Tourist berated by crowd, whacked for climbing on Mayan temple

A tourist was beaten and caned by an angry mob after climbing the steps of the Mayan Temple of the Kukulcán pyramid in Chichén Itzá over the weekend.

The unidentified Polish man sparked outrage on Saturday when he crossed the restricted zone of the Step Pyramid and began climbing the storied stairs. The Mexico Daily Post reported..

Climbing the limestone steps has been banned since 2008, a year after it was named one of the new 7 Wonders of the World by UNESCO.

The outlet said the tourist tried to access the restricted area to take photos.

I A video is circulating on social media.the man can be seen being led back down the stairs by a pair of officials as the crowd boos and curses.

At one point, a shirtless man approaches a tourist from behind with a long stick and hits him on the head.

José Arturo Chab Cárdenas of the Instituto Nacional de Antropologia e Historia (INAH) told the Mexico Daily Post that the tourist was detained for 12 hours before being fined 5,000 pesos, or about $263.

The payment was allegedly made to the treasury of the Tinúm municipality.

Located on Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula, the Temple of Kukulcán is one of Chichén Itzá’s crown jewels.

Built sometime between the 8th and 12th centuries AD, the temple is dedicated to Kukulkan, the winged serpent deity. According to the Chichén Itzá websitethe structure’s design allowed the Maya to track the spring and autumn equinoxes through the effect of “light and shadow” on the temple’s north staircase.

“Tourists must respect INAH’s safety measures in the archaeological zone to preserve Mexico’s cultural heritage, be considerate of other visitors and enjoy this Mayan legacy,” Chab Cárdenas told the Mexico Daily Post. Told to

The Polish tourist’s arrest comes months after 29-year-old Mexican national Abigail Villalobos went viral after climbing the pyramids and plunging into angry crowds.

Video footage of the incident showed Villalobos being taunted by onlookers, who doused her with water and pulled her blonde tresses amid calls to “lock her up”.