The Indigenous History of El Salvador

13 Ix in the Mayan-Mesoamerican Calendar

13 Ix, 13th day in the 13-day Ik' (the Void) Week
13 Ix, (Ch'orti'/Quiche/Yucatec): Mother Earth. Glyph of earth god or corn.
13 Ocelotl (Aztec): Jaguar
Direction: North

Note: Ix (pronounced 'ish') is a female god spirit or earth spirit in Ch'orti and refers to being split open (i.e. corn beginning to grow). Ix is the only day sign which is shared in Ch'orti', Quiche, and Yucatec Maya, which shows how old it is. These languages took different courses by 1500 BC if not earlier. The earth sign ix became associated with the jaguar after the pellegra crisis, the period in which there was an epidemic of niacin deficiency which came from relying too much on corn in the diet. Corn came from Mother Earth. Pellegra causes the body to become lesioned with spots like a jaguar and eventually is deadly. This was resolved when nixtamalization (which means, 'ridding the corn of ix') was discovered.

Ik' Week: Ik' Balam is the name of one of the first four civilizing Mesoamericans. Ik's village at the mouth of the Rio Lempa was most likely wiped out in the global flood event of the draining of Lake Agassiz in about 6400 BCE (Before Common Era). Ik' is also the dark spot in the Milky Way, or the Tree of Life, and specifically the center of the galaxy where there appear to be no stars. Also known as the void. Now we know that there is a black hole at this location. When the Mars retrograde cycle happens while aligning with the center of the galaxy, it occurs on the earliest possible date of the tzolkin. This is because of the elongated orbit of Mars being pulled by the densest mass of the galaxy. This allowed the pre-Mayans to predict the exact day of the turning or retrograde motion of Mars. This is also how the pre-Mayans determined the exact center of the galaxy with such accuracy, i.e. when Mars turned retrograde in that spot it would advance the Mars retrograde calendar before expected.

Ix in Ik': Ix and Ik' represent the two greatest crisis in pre-Mayan history - the great flood and the pellegra crisis. These events added to the complexity of the Mayan world view and spirituality.

Acajutla High Tides: 3:46 AM and 4:05 PM
Semi-diurnal Tide Range: 2.05 meters and decreasing

12 Ak in the Mayan-Mesoamerican Calendar

12 Ak, 12th day in the 13-day Ik' (the Void) Week
12 Ak, (Ch'orti'): Grass or reed  (Glyph of woven mat)
12 Aj (Quiche) / 12 Ben (Yucatec): Ear of corn or reed
12 Acatl (Aztec): Grass or reed
Direction: East

Note: The early Mayans wove with reeds or grasses to make baskets, mats for sleeping (petate), and reed boats for ocean travel (from torola reeds). The Quiche' word aj means 'ear of corn' in addition to grass. In Ch'orti, cob of corn is k'ab nar, which is where we get the English word 'cob'. Another meaning for this daysign comes from the word ax, which means striped. This sign is often portrayed with stripes, such as those seen in a petate. Ak is one of the roots of 'zacate' which is the word used extensively throughout south Mexico and Central America for 'grass'.

Ik' Week: Ik' Balam is the name of one of the first four civilizing Mesoamericans. Ik's village at the mouth of the Rio Lempa was most likely wiped out in the global flood event of the draining of Lake Agassiz in about 6400 BCE (Before Common Era). Ik' is also the dark spot in the Milky Way, or the Tree of Life, and specifically the center of the galaxy where there appear to be no stars. Also known as the void. Now we know that there is a black hole at this location. When the Mars retrograde cycle happens while aligning with the center of the galaxy, it occurs on the earliest possible date of the tzolkin. This is because of the elongated orbit of Mars being pulled by the densest mass of the galaxy. This allowed the pre-Mayans to predict the exact day of the turning or retrograde motion of Mars. This is also how the pre-Mayans determined the exact center of the galaxy with such accuracy, i.e. when Mars turned retrograde in that spot it would advance the Mars retrograde calendar before expected.

Ak in Ik': Alone among the early Mesoamerican leaders, the family of Ik' Balam lived along the Lempa-Torola river system with Ak - grasses and reeds - along much of the shoreline. At a very early time, the Ik' Balam family began utilizing the Ak for many different uses - roofs and walls, mats, and reed rafts and boats. These were then shared with all the other peoples.

Acajutla High Tides: 2:58 AM and 3:21 PM
Semi-diurnal Tide Range: 2.08 meters and at its greatest. It will peak again in 13 to 14 days. (This refers to the height difference between the high tide and the low tide.)

11 Ch'ak in the Mayan-Mesoamerican Calendar

11 Ch'ak, 11th day in the 13-day Ik' (the Void) Week
11 Ch'ak (Ch'orti'): Fang (Glyph of face with fang)
11 E (Quiche) / 11 Eb (Yucatec Maya): Tooth
11 Malinalli (Aztec): Twisted; grass

Direction: South

Note: This day sign might have its origin as a bat sign and then evolved from bat to split tooth (which looks like a bat) as early peoples began to pick tobacco, first to relieve themselves of hunger pangs. Later they cultivated tobacco for medicinal use, such as for tooth aches. But the use of tobacco caused mouth sores and cancers, even death. Thus, many people were "sacrificed" for the nourishment and healing that tobacco had earlier provided.

Ch'ak means 'fang' in Ch'orti' but also was the name of the healing god. This sign was also called both k'om k'o, or spliced molar tooth, and eh, the more generic name for tooth in Ch'orti, leading to the Quiche and Yucatec names. The Mayans may have changed this daysign to ch'ak rather than k'om k'o or eh in about 1500 BC because of the play on words with ch'a'ak, which means raft of reeds or balsam. 

The Putun (Quiche') Maya of the late Classic period, upon founding Chichen Itza, transformed Ch'ak into a rain god, with the four Ch'aks or chaacs, one for each direction. Images of Ch'ak always show it with a snake fang.

More than anything, this sign celebrates the healing profession - those who know how to use herbs and plants to relieve pain and cure. How ironic that the healing arts are symbolized by tobacco - similar to how it would be symbolized by the coca leaf in South America! Clearly this shows how tobacco - and coca - have been misused and become part of the exploitative, self-destructive capitalist economy.

Ik' Week:  Ik' Balam is the name of one of the first four civilizing Mesoamericans. Ik's village at the mouth of the Rio Lempa was most likely wiped out in the global flood event of the draining of Lake Agassiz in about 6400 BCE (Before Common Era). Ik' is also the dark spot in the Milky Way, or the Tree of Life, and specifically the center of the galaxy where there appear to be no stars. Also known as the void. Now we know that there is a black hole at this location. When the Mars retrograde cycle happens while aligning with the center of the galaxy, it occurs on the earliest possible date of the tzolkin. This is because of the elongated orbit of Mars being pulled by the densest mass of the galaxy. This allowed the pre-Mayans to predict the exact day of the turning or retrograde motion of Mars. This is also how the pre-Mayans determined the exact center of the galaxy with such accuracy, i.e. when Mars turned retrograde in that spot it would advance the Mars retrograde calendar before expected.

Acajutla High Tides: 2:08 AM and 2:34 PM
Semi-diurnal Tide Range: 2.01 meters and increasing. Very good fishing and crabbing the next four days.

10 Ma'x in the Mayan-Mesoamerican Calendar

10 Ma'x, 10th day in the 13-day Ik' (the Void) Week
10 Ma'x (Ch'orti'): Monkey. (Glyph of monkey)
10 B'atz' (Quiche) / 10 Chuen (Yucatec Maya): Monkey
10 Ozomatli (Aztec): Monkey

Direction: West

Note: Ma'x relates back to human evolution, remembering where humans came from. The sign also is associated with the first pre-Mayan writers, scientists, and mathematicians who methodically kept track of astronomical calendars. These first mathematicians were led by the pre-Quiche' lineage who were most reliant on corn in their diet and thus were the first to suffer from mental illness due to the pellegra epidemic, between 2300 and 2000 BC. This caused the Quiche' to lose their leadership status among all the Mesoamerican peoples and they were banished by placing them on rafts in the ocean. They eventually landed on the shore of northwest Mexico. Since that time, Ma'x also represents mental illness, and, especially, the misunderstanding of mental illness (i.e. not knowing that, in this case, it was caused by over-reliance of corn in the diet). In more modern times, Ma'x is associated with corrupt political leadership, for example, calling Honduran coup leader Michiletti, "goriletti", a reference to a gorilla.

Ik' Week:  Ik' Balam is the name of one of the first four civilizing Mesoamericans. Ik's village at the mouth of the Rio Lempa was most likely wiped out in the global flood event of the draining of Lake Agassiz in about 6400 BCE (Before Common Era). Ik' is also the dark spot in the Milky Way, or the Tree of Life, and specifically the center of the galaxy where there appear to be no stars. Also known as the void. Now we know that there is a black hole at this location. When the Mars retrograde cycle happens while aligning with the center of the galaxy, it occurs on the earliest possible date of the tzolkin. This is because of the elongated orbit of Mars being pulled by the densest mass of the galaxy. This allowed the pre-Mayans to predict the exact day of the turning or retrograde motion of Mars. This is also how the pre-Mayans determined the exact center of the galaxy with such accuracy, i.e. when Mars turned retrograde in that spot it would advance the Mars retrograde calendar before expected.

Ma'x in Ik': It is from the void in the sky, Ik', that we learn mathematics and math is a sign of our evolution from monkeys, Ma'x, to humans. Yet to immerse oneself completely in that math one risks losing a sense of reality. Ik' also contains the most beautiful force in the world, love, which helps keep us grounded in the earth and those around us.

Acajutla High Tides: 1:13 AM and 1:50 PM
Semi-diurnal Tide Range: 1.88 meters and increasing

9 Tzi' in the Mayan-Mesoamerican Calendar

9 Tzi', 9th day in the 9-day Tokar (Vapor) Week
9 Tzi' (Ch'orti'): Dog / glyph of dog with torch
9 Tz'i' (Quiche) / 9 Ok (Yucatec): Dog
9 Itzcuintli (Nahuatl): Dog
Direction: North

Note: Dogs were domesticated 10,000 to 12,000 years ago and dogs accompanied some of the later people from the north. In this hemisphere, it was the only domesticated animal - the earliest companion to humans. This is one of the oldest day signs. Sirius is the dog star for most early cultures and the Mayans as well. When Venus is not visible, it is the brightest object in sky, aside from the sun and moon. This day sign is opposite (10 days apart) the sun sign, Hunapuh - Ahau, showing that Sirius was considered an opposite or a counter to the sun. For the last two thousand years, Sirius disappears from the sky in April and reappears in the early morning sky in June, in Mesoamerica. Its reappearance would have been an indicator to plant, just after the rainy season had started.

Tracking Sirius, the Dog star, through the elliptic, the pre-Mayans were able to predict precession of the solar system through the galactic elliptic. This is, in part, how the pre-Mayans were able to set their calendar to end in December 2012. It appears that they were tracking Sirius by 8500 BC. At that time it was a rising star during the time of the spring equinox. When Mars turned retrograde close to the spring equinox, usually every 17 years, its retrograde station occurred near the black hole at the center of the galaxy. If this occurred near to the galactic void, it could mark the changing of the Mars long-count calendar. Then over thousands of years they noticed Sirius' rising was no longer occurring at the spring equinox. They were able to measure exactly how much precession there was over time.

The word tzi' in Ch'orti' is very similar to the word tz'ihn, which means yuca or manioc. Most day signs are associated with one or more early crops. In addition, tz'ihk is pottery and tz'ok' is snapping in two, sometimes shortened to 'ok or k'o, an onomatopoeia. There is a ritual on this day sign among some Mayans of breaking a piece of pottery in two. In Yucatecan Mayan, ok means dog, and we are back full circle. One word for leg in Ch'orti' is ok, so that uyok etzi is dog's paw, which also likely had an astronomical meaning. Also, tz'ik means left and tz'ik ikar is north wind.

Ik' Week:  Ik' Balam is the name of one of the first four civilizing humans. Ik's village at the mouth of the Rio Lempa was most likely wiped out in the global flood event of the draining of Lake Agassiz in about 6400 BCE (Before Common Era). Ik' is also the dark spot in the Milky Way, or the Tree of Life, and specifically the center of the galaxy where there appear to be no stars. Also known as the void. Now we know that there is a black hole at this location. When the Mars retrograde cycle happens while aligning with the center of the galaxy, it occurs on the earliest possible date of the tzolkin. This is because of the elongated orbit of Mars being pulled by the densest mass of the galaxy. This allowed the Mayans to predict the exact day of the turning or retrograde motion of Mars. This is also how the Mayans determined the exact center of the galaxy with such accuracy, i.e. when Mars turned retrograde in that spot it would advance the Mars retrograde calendar before expected.

Acajutla High Tides: 12:13 AM and 12:50 PM
Semi-diurnal Tide Range: 1.76 meters and increasing

8 Tokar in the Mayan-Mesoamerican Calendar

8 Tokar, 8th day in the 13-day Ik' (the void) Week
8 Tokar (Ch'orti'): Cloud, vapor, aether
8 Toj (Quiche); 8 Muluk (Yucatec): Glyph may be of eye of enlightenment
8 Atl (Aztec): Water
Direction: East

Tokar refers to the spiritual being, the eye of enlightenment. It shares a root with Tohil, one of the three gifts from the gods to the Mesoamerican people. Tohil refers to tobacco, which helped people overcome their hunger pangs. Soon a tobacco smoke bath was used by the early shamans to communicate with the gods, especially the supreme god present at the void (black hole) at the center of the galaxy, Ik'. Later sap from the cochineal croton tree was used and later still, copal incense was used instead of tobacco to communicate with the gods.

Ik' Week:  Ik' Balam is the name of one of the first four civilizing humans. Ik's village at the mouth of the Rio Lempa was most likely wiped out in the global flood event of the draining of Lake Agassiz in about 6400 BCE (Before Common Era). Ik' is also the dark spot in the Milky Way, or the Tree of Life, and specifically the center of the galaxy where there appear to be no stars. Also known as the void. Now we know that there is a black hole at this location. When the Mars retrograde cycle happens while aligning with the center of the galaxy, it occurs on the earliest possible date of the tzolkin. This is because of the elongated orbit of Mars being pulled by the densest mass of the galaxy. This allowed the Mayans to predict the exact day of the turning or retrograde motion of Mars. This is also how the Mayans determined the exact center of the galaxy with such accuracy, i.e. when Mars turned retrograde in that spot it would advance the Mars retrograde calendar before expected.

Tokar in Ik': This is the most spiritual combination of day signs. Tokar is always a good day for a sweat lodge, but today the purest spiritual energy from the center of the galaxy may be present for those who seek.

Acajutla High Tides: 11:50 AM
Semi-diurnal Tide Range: 1.60 meters and increasing

7 K'ante' in the Mayan-Mesoamerican Calendar

7 K'ante', 7th day in the 13-day Ik' (the Void) Week
7 K'ante' (Ch'orti): Madre cacao tree (gliricidia)
7 Q'anil (Quiche); 7 Lamat (Yucateca): Glyph of Venus
7 Tochtli (Aztec): Rabbit
Direction: South

Note: The k'an te' (yellow tree) or madre cacao was the ruler over the third regent or the third age, which ended about 3100 BC. The first age was associated with white, the second age with black, the third age with yellow, to be followed by red. In the Popol Vuh, the hero twins Hunahpu and Ixbalamque lured their older brothers to the k'ante' where they fooled them to put an end to their reign over the third age. The k'ante' provided shade for the fragile cacao trees along the Mayan Pacific Coast. The thicker k'ante' branches were used to make wood fences.

Ik' Week:  Ik' Balam is the name of one of the first four civilizing humans. Ik's village at the mouth of the Rio Lempa was most likely wiped out in the global flood event of the draining of Lake Agassiz in about 6400 BCE (Before Common Era). Ik' is also the dark spot in the Milky Way, or the Tree of Life, and specifically the center of the galaxy where there appear to be no stars. Also known as the void. Now we know that there is a black hole at this location. When the Mars retrograde cycle happens while aligning with the center of the galaxy, it occurs on the earliest possible date of the tzolkin. This is because of the elongated orbit of Mars being pulled by the densest mass of the galaxy. This allowed the Mayans to predict the exact day of the turning or retrograde motion of Mars. This is also how the Mayans determined the exact center of the galaxy with such accuracy, i.e. when Mars turned retrograde in that spot it would advance the Mars retrograde calendar before expected.

Acajutla High Tides: 10:45 AM and 11:08 PM
Semi-diurnal Tide Range: 1.47 meters and increasing

6 Manix in the Mayan-Mesoamerican Calendar

6 Manix, 6th day in the 13-day Ik' (the Void) Week
6 Man ix (Ch'orti'): Worker of the earth; artisan
6 Kej (Quiche) - Deer / 6 Manik' (Yucatec): Glyph of grasping hand
6 Mazatl (Aztec): Deer
Direction: West

Note: This sign is named after one of the four original Mesoamerican leaders, Maza Manix, whose lineage leads to the Quiche' Maya. He received the name Maza or "Deer" for copying the deer in trying various leaves, fruits, nuts, and berries to see if they were edible. He received the name Manix or "worker of the earth" for having the vision of cultivating edible plants which would lead to establishing a way of life based on agriculture. Both doing art - being an artisan - and working the earth are described by the same verb, man, in Ch'orti' Maya. The glyph of the grasping hand describes an action that could either be artisanal or agricultural.

At some point, mostly likely when their leaders were suffering from mental illness caused by pellegra, the Quiche Maya might have mistakenly changed the name of this day sign from manix to maix, although they retained the 'deer' meaning which they took with them when they were banished to northwest Mexico. Maix means 'not yet' in Ch'orti. The Quiche-written Popol Vuh says that Not Yet was one of the first four people and the founder of the Quiche. But it is possible that the name maix came from an agricultural rhyme associated with it. One can imagine the saying 'maix manix' or 'not ready yet, work the corn some more'. The tzolkin was used a guide to know when to plant and harvest.

This day sign was the first sign of the week and the year for the Quiche's, unlike other Mayans. That makes sense - the previous two days are Serpent and Tapir and the blood of the serpent and tapir are mixed with corn dough to make the first person. It is likely that when the Quiche' were banished by the other leaders that the calendar start date was adjusted from Manix to Imix.

Ik' Week:  Ik' Balam is the name of one of the first four civilizing humans. Ik's village at the mouth of the Rio Lempa was most likely wiped out in the global flood event of the draining of Lake Agassiz in about 6400 BCE (Before Common Era). Ik' is also the dark spot in the Milky Way, or the Tree of Life, and specifically the center of the galaxy where there appear to be no stars. Also known as the void. Now we know that there is a black hole at this location. When the Mars retrograde cycle happens while aligning with the center of the galaxy, it occurs on the earliest possible date of the tzolkin. This is because of the elongated orbit of Mars being pulled by the densest mass of the galaxy. This allowed the Mayans to predict the exact day of the turning or retrograde motion of Mars. This is also how the Mayans determined the exact center of the galaxy with such accuracy, i.e. when Mars turned retrograde in that spot it would advance the Mars retrograde calendar before expected.

Manix in Ik': The force of the galaxy led the Mesoamericans to an agricultural way of life. By being in tune with both the universe (the void) and nature around them, the Mesoamericans learned agriculture and learned how to become great artisans.

Acajutla High Tides: 9:37 AM and 10:00 PM
Semi-diurnal Tide Range: 1.43 meters and at its lowest. In 13 days, the 6th day of the next week, the tide range will again be reaching its lowest point.

5 Cimin in the Mayan-Mesoamerican Calendar

5 Cimin, 5th day in the 13-day Ik' (the Void) Week
5 Cimin or Tzimin (Ch'orti'): Tapir. Glyph of sleeping head or skull
5 Kame (Quiche') / 5 Kimi (Yucatec): Death
5 Miquiztli (Aztec): Death
Direction: North

In the Popul Vuh, the lords of Xibalba who brutally controlled the cave, were represented by the tapir. The word for tapir, cimin, might originate in Asia from before crossing the Bering Strait and likely meant 'bear'. In ancient mythology bears ruled the caves and hibernated through the winter, hence the sleeping head. As the closest animal to a bear in Mesoamerica, tapirs ruled caves.

Also in the Popol Vuh, the Hawk mixes corn with the blood of a sea serpent and the tapir to make people. The previous day-sign was serpent and it is matched with tapir in the tzolkin. The blood of both the sea-faring pre-Mayan people (sea serpent) and the cave dwelling Xibalbans (tapir) was shed in order for the powerful, knowledgeable Mayan people to emerge. The lords of Xibalba represented the underworld and death, hence this day also meant 'death' in other Mayan languages and among the Aztecs.

Ik' Week:  Ik' Balam is the name of one of the first four civilizing humans. Ik's village at the mouth of the Rio Lempa was most likely wiped out in the global flood event of the draining of Lake Agassiz in about 6400 BCE (Before Common Era). Ik' is also the dark spot in the Milky Way, or the Tree of Life, and specifically the center of the galaxy where there appear to be no stars. Also known as the void. Now we know that there is a black hole at this location. When the Mars retrograde cycle happens while aligning with the center of the galaxy, it occurs on the earliest possible date of the tzolkin. This is because of the elongated orbit of Mars being pulled by the densest mass of the galaxy. This allowed the Mayans to predict the exact day of the turning or retrograde motion of Mars. This is also how the Mayans determined the exact center of the galaxy with such accuracy, i.e. when Mars turned retrograde in that spot it would advance the Mars retrograde calendar before expected.

Acajutla High Tides: 8:31 AM and 8:54 PM
Semi-diurnal Tide Range: 1.47 meters and decreasing.

4 Chan in the Mayan-Mesoamerican Calendar

4 Chan, 4th day in the 13-day Ik' (the void) Week
4 Chan (Ch'orti'): Serpent
4 Kan (Quiche') / 4 Chikchan (Yucatec)
4 Coatl (Aztec): Head of Serpent
Direction: East

Chan is the totem for the Ch'orti' Maya. This day celebrates Balam (jaguar) Kitze, one of the two founders of the Maya lineages. The Ch'orti'-Cholan, Yucatec, and Huastec Mayas all share lineage from Balam Kitze. This daysign was likely also called Hor Chan, or head serpent, in homage to the founder of the clan.

Ik' Week:  Ik' Balam is the name of one of the first four civilizing humans. Ik's village at the mouth of the Rio Lempa was most likely wiped out in the global flood event of the draining of Lake Agassiz in about 6400 BCE (Before Common Era). Ik' is also the dark spot in the Milky Way, or the Tree of Life, and specifically the center of the galaxy where there appear to be no stars. Also known as the void. Now we know that there is a black hole at this location. When the Mars retrograde cycle happens while aligning with the center of the galaxy, it occurs on the earliest possible date of the tzolkin. This is because of the elongated orbit of Mars being pulled by the densest mass of the galaxy. This allowed the Mayans to predict the exact day of the turning or retrograde motion of Mars. This is also how the Mayans determined the exact center of the galaxy with such accuracy, i.e. when Mars turned retrograde in that spot it would advance the Mars retrograde calendar before expected.

Acajutla High Tides: 7:30 AM and 7:52 PM
Semi-diurnal Tide Range: 1.50 meters and decreasing.