Aztec and Maya Calendar
In the tonalpohualli, the sacred Aztec calendar, Saturday October 16, 1954 is:
Xihuitl:
solar year
7 - Tochtli (rabbit)
Long Count:
Mayan calendar
12.17.0.17.9
Xiuhpohualli:
365-day calendar
1 - Nemontemi (-)
(Correlation: Alfonso Caso [adjust])
The significance of this day
Aztec facts
In the years after the conquest of Mexico, the xiuhpohualli (solar calendar) became tied to the Julian calendar as used by the Spaniards. This effectively introduced a leap year to the Aztec calendar every four years (this site provides the pre-conquest calendar).
This is the first of the five unlucky days (nemontemi) at the end of a year (xihuitl). It is better not to carry out any activity during these unfortunate and useless days. These nemontemi are extra dangerous because they are at the end of a calendar round of 52 years (xiuhmolpilli or bundle). All fires are to be extinguished. No public events are organized. After the nemontemi, there are seven days to prepare for the New Fire ceremony, held before the start of the day 1-Cipactli, the first day of the new bundle of years.
Day Atl (Water) is governed by Xiuhtecuhtli, God of Fire, as its provider of tonalli (Shadow Soul) life energy. Atl is a day for purification by subjecting oneself to the ordeal of conflict. It is a good day for battle, a bad day for rest. Water brings out the scorpion, who must sting its enemies or else sting itself. Atl is the day of the holy war, which is always a battle with one's own enemies within.
The thirteen day period (trecena) that starts with day 1-Ehecatl (Wind) is ruled by Chantico. The 13 days of this trecena are governed by the elemental intent of the divine Whirlwind: to create chaos out of order. Order and reason outlive their purpose and must be replaced by the potential for new, unexpected, unpredictable, change. It is precisely in the heart of order that the lightningbolt strikes. These are 13 days of instability and insecurity. The warrior prefers to have no relationships if the only alternative is to have bad relationships: thievery abounds and no treasure of the heart is safe. These are good days to be in the vanguard; bad days to be encamped behind the front.