A unit of time in the Maya calendar, representing 144,000 days or approximately 394 years.
From Yucatec Maya bak'tun, where 'bak' means 400 and 'tun' means 20 (in the vigesimal, or base-20, counting system). The word entered academic English through Mesoamerican studies in the 20th century.
The Maya used a base-20 counting system instead of our base-10, so their calendar unit baktun doesn't divide evenly into our years—it's a reminder that 'normal' math is just one culture's choice!
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