A tourist is in trouble with the law after climbing the steps of the Temple of Kukulcan at Chichén Itzá, one of the New Seven Wonders of the World. Locals, angered by his actions, physically assaulted him.

Video taken by onlookers shows the unidentified man climbing the side of the pyramid last week. 

He was one of two people who climbed the pyramid on Thursday when around 9,000 tourists visited the site to see the spring equinox, according to local news reports.

A member of the National Guard told Mexico News Daily that the man evaded them despite their watch on the western side of the temple, adding that “He ran past us. He’s clearly in good physical condition.”

Video footage shows one of the men climbing the steps while security guards pursued him. One of the trespassers, a 38-year-old man, reportedly tried to hide inside the pyramid, but authorities found him and removed him from the historical site.

According to the local paper, Mexican National Guard officers and personnel from the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) protected the man from the crowd as angry bystanders shouted that he should be “sacrificed,” alluding to the ancient Mayan practice of human sacrifice at the pyramid’s summit.

The incident occurred as many tourists visited Chichén Itzá to witness the Descent of the Feathered Serpent, a phenomenon where sunlight creates a serpent-shaped shadow on the pyramid’s steps during the spring equinox.

The site offers a four-day program with activities, but climbing the nearly 1,000-year-old pyramid, which has been forbidden since 2006 to preserve it, is not one of them.

According to Mexico News Daily, the two tourists were arrested and may face fines under Article 55 of the Federal Law on Archaeological, Artistic, and Historical Monuments and Zones of Mexico.

A similar incident occurred two years ago when a Polish tourist climbed the same pyramid.

He was filmed running up the steps of the sacred temple before someone hit him with a stick and authorities arrested him. The Mexico Daily Post reported that he was jailed for 12 hours and fined 5,000 pesos.

Chichén Itzá authorities have not yet responded to Digital’s request for comment.

Digital’s Andrew Mark Miller contributed to this report.