280 Stolen Archaeological Items Returned To Mexico

Return of pre-Hispanic archaeological objects belonging to Mexico. (Riviera Maya News)

JAKARTA - The United States returned 280 pieces of archaeological objects belonging to Mexico from Sonora and West Mexico. The symbolic submission of this archaeological object was made on March 9 at the Mexican Consulate General in Arizona, United States.

The return of archaeological objects is part of a joint project between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Culture through the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) in Mexico City.

The pieces correspond to two batches, the first of which was seized by the United States Customs and Immigration Control Service in 2012, which was then coordinated with the Mexican Government through INAH, a cultural wealth review and identification.

The second shipment is 10 artifacts previously sent to US officials by the Chandler Museum in Arizona and eventually returned to Mexico. The items include ceramic statues from the burial tradition of the West Mexican axis.

According to the Riviera Maya News, Mexico's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said some of the archaeological objects returned were more than 30 centimeters tall, featuring detailed ornaments and jewelry from ancient pre-Hispanic Mexican settlers, in a statement.

In 270 pre-Hispanic archaeological pieces, most of which contain carved stone artifacts, mainly bifacial projectiles and points including polished stone tools such as stone axes, and a cluster of copper bells, the discovery of which is rare. The agency said the archaeological assets were stolen from various archaeological sites in Bergara, Sonora Section.

280 archaeological pieces were mostly seized by the United States Immigration and Customs Service in 2012, and will now be integrated into INAH's permanent collection of movable archaeological treasures.

Archaeologists Elisa Villalpando Canchola and Jupiter Martínez Ramírez, of the INAH Sonora Center are responsible for the opinion and evaluation of the asset.

"Fifty years ago, our country signed a collaborative agreement for the restoration of stolen archaeological and cultural assets. Under this agreement, we have worked together to return assets that have been illegally stolen from their home countries. Today, the work is paying off and we can celebrate it", said Biedebach.

"The United States government is committed to continuing to work with all agencies across borders to stop theft and trafficking of cultural heritage" he concluded.