6 July 2025 The Future is the Product of the Past

Archaeologists find the earliest evidence Maya sacred calendar in the Guatemalan pyramid

Archaeologists identified two plaster fragments depicting a date that the Maya civilization called ‘7 deer’ and was part of the 260-day calendar cycle.

The Maya calendar dates back further than previously recognized, a mural more than 2,220 years old reveals. The finding probably indicates other aspects of Maya culture also originated at least 150 years earlier than has been acknowledged.

The fragments were found at the San Bartolo archeological site in the jungles of northern Guatemala, which gained fame with the 2001 discovery of a buried chamber with elaborate and colorful murals dating to about 100 B.C. depicting Maya ceremonial and mythological scenes, researchers said on Wednesday.

Research has shown construction at the site began 2,300 to 2,200 years ago and that the pyramids at the site were built in multiple phases. The pieces with the “7 Deer” glyph were unearthed inside the same Las Pinturas pyramid where the still-intact later murals were located. As was the case with this structure, the Maya often built what initially were modest-sized temples, then constructed ever-larger versions atop the earlier ones. This pyramid eventually reached about 30 meters (100 feet) tall.

Dating of charcoal fragments—found in the same layer of debris as the wall fragments—showed them to be from approximately 300 and 200 BCE, making them the oldest known samples of a Maya sacred calendar.

The glyph found on the mural fragments for “7 Deer,” one of the calendar’s 260 named days, consisted of the ancient Maya writing for the number seven over the outline of a deer’s head.

The combination of the Maya 7 and a drawing of a deer on this mural fragment (line drawing for clarity on right) represent probably the oldest representation of the Maya calendar. Photo: Scans by Heather Hurst and illustration by David Stuart. Science Advances (2022). DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abl9290
The combination of the Maya 7 and a drawing of a deer on this mural fragment (line drawing for clarity on right) represent probably the oldest representation of the Maya calendar. Photo: Scans by Heather Hurst and illustration by David Stuart. Science Advances (2022). DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abl9290

“The wall was intentionally destroyed by the ancient Maya when they were rebuilding their ceremonial spaces – it eventually grew into a pyramid. The two pieces fit together and have black painted calligraphy, opening with the date ‘7 Deer.’ The rest is hard to read,” Stuart added.

“The paintings from this phase are all badly fragmented, unlike any from the later, more famous chamber,” Stuart said.

Until now, the earliest definitive Maya calendar notation dated to the first century B.C.

The calendar, rooted upon observations of the movements of the sun, moon and planets, was based on a ritual cycle of 260 named days. The 260-day calendar, called the tzolk’in, was one of several inter-related Maya systems of reckoning time, also including a solar year of 365 days, a larger system called the “Long Count” and a lunar system.

The calendar was among the achievements of a culture that also developed a writing system encompassing 800 glyphs, with the earliest examples also from San Bartolo. The Maya built temples, pyramids, palaces and observatories and engaged in sophisticated farming without using metal tools or the wheel.

San Bartolo was a regional center during the Maya Preclassic period, spanning from about 400 B.C. to 250 A.D. This age set the foundation for the blossoming of Maya culture during the subsequent Classic period, known for cities including Tikal in Guatemala, Palenque in Mexico and Copan in Honduras.

A plaster fragment depicting the god of corn. Photo: HEATHER HURST
A plaster fragment depicting the god of corn. Photo: HEATHER HURST

About 7,000 mural fragments – some as small as a fingernail and others up to 20-by-40 centimeters (8-by-16 inches) – have been found at San Bartolo, amounting to what anthropology professor and study co-author Heather Hurst of Skidmore College in New York state called “a giant jigsaw puzzle.”

The “7 Deer” and other notations seen on 11 San Bartolo mural fragments examined in the study hint at mature artistic and writing conventions in the region at the time, suggesting the calendar already had been in use for many years.

“Other sites will likely find other examples, perhaps even earlier examples,” Hurst said.

“Second, the scribal tradition represented in these 11 fragments is diverse, expressive, their technology for paint preparation and calligraphic fluidity is impressive – this was a well-established tradition of writing and art,” Hurst added.

Some Maya communities today still use the ancient calendar.

“This calendar system has lasted for at least 2,200 years, maintained by the Maya during times of incredible change, stress and tragedy,” Stuart said.

The article was published in the journal Science Advances.

Cover Photo: Archaeologists find the earliest Maya calendar in the Guatemalan pyramid. BY REUTERS

Related Articles

Archeologists unearth largest rare wooden “Haniwa” Statue in Japan

10 December 2022

10 December 2022

The remains of a 3.5-meter-tall wooden “haniwa” statue have been discovered at one of the “kofun” ancient burial mounds that...

The World’s Oldest Mummies “Chile’s Ancient Mummies Older than Egypt’s”

20 February 2024

20 February 2024

At the beginning of the 20th century, mummies dating back 2000 years before the Egyptians were found in the Atacama...

2,300 years old amazing preserved looks almost new Celtic scissors discovered in Germany

30 April 2023

30 April 2023

During a construction project in Munich’s Sendling district, Celtic cremation tombs were discovered. The quality of preservation of the grave...

World’s Smallest Stegosaurus Track Found

14 March 2021

14 March 2021

The smallest trace of stegosaurus in the world that lived 155 million years ago was found. Stegosaurus, a herbivorous dinosaur,...

2,500-Year-Old Phoenician Shipwreck Being Rescued By Spanish Archaeologists

6 July 2023

6 July 2023

A 2,500-year-old Phoenician shipwreck has been found underwater in the southeastern Spanish region of Murcia. An extraordinary Phoenician shipwreck dating...

The world’s largest Byzantine winepresses have been discovered in Israel

11 October 2021

11 October 2021

Archaeologists say they’ve discovered the world’s largest known Byzantine-era winery in the city of Yavne, south of Tel Aviv. The...

4500-year-old tiger-patterned ritual weapon uncover in east China

4 April 2023

4 April 2023

Archaeologists discovered an extremely rare stone relic, an axe-shaped weapon used for rituals in ancient China, engraved with a tiger...

Archaeologists have uncovered oldest Roman forum in Hispania, at the site of a named unknown city

3 September 2023

3 September 2023

Archaeologists have uncovered an ancient Roman forum from more than 2,000 years ago at the site of an unknown city...

At Göbeklitepe, believed to be the earliest known Mesolithic temple complex, grinding stones were discovered

26 October 2022

26 October 2022

A recent discovery at Göbeklitepe, the oldest known Mesolithic temple complex, has revealed grinding stones, new finds expected to shed...

İnteresting Relief on the Roman Millstone

20 February 2021

20 February 2021

During the Cambridgeshire A14 road improvement work, workers found an interesting millstone. A large penis was engraved in the Roman-era...

Countless Votive Offerings Discovered at Ancient Sanctuary on Greek Island Kythnos

10 June 2023

10 June 2023

Archaeologists excavating a hilltop temple complex on the Cycladic island of Kythnos (commonly called Thermia) Greece have unearthed more than...

A Monument complex and inscription belonging to Ilteris Kutlug Kagan, the founder of the Eastern Göktürk Khanate, were found

24 August 2022

24 August 2022

A Turkish inscription of İlteriş Kutlug Kağan was found during the joint scientific archaeological expedition of the International Turkic Academy...

New Discoveries at Ancient Greek City of Paestum’s ‘Little Doric Temple’ in Italy

16 April 2023

16 April 2023

Archaeologists have made a series of extraordinary discoveries that may fundamentally alter the understanding of the past of the ancient...

A metal detectorist unearthed a Roman silver “ligula” or “Toilet Spoon” in Wales

30 January 2024

30 January 2024

A metal detectorist in Wales unearthed a Roman silver “ligula”, commonly known as a “toilet spoon”. The discovery, made in...

‘Remarkable Archaeological Find’ Metal detectorist unearths Roman cavalry swords in North Cotswolds

18 September 2023

18 September 2023

Authorities announced Monday that two incredibly rare Roman cavalry swords were uncovered in the Cotswolds, England, during a metal detectorist...