SRE delivers 279 cultural assets recovered from embassies to INAH

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (SRE), through its Legal Advisory Office, handed over to the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) 279 cultural assets recovered by the Mexican embassies in Germany, Argentina, Canada, Spain and the United Kingdom; as well as by the consulates in the cities of Boston, Las Vegas, Miami, Nogales, Oxnard, Seattle and Tucson, in the United States.

“In accordance with the opinions issued by INAH specialists, it was determined that the pieces belong to the cultural heritage of the Mexican nation, protected by the Federal Law on Archaeological, Artistic and Historical Monuments and Zones,” the foreign ministry said in a statement.

The SRE emphasized that “the restitution of cultural objects is the result of the joint work of Mexican authorities and Mexican representations abroad. All of these entities have managed to restore heritage that was in the possession of private individuals, either through the actions of local authorities, seizures, stopping auctions, or through negotiations with academic institutions and museums that, following the approach of the Government of Mexico, have agreed to return objects that were part of their collections.”

Among the lots of restored pieces, the most notable are the bone remains of an infant, dating from between 800 and 500 BC (Montreal); a tripod mortar dating from between 2500 BC and 1521 AD (Germany); and a jade mask made in the Mesoamerican Classic period (Los Angeles).

Likewise, a clay pot created in the cultural area of ​​Western Mesoamerica between 200 and 800 AD (Las Vegas) was recovered; a bifacial knife from the Mexican Central Highlands (Tucson) and 19 archaeological pieces made in various periods and areas of the current national territory, dating from the period between 1200 and 1521 AD (United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland).

“This achievement adds to the restitution of more than 14 thousand cultural objects, thanks to the actions carried out by the Government of Mexico, through the creation and implementation of protocols, legal strategies and awareness campaigns such as #MiPatrimonioNoSeVende, with the aim of promoting the repatriation of Mexican cultural heritage illegally located abroad,” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs indicated.

The Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Culture, together with other Federal Government institutions, “make ongoing efforts to raise awareness about the importance of preserving Mexico’s cultural heritage and reaffirm their conviction to work, within the framework of their powers, for the recovery of heritage that is illegally located abroad,” the statement said.