Placido Domingo's concert at the Mayan ruins of Chichen Itza

MERIDA, Mexico —
Placido Domingo's concert at the Mayan ruins of Chichen Itza tonight is being billed as "the world's greatest tenor at one of the Seven Wonders of the Modern World," a claim few lovers of opera or history would dispute.
But some Mexicans question whether the show should go on at all.
Archaeologists are pressing for criminal charges against the organizers, reviving a debate over how to use treasured ancient sites.
It's a balancing act that many countries face as they try to promote and protect their cultural heritage. As artists seek to perform in stunning places — from the Great Wall of China to India's Taj Majal and ancient Greek, Roman and Egyptian structures — many worry not only about damage but also about cultural propriety.
Domingo sought to reassure his critics Thursday, saying, "I know there has been some discomfort in Mexico because I was going to perform at this site, but we have taken care of every detail to carry out this event."
Mexico's federal government turns down almost all requests to hold concerts at ancient temples, but it is increasingly pressured by state governors to promote ruins that already are swamped with tourists.
Domingo's concert inside Chichen Itza violates a law that requires the ruins to be preserved to educate Mexicans about ancient cultures, said Cuauhtemoc Velasco, a leader of the archaeologists' union.

"These monuments are not there so that rich people can hold events at them," said Velasco, noting that the tickets cost between $45 and $900 in U.S. money, and Mexico has a minimum wage the equivalent of about $4.50 per day.
For present-day Mayas such as Amadeo Cool May, who hosts a Mayan-language radio program, the concert "is an event for foreigners who come here on vacation. It is something completely alien to the Mayas, because of the ticket prices and the type of music."

Jorge Esma, who is organizing the concert for the Yucatan state government, counters that people without tickets can watch it for free on local television, and that the Mayan temples will be well-protected. The government has required light stage structures, has forbidden anything to be anchored into ancient stones, and will have experts on hand to evaluate the impact on the 1,200-year-old temples.

But a researcher at the government archaeology institute filed a criminal complaint with federal prosecutors, seeking to punish the organizers for "degrading" Chichen Itza by using it as a "simple backdrop."
The concert is expected to draw 4,000 people, the number set by the government as a maximum. The site, voted one of seven modern wonders in a global 2007 poll, is visited by as many as 12,000 people a day, leading to concerns of overcrowding, and wear and tear.