More than 2,500 prehispanic objects recovered by Mexico in Spain

A member of a cultural group of pre-Hispanic identity participates in the celebration of the 697th anniversary of the founding of Tenochtitlan, capital of the Aztec Empire or Mexicas, in the Zocalo square in Mexico City, July 26, 2022. AFP - ALFREDO ESTRELLA

Text by: RFI Follow

2 mins

Mexico has recovered 2,522 pre-Hispanic objects from a family in Barcelona, ​​Spain.

The left-wing government in power in the country has made the recovery of the national heritage dispersed abroad the major axis of its cultural policy. 

Advertising

Read more

1,371 complete objects and fragments will be exhibited from the beginning of August 2022 at the Templo mayor museum, in the historic center of Mexico City, under the supervision of the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH), the arm armed with the heritage preservation policy.

This is the most important restitution of archaeological pieces by individuals

 ," said Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard during the usual press conference of President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador.

“ 

We were just asked not to give the name of the family who had these objects

 ,” he added.

Se han recuperado en el extranjero 8970 piezas de nuestro patrimonio cultural.

Se han cancelado 3 subastas de patrimonio histórico de México.

Se han decomisado más de 600 arqueológicas piezas a particulares que las tenían ilegalmente en EU, Italia y Bruselas.Advanzamos.

pic.twitter.com/tLtR6X2wI2

— Marcelo Ebrard C. (@m_ebrard) July 26, 2022

Stone-cut figures, arrowheads and vases are part of the collection.

“ 

The moment we received these boxes containing the archaeological pieces and we started to understand the type of objects that were there, we were very moved because there are very important and interesting pieces

 ,” said to AFP the director of the Templo Mayor museum, Patricia Ledezma.

A government policy

Lopez Obrador's government has recovered 8,970 pre-Hispanic objects since taking office in December 2018, according to Minister Ebrard.

We are in the process of recovering the archaeological and cultural heritage of Mexico abroad

 ", welcomed President Lopez Obrador, mentioning " 

thousands of stolen archaeological pieces

 ".

Mexico regularly opposes the auctioning of objects from the Mesoamerican cultures that occupied its territory, from the Olmecs to the Aztecs to the Mayas.

The current government considers that this heritage has been taken out of the country illegally since the 19th century.

Auction houses and foreign governments ask Mexico to prove that the archaeological pieces belong to it, explained Mr. Ebrard.

But Mexico has at times managed to push its case that it's up to sellers to " 

demonstrate the legal origin

 " of pre-Hispanic pieces, he added.

► 

To read also:

Energy: the United States launches a trade dispute procedure against Mexico

Newsletter

Receive all the international news directly in your mailbox

I subscribe

Follow all the international news by downloading the RFI application

google-play-badge_EN

  • Mexico

  • Spain

  • Inheritance