The Mexican Consulate and Mexican Cultural Center in Philadelphia return 22 archaeological artifacts

The Mexican Consulate and Mexican Cultural Center in Philadelphia return 22 archaeological artifacts

• The pieces were in the possession of a family who returned them voluntarily.
• The 22 artifacts are part of Mexico's archaeological heritage.

The Mexican consulate and Mexican Cultural Center (MCC) in Philadelphia held a ceremony this Wednesday to mark the return of 22 movable archaeological monuments, which will return to Mexico in the coming days.

The pieces were returned thanks to the efforts of the aforementioned institutions, the Landau family that had collected the pieces, the Culture Ministry, National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) and the Mexican Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The Landau family decided to return 29 pieces to the Mexican Cultural Center last October, due to their potential historical and cultural importance. The artifacts were then authenticated by the INAH, with the support of the Foreign Ministry.

A specialist in pre-Columbian cultures at the INAH determined that 22 of the pieces, including various anthropomorphic figurines and vessels, were made by Mesoamerican cultures that existed in Mexico between 400 B.C. and 1521 A.D. and were therefore archaeological patrimony of the nation. The remaining seven pieces were made recently or their place of origin could not be determined.

Based on the INAH authentication, the Consulate of Mexico and MCC in Philadelphia coordinated the return of the 22 pieces in order to rematriate them to Mexico for their investigation, conservation and care. Five of the pieces date from the Mesoamerican Pre-Classic period (400 B.C.-200 A.D.), 16 belong to the Classic period (100-700 A.D..) and one is from the Post-Classic period (1200-1521 A.D.).

The Mexican consul in Philadelphia, Carlos Obrador Garrido, commended the federal government's focus on recovering and rematriating our historical heritage that, for various reasons, is abroad. "We applaud the return of these 22 pieces, which should never have left Mexico," he said.

Araceli Guenther, President of the MCC Board, said: "We are pleased to collaborate on this initiative that highlights the importance of restoring our archaeological heritage. The Mexican Cultural Center is proud to have been the channel through which the pieces were recovered and will soon return to our country."

The Landau family was also present at the ceremony. They highlighted the importance of the Mexican institutions: "Leonard Landau loved Mexican art and liked to collect archaeological pieces. After his death, his wife and children thought that the right thing to do was to return them to Mexico and we were fortunate to find the Mexican Cultural Center of Philadelphia."

Through its embassies and consulates around the world, Mexico is engaged in ongoing efforts to raise awareness of the importance of preserving Mexico's cultural heritage.

Mexico's diplomatic and consular representations have recovered archaeological assets, historical manuscripts and other items that were in the hands of individuals or institutions abroad, which have now been returned to Mexico.