iStockphoto / JoseIgnacioSoto
A German tourist was arrested in Mexico for desecrating the sacred Mayan temple, Chichen Itza, during a bi-annual ‘Kukulkan’s descent’ event. The tourist was filmed running up the steps of the temple and being showered with jeers before security apprehended them.
Kukulkan’s descent aka ‘the Descent of the Serpent’ is an ancient and sacred event that occurs at Chichen Itza twice a year on the equinoxes, March 21st and September 21st. During the Descent of the Serpent, the sun “casts a shadow un casts the shadow onto the stairway created by the 9 platforms resembling the body of the serpent that moves as the sun travels across the sky,” according to MayanPeninsula.com.
The twice-a-year event only lasts a couple of minutes but it was during this time the German tourist seized the opportunity to cross the security barriers and run up steps of the Mayan temple. Once there, he attempted to evade security. Videos of the tourist went viral across social media:
🚨 TURISTA SUBE AL CASTILLO DE CHICHÉN ITZÁ DURANTE EL EQUINOCCIO
Un turista ignoró las normas y escaló la pirámide principal de Chichén Itzá en pleno espectáculo de luz y sombra del equinoccio.
Los visitantes, que esperaban el descenso de Kukulkán, quedaron atónitos cuando el… pic.twitter.com/MLzOIVnM1j
— Diario de Yucatán (@DiariodeYucatan) March 21, 2025
In the videos, people can be heard yelling at the tourist saying things like “fool” and “you aren’t allowed to go up the temple!” which anyone at Chichen Itza would already know because there are signs posted everywhere.
On the Chichen Itza website, the ban on climbing is explained as a necessary precaution to preserve the ancient temple. It states “The choice to ban climbing ensures that the pyramid stays intact for future generations to admire and research. The pyramid’s steep steps make climbing a dangerous exercise. Earlier than the ban, there have been quite a few stories of holiday makers dropping their footing and sustaining accidents. The prohibition on climbing not solely protects the construction but in addition safeguards guests from potential accidents.”
In addition to facing jail time for climbing the steps, anyone who breaks the rules and climbs Chichen Itza faces fines between $3,200 to $16,000.
As an American, I dare say if there is any silver lining in all of this it’s that the tourist who was arrested for doing something that makes embarrassing global headlines it is that the tourist… wasn’t American. Sadly, my my fellow countrymen are all too often on the receiving end of bad press when we travel abroad so we should take it as a win that this tourist was German.
Content shared from brobible.com.