Chicchan: The Serpent — Mayan Day Sign

Who Is Chicchan?

You possess powerful life force energy and instinctive wisdom. The cosmic serpent was sacred to the Maya — you share its ability to shed old skins and emerge transformed. Chicchan people are intensely alive, passionate, and capable of profound personal transformation.

In the Tzolk'in — the sacred 260-day calendar of the Maya — Chicchan is the 5th of twenty day signs, each representing a fundamental archetype of human experience. Your day sign is determined by the day you were born, and it shapes your personality, your purpose, and the cosmic energy you carry through life.

Chicchan is associated with the East direction, the element of Water, and the color Red. In the Maya cosmological system, these associations connect you to specific natural forces, seasonal energies, and spiritual qualities.

Strengths of Chicchan

Those born under the sign of Chicchan carry remarkable natural gifts:

• Powerful life force and charisma
• Deep instinctive wisdom
• Ability to transform completely
• Physical vitality and sensuality
• Natural healer

Challenges of Chicchan

Every sign carries its shadow. The challenges of Chicchan are not weaknesses — they are growth edges that, when worked with consciously, become your greatest sources of power:

• Intensity can overwhelm others
• Prone to extremes
• May manipulate through charm
• Jealousy and possessiveness
• Can be reactive rather than responsive

Chicchan in Love & Relationships

Chicchan loves with intensity. You are passionate, physical, and deeply committed once you choose — but you need someone who can match your energy without being consumed by it.

Most Compatible Signs

Chicchan shares the element of Water with these signs, creating natural resonance:

→ Check your compatibility with any birthday

Chicchan Career & Life Path

Medicine, bodywork, martial arts, psychology, tantric practices, emergency services, research, detective work.

Famous Chicchan People

Notable individuals believed to carry the Chicchan energy: Bruce Lee, Madonna

Note: Mayan astrology as presented on this site is a modern interpretation of the Tzolk'in calendar system. It draws on both academic research and contemporary practices, and should be enjoyed as a framework for self-reflection rather than a literal prediction system.

Chicchan in History & Archaeology

The Classic Glyph

The Chicchan glyph depicts a serpent's head, often shown with the distinctive cross-bands on its body that indicate the celestial or vision serpent.

Archaeological Record

The feathered serpent (K'uk'ulkan in Yucatec, Q'uq'umatz in K'iche') was one of the most powerful religious symbols in all of Mesoamerica. At Chichén Itzá, the Temple of Kukulkán (El Castillo) produces the famous light-and-shadow serpent descending the north balustrade during the equinoxes — an architectural alignment that demonstrates the integration of serpent symbolism, astronomical knowledge, and monumental engineering. At Yaxchilán, Lintel 25 shows Lady Xoc conjuring a vision serpent through bloodletting ritual, with an ancestor warrior emerging from the serpent's maw.

Cosmological Significance

Serpents were conduits between the human and supernatural worlds. The "Vision Serpent" was conjured through bloodletting rituals and served as a portal through which rulers communicated with ancestors and gods. Linda Schele and Mary Ellen Miller's research demonstrated that the serpent was the fundamental metaphor for supernatural communication in Maya art. The shedding of a serpent's skin also made it a powerful symbol of transformation and renewal — dying and being reborn with a new body, a concept central to Maya theology.

The 13 Tones of Chicchan

Your day sign is only half of your Tzolk'in identity. The other half is your tone number — a number from 1 to 13 that modifies and refines the energy of your sign. If your sign is what you are, your tone is how you express it.

→ Find your exact tone number with our calculator