- Today in the TonalpohualliThe countEvery day has a sign
- Free · by handYour free Nahual readingMexican Oracle Astrology from your date, time and city of birth.Get my reading
- Plate IIThe twenty day-signsCipactli to Xóchitl, by direction.
- Plate IVTwo counts of time13 numbers and 20 signs, turning.
- Plate IThe Great Mexican Map400+ places, land and sea.
- 68 pueblosThe catalog
- Plate IIICounting in twenties
- Ancient booksThe codicesBorgia, Mendoza, Florentine.
- A–ZIndex of termsSearch the whole library.
- BioregionsReadings of the worldOne world, read by bioregion.
The Mexican Library An open library of the cultures of Mexico, part of NEO Library
Every day has a sign
In the sacred 260-day Tonalpohualli, each day carries one of twenty signs and one of thirteen numbers. Yours was set on the day you were born.
The sign of a day in the Tonalpohualli
Choose a date
Pick any date to see its day-sign and number.
Today is a new day in the Tonalpohualli. What was yours?
Your free Nahual reading
Mexican Oracle Astrology prepared by hand by Librarian Joséf Sánchez Coach, from your date, time and city of birth.
- Fill in the request with your name, email and your date, time and city of birth.
- The librarian places your birth day in the 260-day count.
- Your personal report arrives by email: your day-sign, your sacred number and what they mean.
Date, time and city of birth are needed for a precise reading.
The librarian writes each report, so allow a few days and check your spam folder.
The twenty day-signs
From Cipactli to Xóchitl, read in four groups of five. Each group belongs to a direction of the world and is ruled by a patron force.
EastRed. Region of light and fertility.
NorthBlack. Region of the dead and ancestors.
WestWhite. Where the sun descends.
SouthYellow. Region of thorns and growth.
No day-sign matches that search.
Two wheels, one sun
The brilliant celestial logic shared across Mesoamerica: interlocking counts of destinies and seasons.
- 260 daysTonalpohualli
- The sacred round of 20 day-signs and 13 numbers: the count of your Tonalli.
- 365 daysXiuhpohualli
- The solar year of 18 months of 20 days, plus the 5 days of nemontemi.
- 52 yearsXiuhmolpilli
- The binding of the years, renewed with the magnificent New Fire ceremony.
- StoneThe Sun Stone
- The great Mexica monolith with the 20 day-signs carved eternally around the face of the Fifth Sun.
The Great Mexican Map
The 68 pueblos originarios, ancient Mesoamerican cities, World Heritage, deserts, islands, the Tren Maya and cultural routes on one living map of the Mexican Bioregion.
Open the map full screen (opens in a new tab)
Open the full NEO MAP 2.0 (opens in a new tab)Back to the contents
The catalog
Subjects of the Mexican Library, arranged like a periodic table. 68 pueblos, 68 languages, one Mexico.
- Peoples & Cultures
- Knowledge
- Territory
- Arts & Life
- Sources
Peoples & Cultures, element 1
68 pueblos originarios
Mexico recognizes 68 indigenous peoples with their own language, 11 language families and 364 variants. Mexico is plural from its root.
Peoples & Cultures, element 2
Nahuatl (Mexica)
The largest people of Mexico, heirs of the language of Tenochtitlan, living from the Huasteca and the Sierra Norte de Puebla to Guerrero, Morelos and Mexico City.
Peoples & Cultures, element 3
Maya
The Maya of the Yucatán peninsula, keepers of the milpa, the cenotes and a language spoken across three states.
Peoples & Cultures, element 4
Zapoteco (Binnizá)
The Binnizá and Bene xon, builders of Monte Albán and Mitla, from the Valles Centrales to the Isthmus of Tehuantepec.
Peoples & Cultures, element 5
Mixteco (Ñuu Savi)
The Ñuu Savi, People of the Rain, of the Mixteca of Oaxaca, Puebla and Guerrero, authors of the great genealogical codices.
Peoples & Cultures, element 6
Purépecha
The P’urhépecha of Michoacán, a people never conquered by the Mexica, of the lakes and the meseta.
Peoples & Cultures, element 7
Rarámuri
The Rarámuri, the light-footed people of the Sierra Tarahumara, famous long-distance runners.
Peoples & Cultures, element 8
Huichol (Wixárika)
The Wixárika of the Sierra Huichola, pilgrims to Wirikuta, guardians of the deer, the maize and the peyote.
Knowledge, element 9
Codices
The painted books of ancient Mexico: calendars, gods, migrations, tributes and genealogies.
Knowledge, element 10
Numbers
Mesoamerican Base-20 mathematics with three signs: the dot (1), the bar (5) and the shell (0).
Knowledge, element 11
Tonalpohualli
The count of days and destinies: 20 day-signs × 13 numbers. The sacred count of your Tonalli.
Knowledge, element 12
The Sun Stone
The great Mexica monolith with the 20 day-signs carved eternally around the face of the Fifth Sun.
Territory, element 13
NEO MAP
The interactive map of the Mexican Bioregion, land and sea: 68 pueblos, archaeological zones, reserves, and routes.
Arts & Life, element 14
Gastronomy
The milpa, nixtamal, mole, tamales, chocolate, vanilla, and the regional kitchens of each people.
Arts & Life, element 15
Music & Instruments
Huéhuetl drums, clay flutes, the volador’s flute, jaranas, harps, marimbas, and the mariachi.
Arts & Life, element 16
Living Calendar
The Day of the Dead, the Guelaguetza, the Voladores, carnivals, and New Fire ceremonies.
Counting in twenties
A dot is one, a bar is five and a shell is zero. With three signs Mesoamerica wrote every number, and used zero centuries before Europe. Here, from Ce to Cempoalli in Nahuatl.
- 0Zero
- 1Ce
- 2Ome
- 3Yeyi
- 4Nahui
- 5Macuilli
- 6Chicuace
- 7Chicome
- 8Chicueyi
- 9Chicnahui
- 10Matlactli
- 11Matlactli once
- 12Matlactli omome
- 13Matlactli omey
- 14Matlactli onnahui
- 15Caxtolli
- 16Caxtolli once
- 17Caxtolli omome
- 18Caxtolli omey
- 19Caxtolli onnahui
- 20Cempoalli
Ancient Books & Evidence
Written in beautiful pictographic imagery on deerskin, amate paper, and European paper, the codices hold the ancient calendars, gods, migrations, tributes, and genealogies of Mesoamerica.
Codex Borgia (search, opens in a new tab)
The great book of the Tonalpohualli and the gods of the days.
Codex Mendoza (search, opens in a new tab)
The founding of Tenochtitlan, its tributes and daily life.
Florentine Codex (search, opens in a new tab)
The encyclopedia in Nahuatl and Spanish compiled by Sahagún.
Codex Boturini (search, opens in a new tab)
The Tira de la Peregrinación, the Mexica migration from Aztlan.
Index of terms
Readings of the world
Every NEO library keeps the reading of its own culture and the map of its own bioregion. One world, read by bioregion.
- Mexican Nahual reading
Free, on this page.
- Mayan reading
Free, at the Mayan Library.
- America
Original knowledge of the Americas.
- Africa
Original knowledge of Africa.
- Asia
Original knowledge of Asia.
- Europe
Original knowledge of Europe.
- Oceania
Original knowledge of Oceania.
- All bioregions
The world, library by library.
Visit all bioregions (opens in a new tab)Back to the contents
Questions readers ask
What is the free Nahual reading?
How do I get it?
What is the Tonalpohualli?
How many pueblos originarios are there in Mexico?
What is NEO MAP?
What are the Mexican codices?
Can I make the text bigger?
Masthead
The Mexican Library is a flagship library of NEO Library, the new library for the new civilization.
- Librarian
- Joséf Sánchez Coach
Librarian (UNAM), author of every reading and of NEO MAP.
- The network
- NEO Library
Open knowledge for everyone, across the globe.
- The method
- The UNAM thesis
Library science from the thesis of Sánchez González, José Fernando.
- Technology
- SESY.AI
Built and hosted with SESY.AI, Semantic Systems & AI.
Keep the library free
Free readings, open maps and an open archive are sustained entirely by readers. Every contribution keeps this knowledge free for everyone.
Contributions go to Joséf Sánchez, individual (persona física) registered in Mexico; they are not tax-deductible.
Colophon
Mexican knowledge
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- English
- Terms, Privacy
- © 2026 The Mexican Library, Tulum, Quintana Roo, México
- +52 999 992 2040
Set in Bodoni Moda and Jost (SIL Open Font License). Mesoamerican numerals and calendar wheels drawn for NEO Library. Map tiles © Esri and OpenStreetMap contributors, rendered with Leaflet. Editor and librarian: Joséf Sánchez Coach, Colegio de Bibliotecología, UNAM.
