Calculate your Maya Nawal.
Use this Maya nawal calculator as a Mayan day sign calculator, Maya birth sign calculator, nahual calculator, or Tzolkin calculator. Enter your birthday to find the nawal and number that correspond to your date in the 260-day Cholq'ij.
The Cholq'ij (260-day Maya sacred calendar) is still actively kept by Ajq'ijab, Maya day-keepers, at Lake Atitlán today. Enter your birthday to find your nawal: the day-sign that shaped you.
Calculation uses the GMT correlation (584283), the academic and Ajq'ij consensus baseline. Free. No email required.
Enter your birthdate above to see your Maya day-sign reading.
Today's Maya nawal
Today in the Cholq'ij, the day 6 Ajmaq (Ajmaq, Vulture / Wisdom) is in effect. The essence of this day: The forgiveness day, the ancestor return.
Pardoning, ancestral wisdom, owning our past. Ajq'ijab observe this energy when planning ceremonies, seeking guidance, or beginning new projects. The calendar does not pause: every dawn arrives with a new day-sign in the spiral of 260.
Maya nawal calculator by birth date
To calculate your Maya nawal, enter your birth date above. The tool returns your traditional Cholq'ij day-sign, your number from 1 to 13, and a link to the full meaning page. This is the page to use for searches like calculate nawal, nahual by date of birth, Mayan birth sign calculator, and today's Maya nawal.
The calculation uses the GMT 584283 correlation, not Dreamspell, so the result follows the traditional Cholq'ij / Tzolkin count used in Guatemala.
What is a nawal?
Each day in the Cholq'ij carries an energy: a character: formed by a nawal (one of 20 day-signs) layered with a trecena number (1 to 13). The 20 x 13 cycle creates 260 unique days that repeat in a perfect spiral. Maya people use this calendar to plan ceremonies, name children, choose marriage dates, and read the energy of any moment.
You will see this word spelled several ways: nawal, nahual, and nawale all refer to the same concept. Nawal is the K'iche' Maya spelling used by day-keepers at Lake Atitlan; nahual is the Spanish-influenced spelling common in Guatemala and Mexico; nawale appears in some regional traditions. This tool uses nawal throughout.
Mayan day sign, Maya birth sign, nawal, or nahual?
These searches usually point to the same need: finding the sacred-calendar sign for a birth date. In Lake Atitlan language, nawal is the clearest term. In Spanish and Mexican sources, nahual is common. In English travel and spiritual-search contexts, people often say Mayan day sign, Maya birth sign, or Tzolkin sign. This page calculates the traditional Cholq'ij / Tzolkin day-sign and its trecena number, then links to the full nawal profile.
How is it calculated?
This page uses the GMT correlation (584283): the consensus baseline used by Maya scholars and Ajq'ijab worldwide. Maya time begins on the day 4 Ajaw 8 Kumk'u, which in our Gregorian calendar lands on August 11, 3114 BCE. Your nawal is the day-sign that falls the exact number of days after that origin point as your birthday.
How to calculate your Maya nawal step by step
The Cholq'ij operates as a continuous 260-day cycle. To find your nawal, the classical method follows these steps:
- Identify your birth date in the Gregorian calendar (day, month, and year).
- Convert the date to a Julian Day Number (JDN) using the standard astronomical formula, which counts continuous days from January 1, 4713 BCE.
- Apply the GMT correlation 584283: subtract this constant from your JDN to get the number of days elapsed since the Maya origin point of 4 Ajaw 8 Kumk'u.
- Calculate your day-sign (nawal) by dividing that total by 20 and using the remainder to identify which of the 20 nawales governs your day.
- Calculate your trecena number by dividing the same total by 13 and using the remainder to get your number (1 to 13).
- Combine both: your complete nawal is the number plus the day-sign name, for example "9 Aj" or "4 Imox." The form above performs these calculations automatically and displays your full profile.
Is this real, or astrology?
The Cholq'ij is not astrology. It is a living indigenous calendar, used today by Tz'utujil, K'iche', and Kaqchikel families around Lake Atitlan. The interpretations on this page draw from public K'iche' Maya sources and are intentionally brief. To go deeper, and to do so respectfully, visit a local Ajq'ij. They will read not only your day-sign but the energies around it, and offer ceremony when called for.
The 20 Maya nawales
The Cholq'ij contains exactly 20 nawales. Each one carries a core energy, a symbol, and a set of gifts and challenges that Ajq'ijab have transmitted across generations. Click any nawal to read its full profile.
Frequently asked questions
How do I calculate my Maya nawal?
Enter your birth date in the form above and click "Reveal my Nawal." The calculator converts your Gregorian date to the Cholq'ij count using the GMT correlation (584283), the academic and Ajq'ij consensus standard. Your nawal is the exact day-sign that falls on your birthday within the 260-day cycle.
Is this a Mayan day sign calculator or Maya birth sign calculator?
Yes. People search for this as a Mayan day sign calculator, Maya birth sign calculator, Mayan calendar calculator, Tzolkin calculator, nawal calculator, and nahual calculator. This tool calculates the traditional Cholq'ij / Tzolkin day-sign for a Gregorian birth date and returns the nawal plus its number from 1 to 13.
What is my nahual according to my date of birth?
Your nahual (nawal) is found by counting the days from the Maya origin point, August 11, 3114 BCE, to your birthday. The result lands on one of the 20 nawales in the Cholq'ij, combined with a trecena number from 1 to 13. Together they form your complete day-sign, such as "9 Aj" or "4 Imox".
What is today's Maya nawal?
Today's Maya nawal is the Cholq'ij day-sign that governs the present day. The sacred 260-day calendar advances without interruption, so every day carries a specific energy that Ajq'ijab (Maya day-keepers) observe for ceremonies and decisions. You can see today's nawal in the section above.
What are the 20 Maya nawales?
The 20 nawales of the Cholq'ij are: Imox (primal water), Iq' (wind), Aq'ab'al (dawn), K'at (net), Kan (serpent), Kame (transition), Kej (deer), Q'anil (seed), Toj (offering), Tz'i' (dog), B'atz' (thread), E (road), Aj (cane), I'x (jaguar), Tz'ikin (eagle), Ajmaq (vulture), No'j (earth), Tijax (flint), Kawoq (storm), and Ajpu (sun). Each carries its own energy and meaning. Explore every nawal in detail in the grid below.
Are nawal and nahual the same thing?
Yes. Nawal is the K'iche' Maya spelling used by day-keepers at Lake Atitlan; nahual is the Spanish-influenced spelling common in Guatemala and Mexico. Both words name the same concept: the personal day-sign within the Cholq'ij that accompanies each person from birth.
How accurate is this Maya nawal calculator?
This tool uses the GMT correlation 584283, the consensus baseline used by academic researchers (Goodman, Martinez, and Thompson) and by practicing Ajq'ijab today. It calculates the number of days from the Maya origin to your birthday and returns the exact day-sign. It works for any date from the first century CE to the present.
Want to go deeper?
- Visit a vetted local Ajq'ij at Lake Atitlan (directory in preparation)
- Read the full Cholq'ij sacred-calendar guide
- Browse the 20 nawales in detail or the 13 numbers