Tourists caught damaging Peña de Bernal; 'Everyone has scratched it... I'm an American citizen,' they explain.

Following the viralization of ' Lady Racista ', a video circulated on social media showing American tourists arguing with a worker at the Peña de Bernal Protected Natural Area in Querétaro , after they were reprimanded for scratching the monolith.

The worker emphasizes that "it's a crime to scratch the Rock here," and points out that there's a sign below prohibiting it. The tourist justifies herself by saying, "Everyone has scratched it, and there's no sign above. I'm an American citizen. I didn't deny it; I did," while arguing that there are no signs in the area.

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On the other hand, his companion insists that the worker (who was later identified as Antonio , a young man belonging to the " escaloneros " - a group in charge of maintenance and guidance work at the site -) take the marker with which they supposedly made the graffiti, in view of the situation, the worker asks them to erase the damage with a stone.

The video concludes with the tourists climbing into the Protected Natural Area , promising to go and erase the graffiti they made; while another tourist, who approached to mediate the situation , stays with the worker, who claims to have identified the tourists who damaged the area.

Internet users applauded the worker for calling them out . “More people like this young man, defending natural areas. It's inexcusable that everyone is being offensive, me too,” one user commented.

ADMINISTRATIVE PENALTY CONFIRMED.

The mayor of Ezequiel Montes, Querétaro, Iván Reséndiz Ramírez, confirmed to media outlets such as El Universal that the tourist couple who painted graffiti on the Peña de Bernal were administratively sanctioned.

When asked about the video that went viral on social media showing staff members reprimanding the couple for the graffiti, he stated , "It's not a common situation; it does happen. We have a way to address it. We file a complaint, and we arrest them for an administrative offense."

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Reséndiz Ramírez recalled that the Peña de Bernal is an intangible cultural heritage of humanity registered with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization ( UNESCO ), and any damage, including graffiti , may be punishable by the municipality or by federal authorities, such as the National Institute of Anthropology and History ( INAH ).

"We've been trying hard to insist and tell the people who climb Peña Bernal that this type of activity is not permitted, and obviously, anyone who does it can be fined," he said.

He pointed out that the visiting couple didn't make a big fuss because the staff at the place intervened in time , since "what they saw on social media was precisely a video where they were being called out," he concluded.