Core calendar terms
Tzolk'in / Tzolkin / Cholq'ij — the 260-day sacred calendar. Haab' / Haab — the 365-day civil/solar calendar. Long Count — linear day count from 11 Aug 3114 BCE. Calendar Round — 18,980-day (52-year) Tzolk'in x Haab' cycle. Kin — one day, or the unique sign+tone pair (260 of them).
Winal / Uinal — 20 days, one Haab' month. Tun — 360 days, ~one solar year. K'atun / Katun — 7,200 days, ~20 years. B'ak'tun / Baktun — 144,000 days, ~394 years. Piktun — 20 baktuns, ~7,890 years. Wayeb' / Uayeb — the five nameless days closing the Haab'. 0 Pop — first day of the Haab' (Maya New Year).
Tonalpohualli — Aztec name for the 260-day count. GMT correlation (584,283) — Goodman-Martinez-Thompson constant linking Long Count to Julian Day Number. Great Cycle — 13 baktuns, ~5,125 years; current ended 21 Dec 2012. Vague year — 365-day Haab' without leap correction. Seating — the day-0 transition concept in Haab' months. Dreamspell / 13-Moon — José Argüelles' 1990 reinterpretation, distinct from traditional Maya. Proleptic Gregorian — the modern calendar projected backward into pre-1582 dates. Julian Day Number (JDN) — continuous day count used in astronomy and Maya math.
People, roles, ceremony
Ajq'ij / Aj Q'ij — K'iche' day-keeper, Maya calendar priest. Mam — Year Bearer; literally grandfather. Cargador — Spanish for Year Bearer. Cofradía — community ceremonial brotherhood, often calendar-aware. Costumbre — the K'iche' term for traditional Maya ceremonial practice. Nawal / Nahual / Nagual — a day sign, or the spirit animal of a day; sometimes a personal totem. Tata / Nan — male/female elder in K'iche' usage. Vara — staff/bundle of seeds and crystals used by an ajq'ij in divination.
The 20 day signs
Listed Yucatec / pop / K'iche' / English. 1 Imix / Imix / Imox — Crocodile, Water Lily. 2 Ik' / Ik / Iq' — Wind. 3 Ak'b'al / Akbal / Aq'ab'al — Night. 4 K'an / Kan / K'at — Lizard, Net, Seed. 5 Chikchan / Chicchan / Kan — Serpent. 6 Kimi / Cimi / Kame — Death. 7 Manik' / Manik / Kej — Deer, Hand. 8 Lamat / Lamat / Q'anil — Star, Rabbit. 9 Muluk / Muluc / Toj — Water, Offering. 10 Ok / Oc / Tz'i' — Dog.
11 Chuwen / Chuen / B'atz' — Monkey. 12 Eb' / Eb / E — Road, Tooth. 13 B'en / Ben / Aj — Reed. 14 Ix / Ix / I'x — Jaguar. 15 Men / Men / Tz'ikin — Eagle. 16 K'ib' / Cib / Ajmaq — Vulture, Owl. 17 Kab'an / Caban / No'j — Earth. 18 Etz'nab' / Etznab / Tijax — Flint, Knife. 19 Kawak / Cauac / Kawoq — Storm. 20 Ajaw / Ahau / Ajpu — Sun, Lord.
The 13 tones (number / traditional / Dreamspell)
1 Unity / Magnetic. 2 Duality / Lunar. 3 Action / Electric. 4 Stability / Self-Existing. 5 Center / Overtone. 6 Flow / Rhythmic. 7 Reflection / Resonant. 8 Justice / Galactic. 9 Patience / Solar. 10 Manifestation / Planetary. 11 Resolution / Spectral. 12 Understanding / Crystal. 13 Ascension / Cosmic.
Lords of the Night and minor cycles
Lords of the Night (G1–G9) — 9-deity nocturnal cycle, advances one per day. 819-day count — Classic-era cycle paired with the four cardinal directions; rare in modern astrology. Supplementary Series — Classic-inscription block including lunar age, lunation count, Lord of the Night. Lunar Series — moon-phase data attached to Long Count dates.