Day Late, Peso Short

Set the alarm for 4am today. Had cancelled exercise class for 8am. The day to see the autumn equinox had come. The big plan was to go to the ruins of Dzibilchaltun, see http://mayalesserknownruins.blogspot.com/. The sun was going to radiantly rise in the center of the door opening of the Temple of the Seven Dolls. An unforgettable phenomenon unique to those ruins twice a year and one I have been waiting impatiently to see!

The equinox is on the 21st and today is the 22nd. I know that, but the article in Diario de Yucatán I read a few weeks ago said TODAY would be the best day for viewing. They did not say they were not OPENING the gates for such a great viewing! So what is the first thing wrong with this picture? Ah, simple answer: I have NO picture! There is a great photo in the DIARIO DEL YUCATÁN in the Imagen section! It is online if you want to see it from yesterday's viewing. But the policemen, firemen and guards at the gate this morning assured us they WERE NOT AUTHORIZED to let people see the phenomenon they have trotted the globe to witness. Just one of those little reminders that we do, afer all, live in México and must continually be on guard to maintain lowered expectations and the patience to wait six months for the next equinox just to SEE THE LIGHT.

There is a bright side to this disappointment. Thousands of people flocked to Chichén Itzá yesterday to see its equinoxial phenomenon: the shadow of the Snake God Kukulkán descending on the Castillo. They got skunked also. The Rain God Chaak won the battle (according to the newspaper) and Kukulkán lost. Not only did it pour down rain assuring no appearance of any shadow from the sun....four people were struck by lightning.

The newspaper went on to report that a hundred people saw the light at Dzibilchaltún. A hundred people? Evidently I am not the only person who read in the paper that today would be the day to go. Ok, I am putting it on my calendar right now to head to Dzibilchaltún for the morning of March 21, 2009. If anyone asks what my future plans are, there ya' have 'em

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