Pronunciation: [bˈaktʌn] (IPA) 
The Mayan word "baktun" refers to a period of time in their calendar system, equivalent to approximately 394 years. The pronunciation of "baktun" in IPA phonetic transcription is /ˈbɑːktuːn/. This word consists of two syllables - "bak" and "tun". The "a" sound in "bak" is pronounced as in "father", while the "u" sound in "tun" is pronounced as in "boot". The stress is on the first syllable, making the word sound like "BAK-toon".
Baktun is a term derived from the Mayan civilization and refers to a unit of measurement in their calendar system. In the Mayan calendar, a baktun is the equivalent of 144,000 days, or roughly 394.3 years. It is considered a significant period in Mayan timekeeping, marking a cycle of time that represents completion or the end of an era.
The baktun has significant cultural and historical importance, as it played a significant role in the Mayan civilization's concept of time and the organization of their calendar. It served as a fundamental unit of measuring long periods, allowing the Mayans to track important astronomical and seasonal events, as well as to plan and record historical and mythological events.
The end of a baktun is seen as a critical juncture by some, believed to hold symbolic or prophetic significance. This is mainly due to the association with cycles of creation and destruction, leading to speculation and debates about its implications.
In recent times, the term "baktun" gained more attention as it became associated with the Mesoamerican Long Count calendar, which gained international interest due to misinterpreted predictions of an apocalyptic event associated with the end of the 13th baktun on December 21, 2012.
Overall, the term "baktun" refers to a specific unit of measurement in the Mayan calendar, carrying cultural, historical, and sometimes symbolic implications related to cycles of time and completion.
The word "baktun" originates from the Mayan civilization, specifically from the Yucatec Maya language. The Yucatec Maya was one of the major Mayan languages spoken in the Yucatan Peninsula, Belize, and parts of Guatemala.
In the Yucatec Maya language, the word "baktun" can be broken down into two parts: "bak" which means "count", and "tun" which refers to a unit of time. Therefore, "baktun" can be translated roughly as "count of tun".
In Mayan cosmology, the baktun was a period of 20 tun, where one tun represented 360 days. So, a baktun would be equivalent to 7,200 days or approximately 20 years.
