Chichen Itza – Temple of Kulkulkan, pyramid-top temple
Chichen Itza, the center of Mayan power and religion from 600 CE to 1200 CE, was abandoned and left to ruin. Rediscovered in the mid-1800s, it later opened for visitors. Tourists willing to brave the steep, nearly ladder-like staircase were permitted to climb the centerpiece of the site, the Temple of Kukulkan, also known as El Castillo. Officials provided a rope to guide visitors back down the staircase, to prevent accidents. But even this extra assistance didn’t help In 2006, an 80 year old tourist from the United States, Adeline “Indiana” Black, fell on the pyramid, dying from her injuries. As of 2008, tourists have been prohibited from climbing the stairs to the top of the Pyramid of Kukulkan. The official reason is not only the graffiti and garbage left behind by tourists, and the chiseling and scratching of the irreplaceable stonework, but it accelerated erosion on the temple.
