Chichén Itzá, Yucatan — More than 32,000 people visited Chichén Itzá for the spring equinox over a two-day period. According to the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH), more than 275,000 visitors witnessed the change of season in various archaeological zones around the country.
The INAH reported that the busiest sites, from March 18 to 21, to witness the equinox, which occurred at 3:24 p.m. on March 20, the time zone of the country’s capital, were Teotihuacan in the State of Mexico and Chichén Itzá in Yucatán, which registered 65,101 and 32,683 visitors, from March 18 and 21, respectively.
Throughout the long weekend, other busy archaeological sites across Mexico included Templo Mayor in Mexico City, a site that recorded 12,895 visitors, El Tajín in Veracruz, counted 13,435, Tulum in Quintana Roo, 21,538, Tula in Hidalgo, 10,204, Monte Alban in Oaxaca, 8,150 and Palenque in Chiapas, 6,732.
Other heritage sites that received considerable visits were Las Labradas in Sinaloa, with 5,642 people, El Cerrito in Querétaro, 5,378, Cacaxtla-Xochitécatl in Tlaxcala, 5,509, Cholula in Puebla, 5,301 and Malinalco in the State of Mexico, 4,711 visitors.
The archaeological programs were developed in conjunction with federal, state and municipal authorities with the added participation of the National Guard to provide enjoyment of the archaeological heritage for visitors.