More than forty archaeological artifacts related to pre-Columbian cultures returned to Mexico

On March 24, 2023, at the headquarters of theEmbassy of Mexico in Italy, in Rome, in the presence of the Mexican Minister of Culture, Alejandra Frausto, and the Ambassador of Mexico to Italy Carlos Garcia di Alba, the Commander of the Carabinieri Tutela Patrimonio Culturale, Brigadier General Vincenzo Molinese, returned forty-three archaeological artifacts.

Vases, sculptures and votive elements, of immeasurable historical value, were found to belong to Mexican cultural heritage. Investigations revealed that these objects date to the period between the 3rd and 8th centuries A.D. and the 13th and 16th centuries A.D. and come from the Maya, Totonaca, and Teotihuacan regions, as well as from the Central Highlands and the Gulf Coast of Mexico. Traceable to different pre-Columbian cultures, the treasures were recovered during several autonomous investigations conducted by the Carabinieri Tutela Patrimonio Culturale Units in Rome, Ancona, Naples, and Udine, assisted by the Carabinieri Tutela Patrimonio Culturale Operational Department, under the coordination of the competent Public Prosecutors’ Offices.

The investigative success was achieved thanks to the indispensable support of Mexican cultural authorities and the Ministry of Culture, which, thanks to targeted technical examinations, were able to recognize and trace the returned archaeological finds back to their territorial and cultural contexts of reference.

Fundamental was the activity of comparing the images of the finds with those contained in the Illicitly Misappropriated Cultural Property Database, the world’s largest database of information on the works to be searched, which is managed exclusively by the Tpc Command and currently has an information base consisting of approximately 8 million images.

More than forty archaeological artifacts related to pre-Columbian cultures returned to Mexico

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