Aztec civilization
Human sacrifice
Warfare · Aztec codices
Aztec Triple Alliance
Spanish conquest of Mexico
Fall of Tenochtitlan
La Noche Triste
v t e

The Aztec Sun Stone, also called the Aztec Calendar Stone, on display at the National Museum of Anthropology, Mexico City.

The Aztec calendar is the calendar system that was used by the Aztecs as well as other Pre-Columbian peoples of central Mexico. It is one of the Mesoamerican calendars, sharing the basic structure of calendars from throughout ancient Mesoamerica.

The calendar consisted of a 365-day calendar cycle called xiuhpohualli (year count) and a 260-day ritual cycle called tonalpohualli (day count). These two cycles together formed a 52-year "century," sometimes called the "calendar round". The xiuhpohualli is considered to be the agricultural calendar, since it is based on the sun, and the tonalpohualli is considered to be the sacred calendar.

The calendric year may have begun at some point in the distant past with the first appearance of the Pleiades (Tianquiztli) asterism in the east immediately before the dawn light.^[1] (See heliacal rising.) But due to the precession of the Earth's axis, it fell out of favor to a more constant reference point such as a solstice or equinox. Early Spanish chroniclers recorded it being celebrated in proximity with the Spring equinox.

Tonalpohualli[link]

The tonalpohualli ("day count") consists of a cycle of 260 days, each day signified by a combination of a number from one to thirteen, and one of the twenty day signs. With each new day, both the number and day sign would be incremented: 1 Crocodile is followed by 2 Wind, 3 House, 4 Lizard, and so forth up to 13 Reed, after which the cycle of numbers would restart (though the twenty day signs had not yet been exhausted) giving 1 Jaguar. The cycle of day signs would continue until 7 Flower, after which it would restart and give 8 Crocodile. It would take a full 260 days (13×20) for the two cycles of twenty day signs and thirteen numbers to realign and repeat the combination 1 Crocodile.

Day signs[link]

The set of day signs used in central Mexico is identical to that used by Mixtecs, and to a lesser degree similar to those of other Mesoamerican calendars. Each of the day signs also bears an association with one of the four cardinal directions.^{[verification needed]}

There is some variation in the way the day signs were drawn or carved. Those here were taken from the Codex Magliabechiano.

Image Nahuatl name Pronunciation English translation Direction Cipactli [siˈpaktɬi] Crocodile Alligator Caiman Crocodilian Monster East Ehēcatl [eʔˈeːkatɬ] Wind North Calli [ˈkalli] House West Cuetzpalin [kʷetsˈpalin] Lizard South Cōātl [ˈkoː(w)aːtɬ] Serpent Snake East Miquiztli [miˈkistɬi] Death North Mazātl [ˈmasaːtɬ] Deer Animal West Tōchtli [ˈtoːtʃtɬi] Rabbit South Ātl [ˈaːtɬ] Water East Itzcuintli [itsˈkʷintɬi] Dog North Ozomatli Ozomahtli [osoˈmaʔtɬi] Monkey West

Image Nahuatl name Pronunciation English translation Direction Malīnalli [maliːˈnalli] Grass South Ācatl [ˈaːkatɬ] Reed East Ocēlōtl [oˈseːloːtɬ] Jaguar North Cuāuhtli [ˈkʷaːwtɬi] Eagle West Cōzcacuāuhtli [koːskaˈkʷaːwtɬi] Vulture South Ollīn [ˈolliːn] Movement Quake Earthquake East Tecpatl [ˈtekpatɬ] Flint Flint Knife North Quiyahuitl [kiˈ(j)awitɬ] Rain West Xōchitl [ˈʃoːtʃitɬ] Flower South

Wind and Rain are represented by images of their associated gods, Ehecatl and Tlaloc (respectively).

Other marks on the stone showed the current world and also the worlds before this one. Each world was called a sun, and each sun had its own species of inhabitants. The Aztecs believed that they were in the fifth sun and like all of the suns before them they would also eventually perish due to their own imperfections. Every fifty two years was marked out because they believed that fifty two years was a life cycle and at the end of any given life cycle the gods could take away all that they have and destroy the world.

Trecenas[link]

A set of thirteen numbered days is known by the Spanish term trecena (from trece "thirteen"). Each of the twenty trecenas in the 260-day cycle was associated with a particular deity:

Xiuhpohualli (solar year)[link]

Veintena (twenty); metzli (moon)[link]

"In ancient times the year was composed of eighteen months, and thus it was observed by the native people. Since their months were made of no more than twenty days, these were all the days contained in a month, because they were not guided by the moon but by the days; therefore, the year had eighteen months. The days of the year were counted twenty by twenty." Diego Durán

Xiuhpohualli is the Aztec year (xiuhitl) count (pohualli). One solar year consists of 360 named days and 5 nameless (nemontemi). These 'extra' days are thought to be unlucky. The year was broken into 18 periods of twenty days each, sometimes compared to the Julian month. The Aztec word for moon is metzli but whatever name that was used for these periods is unknown. The Mayan calendar has a similar configuration and the same 20-days period which they labeled uinal. Through Spanish usage, the 20 day period of the Aztec calendar has become commonly known as a veintena.

Each 20 days period started on Cipactli (Crocodile) for which a festival was held. The eighteen veintena are listed below. The dates are from early eye-witnesses. Each wrote what they saw. Bernardino de Sahagún's date precedes the observations of Diego Durán by several decades and is believed to be more recent to the surrender. Both are shown to emphasize the fact that the beginning of the Native new year became non-uniform as a result of an absence of the unifying force of Tenochtitlan after the Mexica defeat.

Duran Time Sahagun Time Fiesta Names Symbol English Translation 1. MAR 01 - MAR 20 1. FEB 02 - FEB 21 Atlcahualo, Cuauhitlehua Ceasing of Water, Rising Trees 2. MAR 21 - APR 09 2. FEB 22 - MAR 13 Tlacaxipehualiztli Rites of Fertility; Xipe-Totec 3. APR 10 - APR 29 3. MAR 14 - APR 02 Tozoztonli Small Perforation 4. APR 30 - MAY 19 4. APR 03 - APR 22 Huey Tozotli Great Perforation 5. MAY 20 - JUN 08 5. APR 23 - MAY 12 Toxcatl Dryness 6. JUN 09 - JUN 28 6. MAY 13 - JUN 01 Etzalcualiztli. Eating Maize and Beans 7. JUN 29 - JULY 18 7. JUN 02 - JUN 21 Tecuilhuitontli Feast for the Revered Ones 8. JULY 19 - AUG 07 8. JUN 22 - JUL 11 Huey Tecuilhuitl Feast for the Greatly Revered Ones 9. AUG 08 - AUG 27 9. JUL 12 - JUL 31 Miccailhuitontli Feast to the Revered Deceased 10. AUG 28 - SEP 16 10. AUG01 - AUG 20 Huey Miccailhuitontli Feast to the Greatly Revered Deceased 11. SEPT 17 - OCT 06 11. AUG 21 - SEPT 09 Ochpaniztli Sweeping and Cleaning 12. OCT 07 - OCT 26 12. SEPT10 - SEPT 29 Teotleco Return of the Gods 13. OCT 27 - NOV 15 13. SEPT 30 - OCT 19 Tepeilhuitl Feast for the Mountains 14. NOV 16 - DEC 05 14. OCT 20 - NOV 8 Quecholli Precious Feather 15. DEC 06 - DEC 25 15. NOV 09 - NOV 28 Panquetzaliztli Raising the Banners 16. DEC 26 - JAN 14 16. NOV 29 - DEC 18 Atemoztli Descent of the Water 17. JAN 15 - FEB 03 17. DEC 19 - JAN 07 Tititl Stretching for Growth 18. FEB 04 - FEB 23 18. JAN 08 - JAN 27 Izcalli Encouragement for the Land & People 18u. FEB 24 - FEB 28 18u.JAN 28 - FEB 01 nemontemi (5 day period) Empty-days (nameless, undefined)

See also[link]

• Maya calendar
• Mesoamerican calendars

Notes[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

• (Spanish) Detailed description of the temalacatl from Mexico's Museo Nacional de Antropología
• Daily Aztec Calendar
• Animated Aztec Calendar

This article has multiple issues. Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page. This biography of a living person needs additional citations for verification. Tagged since July 2010. Its neutrality is disputed. Tagged since April 2011.

George Lopez
Lopez at the Kids' Inaugural: We are the Future concert on January 19, 2009
Born	(1961-04-23) April 23, 1961 (age 51) Mission Hills, Los Angeles, California, U.S.[1]
Medium	Stand-up, television, film, books, radio
Nationality	American
Years active	1983–present
Genres	Observational comedy, satire, blue comedy
Subject(s)	Mexican–American culture, race relations, racism, family, friends, everyday life
Influences	Richard Pryor,[2] Freddie Prinze, Cheech & Chong, Bill Cosby, Paul Mooney, Chris Rock[3]
Spouse	Ann Serrano (m. 1993–2011) 1 child
Notable works and roles	George Lopez on George Lopez Commentator on Inside the NFL Host of Lopez Tonight
Website	GeorgeLopez.com

George Lopez (born April 23, 1961) is an American comedian, actor, and talk show host. He is mostly known for starring in his self-produced ABC sitcom George Lopez. His stand-up comedy examines race and ethnic relations, including the Mexican American culture. He was the host of the late-night talk show Lopez Tonight on TBS until its cancellation on August 12, 2011.

Early life[link]

Lopez was born on April 23, 1961 in Mission Hills, California. He was deserted by his father when he was two months old and by his mother when he was 10 years old,^[4] but was raised by his maternal grandmother, Benita Gutierrez, a factory worker, and step-grandfather, Refugio Gutierrez, a construction worker.^[5][6]

Career[link]

Radio[link]

In 1999, Lopez hosted a major morning radio show for Clear Channel Communications in Los Angeles. He was the first Latino to have headlined the keystone morning radio slot on an English-language station in LA—the nation’s top radio market.

Television[link]

Lopez in 2008

In 2000, after several years of performing stand-up comedy, Lopez was approached by actress Sandra Bullock for Lopez to produce and star in a comedy. Bullock was concerned about the lack of Hispanic-oriented sitcoms on American television and pushed to get a sitcom on television that starred Hispanics without being exclusively about the Hispanic American community. Long criticized by Hispanic American groups for lack of Latinos on their television shows, ABC quickly picked up the television series. In 2002, Lopez became one of the few Latinos to star in a television comedy series, following in the footsteps of Desi Arnaz, Freddie Prinze, and John Leguizamo. George Lopez is an American situation comedy that originally aired on ABC from 2002–2007. Lopez is the co-creator, writer, producer, and star of the show.

On March 8, 2007, it was announced that George Lopez would join the Nick at Nite lineup. It first aired on Nick at Nite on September 10, 2007. On May 15, 2007, ABC announced that the series would be canceled after its sixth season. The show last aired on ABC September 7, 2007. The show also entered syndication in the fall of 2007. Never a big Nielsen hit in primetime, the show became a surprise success in syndication.

Lopez was a cast member and commentator for HBO’s hit sports show Inside the NFL for the 2003–2004 football season.

Lopez guest starred as the mayor of Reno, Nevada in the fifth season of Reno 911! in 2008.

On March 28, 2009, it was announced that Lopez would be hosting his own late night talk show on TBS.^[7] Lopez hosted a late-night talk show entitled Lopez Tonight on TBS Monday through Thursday at midnight Eastern Time. The show debuted in November 2009. In November 2010, the show moved back to midnight ET to accommodate a new show with former Tonight Show host Conan O'Brien. Lopez supported and even advocated for the move, making it different from the 2010 Tonight Show conflict that saw O'Brien depart NBC after a proposal to push Tonight back 30 minutes for Jay Leno to return to the 11:35 pm slot.^[8] On August 10, 2011 Lopez received a cancellation notice from TBS. The network decided not to renew Lopez Tonight for a third season.^[9][10]

Film[link]

Lopez at his Walk of Fame star dedication ceremony.

Lopez earned praise for his performance in the HBO Films drama, Real Women Have Curves, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and received the 2002 Audience Award. Previously, Lopez was featured in the drama Bread and Roses. The film, directed by British filmmaker Ken Loach, received critical acclaim after its premiere at the Cannes Film Festival. He recently starred in the ABC Wonderful World of Disney Christmas film Naughty or Nice. Lopez also starred in the Robert Rodríguez-directed film The Adventures of Shark Boy & Lava Girl, which opened in June 2005.

In 2010, Lopez appeared in The Spy Next Door with Jackie Chan, starring as a villain named Glaze.

In 2011, Lopez reprised his role as Papi for Beverly Hills Chihuahua 2, and was the voice of a toco toucan, Rafael, in the box-office animated hit Rio, alongside Jesse Eisenberg, Anne Hathaway, will.i.am, and Jamie Foxx.

Books[link]

Lopez wrote an autobiography entitled Why You Crying, which was published by the Touchstone/Fireside division of Simon & Schuster, and placed in the New York Times Bestsellers top twenty. The book is co-written by Emmy Award winning writer and sportscaster Armen Keteyian.

Other work[link]

In January 2009, Lopez appeared in We Are One: The Obama Inaugural Celebration at the Lincoln Memorial.

He is a two-time host of the Latin Grammy Awards, and a co-host of the Emmy Awards.

He also hosted a Season 9 elimination episode of American Idol after donating the most money on Idol Gives Back.

Politics[link]

On December 21, 2010, Lopez announced on Good Day L.A. that he would run for mayor of Los Angeles in about 8 years.^[11]

In an interview with Piers Morgan, Lopez stated that if Sarah Palin ever becomes the President of the United States, he would emigrate to Canada.^[12]

Personal life[link]

In 1993, Lopez married Ann Serrano. The couple have a daughter, Mayan Lopez. On September 27, 2010, Lopez announced that he and his wife had decided to end their marriage.^[13] Serrano filed for divorce on November 23, 2010, citing "irreconcilable differences."^[14] The divorce was finalized on July 1, 2011.^[15]

In 2009, the results of a DNA test read by Mariah Carey on Lopez Tonight revealed Lopez to be of 55% European, 32% Native American,(also called mestizo, which is the largest demographic of Mexico), 9% East Asian, and 4% African descent.^[16]

Health problems[link]

Lopez has a genetic condition that caused his kidneys to deteriorate. His doctors had told him in April 2004 that he was going to require an organ transplant but he postponed the operation until finishing the fourth season of George Lopez so as not to hurt the 170 people who worked on his show. In 2005, his wife Ann donated one of her kidneys to Lopez. The transplant was successful; Lopez lost 45 lbs. after the operation due in part to the improvement in his health. He brought awareness to the issue on his show; his character's son Max was diagnosed with a similar illness.

Charity work and honors[link]

Lopez was a featured celebrity golfer in the 2004 Bob Hope Chrysler Classic and the 2004 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. Lopez and his pro partner finished third in the Pebble Beach event. George was the top-ranking celebrity at completion of the tournament. Since 2006, Lopez has served as host of the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic. He is a member at Lakeside Country Club in Burbank, California, and has a 13 handicap.^{[citation needed]}

A native of Los Angeles who grew up in the San Fernando Valley’s Mission Hills, Lopez devotes much time to the community. He heads his own charity, The Ann & George Lopez Foundation (www.thelopezfoundation.org). He is a recipient of the Manny Mota Foundation Community Spirit Award and was named Honorary Mayor of Los Angeles for his extensive fund-raising efforts benefiting earthquake victims in El Salvador and Guatemala. In February 2004, George was presented the 2004 Artist of the Year and Humanitarian Award by Harvard University, presented by its president and dean for his artistic work and charitable endeavors.^[17]

Lopez has received several honors for his work and contributions to the Latino community. In September 2004, George was honored with the "Spirit of Liberty Award," presented by People for the American Way. In August 2005, Time magazine recognized George as one of "The 25 Most Influential Hispanics in America."^[18] On October 18, 2011, Lopez's elementary school, San Fernando Elementary School, honored him for his beneficent efforts by naming their auditorium after him. Lopez has ensured through his annual toy giveaway that every child at the school receives a gift during the holidays.^[19]

Feuds[link]

Jay Leno[link]

Lopez criticized Jay Leno, someone he once considered a "close friend," during an interview on radio station WOMX-FM in Orlando, Florida on January 24, 2007, stating, "He's the biggest two-faced dude in TV." He also called him a back-stabber, and said he is not a proficient interviewer.^[20][21]

Carlos Mencia[link]

Lopez is also known for his conflict with Carlos Mencía. In an interview on The Howard Stern Show, Lopez accused Mencía of appropriating 13 minutes of his material in Mencía's HBO special. He also claimed he had a physical altercation with Mencía over the alleged appropriation.^[22][23]

Erik Estrada[link]

Lopez frequently mentions his dislike for Erik Estrada. According to Lopez, he met Estrada when he was a teenager and Estrada was at the zenith of his career. Estrada refused to shake the teenager's hand, and Lopez has disliked him ever since. Lopez related the story while guest-hosting The Jim Rome Show, then saying, "Fuck that puto!" In his comedy special America's Mexican, Lopez uses this story to warn celebrities to always be good to their fans, because they never know who their fans might grow up to be.

ABC Entertainment[link]

After receiving the news that his show was cancelled in 2007, Lopez criticized president of ABC Entertainment Steve McPherson for using racially motivated reasons for his decision. The actor told the Los Angeles Times that "TV just became really, really white again," and lashed out against ABC by saying, "So a chicano can't be on TV, but a caveman can?" in reference to the short-lived sitcom Cavemen, which was replacing George Lopez on the schedule. Cavemen garnered a horrible reception from critics and viewers, and was cancelled after just 13 episodes.^[24] Lopez blamed ABC for causing over a hundred of his show's staff to become jobless.^[25][26][27]

Kirstie Alley[link]

On March 24, 2011 George Lopez called Kirstie Alley a "pig" during her stint on Dancing with the Stars.^[28] Kirstie responded on Twitter, "Don't worry about George's comments…just remember what happens to the big bad, drunk woolf…falls in a boiling pot of vodka.Piggy laughs." George later apologized on Twitter, saying, "I misjudged the joke. No malice was intended and I apologize to Kirstie." After the apology, Kirstie fired back on Twitter, "@georgelopez I don't need or want ur apology…I want your kidney dude..on behalf of ur X and all the women uv insulted…give it back."^[29]

Filmography[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

	Biography portal
32x28px	Hispanic and Latino Americans portal

• Official website
• George Lopez at the Internet Movie Database
• "Brown is the New Green: George Lopez and the American Dream". http://www.pbs.org/brownisthenewgreen/.