MEXICO CITY — Historic Chapultepec Castle in Mexico was pictured flying the black Targaryen flag, and Mexican officials were not amused.
The plot of “House of the Dragon,” a prequel to “Game of Thrones,” apparently involves countries taking sides in a civil war for control of the fictional Iron Throne.
Producers of the HBO series on Monday posted video of the 19th-century castle in Mexico City, atop a hill, showing the black Targaryen flag hanging from the battlements. The flag, representing Queen Rhaenyra, predictably has a dragon on it.
Mexican authorities issued a statement on Monday saying it was not true and threatening legal action. But it’s not because they support Laenor Velaryon.
Mexico’s National Institute of Anthropology and History said the flags were generated by technology and were never hung at the site. “Game of Thrones” social media accounts posted similar images of other world landmarksincluding New York City bridges.
The institute, which is the legal guardian of Mexico’s historic buildings and artifacts, was furious that the historic site had been used in the advertising campaign and said he would take legal action.
“The reproduction of images from this website for use in promoting this series was not authorized,” states the statement from the institute, known as INAH. “For this reason, the INAH legal department will take all necessary legal measures, as this is an inappropriate use of images from a historic site.”
HBO did not respond to messages seeking comment.
It is unclear whether Mexico will be able to win the legal battle against artificial intelligence and computer-generated imagery. The institute did not claim copyright to the original video. The site is open to the public, so anyone could have filmed it.
During the Mexican-American War of 1846-48, the castle was the site of the Battle of Chapultepec in 1847, when Mexicans defending the heights on which the castle stands died rather than surrender to U.S. troops.
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