What is the duration of a Baktun in years?

The duration of a Baktun is 400 years. This concept comes from the Mesoamerican Long Count calendar associated with the ancient Maya civilization. The Long Count calendar is a non-repeating calendar that tracks significant periods of time, and a Baktun is one of the larger units of this calendar system. Specifically, the Baktun consists of 144,000 days, which, when converted into years, amounts to 400 years.

This understanding is critical when studying ancient Mayan timekeeping and how it was integral to their cosmology, history, and the way they organized their society. While other units of time exist in the Long Count calendar, a Baktun's specific value is unique to this structure, making it a significant marker for understanding historical periods in the Maya civilization.