Chapter 1: Meaning of the Calendar

The Mayan calendar is an intricate and highly sophisticated piece of technology that reflects the Mayans' extensive knowledge of time. It is different from the current calendars in the way that modern calendars see time as a thing that moves forward, and the Mayan calendar represents it more as a cycle. 

The Mayan calendar was one of the main parts that connected the Mayans to the rest of the universe. The calendar helped improve their understanding of the cosmos by allowing them to follow the movements of other planets as well as the sun and moon. 

According to an article from the Living Mayan Time, the Mayan calendar is made of 3 interlocking cycles known as the Haab, the Tzolk’in, and the Long Count. 

The Haab cycle is one full year, which is 365 days. Instead of having 12 months and an estimate of 30 days per month, the Haab cycle has 19 months, with 18 of these months being 20 days long and 1 month only having 5 days, which totals 365 days.

The Tzolk’in cycle was a 260-day calendar that was mainly used for religious and ceremonial purposes. This part is made up of 13 cycles with 20 named days. Every day was represented with a number from 1-13 and 1 of the 20 different glyphs. Each of the 260 days had its own unique combination.

According to a publication on Time and Date, the Long Count part of the calendar keeps track of the longer periods. The Mayans referred to it as the "universal cycle." Each such cycle is estimated to be 2,880,000 days long. The Mayans believed the universe was destroyed and rebuilt at the beginning of each cycle.

Chapter 2: Used More Than Just To Tell Time

The calendar was utilized by the Mayans for more than just telling time; it also guided the cultivation and harvesting seasons based on astronomical observations.

According to the University Press of Colorado, the Mayan calendar was also utilized to commemorate events such as births, deaths, successions to office, sacrifices, and even important people. These events were timed in accordance with the Tzolk'in to have a peaceful connection with the universe.

One of the most famous events that stemmed from the Mayan Calendar was the prediction of the end of the world on December 21, 2012. 

Many people believed that 2012 marked the end of the world since December 21 was the day when the Maya Long Count calendar cycle came to a close.