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How did the Aztec calendar organize ceremonies for different gods?

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Mythologies of the Indigenous peoples of the Americas Haida argillite carving, c. 1890, depicting a folktale in which the Bear Mother endures a cesarean birth; in the National Museum of the American Indian, George Gustav Haye Center, Smithsonian Institution, New York City.

The Aztec calendar system was central to religious life, organizing ceremonies through two parallel cycles: the 260-day ritual calendar, or tonalpohualli, and a 365-day solar calendar.12

The tonalpohualli was primarily used for divination and determining the auspiciousness of days based on the deities presiding over them. It consisted of 20 named days combined with numbers 1 to 13, creating a cycle where each day and 13-day series was associated with a unique deity. Specialized priests, known as tonalpouhque, interpreted these signs to guide public and private life, including births, elections, and trade.13

The 365-day solar calendar was divided into 18 months of 20 days, plus five "unlucky" days. This cycle structured the elaborate round of public ceremonies and rituals performed by a professional priesthood. Each temple and god had an attendant priestly order responsible for these events, which often featured masked performers, dances, songs, and sacrifices intended to gain the favor of the gods. Together, these cycles ensured that every aspect of life was aligned with the divine order.1324