A German tourist was arrested in Mexico this week after flouting the rules and climbing on a pyramid at the Mayan historical site of Chichen Itza.
The 38-year-old German, whose identity has not been disclosed by Mexican authorities, was there Thursday along with thousands of others to witness the phenomenon known as the “Descent of Kukulcan,” in which the light of the spring equinox and the shadows it casts produce an effect that looks like a serpent slithering down the steps of the north side of the pyramid.
At around 5 p.m., the man trespassed into a restricted area around the structure, which is centuries old, and climbed the steps, Mexico’s National Institute of Anthropology and History said in a release.
He was subsequently chased up the stairs by security at the site.
“He escaped from our grasp, even though we’re keeping watch on the western side of the castle. He ran past us. He’s clearly in good physical condition,” one security agent told Spanish international news agency EFE.
Once he was apprehended, the tourist was brought down the eastern side of the pyramid to try and avoid incensed onlookers at the base, but the German man was jeered at and beaten as security took him away, with one blow to the forehead leaving him bloody, a witness told EFE.
Climbing at the pyramid has been prohibited since 2006 in an attempt to preserve the Mayan monument. The fine for violating Mexico’s laws on protecting such monuments runs between $247 and $2,470 according to Mexican magazine Proceso.
