One of the attractions of taking a vacation in Cancun is thanks to the incredible legacy left by the ancient Mayans, whether in the form of amazing architectural feats or their astoundingly accurate calendar. Both the solstices (winter and summer) and equinoxes (spring and fall) were important events for the Mayans who watched the night’s sky and the changing position of the setting sun to guide their agricultural patterns and rituals.
June 21st marks the northern hemisphere’s summer solstice for 2021 which will see the longest day and shortest night of the year. Also, known as Midsummer, the accurate, mathematical date of the Summer Solstice usually falls somewhere between June 20 and June 22 in Mexico and the rest of the northern hemisphere and is the moment when the tilt of Earth’s axis is most inclined towards the sun. This phenomenon happens twice a year when either the north or the south pole is tilted most towards the sun; hence the northern hemisphere will experience the winter solstice during the time when the southern hemisphere marks the summer solstice and visa versa.
The word solstice comes from the Latin for sun (sol) and sistere meaning to stay still, which is exactly what appeared to be happening to the sun when the Mayans recorded its position at sunset on the days after the solstice. During these dates, the sun it its procession along the horizon, seeming to move a little further south or north along the horizon every day, appears to set in exactly the same place for three days before starting its transit in the opposite direction. For the ancient Mayan, this was a very important event.
The significance of such phenomena can be seen in the construction of their sacred cities like Chichén Itzá, Tulum and Uxmal, where observatories and temples were positioned specifically to observe the movements of the sun. For example, at Chichén Itzá, just an hour or so from Villa del Palmar Cancun, the main pyramid, the Temple of Kukulcan, is constructed so that during the Summer Solstice the sun casts perfect shadows on the the south and west sides so that it looks to be split exactly in two, while the Spring Equinox around March 21 each year sees the outline of a snake descend the steps of the pyramid formed by shadows.
