Digital Editions
Newsletters
Subscribe
Digital Editions
Newsletters
Art market
Museums & heritage
Exhibitions
Books
Podcasts
Columns
Technology
Adventures with Van Gogh
Art market
Museums & heritage
Exhibitions
Books
Podcasts
Columns
Technology
Adventures with Van Gogh
Repatriation
news

San Diego-based collectors hand over pre-Hispanic artefacts to Mexican authorities

The 65 heritage objects in question include a glass with a clay pedestal dating from the Mesoamerican Classic period and a ceramic bowl dating from 200CE

Torey Akers
22 May 2023
Share
Pre-Hispanic cultural heritage object returned to Mexican authorities in a restitution ceremony this month in San Diego Courtesy Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia (INAH)

Pre-Hispanic cultural heritage object returned to Mexican authorities in a restitution ceremony this month in San Diego Courtesy Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia (INAH)

Two collectors in San Diego, California, voluntarily turned 65 archaeological artefacts over to the Mexican government earlier this month. Norm Werthman and Pete Mechalas returned the objects in a ceremony held at the Mexican consulate in San Diego on 16 May. The items restituted belonged to the Preclassic, Classic and Mesoamerican Postclassic periods, ranging in geographic origin from the Central Mexican Plateau region to the Gulf of Mexico.

Objects of particular note include a glass with a clay pedestal-shaped support modeled by artisans on the Gulf Coast between 100CE and 900CE and a cajete or bowl decorated with line and dot motifs native to the aesthetic tradition of the Tumbas de Tiro, or Shaft Tombs—underground funerary chambers used by the social elites of pre-Hispanic Western Mexico.

"I thank these citizens of San Diego for the generous and selfless gesture of returning these pieces to the people of Mexico," González Gutiérrez, the consul general, said in a statement. "This is part of the permanent effort of the Mexican government to reintegrate pieces of historical and archaeological value that are part of the nation's heritage.”

The artefacts will be repatriated in the near future, according to Mexico's federal Ministry of Culture. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs will be responsible for ensuring the safe return of the objects to the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH), which will carry out the requisite inspections and analyses.

The INAH did not share additional information about how Werthman and Mechalas obtained the items being repatriated. The artefacts' return to Mexico is part of a long-term effort by the administration of current Mexican president Andrés Manuel López Obrador to recover the country's cultural heritage while changing attitudes towards illicit trafficking. The government’s social media campaign #MiPatrimoniaNoSeVende ("My Heritage is Not for Sale"), launched in 2018, has inspired the return of over 9,000 illegally traded artefacts since its inception, according to INAH, influencing several other nations to follow suit with their own hashtag campaigns.

RepatriationMuseums & HeritageMexicoCultural heritage
Share
Subscribe to The Art Newspaper’s digital newsletter for your daily digest of essential news, views and analysis from the international art world delivered directly to your inbox.
Newsletter sign-up
Information
About
Contact
Cookie policy
Data protection
Privacy policy
Frequently Asked Questions
Subscription T&Cs
Terms and conditions
Advertise
Sister Papers
Sponsorship policy
Follow us
Instagram
Bluesky
LinkedIn
Facebook
TikTok
YouTube
© The Art Newspaper

Related content

Repatriationnews
8 December 2022

The Netherlands returns more than 200 pre-Hispanic artefacts to Mexico

In all, 223 pre-Hispanic objects have been repatriated to Mexico by the Dutch government, largely through the power of social media

Torey Akers
Art lawnews
27 March 2023

Mexican authorities condemn French auction of pre-Columbian artefacts

In all, 83 artefacts scheduled to be sold in Paris next week are protected under Mexican law, authorities say

Carlie Porterfield
Repatriationnews
29 November 2023

German authorities repatriate 75 ancient artefacts to Mexico

All but one of the items were voluntarily handed over by the Museum Schloss Salder in Salzgitter

Torey Akers
Museums & Heritagenews
9 February 2024

30 archaeological artefacts returned to Mexican authorities in Los Angeles ceremony

Objects ranging from the 1st century to the 15th century were handed over at the Mexican consulate in Los Angeles earlier this month

Benjamin Sutton