Jimmy Donaldson, better known as MrBeast, is at the center of another controversy, and this time it directly involves Mexico. <\/p>\n
MrBeast, who is by far the YouTuber with the most subscribers in the world (surpassing the second-place user by almost 100 million), published a video on May 10th in which he visited some of Mexico\u2019s most important archaeological sites, including Chich\u00e9n Itz\u00e1 in the state of Yucat\u00e1n, home to the Temple of Kukulkan pyramid, known as El Castillo, one of the seven wonders of the modern world. <\/p>\n
MrBeast also visited the archaeological sites of Calakmul in the state of Campeche and Balamcanch\u00e9 in Yucat\u00e1n. <\/p>\n
The video, which as of Wednesday afternoon has accumulated more than 55 million views, shows MrBeast and his team in the surroundings of Kukulkan, but also inside other archaeological structures, in cenotes and temples. <\/p>\n
Some of these sites are not permanently accessible to the public, as the Mexican government has acknowledged. <\/p>\n
What is the controversy surrounding MrBeast in Mexico?<\/strong> <\/p>\n The controversy centers on the fact that the YouTuber was allowed entry to sites considered sacred to Mexico\u2019s pre-Hispanic cultures, which in many cases are restricted. <\/p>\n In one part of the video, MrBeast himself says: \u201cI can\u2019t believe the government is letting us do this. It\u2019s truly crazy. Not even archaeologists are allowed in here.\u201d <\/p>\n In response to the controversy, the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) \u2013 an agency attached to the Mexican government\u2019s Ministry of Culture \u2013 declared on Monday that both the visit and the recording were carried out through \u201cformal requests.\u201d <\/p>\n These requests, however, were not made by MrBeast, but rather by \u201cthe federal Ministry of Tourism and the governments of\u201d Yucat\u00e1n and Campeche, the INAH indicated. In the description of his video, MrBeast claims that the publication is a \u201ccollaboration with the Mexican Ministry of Tourism.\u201d <\/p>\n Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said Wednesday that there were permits for the \u201cbroadcast,\u201d but asked the INAH to report \u201cunder what conditions this permit was granted.\u201d <\/p>\n \u201cAnd if the permit was violated, then (it must be determined) what sanctions apply,\u201d the president added. <\/p>\n Other points have also caused controversy, such as a drone shot that appears to be inside the temple at the top of El Castillo in Chich\u00e9n Itz\u00e1. Regarding this, the INAH said that this did not occur and that the shot was in fact recorded outside the structure. <\/p>\n There are also scenes where MrBeast appears to descend to the archaeological sites by helicopter or where he holds a pre-Hispanic mask in his hands. <\/p>\n All of this, the INAH says, is either false or was edited after the recording: \u201cClearly, the video involves extensive audiovisual post-production work and alludes to events that did not occur, such as the fact that the producers never descended from a helicopter, spent the night inside the archaeological site, or possessed a pre-Hispanic mask, as the one presented is clearly a contemporary reproduction. All of these are false assertions that reflect the theatricality of the YouTuber in question.\u201d <\/p>\n How easy is it to apply for permits? Is it true that not even archaeologists can enter, as MrBeast claims?<\/strong> <\/p>\n Exploring, filming, and broadcasting in Mexican archaeological sites is a restricted activity that few are allowed to do. <\/p>\n The INAH stated that, while institute personnel were supervising MrBeast\u2019s activities at all times, access was granted to an area that is not permanently accessible to the general public. <\/p>\n \u201cThe tours were conducted in publicly accessible areas without affecting visitor access. In the case of Calakmul, the substructure of the Structure II was also visited. Although it is not permanently open to the public, it does provide access by arranging a scheduled visit in advance and with justification, as is the case with tours conducted with the communities surrounding the archaeological site,\u201d it said in its Monday statement. <\/p>\n Sheinbaum asked the INAH to provide information on the nature of the permit for the MrBeast video. Until it is announced, its scope and the points it covers are unknown. <\/p>\n However, by law, exploration of Mexico\u2019s archaeological sites is permitted for a very small group of institutions. <\/p>\n In September 2024, the INAH responded to a request for citizen information requesting the \u201crequirements and steps\u201d necessary to enter the Kukulkan pyramid at Chich\u00e9n Itz\u00e1. <\/p>\n In this request, the director of the Chich\u00e9n Itz\u00e1 Archaeological Zone, Jos\u00e9 Francisco Javier Osorio Le\u00f3n, mentions that \u201cin accordance\u201d with the provisions of the Federal Law on Archaeological, Artistic, and Historical Monuments and Zones, \u201call types of material work to discover or explore archaeological monuments will only be carried out by the National Institute of Anthropology and History or by scientific institutions or those of recognized moral standing, with prior authorization.\u201d <\/p>\n Likewise, Article 31 of this law states that the authorizations granted by the INAH must specify \u201cthe terms and conditions to which the work must be subject, as well as the obligations of those who carry it out.\u201d <\/p>\n While the details of the permits for MrBeast\u2019s video are still unknown, the INAH stated that, although the YouTuber\u2019s video offers \u201cdistorted\u201d information, its dissemination \u201cmay motivate interest among young audiences in Mexico and around the world to learn about our ancestral cultures and visit archaeological sites.\u201d <\/p>\n Meanwhile, Federal Culture Secretary Claudia Curiel de Icaza spoke out against the activities carried out by MrBeast and his team at the archaeological sites. <\/p>\n \u201cThis isn\u2019t the first time this type of incident has happened, and it\u2019s been clarified. Of course we don\u2019t agree, and of course there will be appropriate sanctions because that\u2019s not what these spaces are for,\u201d Curiel de Icaza said Tuesday at a decorative and utilitarian art event. <\/p>\n<\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Jimmy Donaldson, better known as MrBeast, is at the center of another controversy, and this…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":16855,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[23],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-16854","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-world"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailywashingtoninsider.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16854","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailywashingtoninsider.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailywashingtoninsider.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailywashingtoninsider.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailywashingtoninsider.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=16854"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dailywashingtoninsider.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16854\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailywashingtoninsider.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/16855"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailywashingtoninsider.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16854"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailywashingtoninsider.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=16854"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailywashingtoninsider.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=16854"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}