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Chichén Itzá: Live from Chichén Itzá: The Descent of the Serpent (Webcast)

Running Time:
02:03:07

Celebrate the spring equinox at the Mayan ruins of Chichén Itzá, in the state of Yucatan, Mexico. The alignment of the sun on this day creates the appearance of a shadow, in the form of a serpent, that descends the main staircase of the great pyramid. The Live@Exploratorium crew is there to capture the snake on film and to speak with local archaeologists, archeoastronomers, and solar scientists about this amazing phenomenon.

Project: Ancient Observatories: Chichén Itzá | Browse All

Date: March 21, 2005
Format: Expedition
Category: History of Science
Subject(s): Astronomy/Space Science, General Science

Keywords: spring equinox, maya, ancient observatories, alignments, sun, sun-earth day, nasa, solstice, pepe huchim, isabelle hawkins, chichen itza, yucatan, pyramids, el castillo

Real: 512K 256K

Windows Media: 512K 56K


		Streaming Technology provided by: Digital Rapids	Webcasts made possible through the generosity of the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, The Jim Clark Endowment for Internet Education, the McBean Family Foundation,.and the Corporation for Educational Networks Initiatives in California (CENIC).

More about the Exploratorium website: Ancient Observatories: Chichén Itzá
	On a limestone plateau in the northern region of the Yucatan peninsula lie the relics of Chichén Itzá, once one of the most powerful cities of the Maya. Ruins of the temples of this ancient civilization spread from the jungles of Guatemala to the Yucatan. Today, Chichén Itzá attracts thousands of visitors who come to marvel at the spectacular remains.