Number as Force

In the tzolkin the number is not merely a counter but a force with its own energy, lower numbers often read as gentle or beginning, higher as strong or culminating, which combines with the day sign to give each of the two hundred and sixty days its distinct character. The day-keepers of the living Maya tradition still read the tones in this way.

The atlas gives each tone its number and its associated quality. The tones pair with the twenty day signs, and belong with the wider Maya calendrical material under Calendars & Time.