The man was spotted climbing El Castillo, at Chichén Itzá in Mexico. Visitors have been banned since 2008 from climbing the World Heritage Site in a bid to protect it
Chichén Itzá: Tourist captured by security after scaling ancient pyramid
A tourist has been branded an idiot after he climbed an ancient pyramid, before he was then beaten up by an angry crowd for defying the ban.
Teresa Arroyo, who was visiting the archaeological site with her son, filmed the foolish man, believed to be a 38-year-old German tourist. as he began to scale El Castillo, at Chichén Itzá in Mexico. Other tourists gathered at the bottom as they shouted and filmed him on their mobile phones.
A security guard also climbed the pyramid and attempted to follow the unruly visitor so that he could be brought back to the ground. After the man climbed near to the top and reached flat ground, he disappeared out of view. Two officials ran around the pyramid in the video, as they hoped to catch him.
The crowd who had witnessed the scenes were angered by the incident as it is forbidden to climb the pyramid. Personnel from the National Institute of Anthropology and History and the National Guard removed the man from the archaeological zone. Whilst they guided him out of the area, dozens of tourists pounced on the man with some even hitting him.
According to local press, he suffered a blow to his forehead which caused him to bleed. Ms Arroyo managed to also record the moment the man was swarmed by other tourists who relentlessly chased him. Members of the INAH and GN tried to diffuse the situation so that the man could be removed from the area.
The incident occurred on Thursday, when dozens of tourists had gathered in the location on this day as the descent of the Feathered Serpent, Kukulkán, was taking place. This event is one of the most anticipated because it marks the arrival of the Spring Equinox. Chichén Itzá, was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1988.
Since 2008, it has been forbidden to climb the pyramid and this measure seeks to preserve the structure against the wear and tear caused by tourism.