Chichén Itzá Pyramid Creates Serpent Shadow Effect at Spring Equinox

Chichén Itzá Pyramid Creates Serpent Shadow Effect at Spring Equinox. The Maya built a pyramid at Chichén Itzá with precise astronomical engineering At the spring equinox, shadows from the setting sun create the illusion of a giant serpent undulating down the staircase The Teotihuacanos, who lived 1,000 years before the Aztecs, also worshipped the feathered serpent

The Maya engineered the great pyramid at Chichén Itzá with exacting astronomical precision. At the spring equinox, shadows from the setting sun create the illusion of a giant serpent undulating down the staircase. The feathered serpent was widely worshipped across Mesoamerica—the Teotihuacanos a thousand years before the Aztecs, and Quetzalcoatl by the Aztec civilization—representing wind, rain, the morning star, creation, and civilization.

Key Facts

• The Maya built a pyramid at Chichén Itzá with precise astronomical engineering
• At the spring equinox, shadows from the setting sun create the illusion of a giant serpent undulating down the staircase
• The Teotihuacanos, who lived 1,000 years before the Aztecs, also worshipped the feathered serpent
• The Aztecs worshipped Quetzalcoatl, the feathered serpent deity combining rattlesnake andquetzal bird
• The feathered serpent represented wind, rain, the morning star, creation, knowledge, and civilization

Related site: Chichén Itzá — view location, images, and history on the Ancient Nerds map.

Source: Why are Dragons everywhere in the Ancient World? by Luke Caverns