8 Tahsib (Chorti'): Slashing tool; machete.
8 Tijax (Quiche) / 8 Etsnab (Yucatec Maya)
8 Tecpatl (Aztec): Flint knife
Direction: North
Note: I am not yet sure of the name in Chorti' where there are dozens of words for knives and tools. Tool suffixes include the endings nib, sib, tib, chib, and xib. It could be any of these, including the most generic name for tool, che'nib. While some interpretations move the meaning of this day sign toward knives or stones used in human sacrifice, that does not seem to be the case with the root words associated with various tools. Rather these are the instruments that allowed the Mayans to become agriculturalists and artisans. The machete or tahsib was especially important in corn production.
Monkey Week: This 13 day week will often have an eclipse every other tzolkin year. If it happens early in the week it may be a full or partial eclipse but if it happens late in the week it is penumbral (minimal), since we are nearing the end of the eclipse period. Monkey is also the only week of the tzolkin where Mars is always retrograde (for at least several hundred years), every third tzolkin (Mars has a 780 day cycle - three tzolkins). Mars is retrograde now. And will be again three Monkey weeks from now. On the next Monkey week (260 days), Mars will be an evening 'star' almost to disappear from the sky. On the Monkey week following that, Mars will be a morning 'star' having recently appeared in the eastern sky before dawn.
Acajutla High Tides: 8:24 AM and 8:56 PM
Semi-diurnal Tide range (Difference in High/Low Tides): 1.28 meters average and decreasing
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