The sculpture comes from a civilization which preceded that of the Mayas and the Aztecs.
By Le Figaro with AFP
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The United States has returned a giant stone statue, known as the ‘Earth Monster’, to Mexico, dating back to the pre-Christian Olmec civilization, announced the Mexican authorities. The elaborately carved statue weighs more than a ton and measures nearly 1.8 meters high and 1.5 meters wide, the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) said in a statement.
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“Our consul Jorge Islas in New York confirms to me that the most wanted Olmec coin in Mexico has been recovered and is about to return to its home, from where it should never have come out”tweeted the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Marcelo Ebrard.
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Save historical heritage
As part of the efforts of the Mexican government to save the historical heritage taken out of the country, nearly 10,000 items have been recovered since 2018, authorities said. The Olmec civilization predated those of the Maya and Aztecs, and its craftsmen were known for carving colossal stone heads, statues, and vertical slabs. The institute estimated that the statue was created between 800 and 400 BC. J.-C.
Known as Monument 9 of Chalcatzingo and discovered in the Mexican state of Morelos (center), the bas-relief piece is said to depict an “earth monster”, a creature that often appears in Olmec iconography, according to the ‘INAH. The open jaw of the coin symbolizes access to the underworld and “over his mouth is projected a sequence of three concentric bands, representing the cruciform access to a cavern”added the institute.
Although it is unknown when and how she was illegally taken from Chalcatzingo, “It is established that it was unveiled to the public in 1968, by archaeologist David Grove, in the journal American Antiquity. From there, it is estimated that at the beginning of the second half of the 20th century, it was already in the United States», the statement said. New York authorities found the sculpture, but the document does not specify where.
