Autumn equinox at Chichén Itzá will take place without visitors this year

Due to pandemic, the site will be closed on September 22nd, as well as Dzibilchaltún

Mérida, Yucatán.- This Wednesday, september 22, the autumnal equinox will take place, an astronomical event that marks the end of summer and the beginning of autumn, and in Yucatan this phenomenon produces a wonderful event at El Castillo de Chichén Itzá.

However, in order to avoid crowds, the Chichén Itzá tourist attraction will be closed this Wednesday 22nd, although it will resume operations the following day, Thursday 23rd, at the usual hours.

When the equinox occurs, during sunset, shadows can be seen projected on the stairways on the north side of El Castillo de Chichén Itzá, and the sun outlines the shadow that resembles the body of a snake on the edges of the stairways, representing the descent of the Mayan god Kukulkán.

Kukulcan’s descent will be at 2:20 p.m. sharp. On September 22, the sun will rise at 6:47 a.m. and set at 6:54 p.m., so the day will last 12 hours and seven minutes, while the night, 11 hours and 53 minutes.

The equinox means the equality of day and night, but this situation is only registered in countries close to the Earth’s equator and the Yucatan Peninsula is close to the Tropic of Cancer.

It should be noted that in the case of the archaeological site of Dzibilchaltún, the equinox can also be observed in the pyramid of “Las 7 muñecas”, however, the site remains closed due to INAH’s determination.