German tourist arrested after climbing stairs of sacred Mayan temple in Mexico
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In a video posted on social media, the man can be seen scaling the steps of the pyramid, as security guards chase after him.
PHOTO: TERESA ARROYO/ FACEBOOK
When in Rome, do as the Romans do.
A German tourist paid the price for ignoring this proverb when he was arrested by the Mexican authorities after he was seen climbing a sacred Mayan temple in Mexico on March 21, People magazine reported.
Climbing the 25m pyramid has been outlawed since 2008 to protect the nearly 1,000-year-old structure, according to British tabloid Daily Mail.
In a video posted on social media, the 38-year-old man, whose identity has not been revealed – is seen clambering up the stairs to the Temple of Kukulcan in Chichen Itza in Yucatan, Mexico, as security guards chase after him.
As he is escorted out with his hands behind his back, some visitors can be heard hurling expletives at him while others can be seen lunging forward to rain punches on him.
The authorities – Mexican National Guard officers and personnel from the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) – are seen trying to shield the man from attack.
Some people in the crowd can be heard shouting that he should be “sacrificed”, a reference to the human sacrifices made at the top of the pyramid by the ancient Mayans, reported Fox News.
The US news outlet said that the man had allegedly attempted to hide inside a chamber of the pyramid before he was found and arrested.
The incident at the temple, also known as El Castillo, happened amid an event known as the “Descent of the Feathered Serpent”, where thousands of visitors flock to the historic site to witness the spring equinox, added Fox News.
The incident marks the second time in two years that a tourist has flouted the rules at the site.
In February 2023, a Polish man was arrested and fined 5,000 Mexican pesos (S$330) after he ran up the stairs of the same temple, reported Daily Mail.
INAH’s director, Mr Jose Arturo Chab Cardenas, said at the time: “Tourists must respect the security measures of the INAH in the archaeological zone to preserve the cultural heritage of Mexico, take care of other visitors and enjoy that Mayan legacy.”
