Tz'apiq'ij, a Sacred Time of Introspection

The Maya people are recognized for being the great counters of time, known for the extraordinary precision of their calendars, which are fundamental elements to life and development within this tradition. Among them, the Sacred Cholq'ij is the one that is most known, this calendar is the basis of the Maya world and is the guide that tells the influence that the energies have on each day and how we relate to them through our personal energy. In turn, the Cholq'ij is intertwined with the Cholhaab', a calendar that marks the 365-day solar year, indicating solstices, equinoxes, and natural events that influence Mother Earth and us. In addition, the Cholhaab' marks harvest and crop cycles and the Mam or "Carrier of the Year", the energy responsible for holding and guiding each year.

The Cholhaab' is formed by 18 months of 20 days each, plus another month of 5 days. Each month carries a name that reflects the energy that influences that period. The last month of five days has the name in Maya K'iche' language of Tz'apiq'ij, which translates as "closing the door".

Now, we are about to begin the month of Tz’apiq’ij (also known as Wayeb’), which is a ceremonial period of great significance that invites us to introspection and reflection, to submerge ourselves in the depths of our being to review our lives and explore the purpose of our existence. The five days of Tz'apiq'ij gift us with the space-time to be with ourselves and to practice without external influences an honest review of our actions, what has happened to us both for our intervention and for the events that arose without it, recognizing the positive and negative aspects. It is an opportunity to understand our emotions, identify what we want to change, and project how our lives will unfold in the new cycle.

In Mayan tradition, this practice is performed every year and the projections that are made are for a period of 360 days. During the five days of Tz'apiq'ij we try to eat a light diet, cleanse our environment, seek and grant forgiveness, and perform rituals that lead us to the purification of our entire being: physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual, thus closing the door to the year that ends to project our destiny and resurgence in the upcoming year.

The days of Tz'apiq'ij follow these precepts: review, recognize ourselves, accept, define, and project our resurgence and renewal. Entering into the Tz'apiq'ij implies doing conscious work and having the honesty to meet ourselves. Here, there is no place for lies, explanations or excuses; we are face-to-face with ourselves and it is the time to make decisions and reconfigure ourselves.

*In the Yucatec Maya language, the month Tz'apiq'ij is known as Wayeb', a word that means to rest, to sleep, to dream, to die, and to transform. 

*In Classic Maya, the word was Wayhaab', interpreted as the resting of the year, the sleeping of the year for a new rebirth.