The phenomenon known as Equinox occurs when the Sun is in the plane of the Earth’s equator, that is, when it reaches its zenith. This natural phenomenon happens twice a year on March 20 and 21 and September 22 and 23.
Another characteristic of the Equinoxes is that both day and night last the same throughout the world. And of course, it also coincides with the change of seasons since it is when spring officially begins in the northern hemisphere and autumn in the southern hemisphere.
One of the most important and interesting events in the world on these dates is the Chichén Itzá Equinox, the Spring Equinox (March 20, 21), and the Fall Equinox (September 22, 23). A phenomenon, that among other things, for the Mayans meant the beginning of planting, which they collected with the arrival of the autumn equinox.
But what the Mayans never thought (or perhaps did) is that hundreds of years away, they will continue to amaze the world with their mathematical ingenuity. The most famous demonstration of their mathematical knowledge is the visual effect of a snake descending from the main pyramid: “The Castle”, precisely on the Spring and Fall Equinox.
The descent of the serpent in the Chichen Itza Equinox
Without a doubt, the snake effect in the Chichen Itza Equinox is the most representative example of the progress and knowledge that the Mayans had in astronomy, architecture and mathematics, which they harmoniously combined to create one of the new wonders of the modern world.
It is already a tradition that thousands of national and foreign visitors arrive at the Archaeological Zone of Chichen Itzá to witness how the shadow of the Kukulcán pyramid forms the body of a snake through 7 triangles of light that go down the stairs and end in the head of the feathered serpent located at the base at sunset.
This effect is possible because of the design and placement of the Pyramid of Kukulkan, it was located at a certain angle taking into account the distance between the platforms’ angles related to the staircase, this creates the shape of the body of one of their main deities, Kukulkan, the feathered serpent whose head is sculpted at the foot of the Pyramid’s staircase, it was made by Mayan architects that mastered the knowledge of stars, planets, and the sun.
The best time to enjoy the descent of the Serpent in Chichen Itza
You can witness this spectacular event two or three days before and two o three days after the official Spring and Fall Equinox, approximately from 3:45 to 4:30 in the afternoon, when the sun begins to descend and its rays fall over the Castle of Kukulcan.
This can be seen on both equinoxes, the Spring and the Fall Equinox, but our advice is not to go precisely on the 21st because is the most famous day and it gets very crowded. You can enjoy the phenomenon a couple of days before or a couple of days after, you can still appreciate the same effect but without so many people.
How to get to Chichen Itza during the Equinox
Chichen Itzá is located on the Cancun – Merida highway, near the town known as Pisté, about 2 hours from the City of Cancun (200 km or 125 miles away) by bus and about 30 minutes from the magical town of Valladolid, Yucatan.
Depending on where you are staying the main options to get to Chichen Itza normally are:
-By ADO Bus
-Renting a car
-Booking private transportation
-Booking a private or shared tour
Overall, it’s not very complicated to visit this wonder of the world on a day trip from any of the tourist towns in the Yucatan peninsula (Cancun, Puerto Morelos, Playa del Carmen, Tulum, Merida, etc.), and it’s also pretty budget-friendly.
You can visit Chichen Itzá practically any day from Tuesday to Sunday without setbacks, but especially on March 21 we definitely recommend – not going by car -, we think it is better to hire a tour or private transportation to travel comfortably, avoid driving, traffic, looking for parking, and the road congestion that is made in the area due to the large number of people and cars that circulate on that days.
Chichen Itza tours are very popular, so many companies are offering them every day of the week. You’ll be picked up from your hotel/airbnb in the morning, driven by van or bus to Chichen Itza, and then given a guided tour of the ruins, normally a lot of tours include round trip transportation from Cancun, Playa del Carmen, Riviera Maya or Merida that take you without any problem and also include amenities such as buffet food and visits to cenotes.
If you want to visit Chichen Itza with a tour but don’t like the idea of joining a big group and having a specific schedule, there are also private tours from Cancun to Chichen Itza departing every day of the week, or you can book private transportation and do it 100% on your own, just have a van/car that picks you up and leaves you at the entrance of the archeological zone. These options are normally more expensive than a group tour, but if you have the budget they can be a great way to get from Cancun to Chichen Itza! This way you’ll have a private driver and a multilingual tour guide (or you can hire one arriving there) to transport you to each location and explain the history of the archaeological sites in detail.
Another option would be to travel by ADO bus, I only recommend it if you travel with a round-trip ticket, and is more of an option for a solo traveler. The ADO bus departs daily from downtown Cancun at 8:45 AM and returns to Cancun at 4:30 PM. This is the cheapest option if you travel on a budget and don’t mind a bit of extra hassle in arranging your own transportation rather than taking a tour.
For Chichen Itza Archaeological Zone, keep in mind you will still need entrance tickets to visit, even if you go without a tour.