Latest news with #INAH
Economic Times
01-08-2025
- Economic Times
‘Land of the White Jaguar' discovered, archaeologists finally locate lost Maya rebel stronghold in southern Mexico
Archaeologists identified the ancient Maya city of Sak-Bahlán, or 'Land of the White Jaguar,' deep in the jungle near Mexico's border with Guatemala, revealing a long-lost stronghold of Indigenous resistance Archaeologists in Mexico have uncovered what they believe to be the remains of Sak-Bahlán, or the 'Land of the White Jaguar,' a Maya rebel stronghold lost for over three centuries. The site served as a haven for the Lakandon-Ch'ol Maya, who resisted Spanish colonization after the fall of their capital Lacan-Tun in 1586. Located deep in the jungle near the Jataté and Ixcán rivers, close to the present-day Mexico–Guatemala border, Sak-Bahlán is described as a political and cultural center where Maya rebels lived in relative autonomy for nearly 110 years. The site was subdued by Spanish forces following its rediscovery by Friar Pedro de la Concepción in 1695, renamed Nuestra Señora de Dolores, and eventually abandoned by 1721. Also read: Archaeologists unearth 13th-century knight under ice cream parlour in PolandThe breakthrough in locating Sak-Bahlán was made possible by combining historical texts with modern geographic information system (GIS) analysis. Josuhé Lozada Toledo, an archaeologist with Mexico's National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH), led the research effort using centuries-old Spanish colonial Toledo relied heavily on the writings of Spanish friar Diego de Rivas. A 1695 letter described Sak-Bahlán as being situated on a plain along a bend in the Lacantún River in Chiapas. In later notes dated 1698, de Rivas detailed a four-day walk from the stronghold to the Lacantún River, followed by a two-day canoe trip to where the Lacantún and Pasión rivers meet."By combining all these variables, I was able to … obtain an approximate range of where the Sak-Bahlán site could be located," Lozada Toledo said in a translated statement from INAH. Factoring in terrain difficulty and the physical limits of carrying supplies, the team identified a likely area for the ruins. Subsequent fieldwork confirmed archaeological evidence consistent with 16th and 17th-century Maya read: Archaeologists discover 5,500-year-old 'Trapezoidal tombs' older than Egypt's PyramidsFollowing GIS mapping and historical research, archaeologists conducted two field seasons of excavation and survey work at the site. Located near the border with Guatemala, the site yielded structures, artifacts, and settlement patterns corresponding to the timeline of Maya resistance against the Spanish."It was the most arduous field trip I've ever had in my life, but in the end, we found the archaeological evidence, right at the spot I had marked," Lozada Toledo continue to investigate the site, testing materials and refining chronologies to confirm continuous occupation by the Lakandon-Ch'ol during the colonial era. Preliminary findings support the identification of the location as Sak-Bahlán, a major center of Maya resistance to Spanish colonial rule in southern Mexico. Further details of the discovery will be published in the upcoming issue of the archaeological journal Chicomoztoc.
New York Post
03-06-2025
- Business
- New York Post
Billionaire YouTuber MrBeast ‘borrowing' money from mom for his wedding
Even billionaires need handouts sometimes. MrBeast — who's worth an estimated $1 billion — claims he's cash-strapped and asked his mom for money to pay for his upcoming wedding to fellow content creator Thea Booysen. MrBeast, whose real name is Jimmy Donaldson, addressed his finances on X in response to a post that described him as 'the only billionaire under 30 to have not inherited his wealth.' 9 MrBeast proposed to content creator Thea Booysen in December 2024. mrbeast/Instagram 'I personally have very little money because I reinvest everything (I think this year we'll spend around a quarter of a billion on content),' the Internet sensation, who boasts over 400 million subscribers, wrote on Sunday, June 1. 'Ironically i'm actually borrowing $ from my mom to pay for my upcoming wedding lol,' he continued in his candid X post, adding, 'But sure, on paper the businesses I own are worth a lot.' MrBeast has his hands in several projects, including the competition series 'Beast Games,' which gave its first season winner a whopping $10 million in prize money, and his Feastables chocolate brand. He recently attacked Trump's 'brutal' tariffs, informing his fans that it would be 'way cheaper' to produce his ethically sourced chocolate overseas. However, he's also been at the center of several lawsuits, including one that involves his snack brand. 9 The billionaire claims he's borrowing money from his mom to pay for the wedding. Honey 9 'I personally have very little money because I reinvest everything,' he admitted on X. MrBeast/X 9 MrBeast and Thea Booysen recently teased a possible island wedding. mrbeast/Instagram In May, the Mexican government sued the media house behind MrBeast's popular video titled, 'I Explored 2000 Year Old Ancient Temples,' in which he hawked his Feastables outside the Mayan pyramids, calling them a 'special Mayan desert' and 'the only Mayan-approved snack on the planet.' While the government admitted that MrBeast and the company were issued a permit to film at sites including the Mayan pyramid Chichén Itzá near Cancun, it claimed he was not given permission for commercial use. They claimed the YouTuber violated the terms of an archeological permit and profited from the 'heritage that belongs to all Mexicans.' 9 MrBeast was sued last month by the Mexican government. mrbeast/Instagram 9 He was accused of violating the terms of an archeological permit and profiting from the 'heritage that belongs to all Mexicans.' mrbeast/Instagram But he denied those allegations. 'This video … was meant to highlight these treasured Mayan sites in Mexico,' a spokesperson for MrBeast told The Post. 'No advertisement material was shot on any archaeological sites overseen by INAH (Mexican National Institute of Anthropology and History), so it is unfortunate that this has turned into a political issue.' MrBeast was also sued by five 'Beast Games' contestants in September 2024 for alleged 'chronic mistreatment,' sexual harassment and more. 9 He was also sued by a group of 'Beast Games' competitors in 2024. mrbeast/Instagram In response, a spokesperson for MrBeast's company exclusively told The Post, 'The MrBeast promotional video shoot, which included over 2000 participants, was unfortunately complicated by the CrowdStrike incident, extreme weather, and other unexpected logistical and communications issues, which we are currently reviewing, but we are grateful that virtually all of those invited to Toronto for our next production have enthusiastically accepted our invitation. 'We have communicated directly with 97% of the 2000 people who attended to ask for feedback, have launched a formal review of the process, and have taken steps to ensure that we learn from this experience and we are excited to welcome hundreds of men and women to the world's largest game show in history.' 9 MrBeast and his future bride met in her home country, South Africa, in 2022. Getty Images for Breakthrough Prize 9 The pair said their wedding will be 'more private,' with only friends and family. thea_booysen/Instagram The YouTuber and Booysen met in 2022 while he was visiting her home country, South Africa, and have been going strong ever since. The pair recently teased their upcoming wedding, revealing it won't be a show for the world to see. 'This will definitely be more family and friends — definitely more private,' MrBeast told People. 'I don't take much vacation because of how hard I work, so I definitely want to make sure that the wedding will be a time to celebrate with her and spend time with friends and family who we really enjoy being with. It will be the ultimate way to take some time away and enjoy things.' The future MrsBeast also shared that they're toying with the idea of exchanging vows on an island. 'We're thinking of doing it somewhere on an island where we're far away from just about everybody,' she said. 'We're not going to try and have a big, extravagant wedding. It's going to be nice, but it's certainly going to be intimate [with] close family and friends.'
ABC News
20-05-2025
- Entertainment
- ABC News
MrBeast Youtuber James Donaldson denies wrongdoing over Mayan ruins video
YouTuber MrBeast has denied he violated Mexican government permits while filming a video at an ancient archaeological site. James Donaldson, who boasts more than 300 million subscribers on YouTube, posted a video last week that showed him and several friends touring the inside of the ruins, visiting an archaeological site after dark and climbing up a Mayan pyramid. Chichén Itzá is a complex of Mayan ruins on the Yucatán Peninsula and is one of the Seven Wonders of the World. Visitors are welcome to view the site but are not to climb the pyramids or visit after nightfall. "I can't believe the government is letting us do this," Donaldson says at one point during the video. "Nobody gets to go where we're going." Shortly after the video was released, Mexico's National Institute of Anthropology and History released a statement saying that a production company that worked with Donaldson violated the terms of the agreement by monetising the video. INAH said it was lodging the suit against the firm called Full Circle Media. "The permission granted to Full Circle Media … did not authorise … the use of images of the archaeological site for for-profit advertisements of private brands," INAH said. The video shows Donaldson displaying one of his brand's chocolate bars and calling it the "only Mayan-approved snack on the planet". When asked about the incident, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said she wanted a report about what happened. "The information is that he had permission from the INAH, and now we need the INAH to tell us under what conditions this permission was granted," she said. "And if the permission was violated, then what sanctions will be imposed." Mexican Culture Secretary Claudia Curiel said Donaldson was authorised to publish "false information or use images of heritage sites for commercial advertising". But the YouTuber denied this was in violation of his agreement with the INAH. In a statement posted to his X account, Donaldson said he wanted to "clear some false things being said". "Me and my team have great respect for the Mexican and Mayan culture and people," it said. "We did this video to get people all over the world excited to learn more about their culture, much like we did with our Pyramids video". He said he and his team filmed with full permits, followed guidelines and had representatives from government agencies following them as well as archaeologists to make sure the information they were sharing was accurate. "They were aware of us mentioning Feastables in the video but for respect of the sites, it was filmed off site from any national monuments. "The dinner scene where I made the Feastables joke was not near any Mayan temples." Lauda Sansores, the governor of Mexico's Campeche State, took to social media to thank Donaldson for visiting. Mr Donaldson referred to her comments in his statement, saying: "This video represents enormous publicity for the state, more than 56 million views in just four days." The video shows high production with audio and video editing and it is unclear how much of it was actually shot at the historical site. Later in a supplementary statement provided to The New York Times, the INAH appeared to soften its stance on the matter. "Despite the distorted information provided by the YouTuber, the dissemination of this type of material may motivate young audiences in Mexico and around the world to learn about our ancestral cultures and visit archaeological sites."
India Today
20-05-2025
- Entertainment
- India Today
MrBeast addresses backlash over Mexico vlog, says filming followed all rules
YouTuber MrBeast reacted to the backlash over his recent video shot in ancient Mayan sites, saying he followed all protocols and had official permission during Donaldson, widely known as MrBeast, responded to the controversy surrounding his video titled 'I Survived 100 Hours in an Ancient Temple', which premiered on 10 May. The video showed him and his team exploring archaeological locations in Southeastern Mexico, swimming in cenotes, dining on Maya-style cuisine, and spending a night inside a While the video garnered millions of views shortly after its release, it also drew strong criticism from Mexican officials and archaeologists. Several social media users also accused the content creator of using Mexico's cultural heritage for profit. The National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) clarified that while it had permitted filming, it had not approved the monetisation of the content or the use of the sites to promote MrBeast's the weekend, MrBeast issued a statement denying the accusations. He said the goal of the video was to raise global interest in Mexican and Mayan culture.'I've seen a lot of stories about our recent video in Mexico and wanted to clear some false things being said,' MrBeast wrote in a post on X, adding, 'Me and my team have great respect for the Mexican and Mayan culture and people. We are not and have never been sued by them lol. That is false and it saddens me to see people spreading lies.'advertisementHe clarified that the team operated with full permits, had officials and archaeologists on-site throughout the filming, and respected all rules. He even shared a screenshot of a message from the state governor supporting the production.'They were aware of us mentioning Feastables in the video but for respect of the sites, it was filmed off site from any national monuments,' he explained. 'The dinner scene where I made the Feastables joke was not near any Mayan temples.'MrBeast also revealed that his team helped fund wells and water projects in the region. He mentioned working with INAH to support local archaeological work. 'We also never planned on sharing this, but as always my hand is forced by false headlines,' he YouTuber expressed disappointment at how the story was presented online. 'I hope to go back someday and continue to share how awesome the culture is with the world, sad to see this get distorted.'Take a look at the post here: Officials, however, remained firm. Mexico's Ministry of Culture said it would look into sanctions and potential legal action. The minister even said that cultural heritage must not be used for commercial clarified that it had issued formal approval for the visit and had officials on-site to supervise. It also confirmed that the filming complied with regulations. However, it said that certain scenes, such as a helicopter landing and drone activity inside the Kukulkan pyramid, appeared to be fabricated in Claudia Sheinbaum said the broadcast was authorised but asked the agency to clarify the terms of the maintained that he intended to honour and promote Mexican heritage, not exploit Reel
NDTV
20-05-2025
- Entertainment
- NDTV
MrBeast Responds To Backlash Over Ancient Mexican Temple Video: "It Saddens Me To See..."
Jimmy Donaldson, better known as MrBeast, has reacted to the controversy surrounding a vlog he recorded while visiting ancient Mayan cities in Southeastern Mexico. The YouTuber released a video titled "I Survived 100 Hours in an Ancient Temple," on May 10, and it received millions of views in no time. In the clip, MrBeast and his team explore historic sites, swim in cenotes, eat Maya-style food and spend a night in a temple. The video drew condemnation from Mexican officials, archaeologists and the public, who accused the YouTuber of exploiting the cultural heritage. The video was also criticised by Mexico's National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH), which said that they had given MrBeast permission to film at the sites, but not to monetise the content or use it to advertise his products. Now, over the weekend, MrBeast released a statement, announcing his true intention of bringing eyes to the country and revealing that there was no issue with filming as he got permission from the government agencies and even had archaeologists walking them through everything. He also shared a picture showing a message from the state governor where filming took place that defended MrBeast and his team. I've seen a lot of stories about our recent video in Mexico and wanted to clear some false things being said. Me and my team have great respect for the Mexican and Mayan culture and people. We did this video to get people all over the world excited to learn more about their… — MrBeast (@MrBeast) May 18, 2025 "I've seen a lot of stories about our recent video in Mexico and wanted to clear some false things being said. Me and my team have great respect for the Mexican and Mayan culture and people. We did this video to get people all over the world excited to learn more about their culture, much like we did with our Pyramids video. We are not and have never been sued by them lol. That is false and it saddens me to see people spreading lies," MrBeast wrote on X. "We filmed with full permits, followed guidelines, had representatives from government agencies following us, Mexican archeologists to make sure we were accurate, AND representatives from the sites to ensure we were following the rules. The governor of the state we shot in even came out in our defense," he added. The YouTuber further clarified that officials knew he would be promoting his chocolate brand and made sure not to film any content near national monuments. "They were aware of us mentioning Feastables in the video but for respect of the sites, it was filmed off site from any national monuments. The dinner scene where I made the Feastables joke was not near any mayan temples," he wrote. The YouTuber also shared the philanthropic work that his team conducted while out in Mexico. "We also never planned on sharing this, but as always my hand is forced by false headlines - behind the scenes we funded wells and water projects in the state, I've also been working with INAH on a fund to support local Mexican archeology and new discoveries because I wanted to help spread the culture as a thanks for allowing us to film," MrBeast said. "I hope to go back someday and continue to share how awesome the culture is with the world, sad to see this get distorted," he concluded. Notably, MrBeast's statement comes after the Ministry of Culture in Mexico said it would impose sanctions and take legal action against the YouTuber for allegedly misrepresenting events and violating the intended use of cultural heritage sites. The INAH responded to the controversy by stating that the visit and the recording were conducted in response to "formal requests". The government agency stated that their staff was present during the shoot to guarantee site safety and adherence to preservation guidelines. It also confirmed that the filming was done in accordance with the law. But it emphasised that several scenes, including the claimed helicopter landing, drone flights inside the Kukulkan pyramid, and the usage of an old mask, were made up in post-production. Separately, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said the "broadcast" was permitted, but she asked the INAH to report "under what conditions this permit was granted."
