Tourists destroy ancient Mayan temple

Many tourists, who came to Guatemala to celebrate the doomsday that has never materialized, damaged an ancient Mayan temple. The building is beyond repairs.

Last Friday, when, according to the Mayan calendar, the world was supposed to come to an end, about seven thousand people from all over the world came to Tikal - one of the largest ancient Mayan cities. The people climbed on one of the stone pyramids, although it is strictly prohibited to do so. The pyramid was damaged, although no details have been reported on how exactly the building was damaged.

On December 21, Mayan priests conducted a ceremony in Tikal to bid farewell to the old era. At dawn, torches were lit to mark the arrival of a new era.

Tikal is located in the province of Peten, at a distance of about 550 kilometers from Guatemala City. The ancient settlement appeared there in the VII-VI centuries BC. At the end of the 1970s, Tikal and its surrounding area were declared a site of UNESCO World Heritage.