Akʼatun (/ˈkɑːtuːn/,[1]Mayan pronunciation:[kʼaˈtun]) is a unit of time in theMaya calendar equal to 20tuns or 7200 days, equivalent to 19.713tropical years. It is the second digit on the normalMayalong count date. For example, in the Maya Long Count date 12.19.13.15.12 (December 5, 2006), the number 19 is thekʼatun. There are 20k'atuns in abaktun.
The end of a kʼatun was marked by numerous ceremonies and, atTikal, the construction of largetwin pyramid complexes to host them.[2] The kʼatun was also used to reckon the age of rulers. Those who lived to see four (or five) kʼatuns would take the title 4-(or 5-)kʼatun ruler.[3] In thePostclassic period when the full Long Count gave way to theShort Count, the Maya continued to keep a reckoning of kʼatuns, differentiating them by theCalendar Round date on which they began. Each kʼatun had its own set of prophecies and associations.[4]
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