Returned 101 archaeological artifacts to Mexico worth a total of several tens of thousands of euros

Returned 101 archaeological artifacts to Mexico recovered thanks to several operations conducted by the TPC Nuclei of Rome, Udine, Perugia, Ancona and Cosenza, and seized thanks to the coordination of the Prosecutors’ Offices of Rome, Pordenone, Florence, Ancona and Palmi. The restitution took place this morning in a ceremony at the headquarters of the Mexican Embassy in Italy in Rome, in the presence of Ambassador H.E. Carlos García de Alba, Division General Francesco Gargaro, Commander of the Carabinieri Tutela Patrimonio Culturale (TPC), who officially handed over the ancient artifacts. The event was also attended by Mexico’s Undersecretary for Foreign Affairs, H.E. María Teresa Mercado, and Italian Undersecretary for Foreign Affairs, Giorgio Silli.

This restitution represents an important achievement in the fight against the illicit trafficking of cultural property and is the result of extensive collaboration between Italian and Mexican authorities.

The artifacts were subjected to technical studies by theNational Institute of Anthropology and History of Mexico (INAH) to certify their authenticity and provenance. The artifacts returned cover a wide time span and belong to different Mesoamerican cultures, from the Teotihuacan culture of the Central Highlands, to the Zapotec culture of the Classical Mesoamerican (150 - 650 A.D.) and Preclassical Middle Mesoamerican (900 - 300 B.C.) periods, and the Gulf Coast and Mexican-Aztecan cultures of the 14th - 16th centuries.

The recovered objects include clay miniatures, anthropomorphic and zoomorphic figurines made of hard stone, small black ceramic vessels with effigies, such as one depicting Tlaloc, the rain deity of the Toltec-Maya culture, and a ceramic male figure with a red-painted head and limbs, dating to the Olmec culture. A triangular clay “pintadera” with a human sacrifice scene and a snake-head handle, belonging to the Aztec culture, also stands out. There is also a hemispherical terracotta tripod bowl, attributable to the Mixteca-Puebla culture.

The total economic value of the goods was estimated at several tens of thousands of euros, taking into account the high cultural-historical evidence. The artifacts were judged to be “mobile archaeological monuments owned by the Mexican Nation.”

The investigations that led to the recovery of the artifacts took place in different contexts. In Rome, a house search of a well-known dealer in archaeological artifacts led to the seizure of 33 artifacts of pre-Columbian culture. In Perugia, investigative activities were initiated following a report from the Soprintendenza Archeologia e Belle Arti dell’Umbria, which had identified some Mexican artifacts for sale online.
In Ancona, TPC Carabinieri recovered archaeological artifacts inside a subject’s home after an intervention for an attempted theft. In Cosenza, on the other hand, the seizure was made during a customs check at the Reggio Calabria airport, where two Italian passengers who had returned from Mexico were carrying artifacts of ancient Latin American culture.
Finally, the Udine Nucleus traced and recovered several artifacts purchased by a collector at flea markets in the Veneto region, who had claimed they were purchased with philanthropic intent.

Returned 101 archaeological artifacts to Mexico worth a total of several tens of thousands of euros

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