Angry Crowd Attacks Woman For Climbing, Dancing On Top Of Mayan Pyramid

A tourist woman was attacked by an angry crowd after she climbed on top of a Mayan pyramid and danced on top of it in the Yucatán Peninsula, Mexico on Monday, Nov. 21.

The unidentified woman, who is said to be a Spanish national, ignored the rules barring visitors from climbing the Mayan Temple of Kukulcán Pyramid in Chichén Itzá, Yucatán Peninsula, Mexico on Monday, Nov. 21. After climbing the stairs to the top of the pyramid, the woman performed dance and waved her arms in celebration. The pyramid, also known as El Castillo, was named in 2007 as one of the New 7 Wonders of the World by UNESCO, New York Post reported.

In the viral videos of the incident that was shared online, a large group of people can be seen observing her wild antics from the ground and whistling and shouting at her. Some of them were also heard calling the woman an “a–hole” and an “idiot” in Spanish. Sounds of them can be heard booing at her and chants of “jail, jail, jail” and “lock her up” in Spanish could also be heard in the background.

When the woman descended the pyramid’s 365 steps, she was met at the base by officials with the Mexican Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH), along with a furious crowd. The crowd surrounded her, threw plastic bottles at her, and called her “stupid.”

While she was taken away by officials, some bystanders also knocked the woman’s hat off her head and yanked her hair, MSN reported.

Following the incident, the woman was arrested by the local police and slapped with an unspecified fine for climbing the world heritage site. Penalties established by Mexico’s Federal Law on Monuments and Archaeological, Artistic and Historical Areas range anywhere from $2,500 to more than $5,000. The extent of fine depend on the severity of the damage to a protected site.

Kukulcán Pyramid is 30 meters high and has 365 steps, which symbolizes the number of days in one year. The pyramid was built sometime between the 8th and 12th centuries AD, by the pre-Columbian Maya civilization. Earlier, visitors used to climb up its stairs. However, in early 2000, the curb was implemented to avoid damage to the structure and injury to people.