My Mayan Nahual: Meaning, Symbols, Numbers & Guide to Signs

The Mayan Nahual (also spelled Nawal) is a fundamental concept within the Maya cosmo-vision, representing spiritual energies, day signs, and personal archetypes that guide individual destiny and community life.

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Nahual Number	Nahual Name	Nahual Iconography	Nahual Meaning
1	Imix (Crocodile)	🐊	Beginning, water, maternal energy, creation, nourishment, primal force.
2	Ik’ (Wind)	💨	Breath, communication, spirit, change, air element, purification.
3	Ak’bal (Night)	🌌	Darkness, dreams, intuition, mysteries, dawn, connection with the ancestors.
4	K’an (Seed)	🌱	Abundance, germination, potential, fertility, material prosperity, growth.
5	Chikchan (Serpent)	🐍	Life force, health, transformation, sexuality, inner fire.
6	Kimi (Death)	☠️	Transition, spiritual rebirth, respect for cycles, ancestors’ wisdom.
7	Manik’ (Deer)	🦌	Harmony, healing, four directions, nature connection, stability.
8	Lamat (Star)	⭐	Venus, beauty, abundance, creativity, feminine energy, arts.
9	Muluk (Offering/Water)	💧	Water, cleansing, renewal, generosity, sacred offerings.
10	Ok (Dog)	🐕	Loyalty, guidance, companionship, spiritual path, justice, heart energy.
11	Chuwen (Monkey)	🐒	Playfulness, art, intelligence, creation, humor, creative expression.
12	Eb’ (Road/Tooth)	🛤️	Pathways, destiny, journey of life, health, road opening, personal evolution.
13	B’en (Reed)	🎋	Growth, leadership, authority, knowledge transmission, balance.
14	Ix (Jaguar)	🐆	Earth magic, feminine power, protection, strength, sacred territory.
15	Men (Eagle)	🦅	Vision, high perspective, freedom, spirituality, success, sacred vision.
16	K’ib’ (Wisdom/Vulture)	🦤	Renewal, wisdom, purification, ancestral knowledge, ethical living.
17	Kab’an (Earth)	🌍	Earthquake, consciousness, movement, harmony with Earth, responsibility.
18	Etz’nab’ (Flint/Obsidian)	🗡️	Clarity, cutting through illusion, truth, justice, spiritual strength.
19	Kawak (Storm/Rain)	⛈️	Purification, storm energy, fertility, sudden transformation, resilience.
20	Ajaw / Ahau (Sun/Lord)	🌞	Solar energy, enlightenment, leadership, divine connection, celebration of life.

The Nahual system is deeply intertwined with the Cholq’ij, or Sacred Calendar of 260 days, which remains in use by many contemporary Maya communities, especially in Guatemala and Southern Mexico.

Each of the 20 Nahuales corresponds to a specific day in the 260-day cycle, carrying unique attributes, governing elements, and symbolic meanings. The Nahual defines energy patterns for individuals born on that day, influences daily ceremonies, and guides the community in agricultural, social, and spiritual life.

The Mayan Nahual tradition recognizes each being as intrinsically connected to nature, animals, the cosmos, and ancestral energies. This spiritual science is a living wisdom tradition that continues to inform healing practices, personal development, and communal harmony across the Mayan Region.

Abstract

The Mayan nahual (also written mayan nawal, mayan nagual) is a central concept in many Meso-american worldviews: a day-sign or spiritual companion connected to a person’s birth date in the 260-day sacred calendar (Tzolkʼin / Cholqʼij). This paper synthesizes historical, linguistic, and calendrical background, provides the full inventory of the 20 day-signs with concise cultural meanings, explains the 13 numerical tones, and gives a rigorous, reproducible algorithm (with worked arithmetic) for converting a Gregorian birth date into the Tzolkʼin combination (tone + day sign)—i.e., your Mayan nahual. The guide closes with interpretive principles, cautions about modern appropriation, and an annotated APA bibliography for further reading.

1. Introduction — What is a Mayan nahual?

In contemporary and historical usage across Mesoamerica the term nahual / nagual / nawal refers to a spiritual force or companion associated with particular calendar days and, by extension, with persons born on those days. Within Maya calendric practice (the Tzolkʼin or Cholqʼij), each day has an intrinsic energy (a nawal) that can be combined with a number from 1 to 13 to form one of 260 unique day-energies. These day-energies are used in ritual life, divination, naming, and social decision-making among many Maya communities. The concept and practice vary regionally and historically; linguistic forms and ritual use differ across Kʼicheʼ, Kaqchikel, Yucatec, and other Maya languages and communities.

Terminology note: In Kʼicheʼ and Kaqchikel contexts the calendar is often called Cholqʼij or Aj ilabal qʼij; “Tzolkʼin” is the Yucatec/Western academic label. The term nahual/nawal itself is a loanword in many Maya languages with local meanings (spirit, guardian, day-force).

Variations Across Traditions

Yucatec Maya often use glyph-based symbols with agricultural and cosmic associations.
K’iche’ Maya emphasize Nahuales as personal guardians tied to ritual practice.
Tecún lineages highlight direct animal correspondences, making the system more accessible for community identity and storytelling.

These differences reflect the adaptability of the Maya spiritual system across regions and generations.

2. Calendrical background — Tzolkʼin (Cholqʼij) and the 260-day cycle

The Tzolkʼin (260-day sacred round) combines a cycle of 20 named days with a cycle of 13 numbers (tones) to create 260 distinct day-energies (20 × 13 = 260). This cycle is ancient and pan-Mesoamerican in origin, attested in Maya inscriptions and surviving as living practice in several highland communities. Each day sign (sometimes called a nahual, nawal or nawal-sign) carries symbolic associations—animals, natural phenomena, social roles—that feed into interpretation.

3. Inventory of the 20 Mayan Nahual day-signs (nawales / nahuales).

Below is the standard sequence used in modern reconstructions and contemporary daykeeping (Yucatec-based orthography). Interpretive glosses are concise summaries; local meanings and ritual use vary by language/community.

Note: orthographies differ (Imox / Imix; Oc / Ok; Ben / Bʼen). Local spellings and associations vary; use this list as a canonical, widely accepted sequence used in many modern reconstructions and temple inscriptions.

Tecún Variation of Nahuals (Animal Guardians)

In some lineages, such as the Maya Tecún tradition, the Nahuals are represented more directly through animals and elemental forces. These are:

Dog / Coyote
Monkey
Wildcat
Armadillo
Jaguar
Eagle / Condor
Bee
Woodpecker
Toucan / Swordfish
Turtle
Human
Lizard / Crocodile / Shark
Hummingbird
Macaw
Spider
Snake / Quetzal
Owl
Deer
Rabbit
Fire / Earth / Mushrooms

4. The 13 tones (numerical factors) — short interpretive summary

The 13 numbers (1–13) are often called tones (or galactic tones in modern adaptations). Ethnographic day-keepers connect these numbers to qualities of intensity, initiation, and process; meanings are tradition-dependent and participated in by daykeepers. Below are common interpretive notes used in contemporary reading practices (given as a working synthesis — local meanings can differ):

One (1) — Initiation, unity, seed.
Two (2) — Duality, relationship, choice.
Three (3) — Growth, activation, movement.
Four (4) — Stability, foundation, structure.
Five (5) — Change, freedom, experimentation.
Six (6) — Balance, beauty, harmonizing.
Seven (7) — Central point, reflection, spiritual balance.
Eight (8) — Manifesting, efficiency, power through work.
Nine (9) — Completion, wisdom, culmination.
Ten (10) — Leadership, ceremonial power, societal role.
Eleven (11) — Intuition, subtlety, unconventional insight.
Twelve (12) — Service, community, responsibility.
Thirteen (13) — Transcendence, completion of cycle, sacred totality.

Caveat: these short glosses are modern syntheses drawing on ethnographic evidence and living daykeepers’ practice; they should be used as interpretive tools, not fixed dogma.

5. How to calculate your Mayan nahual — rigorous step-by-step method (GMT correlation)

When a person is born, the combination of their day sign and number defines their Nahual. This system encodes spiritual guidance, personality tendencies, and a lifelong connection with a particular guardian essence.

20 Day Signs (Nahuales) – representing archetypes of animals, elements, and cosmic forces.
13 Galactic Numbers – providing intensity or variation to the day sign.

To determine your Nahual:

Identify your Gregorian birth date (day, month, year).
Convert it into the Tzolk’in calendar using the Goodman–Martínez–Thompson (GMT) correlation, the most widely accepted method.
Locate the day sign and number corresponding to your birth date. The sign represents your Nahual symbol, while the number amplifies its energy.
Interpret the meaning of your Nahual through community traditions, glyphic symbols, or animal guardians depending on the lineage.

While modern digital tools can perform the conversion automatically, traditional Maya daykeepers (ajq’ijab’) use ritual and oral transmission to assign Nahuales, preserving ancestral authenticity.

Below is a transparent, reproducible algorithm that yields the Tzolkʼin (tone + day sign) for a given Gregorian date. This method uses the widely accepted Goodman–Martínez–Thompson correlation (GMT = 584,283), which links the Maya Long Count zero date to the modern Julian Day Number (JDN) system. The GMT correlation is the standard among most Maya researchers and enables converting modern dates to Tzolkʼin reliably.

5.1 Overview of steps

Convert the Gregorian date (year, month, day) to the Julian Day Number (JDN) — an integer count of days used in astronomy.
Compute DaysSinceMayanEpoch = JDN − 584,283 (GMT correlation). This is the number of days after the Maya creation day (Long Count 0.0.0.0.0).
Compute the Tzolkʼin tone (1–13) and the day-sign index (1–20) from DaysSinceMayanEpoch using modular arithmetic and the known base: the Long Count starting day corresponds to 4 Ajaw (i.e., tone 4, day sign Ajaw).

Important: use local birth date (calendar date where you were born) and be aware of time-zone/day-start issues for births near midnight. Also, different researchers sometimes use alternative correlation constants (e.g., ± a few days); GMT is the standard default.

5.2 Step A — Convert Gregorian date to JDN (Meeus algorithm)

For a Gregorian date (Year = Y, Month = M, Day = D) compute:

If M ≤ 2 then set Y’ = Y − 1, M’ = M + 12. Otherwise Y’ = Y, M’ = M.
Compute A = ⌊Y’ / 100⌋.
Compute B = 2 − A + ⌊A / 4⌋ (this accounts for Gregorian calendar leap corrections).
Then compute the Julian Day Number at 0h UT (integer JDN):

JDN = ⌊365.25 × (Y' + 4716)⌋ + ⌊30.6001 × (M' + 1)⌋ + D + B − 1524

(Alternative integer form used in programming: JDN = D + ⌊(153*m + 2) / 5⌋ + 365*y + ⌊y/4⌋ − ⌊y/100⌋ + ⌊y/400⌋ − 32045 with a=(14-M)//12, y=Y+4800-a, m=M+12*a-3.) The approach above is standard in astronomical algorithm references (Meeus) and in calendar conversion code.

5.3 Step B — Compute days since the Mayan epoch

DaysSince = JDN − 584283

(Using GMT = 584,283.)

5.4 Step C — Compute Tzolkʼin tone (1–13) and day sign (1–20)

Tone (number 1–13):

Compute r = (DaysSince + 4) mod 13. If r = 0, the tone is 13; otherwise the tone is r.

Why +4? Because the Long Count zero date corresponds to 4 Ajaw; adding 4 aligns the modular count so the remainder gives the correct numeric portion relative to that base.

Day sign (index 1–20, where 1 = Imix … 20 = Ajaw):

Compute s = ((DaysSince + 19) mod 20) + 1.

Why +19? Counting day names forward from Ajaw (the base day) produces this offset—see the Long Count description and the worked example in standard references.

Mapping: use the canonical day-name sequence in section 3 to map the resulting s to the name (1→Imix, 2→Ikʼ, …, 20→Ajaw). The Tzolkʼin date is then (tone) (day-name) — that is your nahual.

5.5 Worked example —

January 1, 1990 → your Mayan nahual

(Arithmetic shown step-by-step; this is a complete worked example you can follow and reproduce.)

Gregorian input: 1990-01-01 (year = 1990, month = 1, day = 1)

Step A — JDN (Meeus integer variant):

Compute a = (14 − M) // 12 = (14 − 1) // 12 = 13 // 12 = 1.
Compute y = Y + 4800 − a = 1990 + 4800 − 1 = 6789.
Compute m = M + 12*a − 3 = 1 + 12*1 − 3 = 10.
Compute the integer parts:

part1 = D = 1
part2 = ⌊(153*m + 2) / 5⌋ = ⌊(153*10 + 2)/5⌋ = ⌊(1530 + 2)/5⌋ = ⌊1532/5⌋ = 306
part3 = 365*y = 365 * 6789 = 2,477,985
part4 = ⌊y / 4⌋ = ⌊6789 / 4⌋ = 1697
part5 = ⌊y / 100⌋ = ⌊6789 / 100⌋ = 67
part6 = ⌊y / 400⌋ = ⌊6789 / 400⌋ = 16

Sum: JDN = part1 + part2 + part3 + part4 − part5 + part6 − 32045 JDN = 1 + 306 + 2,477,985 + 1,697 − 67 + 16 − 32,045 = 2,447,893

So JDN(1990-01-01) = 2,447,893. (This integer JDN corresponds to the Gregorian date at 0h UT.)

Step B — Days since Mayan epoch (GMT 584,283):

DaysSince = JDN − 584,283 = 2,447,893 − 584,283 = 1,863,610.

Step C — Tone and day sign:

Tone: compute t = (DaysSince + 4) mod 13 = (1,863,610 + 4) mod 13 = 1,863,614 mod 13. Division: 1,863,614 ÷ 13 = 143,354 remainder 12. So the remainder is 12. Because remainder ≠ 0, tone = 12.
Day sign index: compute d = ((DaysSince + 19) mod 20) + 1 = ((1,863,610 + 19) mod 20) + 1 = 1,863,629 mod 20 + 1. 1,863,629 ÷ 20 = 93,181 remainder 9. So remainder 9 → d = 9 + 1 = 10. Day name index 10 corresponds to Ok (Dog).

Result: January 1, 1990 → 12 Ok (tone 12, day sign Ok). That combination (12 Ok) is the individual’s Mayan nahual in the canonical Tzolkʼin mapping using GMT. (If you compare with online converters you should get the same result when the GMT correlation is selected.)

6. Interpreting your nahual — principles and practice

A Tzolkʼin combination (tone + day sign) is read holistically:

Primary character: the day sign (nawal) gives the archetypal energy—animal/elemental associations (e.g., Ok = guide/guardian).
Modulating factor: the tone (1–13) modifies intensity, process, and role (e.g., 12 tends to indicate service/community orientation in many contemporary interpretations).
Contextual layers: Elders and daykeepers read the nahual in a matrix: natal nahual (day of birth), year-lord (year-sign), tonal-nagual polarity, life-events, and familial/lineage patterns. Interpretation is a living practice — not a fixed personality test.

Example interpretive sketch (12 Ok): practical, community-oriented (12), with guiding/protective qualities (Ok). This is a shorthand; full readings consult lineage knowledge, daykeepers, and local ritual protocols.

7. Tonal vs. Nagual (duality) — two complementary concepts

In many Mesoamerican cosmologies there is a duality between the everyday, bounded self (the tonal) and the unbounded or spirit counterpart (the nagual or nahual). For some practitioners the day sign functions as a personal tonal (the conscious identity) and the complementary aspect (often an animal or guardian spirit) is the nagual. In practice, ritual specialists may work with both sides: naming, protection, transformation, and healing. Terminology and nuance vary across regions; “nagualism” as popularly portrayed in New Age or literary sources is only one facet of rich indigenous systems.

8. Practical notes, caveats & ethics

Correlation choice matters: small correlation shifts (± a few days) change results. Use GMT = 584,283 as the conventional academic default unless you have regionally specific reasons to choose otherwise.
Time-of-birth and time zones: calendrical days may be reckoned from sunrise or midnight; for births near local midnight, determine whether to use local civil date or adjust by time zone. For scholarly reproducibility, use the local civil date and note timezone if precision matters.
Living knowledge and consent: interpretations are embedded in living cultural frameworks. If you plan to use nahual readings publicly, consult and collaborate with Maya daykeepers and communities; respect cultural protocols and intellectual sovereignty.
Avoid essentialism: nahual descriptors are interpretive tools; avoid reducing people to simplified stereotyping. Use the nahual as a prompt for reflection rather than a deterministic label.

9. Quick algorithm summary (copy-paste ready)

Input: Gregorian Y, M, D (local date of birth).

Output: Tzolkʼin tone (1–13) and day name (Imix … Ajaw).

Algorithm (programmer style pseudocode):

# 1. Compute JDN (Meeus integer form):
a = (14 - M) // 12
y = Y + 4800 - a
m = M + 12*a - 3
JDN = D + ((153*m + 2)//5) + 365*y + y//4 - y//100 + y//400 - 32045

# 2. Days since Maya epoch (GMT correlation)
DaysSince = JDN - 584283

# 3. Tone 1..13
t = (DaysSince + 4) % 13
if t == 0: t = 13

# 4. Day sign index 1..20 (1=Imix, ..., 20=Ajaw)
index = ((DaysSince + 19) % 20) + 1
day_name = day_names[index - 1]   # day_names is list [Imix, Ik', Ak'b'al, ... , Ajaw]

10. Further reading & academic context

The sacred 260-day system has deep archaeological and ethnographic roots; comparative work shows its antiquity and persistence across Mesoamerica. For robust academic grounding consult archaeological, epigraphic, and ethnographic literature and contemporary daykeepers’ publications. For calendar conversions consult standard references on the GMT correlation and astronomical/julian algorithms.

11. Conclusion

The Mayan nahual is both a calendric label and an entry point into a living system of cosmology, ritual, and social practice. Calculating your nahual is a reproducible, arithmetic procedure once the correlation and JDN are set—but reading it meaningfully requires humility, context, and often the guidance of living daykeepers. Use the method above for precise conversion; use community knowledge and respectful collaboration for interpretation.

Bibliography & References

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Tedlock, Dennis (1996). Popol Vuh: The Sacred Book of the Maya. Simon & Schuster.
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Christenson, Allen J. (2003). Popol Vuh: Sacred Book of the Quiché Maya People. Mesoweb Publications.
Barrera Vásquez, Alfredo (1980). Diccionario Maya Cordemex. Editorial Porrua.
Oxlajuj Ajpop (2000). Ajq’ij: El Contador del Tiempo. Editorial Serviprensa, Guatemala.
Hooft, An van’t (2007). Cholq’ij: Calendario Sagrado Maya. Mundo Maya.
Bastos, Santiago (2019). La Cosmovisión Maya Hoy: Diálogos, Retos y Sabiduría. Editorial Maya Kaqchikel.
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Tzolkʼin. (n.d.). Wikipedia. Retrieved October 3, 2025, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tzolk%CA%BCin.
National Museum of the American Indian. (n.d.). The Meaning of the Days in the Maya Sacred Calendar (PDF). Smithsonian Institution. Retrieved October 3, 2025, from https://maya.nmai.si.edu/sites/default/files/resources/The%20Meaning%20of%20the%20Days%20in%20the%20Maya%20Sacred%20Calendar.pdf.
Kennett, D. J., et al. (2013). Correlating the Ancient Maya and Modern European chronologies: radiocarbon support for the GMT correlation. PLoS ONE / PMC. Retrieved from https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3623374/.
Mesoweb (PARI Journal). (2012). Exploring the GMT correlation family and correlation considerations. (S. Martin, PARI Journal). Retrieved from https://www.mesoweb.com/pari/publications/journal/1302/Correlation.pdf.
Britannica, T. Editors of Encyclopaedia. (n.d.). Nagual. Encyclopaedia Britannica. Retrieved October 3, 2025, from https://www.britannica.com/topic/nagual.
Maya Daykeeping: Cholqʼij / Tzolkʼin (calendar explanation). (n.d.). Living Maya Time — National Museum of the American Indian. Retrieved October 3, 2025, from https://maya.nmai.si.edu/calendar/calendar-system.