Several ancient Mayan pyramids in Mexico have been placed off limits by the government amid violence being sparked by the country’s drug cartels, according to a new report published by the Associated Press.
The Mexican government has reported that at least two of the popular Mayan locations have been temporarily shut down as a result of rising crime in the state of Chiapas.
The state has also been dominated by smugglers who are using the area as routes to transport migrants from lower Central America and Guatemala through the southern area of Mexico. According to the AP, about a half million migrants are now coming through Mexico’s southern border as part of their route from South America after making their way through the jungle terrain of the Darien Gap.