In the ancient city of Xultzn in Guatemala, scientists have found paintings - one depicting a line-up of men in black uniforms, and hundreds of scrawled numbers relating to the Mayan calendar.

The discovery of a clear calendar date at a Preclassical Maya site shows that ancient peoples were using the calendar around 300 B.C.

But Stuart thinks the symbols on the stamp from 500 BC aren’t necessarily a form of date notation comparable to the Maya system.

Archaeologists excavating a Mayan site in San Bartolo, Guatemala have discovered what they believe to be the oldest calendar notation from the region, which they date to between 300 and 200 BCE.

The Maya calendar combines the numbers 1 through 13 with 20 words for animals, plants, or concepts. Those 20 words rotate in a set order; for instance, Deer is always followed by Rabbit, Water ...

However, Mayan experts have dismissed this apocalyptic interpretation, explaining that the conclusion of baktuns mark the end of current cycles and the emergence of new ones. This new find at Xultun ...

RESEARCH HIGHLIGHT 14 April 2022 Deer symbol hints at early adoption of Maya calendar Fragments from Guatemalan pyramid ruins suggest the system was already in use more than 2,200 years ago.

Carbon-dating of an ancient beam from a Guatemalan temple may help end a century-long debate about the Mayan calendar, anthropologists said on Thursday.