In the pre-Columbian era, Mesoamerican calendars were used for several purposes besides keeping time. They were used in rituals, divination, and religious observances. There were two of these calendars which were commonly used by the Mesoamericans at the time. The 260-day and 365-day calendars. The 260-day calendar was the most important among the natives since it was considered as the ritual calendar and it lacked any links to the agricultural or astronomical patterns.
The 365-day calendar represented the vague or tropical years in Mesoamerica, and it was mainly employed in approximating over time and seasons. The 260-day calendar was used for divination to differentiate between lucky and unlucky days. Upon the birth of a child, as per the 260-day calendar, the date of birth of the child was used during the naming processes. This calendar was also used to administer names to gods in other Mesoamerican tribes. At some point in time, this calendar was used by midwives to predict the gestation period of a pregnant woman and the possible date of delivery.
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The 365-day calendar was divided into 18 months which consisted of 20 days each. Five days were unaccounted for, and they were considered to be the unlucky days. During these days' people engaged in minor activities to avoid misfortunes. Children born on any of these days were often regarded as unfortunate. The Mexicans called the five unlucky days nemontemi.
At the end of the calendar round, which was usually after 52 years, Mesoamericans believed that the world would be wrecked by the gods as it was earlier presumed to have happened on four occasions in Aztecs and thrice in Popul Vuh. In preparation for this, a Fire Ceremony was conducted where all fire was put out, fasting and rituals were carried out, and all utensils were destroyed as a symbol of new beginnings.at dawn, torches would be lit in temples, and they would be taken outside to help light new fires everywhere. They would then carry out thanksgiving rituals.
