22 archaeological pieces returned to Mexico

The Mexican Consulate in Philadelphia and the Mexican Cultural Center (CCM) held a delivery-reception ceremony in that city for 22 movable archaeological monuments, which will be returned to Mexican territory in the coming days.

In a statement, the Foreign Ministry reported that the return was possible thanks to the collaboration between the Landau family, collector of the pieces, the federal Ministry of Culture, through the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH), and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Foreign Affairs (SRE) of Mexico.

“Last October, the Landau family decided to voluntarily deliver 29 pieces to the CMM, given the possible historical and cultural relevance of the elements in question, the Mexican Consulate in Philadelphia and the CCM agreed to verify their authenticity before the INAH, with the support of the SRE.”

In that sense, he pointed out that an opinion was made on the 29 pieces and an archaeologist from the institute, a specialist in pre-Columbian cultures, concluded that 22 of them, among which anthropomorphic figures and vessels stand out, agreed with artifacts made by various Mesoamerican cultures that inhabited our country between the years 400 BC and 1521 AD, which is why they are considered the archaeological heritage of the nation.

It was resolved that the remaining seven pieces are of recent manufacture, or that their place of origin cannot be determined based on their physical state.

Once the INAH opinion was received, the Mexican Consulate in Philadelphia and the CMM coordinated the delivery of the 22 pieces with the aim of having them returned to Mexican territory for proper investigation, conservation and care.

Five of the pieces date from the Mesoamerican Preclassic period (400 BC-200 AD), 16 belong to the Classic period (100-700 AD) and one is from the Postclassic period (1200-1521 AD).

The consul of Mexico in Philadelphia, Carlos Obrador Garrido, praised the special attention that the federal government has given to the recovery and rematriation of our historical heritage that, for various reasons, is located abroad.

“We celebrate that it has been possible to return these 22 pieces to our country, which should never have left Mexico,” he noted.

For her part, the president of the CCM Board of Directors, Araceli Guenther, expressed: “We are pleased to collaborate in this initiative that highlights the importance of restoring our archaeological heritage. For the Mexican Cultural Center it is a pride to have been the conduit through which the pieces that will soon return to our country were recovered.”