The Dresden codex Venus Table consists of 5 pages, which are to be read
in succession across a single line. After finishing with one line, the next
line is read, and so on to the bottom of the thirteenth line of the table.
Below I show a representation of the table in modern notation.
| App 1-3 | Di E | Re W | Di W | Re E | Di E | Re W | Di W | Re E | Di E | Re W | Di W | Re E | |||
| Cycle 1 | 3:16 | 2:06 | 5:16 | 13:04 | 2:20 | 1:10 | 4:20 | 12:08 | 1:04 | 13:14 | 3:04 | 11:12 | |||
| Cycle 2 | 11:16 | 10:06 | 13:16 | 8:04 | 10:20 | 9:10 | 12:20 | 7:08 | 9:04 | 8:14 | 11:04 | 6:12 | |||
| Cycle 3 | 6:16 | 5:06 | 8:16 | 3:04 | 5:20 | 4:10 | 7:20 | 2:08 | 4:04 | 3:14 | 6:04 | 1:12 | |||
| Cycle 4 | 1:16 | 13:06 | 3:16 | 11:04 | 13:20 | 12:10 | 2:20 | 10:08 | 12:04 | 11:14 | 1:04 | 9:12 | |||
| Cycle 5 | 9:16 | 8:06 | 11:16 | 6:04 | 8:20 | 7:10 | 10:20 | 5:08 | 7:04 | 6:14 | 9:04 | 4:12 | |||
| Cycle 6 | 4:16 | 3:06 | 6:16 | 1:04 | 3:20 | 2:10 | 5:20 | 13:08 | 2:04 | 1:14 | 4:04 | 12:12 | |||
| Cycle 7 | 12:16 | 11:06 | 1:16 | 9:04 | 11:20 | 10:10 | 13:20 | 8:08 | 10:04 | 9:14 | 12:04 | 7:12 | |||
| Cycle 8 | 7:16 | 6:06 | 9:16 | 4:04 | 6:20 | 5:10 | 8:20 | 3:08 | 5:04 | 4:14 | 7:04 | 2:12 | |||
| Cycle 9 | 2:16 | 1:06 | 4:16 | 12:04 | 1:20 | 13:10 | 3:20 | 11:08 | 13:04 | 12:14 | 2:04 | 10:12 | |||
| Cycle 10 | 10:16 | 9:06 | 12:16 | 7:04 | 9:20 | 8:10 | 11:20 | 6:08 | 8:04 | 7:14 | 10:04 | 5:12 | |||
| Cycle 11 | 5:16 | 4:06 | 7:16 | 2:04 | 4:20 | 3:10 | 6:20 | 1:08 | 3:04 | 2:14 | 5:04 | 13:12 | |||
| Cycle 12 | 13:16 | 12:06 | 2:16 | 10:04 | 12:20 | 11:10 | 1:20 | 9:08 | 11:04 | 10:14 | 13:04 | 8:12 | |||
| Cycle 13 | 8:16 | 7:06 | 10:16 | 5:04 | 7:20 | 6:10 | 9:20 | 4:08 | 6:04 | 5:14 | 8:04 | 3:12 | |||
| -- | -- | -- | |||||||||||||
| App 4-5 | Di E | Re W | Di W | Re E | Di E | Re W | Di W | Re E | |||||||
| Cycle 1 | 13:08 | 12:18 | 2:08 | 10:16 | 12:12 | 11:02 | 1:12 | 9:20 | |||||||
| Cycle 2 | 8:08 | 7:18 | 10:08 | 5:16 | 7:12 | 6:02 | 9:12 | 4:20 | |||||||
| Cycle 3 | 3:08 | 2:18 | 5:08 | 13:16 | 2:12 | 1:02 | 4:12 | 12:20 | |||||||
| Cycle 4 | 11:08 | 10:18 | 13:08 | 8:16 | 10:12 | 9:02 | 12:12 | 7:20 | |||||||
| Cycle 5 | 6:08 | 5:18 | 8:08 | 3:16 | 5:12 | 4:02 | 7:12 | 2:20 | |||||||
| Cycle 6 | 1:08 | 13:18 | 3:08 | 11:16 | 13:12 | 12:02 | 2:12 | 10:20 | |||||||
| Cycle 7 | 9:08 | 8:18 | 11:08 | 6:16 | 8:12 | 7:02 | 10:12 | 5:20 | |||||||
| Cycle 8 | 4:08 | 3:18 | 6:08 | 1:16 | 3:12 | 2:02 | 5:12 | 13:20 | |||||||
| Cycle 9 | 12:08 | 11:18 | 1:08 | 9:16 | 11:12 | 10:02 | 13:12 | 8:20 | |||||||
| Cycle 10 | 7:08 | 6:18 | 9:08 | 4:16 | 6:12 | 5:02 | 8:12 | 3:20 | |||||||
| Cycle 11 | 2:08 | 1:18 | 4:08 | 12:16 | 1:12 | 13:02 | 3:12 | 11:20 | |||||||
| Cycle 12 | 10:08 | 9:18 | 12:08 | 7:16 | 9:12 | 8:02 | 11:12 | 6:20 | |||||||
| Cycle 13 | 5:08 | 4:18 | 7:08 | 2:16 | 4:12 | 3:02 | 6:12 | 1:20 |
Each Venus Apparition consists of 4 columns in a row, with two numbers
per column. The first number is the day count in the 1-13 day count; the
second number represents the day name (see the table, "Key to Day Names."
Thus, the upper left hand pair of numbers, 3:16 (boldfaced in the
table; Below, I call it "GO," the start of the table), is 3 Cib;
the lower right-hand pair, 1:20, is 1 Ahau.
| 1 | Imix | 11 | Chuen | ||
| 2 | Ik | 12 | Eb | ||
| 3 | Akbal | 13 | Ben | ||
| 4 | Kan | 14 | Ix | ||
| 5 | Chicchan | 15 | Men | ||
| 6 | Cimi | 16 | Cib | ||
| 7 | Manik | 17 | Caban | ||
| 8 | Lamat | 18 | Edznab | ||
| 9 | Muluc | 19 | Cauac | ||
| 10 | Oc | 20 | Ahau |
To use the table, start at the upper left with a disappearance of Venus
in the East on day 3:16 (3 Cib) in the column marked "Di E." Venus
had been a morning star. Venus reappears as an evening star on day 2:06
(2 Cimi) immediately to the right in the table, in column "Re W",
and disappears on day 5:16 (5 Cib) shown to the right of this, in column
"Di W". Finally it reappears as an evening star on day 13:04 (13
Kan) in column "Re E". Continuing to the right in this way, one
next accounts for apparitions 2, 3, and in the lower half of the table,
apparitions 4 and 5 of a cycle. When Cycle 1 is completed on day 9:20 (9
Ahau), go to Cycle 2 in the table and continue across the table in the same
way. Then Cycles 3, 4, etc., through Cycle 13 are followed in the same fashion.
The error of the table at each apparition is 584-583.92=0.08 days, or 0.4
days per cycle of five apparitions (8 years). Since there are 13 cycles,
after one complete trip through the table the error would be 13 x 0.4 =
5.2 days; the interval is too long. Therefore the Maya adopted a "recalibration"
strategy to get around the problem. For example, upon ending the 61st apparition
of the series (Apparition 1 of Cycle 13) on day 5:4 (boldfaced in
the table), instead of looking for the disappearance of Venus on day 7:20
as expected, they would skip apparitions 62-65 and instead go back to the
start of the table and look for Venus to reappear on Day 3:16, 4
days earlier in the Sacred Round. Thus, the error would be only 1 day instead
of 5. But that meant starting again at "GO", (table top left).
Similarly, they could stop at the end of apparition 57 (Apparition 2 of
Cycle 12) on day 9:8 (boldfaced in the table), and instead of looking
for Venus to disappear on day 11:4, go to "GO", and look for it
to disappear 8 days earlier, on 3:16. This would be 4 days too early. By
applying the first of these rules 4 times and the second once, the error
in 4 x 61 + 57 = 301 apparitions (5 centuries) is only 0.08 days. (See Anthony
Aveni, Empires of Time, pp. 229-230, for more information).