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First Long Count Dated Stela (Chiapa de Corzo)

36 BCE

Historical illustration: First Long Count Dated Stela (Chiapa de Corzo)
Historical illustration: First Long Count Dated Stela (Chiapa de Corzo)

Oldest recorded Long Count date preserved in the Mesoamerican region (7.16.3.2.13).

Historical Context

Mesoamerican calendar systems (260-day Tzolkin and 365-day Haab) refined significantly, as hieroglyphic script began recording absolute dates.

The Event

In 36 BCE (7.16.3.2.13), Stela 2 at Chiapa de Corzo engraved in the Zoque/Maya area recorded the oldest surviving Long Count date carved on stone.

Key Figures

Mesoamerican scribes and astronomers of the Isthmian and lowland regions.

Aftermath

The adoption of the Long Count marked a major intellectual revolution: Mesoamerica gained a precise linear calendar accurate to a single day across millennia.

Legacy & Culture

The mathematical zero and positional notation, essential to the Long Count, were utilized in Mesoamerica centuries before their introduction in Europe.

Historiography

Scholarly debate regarding the exact origin of the Long Count (Olmec, Epi-Olmec, or Maya) centers on comparative analysis of stelae from Chiapa de Corzo, El Baúl, and La Mojarra.

Sources and References

ARCHEOLOGY

Stèle 2 de Chiapa de Corzo (Museo Regional de Antropología de Chiapas)

Consulter l'archive officielle ↗
ARCHEOLOGY

Stèle 1 d'El Baúl (-37 apr. J.-C.)

Reliability index : ★★★★★

Semantic cluster

Maya civilization cluster

Preclassic to Postclassic: Tikal, Calakmul, Palenque, calendar and collapses.

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