#trending: Tourist attacked by crowd, arrested by police after climbing on sacred Mayan pyramid

MEXICO — A tourist was attacked by a crowd in Mexico after ignoring local rules and illegally climbing to the top of a sacred Mayan pyramid in Chichen Itza, one of the most visited archaeological sites in Mexico.

In a TikTok video that has been viewed more than four million times since it was posted on Monday (Nov 21), the woman who is reportedly Spanish can be seen climbing the steps of the thousand-year-old Mayan Temple of Kukulcan.

The temple was named as one of the new Seven Wonders of the World during a worldwide poll in 2007 and is listed as an Unesco World Heritage Site.

Upon reaching the top of the pyramid, the tourist did a jig, to the loud jeers of spectators below. Some could be heard chanting “jail”, “lock her up” and “sacrifice (her)” in Spanish in the video.

The woman eventually descended the steps, escorted by security officials. 

She was seen jostling with the crowd as they mobbed her, hurled insults, doused her with water and threw plastic water bottles at her as she left the venue.

One enraged visitor even ran up to her and yanked hard at her hair. 

Media reports there said that the woman was arrested by the police and fined for climbing the conservation site. 

Tourists were banned from climbing the steep steps of the pyramid in 2008 for preservation and safety reasons. In 2006, an 80-year-old American woman fell to her death on her way up.

Viewers of the TikTok video expressed similar outrage at what they described as the woman’s “disrespectful” behaviour. The video had more than 7,000 comments over two days.

TikTok users acknowledged that the pyramid was open for tourists to climb previously, but they pointed out that the structure was dangerous and that conservation of the historical artefact was more important.

Others questioned the woman’s decision to climb the steps, saying that even if she was unaware of the rules, she should have known better. 

One said: “Apart from the disrespect, I don’t know why people would want to climb it. Steps are so steep. It’s kind of scary to come down.”

Another said: “I've always wanted to go to the top of one of these. But I feel like the fact no one in that huge crowd did should be a sign to stay down.”

Some people hinted that the woman might face worse consequences than a fine.

One TikTok user said ominously: “She must not have ever seen The Ruins. Now she’s hexed for life. No spiritual cleanse will help her.”

Constructed sometime between the eighth and 12th centuries AD, the pyramid was built by the Maya civilisation to serve as a temple to Kukulcan, the Feather Serpent god.