Celebration of the closing of the heritage restoration agreement between Switzerland and the INAH

The Earth Monster, an Olmec monolith from the Chalcatzingo archaeological site in Morelos, which is returning to its place of origin, is one of the projects financed by the Swiss Federal Office of Culture in collaboration with the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH), as was announced yesterday during the closing of the restoration work, which also includes the Baborigame sculptures in Chihuahua and paintings from the Temple of San Fernando Rey in the Guerrero neighborhood of Mexico City, among others.

Pietro Piffaretti, Swiss ambassador to Mexico, said that Today we commemorate the closing of a project that marks a milestone in our cooperation: the recovery and restoration of a piece stolen more than 50 years ago, the Earth Monster, Monument 9 of Chalcatzingo.a testimony to the efforts that have allowed the piece to return to its home and its restoration.

He pointed out that To preserve heritage is to preserve ourselves as humanityas it is an integral part of identity and history. Speaking at a ceremony to announce the projects that have been worked on since the signing of the agreement for the conservation and return of cultural assets in 2017, he stressed the great importance of the issue that has united both countries in a fruitful collaboration.

He considered that yesterday’s meeting was about a moment of celebration of the closing of cooperationwith the possibility of opening more stages for many more years to come. These actions, he said, not only ensure historical wealth for future generations, but also create deeper ties between nations.

María del Carmen Castro, head of the National Coordination for the Conservation of Cultural Heritage (CNCPC), detailed the three projects that are coming to an end, as well as others sponsored by the European country.

He reported that, following the 2017 earthquakes, a year later a project was presented to rescue the mural painting, stone finishes and cultural assets associated with the pre-Hispanic tomb of Santiago Tillo, Oaxaca.

In 2019, 1 million 752 thousand pesos were received for two years of work.

This is how a bond was established that was nurtured each year with a new conservation project presented by the INAH. In 2020, the benefit went to the project at the Mission of Nuestra Señora del Pilar and Santiago de Cocóspera, a Jesuit commission in the Sonoran Desert, with 550 thousand pesos.

Three current projects were completed, which was the reason for yesterday’s ceremony. In 2021, work was carried out on the restoration of the easel painting of the San Fernando temple, in the Cuauhtémoc municipality, for which the Swiss embassy contributed 1,211,000 pesos. The temple built in the 18th century was severely damaged by the earthquake.

In 2022, the restoration of the sculptures of the viceregal parish of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Baborigame, a remote place in a corner of the Tarahumara area, was financed, for which 281 thousand pesos were allocated. Finally, in 2023, Monument 9 of Chalcatzingo was attended to, with 751 thousand pesos.

The presentation, held in the offices next to the Museum of Interventions, was also attended by José Luis Perea, technical secretary of the INAH, who represented the head of the institute, Diego Prieto.

The official celebrated that in recent years a count of more than 14 thousand historical, archaeological and cultural pieces that have been recovered has been generated, which speaks of the great effort of international cooperation.