Guatemalan Cave Holds Evidence of Maya Human Sacrifice - Archaeology Magazine
- MrBeast, a YouTuber, recorded a nearly 16-minute video in restricted archaeological zones of Calakmul, Balankanché, and Chichén Itzá in May 2025 after receiving INAH's permission.
- The access followed government requests and institutional approval, though it sparked controversy over how the permission was granted and concerns about fairness compared to researchers.
- During the video, MrBeast's team toured ancient sites including the Oxte'tun temple at Calakmul, showing interiors usually closed to the public and accompanied by INAH staff monitoring their presence.
- Archaeologist Adriana Velázquez Morlet stated the visit was allowed “as we have done on other occasions” and affirmed no damage occurred to the archaeological elements during filming.
- This event highlights challenges in balancing heritage preservation with modern communication, suggesting that engaging new audiences may require evolving cultural appreciation methods.
28 Articles
28 Articles
Guatemalan Cave Holds Evidence of Maya Human Sacrifice - Archaeology Magazine
DOS PILAS, GUATEMALA—In the 1990s, archaeologists made a grisly discovery when they entered a cave beneath the Maya site of Dos Pilas in Petén. The team encountered hundreds of fragmented human bones that were scattered about the cave floor alongside ocher and obsidian blades. Many of the bones bore marks indicative of traumatic injuries and execution. Live Science reports that researchers have recently studied the remains from Cueva de Sangre, …
Chichén Itzá: Ancient Mayan Legacy in the Yucatán Peninsula - teleSUR English
The monumental ruins of Chichén Itzá, located in Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula, continue to captivate researchers and visitors alike as they uncover the deep spiritual and political significance of this ancient Mayan city. Derived from the Mayan language, the name “Chichén Itzá” translates to “mouth of the well of the Itzaes,” referring to the Sacred Cenote, a natural sinkhole believed to serve as an entrance to the underworld and a site of ritual …
By video of MrBeast the corresponding penalties will be applied: Curiel de Icaza
Around the video that the businessman and American youtuber MrBeast made in the archaeological zones of Calakmul, Balankanché and Chichen Itza, who reported on Tuesday La Jornada, Claudia Curiel de Icaza, head of the Federal Culture Secretariat, announced that “there will be the corresponding sanctions”.
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