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Climbing the Mayan civilisation’s ancient pyramids is banned, each to respect the structures and from fear of damaging them.
But that didn’t stop two tourists from launching themselves to the highest like they were competiting on Gladiatior last week, to the outrage of local people and other visitors who had gathered there for the spring equinox.
Footage shows how one synthetic a break for the apex, as security guards scrambled after him and others tried to drag him down.
Crowds were so offended that some said he needs to be ‘sacrificed’, local media reported, a reference to the human and animal sacrifices historically done there.
Mexico News Every day said that two foreign tourists climbed the Temple of Kukulkán at Chichén Itzá in separate incidents on Thursday.
Security were themselves attacked attempting to protect considered one of the climbers, a 38-year-old German, from the group after he had been hit in the top drawing blood, the paper reported.
Describing the momenet he raced for the highest, a National Guard member said: ‘He eluded us, despite the fact that we [were] keeping watch on the western side of the temple. He ran past us. He’s clearly in good physical condition.’
The person reportedly tried to cover contained in the chamber, but was escorted down by security guards.
The pyramid, also generally known as El Castillo, is considered one of the Recent Seven Wonders of the World and a Unesco World Heritage Site. Climbing it has been banned for nearly 20 years, to guard the structure.
The 2 unauthorised climbers were arrested and could possibly be fined under Article 55 of the Federal Law on Archaeological, Artistic, and Historical Monuments and Zones of Mexico.
This just isn’t the primary time tourists have sparked anger by disrespecting the temple.
In 2023, a Polish man was whacked with a picket pole after scaling the steps of Chichén Itzá.
After being brought down, he was quickly surrounded by a crowd at the underside of the steps and abused, with one bare-chested man in shorts and sandals approached from behind and hit him in the top with the stick.
In one more incident, a female holidaymaker was pelted with water bottles by a furious crowd calling for her sacrifice for trespassing on the 82ft pyramid.
1000’s had gathered on the historic site in Yucatán ahead of the equinox the subsequent day, the purpose between the seasons when hours of sunshine and darkness are the identical.
Similarly to how Stonehenge frames light within the solstice, the the temple puts on a striking display through the two annual equinoxes, with a phenomenon called the Descent of the Feathered Serpent when an snakelike shadow descends down its stairs.
This isn’t any coincidence, as its construction was designed to reflect the passing of the seasons, with 365 steps representing the times of the solar 12 months.
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