Tonatiuh cualo !



Artist's impression by Felipe Dávalos of the
Aztec Calendar or Sun Stone ('Cuauhxicalli' = 'Eagle's Bowl', 1479),
showing the face of the Sun (god), Tonatiuh.
This once polychrome monolithic (basalt) relief sculpture
was discovered 12/1760 beneath the large central square (Zócalo) of the capital.
The stone is covered with mythological and astronomical symbols.
It is preserved at the Museo Nacional de Antropología e Historia
(Parque Chapultepec, México Distrito Federal).

That's the way a solar eclipse is described in Náhuatl, the principal native language of Mexico (spoken by the Aztecs, or 'People of the Sun', and others), meaning 'the Sun (god) is being eaten' (depending on the language and ethnic group, by a jaguar, ants or iguana).

The July 11 1991 total eclipse of the Sun was announced, well ahead of time, as being one of the most important of the century...
All conditions for a potentially exciting trip were being fulfilled by the concurrence of ideal circumstances : during holiday-season, three cosmic actors were going collinear (and the 'stars' of the show thus visible near zenith), the Moon and Sun respectively closest to and nearly furthest away from Earth, the knowledge that the next longer-lasting total solar eclipse is predicted not to occur until June 13 2132 (6m55s), and all that happening amidst the rich cultural heritage of Mexico.
Because the organized expeditions were too pricy and too short in duration I decided to go on my own, only armed with all my senses and polished Spanish.

This was not the longest-lasting total solar eclipse this century but certainly one with the largest number of potential spectators of all times ; about 50 million totally eclipsed bystanders could be experiencing the spectacle live without the need to travel.
The June 8 1937 (7m4s), June 20 1955 (7m8s, longest duration) and June 30 1973 (7m4s) total eclipses of the Sun all lasted somewhat longer. In addition, all four of them belong to the same Saros series of solar eclipses (number 136).
In Mexico the totality zone crossed its capital and 19 states, the most densely populated areas, it is true during rainy season.
Analysis of meteorological data showed the coastal states Baja California Sur and Nayarit to be offering best chances for clear skies. Both were situated near the spot of maximum totality (6m53s), Nayarit would be covered entirely by the shadow of the Moon.
Baja California Sur offered better weather prospects but from preparatory information the location did not seem worth-while to me ; it's a cultural and historical wasteland, the crossing by boat would take too long (my travel budget didn't allow for extra flights), and the place would swarm with droves of tourists looking for Sun (?), sea and congeners suffering from eclipse fever.
Nayarit's capital Tepic would be an ideal starting point offering good connections to possible observing sites.

In Mexico it became apparent that total eclipses of the Sun can have some economic, social and cultural impact.
One year earlier a special commision was set up to plan and coordinate the various activities and logistics around the event.
Extra security measures were taken to protect people and their equipment.
Schools and public buildings were fitted up to accommodate the many visitors.
Numerous national and international scientific expeditions were expected.
Bill-boards announced the exceptional spectacle as 'The Eclipse of the Century'. Leaflets, guides, posters, maps, (special-edition) newspapers, books and magazines, a commemorative medal and stamp, T-shirts, stickers, information booths, exhibitions (in Mexico City's underground station 'La Raza', at the town hall of Santiago Ixcuintla), ... ; you couldn't possibly not notice it !
In an English-language guide distributed by tourist offices you could read, once again, that 'On July 11, 1991, one of the most spectacular ASTROLOGICAL phenomena will be visible through most of Mexico'...
All kinds of officially approved solar viewers were sold, one was even offered as a bonus gift with the Mexican beer, 'Corona' ! Mine has meanwhile been framed : 'Memorabilia from a Total Eclipse of the Sun'...
Various cultural happenings took place for the occasion of the eclipse : among these was a concert by Jean-Michel Jarre planned to take place on E(clipse)-day at Teotihuacán.
For the first time from Mexican soil a sounding rocket was to be launched at Aztlán near Mexcaltitán, a collaborative effort of American (Florida) and Mexican scientists. It was named after 'Mexcaltitán', the lagoon island on Nayarit's coast known as the ceremonial cosmic centre of the Aztecs (Mexicans), house of the Sun god Huitzilopochtli (the Aztec god of the blue sky and of war), or Little Venice of Mexico.
On Isla María Isabelita animal and plant behaviour was observed during eclipse time in an environment unaffected by human activities, among others by l'Équipe Cousteau.
It was a grand international media event. The entire Mexican media world had been mobilized. Many foreign television stations were broadcasting live.

Upon arrival at the airport, June 24, there were already a bunch of young ambulant vendors present, apparently round the clock, ready to retail their wares, T-shirts, caps and other gadgets with 'Eclipse Total' printed on it, to an international clientele of umbraphiles.
When I arrived at Tepic I was told, of course, that all hotels had already been fully booked. No problem however as I was offered a free stay at a newly-built boarding-school. There was even an armed 'vigilante' present !
During a visit to an information office specially set up for the occasion, a couple of observing sites were suggested to me ; it would be Santiago Ixcuintla, readily-reachable and 14 km (less than 9 mi) off the central line.
However, the information booths I noticed at a square and at the bus station could not offer weather prospects ! At Tepic the sky was heavily clouded the day before the big moment...
On my way to Santiago Ixcuintla, 64 km (less than 40 mi) northwest of Tepic, the sky looked rather favourably ; the Sun was covered by a transparent tenuous cloud veil.
I watched it all from a free stage right in front of the town hall.
Whilst cooling down a bit in the shadow of a palmtree I gauged for the expectations of a nearby Mexican with a moustache. The man turned out to be a local official. He guided me around the town hall and gave me a batch of printed material about the eclipse. His office was packed with equipment belonging to a television crew from Miami (Florida).
There, I was able to convince a frightful-looking 'vigilante' to put his shooting gear aside for a moment and have a peek through my solar filter ; the partial phase had already begun.
The health risks had been hammered home ; everywhere you were told that the only way to safely 'watch' the event was... on television ! Thus a bystander resolutely refused to look, even but for a brief moment, through my solar viewer towards the Sun.

Path of the Moon's shadow on Earth (Mexico)
as viewed from the American Geostationary Operational Environment Satellite 7.
These five images were taken at 17h, 18h, 19h, 20h and 21h U.T.C..

Fortunately the entire event could easily be followed through the transparent tenuous cloud cover.
Sun and Moon stood near zenith.
As totality neared it appeared as if one was viewing the surroundings through a pair of yellow-tinted glasses.
A soft slant of wind sprung up.
The official was looking towards part of the public lighting which, according to him, should be switched on automatically as soon as light-sensitive cells detected that night was falling ; this indeed happened quite some time before second contact.
Venus became already visible well before totality, followed somewhat later by Jupiter. Some of the bystanders that in the mean time had gathered around me also noticed a spot near Jupiter ; this must have been Mercury. The stars and Mars remained hidden from view behind the tenuous clouds.
During the final moments before commencement of totality sunlight rapidly waned, just as if somebody was manipulating a dimming switch. The escaping last rays of sunlight were clamorously escorted by a group of eye-witnesses : "Oo ooo ooooh ooaah aaaah !".
As soon as the Sun was completely eclipsed, the remaining lighting around the town hall was switched on manually, loudly protested by some spectators ; this way the fairy-like experience was all but gone !
A bright red belt appeared along the horizon.
It didn't get really dark.
At the edge where the final rays of sunlight disappeared behind the lunar disk I noticed for quite a while some bright concentration of light with a pinkish-orange glow : solar prominences ?!
The solar corona was conspicuous and irregular ; two long diametrically opposed featherlike offshoots were clearly visible.

According to the 'dueña' of my hotel at Oaxaca calyxes on the court-yard closed during the eclipse. She also still remembered the total eclipse of March 7 1970 (3m28s).
Daylight reappeared very suddenly.
A radio-reporter from Mexico City lured me for an interview.

The day after the event I observed how, in a traffic queue at Mexico's capital, some ambulant vendor was busily trying to sell... (terrestrial) globes !


Next total eclipse of the Sun ?!



References.


Image credits.


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Last updated Tuesday April 11 2000.
Herwig Ronsmans.