicue (Milky Way), the dwelling of Tlaloc …show more content…
The ritual calendar, called the tonapohualli or “counting of the days,” can be broken up into two basic parts: a group of thirteen day numbers that combined with twenty day symbols. As such, thirteen day numbers and twenty day symbols led to 260 (13 x 20 = 260) days where each day had its own unique name (Townsend, 1992). The start of the ritual calendar always began with 1 (the day number) Rabbit (the day symbol), followed by 2 Water, 3 Dog, 4 Monkey, and so on. After the cycle reaches 13 Flower, the next trecena, a group of thirteen day numbers, begins with 1 Alligator, 2 Wind, 3 House, and so on (Aguilar-Moreno,
Throughout the world, the number thirteen is fraught with varying degrees of superstition. In most cultures today, the number is seen as an ill omen meant to be avoided. Rarely will the number ever be considered lucky or have a positive connotation. In the time of the Aztec Empire in the Valley of Mexico (1318 C.E. – 1524 C.E), however, thirteen was a sacred number that reflected the beliefs of the Aztec people; not only was it symbolic for the empire’s celestial heavens, but it also played a key role in the Aztec ritual calendar and throughout the empire’s history.
The Aztec Thirteen
The Aztecs had many numbers they believed to be lucky—3, 7 and 10, to name a few—but none was so important as the number …show more content…
The Celestial Plane or “the heavens” was broken down into thirteen levels (Aguilar-Moreno, 2006). These level were referred to as the “skies” and were believed to be the individual domains of their deities. The topmost layer was the realm of Ometeotl, the supreme deity of the Aztec pantheon. This was followed by the red sky, the yellow sky, the White sky, the sky of ice and rays, the blue-green sky of the wind, the black sky of the dust, the sky of stars of fire and dust (stars, planets, and comets), the dwelling of Huixtocihuatl (salt or saltwater and birds), the dwelling of Tonatiuh (the Sun and the demonic female entities known as tzitzimime, the dwelling of Citlalicue (Milky Way), the dwelling of Tlaloc …show more content…
The ritual calendar, called the tonapohualli or “counting of the days,” can be broken up into two basic parts: a group of thirteen day numbers that combined with twenty day symbols. As such, thirteen day numbers and twenty day symbols led to 260 (13 x 20 = 260) days where each day had its own unique name (Townsend, 1992). The start of the ritual calendar always began with 1 (the day number) Rabbit (the day symbol), followed by 2 Water, 3 Dog, 4 Monkey, and so on. After the cycle reaches 13 Flower, the next trecena, a group of thirteen day numbers, begins with 1 Alligator, 2 Wind, 3 House, and so on (Aguilar-Moreno,