17-05-2025
Mexican fury at MrBeast as government demands YouTuber pays out for 'exploiting nation's ancient Mayan pyramids' for cash
Mexican authorities are demanding compensation after YouTuber MrBeast was accused of exploiting the ancient Mayan pyramids in a video for financial gain.
The video 'I Explored 2000 Year Old Ancient Temples' shows the influencer and his team exploring the ancient Mayan cities with a permit.
But in one part, the influencer advertised his chocolate product as a 'Mayan Dessert', urging viewers to purchase it.
On Wednesday, Mexico's President Claudia Sheinbaum called for an investigation into the conditions to which the filming permit was granted.
Authorities said that while they gave MrBeast, whose real name is Jimmy Donaldson, permission to film at the sites, it was for not for-profit use.
In the video, which garnered over 60 million views in a week, the promotional content appears to be filmed at the influencer's campsite.
'No advertisement material was shot on any archaeological sites overseen by INAH (National Institute of Anthropology and History),' a spokesperson for MrBeast told the BBC.
Mexico's Secretary of Culture Claudia Curiel de Icaza said they never authorised the use of heritage site images for trademark advertising or the publication of false information.
'We disapprove of any commercial pursuit that distorts the value of archaeological sites, which are a legacy of our indigenous cultures and the pride of our nation,' she said.
In the video caption, Mr Beast continued to promote his chocolate product while also thanking Mexico's National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) and government authorities for granting him permission to film at the sites.
But the INAH said: 'The permission granted to Full Circle Media did not authorize the use of images of the archeological site for for-profit advertisements of private brands.'
The production company Full Circle Media were the firm issued with the permit to film - the INAH is considering 'administrative sanctions' against them.
The INAH said it was lodging a law suit against Full Circle Media, who worked with MrBeast on the video.
The video, which was published on May 10, shows MrBeast and his team exploring restricted access areas in the Mayan cities of Calakmul and Chichén Itzá.
He is also shown handling an ancient pre-Hispanic mask, which the INAH said he never held.
MrBeast also descends into a pyramid from a helicopter, which has been accused of being a post-production edit.
The group are escorted through the pyramids by several guides, including one person identified only as Arthur, who is seen wearing an INAH vest.
'I can't believe the government is letting us do this,' the influencer says at one point in the video.
MrBeast, 27, from Greenville, North Carolina is the biggest YouTuber in the world with more than 300 million subscribers.
In the past, he has said he would never stop making content on his channel.
