Is it illegal to climb Aztec pyramids?

The Kukulkan Pyramid, also commonly known as El Castillo, is the most impressive building in the Chichen Itza archaeological site, and one of the tallest in all of the Mayan architecture. Unfortunately for visitors, no, Chichen Itza Pyramid is not allowed to climb.



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The Egyptian government has forbidden pyramid-scaling since 1951, with those who break the law facing up to three years in prison, but authorities apparently rarely enforced it until 1973.

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After descending the pyramid steps, she was met by an angry crowd who yelled “jail jail jail” and “idiot,” though the woman seemed relatively unphased. Villalobos was then escorted from the site and taken to the nearby community of Tinum, where she received a fine of 5,000 pesos, roughly $250.

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Climbing the pyramid has been banned since 2008 amid preservation concerns, and the Congress of the United Mexican States established hefty fines for such acts in the Federal Law on Monuments and Archaeological, Artistic and Historical Areas.

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Though they left behind amazing works of architecture and art, the city's inhabitants left no known record of why they abandoned their homes. Scientists speculate that droughts, exhausted soils, and royal quests for conquest and treasure may have contributed to Chichén Itzá's downfall.

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  • Copper Canyon. The Copper Canyon or the Barranca del Cobra is a group of canyons. ...
  • Kukulcan Pyramid. ...
  • Chichen Itza. ...
  • Palace of Fine Arts. ...
  • National Palace. ...
  • Chapultepec Castle. ...
  • Mexico City Metropolitan Cathedral. ...
  • Hospicio Cabañas.


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The ruins of Chichén Itzá are federal property, and the site's stewardship is maintained by Mexico's Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia (National Institute of Anthropology and History).

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It is against the laws of Mexico, Belize, Honduras, and Guatemala to take any pre-Columbian antiquities out of their country. It is against the law of the United States to bring most pre-Columbian art into this country. Maya pottery from the Peten area is especially illegal.

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Many of the ancient Maya suffered at the hands of the Spanish in the 16th century as they conquered their land, burnt their books and brought disease and death in their wake. Fortunately, there are descendants of the ancient Maya living today, around 8 million.

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A tourist was booed and doused with water after climbing the protected Mayan monument known as El Castillo, or Pyramid of Kukulcan, at the archeological site of Chichen-Itza in Yucatan, Mexico, on November 20.

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