The dead-eyed, YouTube view-powered homunculus who calls himself Mr. Beast just can’t seem to keep himself out of hot water. He’s pissed off his own employees, contestants on his real-life Squid Games, the people who make his weird ghost kitchen hamburgers, and now he’s moved onto elected officials. A recent video of his, “I Explored 2000 Year Old Ancient Temples”, is essentially what it says on the tin: he’s following up his last round of desecrating important archeological sites with a move from Egypt to Mexico.
The video sees him exploring a selection of Mexico’s most famous sites, including the world-renowned Chichén Itzá, where his admittance to restricted pre-Hispanic sites and apparent handling of sacred artifacts quickly attracted controversy. Per CNN:
In one part of the video, MrBeast himself says: “I can’t believe the government is letting us do this. It’s truly crazy. Not even archaeologists are allowed in here.”
In response to the controversy, the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) – an agency attached to the Mexican government’s Ministry of Culture – declared on Monday that both the visit and the recording were carried out through “formal requests.”
These requests, however, were not made by MrBeast, but rather by “the federal Ministry of Tourism and the governments of” Yucatán and Campeche, the INAH indicated. In the description of his video, MrBeast claims that the publication is a “collaboration with the Mexican Ministry of Tourism.”
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said Wednesday that there were permits for the “broadcast,” but asked the INAH to report “under what conditions this permit was granted.”
“And if the permit was violated, then (it must be determined) what sanctions apply,” the president added.
With the exact limits of the permit unknown to anyone outside the National Institute of Anthropology and History, including to President Sheinbaum herself, it’s hard to say whether Mr. Beast’s usual camera-mugging antics constituted a violation of the letter of the law. Some, however – like Federal Culture Secretary Claudia Curiel de Icaza – argue that it does violate the spirit of it, saying that “there will be appropriate sanctions because that’s not what these spaces are for.”
The INAH, meanwhile, seems to hold the position that even if Mr. Beast’s content oversteps and misrepresents – which it does – it’s worth it for the chance to get 395 million pairs of eyeballs on Mexico’s wonder of the world. Ultimately, it’ll be up to President Sheinbaum to decide what, if any, action will be taken. “I Spent Six Months In A Mexican Prison For Violation Of Federal Law” would be a banger of a video, though.
