guatemala
Mayan Calendar Codex
Uploaded on 27th January 2025
For my Guatemalan project, I really wanted to explore the Mayan calendar system and understand how it fits into our Gregorian system, and present this to a user.
So 'Mayan Calendar Codex' was born - a fun way to find out the Mayan meaning behind a significant date, and learn more about this fascinating date system.
Having been to many a Mayan ruin throughout Guatemala (and Mexico!), I'd always enjoyed learning about the culture and found their astronomical and methodical approach to time logic so interesting. I couldn't wait to dive further into the topic (and boy did I!).
Here are some of my favourite ruins and Mayan inspirations across this beautiful country:
My favourite ancient ruin - Tikal in Flores
Apparently this is the famous "Star Wars" shot at Tikal!
Gorgeous Mayan calendar mural in San Marcos La Laguna
In front of one of the new 7 wonders of the world - the iconic Chichen Itza!
Palenque's Mayan archaeological site
Mayan chocolate making class, surrounded by glyph murals
Beautiful Mayan glyphs painted on the walls around Lake Atitlán
I began my Guatemala travel in the north, where the world famous Tikal ruins lie. This visit was one of my favourite days, not least because it was the perfect end to 2024! The main city, Flores, is where the idea for Mayan Calendar Codex was formed.
I then travelled down the centre, stopping in the luscious jungle area of Semuc Champey where the surrounding towns are Mayan. The hostel I stayed in had the most beautiful setup for infinity pool view coding!
Further south, I successfully hiked Acatenango and Fuego volcanoes - absolutely insane! Seeking some well-needed rest post climb, I hit up Lake Atitlán where this project really came to life. Beautiful Mayan glyph murals in San Marcos La Laguna really spurred me along too, and made me so keen to deliver these gorgeous depictions to you!
It can't get better than infinity pool coding, with THAT view!
Rooftop volcano views over Lake Atitlán - the perfect coding afternoon
Hostel laptop sessions
A quick stomp up an active volcano!
More beautiful rooftop coding views
Once I was set on the idea of a calendar converter, I had the mammoth task of figuring out the actual logic to display the accurate equivalent to the input Gregorian date. This, my friend, was not easy! But thanks to a lot of research, trial and error, and checking across existing converters, I'm confident the presented Mayan dates are correct.
I also wanted to ensure that the relevant Haab and Tzolk'in glyphs were displayed alongside the date and meaning, giving an extra dimension to the result and allowing the user to immerse themselves into this calendar system more. I was really hoping to be able to find an API that contained all of the glyph information, but sadly I was unsuccessful so had to write and host all of this data myself.
After my Bit-By-Bit Taco Builder (Mexico's project) reflection, I knew I really wanted to add a share function for the result. Unfortunately I did come across a lot of bugs trying to implement this, and there are still a couple that arise every now and then which sadly I ran out of time to fix, but hopefully it works 90% of the time!
Additionally, as a final step, I decided to add a whole 'learning zone' to the app which houses information about the whole calendar system, from The Calendar Round to The Lords Of The Night. I wanted to give the user more context if they wished to read more about how their dates actually work. I had so much fun researching all of this, but please do be aware of the disclaimers on the app as I am (obviously) not a professional researcher, nor was this the point of me building the app. But I did my best! Please see the 'References' section of the README on Github.
The start screen prompts the user to input their date
The Haab and Tzolk'in dates, glyphs and meanings are displayed as the result
The learning zone
Read up on The Calendar Round information
If I had more time, I'd definitely modernise the look of the app a lot as I'm not sold on its current appearance. I'd also love to customise the share graphic a little more, so that it includes a link to the app and is more user friendly.
But overall, I love that I've been able to deliver a project that I think users will find fun and engaging, blending Mayan and modern Western date systems and culture. It's like a little bit of cultural astrology!
Please send me your Mayan dates and let me know if the meanings align for you!
As always, drop me a message if you spot any bugs, have any improvement ideas, or have any suggestions for future country projects!