ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Atamalqualiztli

Atamalqualiztli is a very big word that people used a long time ago in a place called Mexico. They used it to talk about a big and important ceremony that they did every 52 years to celebrate the end of one cycle and the start of a new one.

During this ceremony, everyone in the community would get rid of old things like clothes and even houses. They would clean everything and put new clothes on. They would also make a big fire and throw all the old things they didn't need anymore into the fire. They believed that this would help get rid of all the bad things from the past and start fresh with new beginnings.

There were also some special people called priests who would lead the ceremony and make sure everything was done the right way. They would sing and dance, and everyone would join in. They also had a special calendar with symbols that helped them know when it was time to do the ceremony.

So atamalqualiztli was a big celebration that people did a long time ago in Mexico to start over and have a fresh start. It was like a big spring cleaning party, but with lots of singing, dancing, and special symbols.