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Footage of a tourist scaling the steps of the famous Mayan Temple of Kukulcán pyramid in Chichén Itzá, Mexico went viral over the weekend.
The tourist was scolded and scorned by the crowd before a man hit the tourist on the head with a stick as a repercussion of his actions.
José Arturo Chab Cárdenas of the Instituto Nacional de Antropologia e Historia (INAH) told the Mexico Daily Post that the tourist was detained for around 12 hours and fined 5,000 pesos ($263) for trespassing.
Mayan tourist climbing the historic steps enraged devotees and history enthusiasts
A viral video on the internet shows the unnamed Polish man walking down the steps of the temple. He crossed the barriers that restricted access to the step-pyramid zone and walked up the historic steps.
The man can be seen being escorted by two temple officials as the crowd throws insults and curses at the man. While the tourist allegedly climbed the stairs to take pictures of the forbidden area, the National Institute of Anthropology and History made him delete all the content he took.
Climbing on the pyramid's limestone steps has been banned since 2008, the year after the Mayan temple was named one of the seven New World Heritage Sites by the UNESCO.
As the guards were escorting him away, another tourist seemed to punch him in the chest in the video. Next, a shirtless man walks up behind the trespasser and whacks him on the head with a stick. All of this was caught on video as well.
The fine collected was added to the treasury of the Tinúm municipality, and the tourist was held in the police station at Tinum, Yucatán.
Chab Cárdenas told the Mexico Daily Post:
“Tourists must respect the security measures of the INAH (National Institute of Anthropology and History) in the archaeological zone to preserve the cultural heritage of Mexico, take care of other visitors and enjoy that Mayan legacy.”
A similar incident took place at the Mayan temple two months ago
The Polist tourist was the second person to walk up the steps of the temple of Kukulcán (or El Castillo by locals). He was preceded by Abigail Villalobos, who walked the steps on November 20, 2022.
Villalobos from Tijuana, Mexico, was given the same treatment as the Polish tourist. While she was being escorted by guards, people hurled obscenities and someone even threw water at her.
Abigail was allegedly caught dancing in the restricted section of the temple and taking photos of herself before the crowd noticed her. They unanimously started chanting "jail, jail, jail" and ordered the guards to "lock her up."
It was later disclosed that she was arrested and fined 5,000 pesos (approximately $263).
Usually, the fines for climbing the 82-foot pyramid can range from $2569 to $5138, depending on the damage it brings to the Mayan temple.
The Article 47 of the Federal law on Archeological, Artistic, and Historic Monuments says that a person found liable for scaling the steps gets a punishment of one to ten years, depending on their circumstances.
