A visitor faced backlash for climbing an ancient pyramid and was subsequently assaulted by a displeased crowd for disregarding the prohibition. Teresa Arroyo, accompanied by her son, captured footage of the misguided individual, suspected to be a 38-year-old German tourist, scaling El Castillo at Chichén Itzá in Mexico. Onlookers gathered at the base, shouting and recording the event on their phones.
A security guard ascended the pyramid to intercept the defiant visitor and guide him back down. Despite nearing the summit and reaching a flat surface, the man evaded capture by disappearing from view. In a bid to apprehend him, two officials circled the pyramid in the video.
The observers, incensed by the breach of rules prohibiting pyramid climbing, saw personnel from the National Institute of Anthropology and History and the National Guard escorting the man out of the archaeological site. During his removal, numerous tourists accosted him, with some resorting to physical aggression.
Reports indicate that the man sustained a head injury resulting in bleeding after being struck. Ms. Arroyo recorded the man being pursued by other tourists in a relentless chase. INAH and GN members intervened to de-escalate the situation and facilitate the man’s removal.
The incident unfolded on a day when numerous tourists had gathered to witness the descent of the Feathered Serpent, Kukulkán, during the Spring Equinox—a highly anticipated event. Chichén Itzá, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1988, has prohibited pyramid climbing since 2008 to safeguard the structure from tourist-induced deterioration.