An ancient Mayan relief sculpture found in a German antique store and believed to have been looted in Mexico was returned to that country on July 18, through the Mexican consulate in Frankfurt.
The artifact, a relic of the Maya civilization, features a relief carving of a skull in profile. Historians posit that the object comprised a block within a wall of similar carvings meant to evoke a Tzompantli, or skull rack, a Mesoamerican ritual palisade that facilitated the public display of skulls belonging to war captives or sacrificial victims. The object was probably created in the lowlands of northern Yucatán during the Late Classic or Postclassic Mesoamerican periods (CE750-1244). The object is consistent with other objects from Chichén Itzá, the pre-Hispanic city built by the Maya during the Terminal Classic period.
Voluntary return of skull sculpture marks another success in Mexico #MiPatrimonioNoSeVende campaign, translated into English as “my heritage is not for sale”, a social media initiative popularized by the Mexican government that promotes the recovery of cultural property victims of illegal trafficking.
In June, an ornate stone yoke worn by Mesoamerican ball game players was returned to Mexico after being collected from an Austrian auction house. In April, Mexican Foreign Secretary Marcelo Ebrard announced that a one ton carved Olmec statue dating back thousands of years would be returned to Mexico after decades in the United States. Last December, the Netherlands returned 223 artifacts to Mexican authorities.
In a statementspokesperson for the National Institute of Anthropology and History of Mexico (INAH), said: “The return of this archaeological piece is a sample of the work of the Mexican government and the success of the legal strategy of the legal team of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in the identification and restitution of the country’s heritage that is found abroad, as well as in the fight against the trafficking of cultural property and international cooperation for the preservation of the historical past of nations.
Although the statement does not mention when or where the recovered skull sculpture will be displayed, INAH is in the process of construction of a new museum in Chichén Itzá to accommodate artifacts found at the site and others in the area. The new institution is being built ahead of the completion of the controversial $20 billion project Mayan train project, which should attract even more visitors to Chichén Itzá, which is already the most visited archaeological site in Mexico.
