The New Mexico Department of Cultural Affairs delivered the pieces to the Mexican Consulate because it was not certain of their legal origin.
Made by pre-Hispanic cultures that settled in regions such as the Central Highlands, the West and the North of the country, as well as in the current states of Oaxaca and Nayarit, 41 archaeological pieces were returned to the government of Mexico, through the Consulate in Albuquerque, USA.
The objects, whose time period is between the years 200 to 900 AD, were voluntarily delivered by the Department of Cultural Affairs (DAC) of New Mexico, the Ministry of Culture reports in a statement.
The origin and time data of the pieces were determined in a preliminary report by specialists from the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH), the text details.
“The archaeological objects were delivered by an individual to the DAC of New Mexico, a body that, not being certain of the legal origin of the pieces, decided to return them to the people of Mexico,” he adds.
The delivery took place in a ceremony with the presence of Consul Norma Ang and soon the 41 archaeological pieces “will be repatriated to Mexico for delivery to the INAH, which will be responsible for their custody, study, conservation and dissemination,” notes the statement, which highlights the institutional commitment to the protection of cultural heritage.
TYT Newsroom