Is corruption to blame for a tour group climbing Chichn Itz?

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Visitors are caught climbing the famous pyramid of Chichn Itza while the archaeological site is closed to the general public. Photo: CIOAC

INAH employees are accused of taking advantage of the closure of Chichn Itz by allowing their own visitors to walk through the ancient pyramid and observatory.

The archaeological site, one of Mexico’s most popular tourist destinations, is closed due to a roadblock organized by protesters. But a regional agricultural group called CIOAC Yucatn says opportunistic workers are pocketing money from privileged guests before and after work hours.

For more than a decade, the only way to legally see the jade-studded jaguar throne housed inside the Pyramid of Kukulcn is through photography. Photo: Carlos Rosado van der Gracht

A Mexican tourist was recently heckled and arrested for climbing Kukulkn in November. CIOAC has posted photos suggesting many visitors, some dressed to suggest they are researchers, are doing the exact same thing.

They are also climbing the observatory, which has been off-limits to tourists for even more years than the pyramid, photos shared on social media suggest. These illegal visits would be dangerous for visitors and could permanently mark the Mayan ruins.

Hundreds of craft vendors blocked access roads to the Mayan ruins, claiming guards were discriminating against and violating their rights as descendants of the people who built the temples more than 1,200 years ago.

Chichn Itz can get very crowded, especially during the summer and winter holidays, so it’s best to be there as early as possible. Photo: Carlos Rosado van der Gracht

They prohibit vendors from speaking Mayan, Arturo Ciau Puc, a CIOAC activist, told The Associated Press. Just because we are indigenous doesn’t mean we should be treated like second-class citizens.

Chichn Itza has become the most visited archaeological site in all of Mexico, fueled by day trippers from Cancun and the Riviera Maya.

Overcrowding by both tourists and vendors has led many to argue that the charm of visiting this ancient wonder has largely evaporated.

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