A woman from Spain ignored the rules and climbed the Mayan Temple of Kukulcán in Chichén Itzá and danced at the top, but upon her descent, an angry crowd chanted “jail” and “lock her up” as she was mobbed.
Crowd furious after woman climbs Mayan temple and dances
An unnamed woman from Spain decided to ignore the rules that prohibit climbing the steps of El Castillo, or Pyramid of Kukulcán, in the Mexican state of Yucatán, which has been banned since 2008, the Daily Mail reported.
The pyramid at the Chichen Itza archaeological site – formerly one of the most important centers of the Mayan civilization, was named in 2007 as one of the New 7 Wonders of the World by UNESCO, the New York Post reported.
The woman climbed the 82-foot pyramid, and after reaching the top, she engaged in a celebration, gyrating her hips and waving her arms.
But the crowd below, knowing the rules, wasn’t celebrating with her. Her gestures and antics drew loud jeers from a large group of tourists, some of whom were heard calling her an “a–hole” and an “idiot” in Spanish.
That was only the beginning.
Crowd unloads on woman after she scales historic pyramid
The crowd only grew angrier as the woman made her descent down the 365 steps of the ancient towering monument.
The crowd, chanting in Spanish, erupted in choruses of “jail, jail, jail” and “lock her up.”
She was met at the bottom by officials with the Mexican Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH). And as she was led through the furious mob, she was pelted with plastic water bottles.
Some in the crowd also knocked the woman’s hat off of her head and yanked her hair.
Local police arrested the woman, and she was issued an unspecified fine for climbing the world heritage site. Penalties can range anywhere from $2,500 to more than $5,000, depending on the severity of the damage to a protected site, according to fees established by Mexico’s Federal Law on Monuments and Archaeological, Artistic and Historical Areas.
About El Castillo, the Temple of Kukulcán
El Castillo, or the Temple of Kukulcán, is a Mesoamerican step-pyramid at the center of the Chichen Itza archaeological site in the Mexican state of Yucatán. It was built by the pre-Columbian Maya civilization sometime between the 8th and 12th centuries AD.
The pyramid was a temple to the deity Kukulcán, which is the Yucatec Maya Feathered Serpent deity that is closely related to Quetzalcoatl, a deity known to the Aztecs.
The pyramid stands 79 feet high, with an additional 20 feet for the temple at the top. Its base measures 181 feet across.
