Chichén Itzá’s Equinox Draws Record Crowd

Cancún — Approximately 6,500 people waited with anticipation for the descent of Kukulcán upon the El Castillo pyramid at Chichén Itzá during the autumn equinox this past Monday, September 22. A brief respite from the afternoon drizzle allowed for the encounter with the deity of wind, water, and sun, as precisely at 4:51 p.m. the shadow of the feathered serpent projected onto the pyramid, amid the rejoicing and astonishment of the crowd.

The Patronato de las Unidades de Servicios Culturales y Turísticos del Estado de Yucatán (Cultur), in coordination with the staff of the Chichén Itzá archaeological zone, implemented a special operation to guarantee the safe access of visitors during the event, which recorded an attendance of 3,032 more people than the previous year on the same date.

On this occasion, the director general of Cultur, Clemente Escalante, and the head of the Archaeological Zone and Gran Museo de Chichén Itzá, Guadalupe Espinosa, toured the tourist site and highlighted the positive response from national and international tourism, which arrived from the early hours to witness this important phenomenon of the Mayan calendar.

Despite the forecast of cloudiness and rain that kept the majority of attendees in suspense, Kukulcán descended to his land: each illuminated step triggered applause, and within seconds, the stone edges of the stairs were bathed in sunlight.

It is worth mentioning that twice a year, in spring and autumn, Chichén Itzá comes to life before a celestial spectacle as it is the favored site to witness this event. The spring equinox marks the end of winter and the beginning of the spring season. Meanwhile, the autumn equinox occurs in the northern hemisphere between September 22 and 23, an astronomical event characterized by increasingly shorter days and marks the start of the coldest time of the year.

Thousands of visitors gather at El Castillo to witness the astonishing phenomenon of the movement of shadows, a visual spectacle popularly known as the “serpiente de luz” or “serpent of light.” A magical shadow ten stories high appears at dusk and slowly descends the steps of the pyramid. The Maya achieved this shadow to crawl down until it connects with the enormous head of a serpent carved at the base of the staircase.