| The 365 day solar calendar is the major organizing device for Sister Stories. The eighteen named months, each twenty days long, form the circular edge of Aztec space. There is no separate space for the five final days of the year, which were unnamed and considered dangerous. While the exact starting point of the calendar is debated, it most likely fell in mid-February. The names of each twenty-day month refer to changes in the agricultural cycle, and to deities honored and ceremonies practiced in state religion: Atlcaualo "lacking water" Tlalocs, Chalchiuhtlicue end of rains, sacrifice of children whose tears will bring rain Tlacaxipehualiztli "feast of flaying" Xipe Totec flaying of god impersonators simulating renewal of earth's skin Tozoztontli "little hunger" Coatlicue, Tlalocs child sacrifices to rain gods, flowers offered to the goddess Huetozoztli "great hunger" Cinteotl, Chicomecoatl seed corn ceremonies honoring corn mother and her son Toxcatl "dry" Tezcatlipoca, Huitzilopochtli rainy season beginning, human and dough images of gods killed Etzalqualiztli "feast of beans" Tlalocs summer solstice, sacrifice of children in lake to ensure rains Tecuilhuitontli "little feast of the lords" Huixtocihuatl sacrifice of patron goddess of salt workers, sister of the Tlalocs Huetecuilhuitontli "great feast of the lords" Xilonen ripening corn ceremonies honoring young corn goddess Tlaxochimaco "birth of flowers" Huitzilopochtli celebration of flowering plants Xocotlhuetzi "fruits fall" Xiuhtecuhtli heat of summer simulated by burning sacrificial victims for fire god Ochpaniztli "feast of sweeping" Teteo Innan harvest festival, conception by mother goddess re-enacted Teotleco "return of the gods" Tezcatlipoca Tepeilhuitl "feast of the mountains" Tlalocs ceremonies of the personified mountains Quecholli "feast of the birds" Mixcoatl ceremonial hunting Panquetzaliztli "feast of banners" Huitzilopochtli winter solstice, festivals of the war god with mock battles Atemoztli "water falls" Tlalocs ceremonies within the households for the mountains and natural forces Tititl "severe weather" Ilamatecuhtli sacrifice of the old goddess Izcalli "revival" Xiuhtecuhtli arrow sacrifice in honor of fire god, ceremonies of childhood
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