So far this year, five tourists have crossed the security cordon to approach or climb El Castillo at Chichen Itza, and after their detention they were fined, handed over to the competent authority and forced to erase the photographic and/or video material they took, informed the director of the Archaeological Monuments Zone of Chichen Itza, Marco Antonio Santos Ramirez.
Fortunately, in these incidents there was no damage to heritage, since at no time was there any damage to the also known Structure 2D5.
In relation to the tourist who improperly climbed the pyramid, he indicated that the events occurred last Sunday 20, when around 13:30 hours, a 29 year-old woman, originally from Mexicali, Baja California, did not comply with the prohibition to access the west staircase of El Castillo, affecting the operation of the site.
For this reason, and once it was confirmed that there were no damages to the monument, according to the protocols of the archaeological zone, the reasons why it is not allowed to climb the pyramidal structures were explained to her.
She was immediately handed over to the Tinúm Municipal Police, where she complied with the corresponding administrative sanctions of arrest and payment of a fine of five thousand pesos.
The specialist from the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) – Yucatán stated that so far this year there have been five cases where people have crossed the security cordon and climbed two to three steps to take a photo.
Therefore, the same security protocol is followed and the municipal authority is made available for the corresponding administrative sanctions, at the same time that they are asked to remove any photo or video taken of the event.
When asked if in all cases the same sanction was applied, he commented that the amount varies and the amount is applied by the municipal authority.
Regarding the reason why people cannot go up to El Castillo, as well as other pre-Columbian buildings in Chichén Itzá, he explained that access is restricted for conservation reasons as well as for visitor protection.
He mentioned that another controversial case occurred on March 13, 2021, when a male person, originally from Jalisco, tried to climb the pre-Hispanic structure and after detecting the anomaly he was invited to leave the site, and was placed at the disposal of the municipal police.
He indicated that the most common thing is that the cordoned areas are exceeded, and “very few have tried to climb some structure”, and to a lesser extent they have decided to climb El Castillo.
The previous incident in an archaeological zone in the state occurred on September 25, 2020, when INAH – Yucatán expelled the group of “influencers” who were touring Uxmal, for failing to comply with safety and hygiene measures, which were part of a tourism promotion promoted by the Secretariat of Tourism Development (Sefotur).
Despite the faults committed, INAH – Yucatán did not impose sanctions or fines against the influencers, including Tadeo Fernández and Potro Caballero from Acapulco Shore; Yann “Lobo” Martín and Diego Montu, from the program Guerreros 2020; youtuber Dhasia Wezka; actress and dancer Jenny García, actress Estefanía Ahumada and actor Samuel Zarazúa.
Finally, he explained that the Ministry of Culture and INAH call on the general public to respect the provisions established for public visits to archaeological zones and historic sites, which are determined to guarantee an enjoyable and safe experience for attendees and staff, as well as to ensure the conservation of heritage sites.
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