A Polish tourist in Mexico got a crash course in Mayan history after climbing a sacred pyramid ... locals were waiting for him when he got down, and one beat him with a stick.
The wild scene, which was captured on video, played out over the weekend at the famous Chichén Itzá archaeological site in Mexico's Yucatan.
In the viral footage, you see the tourist coming down the Kukulkan pyramid's steps ... and when he gets to the bottom, he's confronted by an angry mob ... including a shirtless man with a huge stick who bonks the tourist on the head as others show their displeasure.
The issue for locals ... the Mayan temple is considered one of the New Seven Wonders of the World and it's illegal to climb the pyramid.
The tourist is reportedly from Poland, and was arrested Saturday and released after 12 hours in custody.
Adding insult to injury, the tourist was also slapped with a fine of $5,000 pesos ... but the stick to the head's gotta hurt worse.
Climbing the pyramid for clout appears to be part of a disrespectful trend ... back in November, a female tourist climbed the same sacred structure and was assaulted by an angry mob.