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Dear Yari,
 Presently, Arguelles' count is 52 days ahead of the so called "True" Count. As of March 1st, the day after the next leap day, the discrepency becomes 51 days. This means the two will synchronize for 4 years in the early 23rd century. March 1st is 1 Imix in the "True" Count, and is equal to 1 Imix +51 days in the Arg count, or if my off the cuff calculation is correct, 13 Eb (or whatever Arguelles calls Eb). The list of Mayan groups using this count is extremely large. It was the Classic Maya count at all classic Maya sites, it was also the placement used by the Aztecs, although in the Aztec language the day-signs have different names (they have been shown to be cognate). From ethnographic and ethnohistoric information collected and summarized by M. Edmonson ("The Book of the Year", Univ of Utah Press, 1988), I'd have to list more than a hundred distinct groups that followed (or still follow) this count placement. The ones I'm more familiar with are: Cakchiquel, Kekchi, Quiche, Mam, Ixil, Jacaltec, Kanhobal, Tzutujil. The present day groups who have probably lost the true count: Chorti (eastern Guatemala), Tzeltal & Tzotzil (Highland Chiapas), Huastec. Mazatec, Mixtec (Oaxaca), Aztec, Yucatec. Historic information has shown that these last groups at one time followed the "True" placement. When a group loses its placement, it either dies with the last old wise daykeeper at some point, or, as in at least the Yucatan, gets distorted. This should be good for starters. Edmonson cites all the exhaustive sources for this information, which I couldn't possibly list here. When I was in Guatemala in 1990, I confirmed that the Quiche of Los Cimientos - a "model village" set up by the military - were still following the True Count; also, the Tzutujil of San Pedro La Laguna and the Cakchiquel also, who were publishing a little newspaper monthly which announced the 8 Batz festival in which new daykeepers are initiated according to the Quiche tradition. The festival correlated with the correct date for the true count. And that's just my personal observations, there are dozens of more detailed ethnographic studies by the likes of Barbara Tedlock, James Sexton, Maud Oakes, Oliver La Farge and others that show the same thing. Keep me posted if you have more questions, and I'll take a fresh look at your site. Happy Holidays and New Year, Blessings for 1996... and beyond... John Major Jenkins
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