Portugal returns three valuable works of pre-Columbian art to Mexico

Madrid. For the first time in history, the Portuguese government returned to Mexico pieces of pre-Columbian art that were in its territory and that had been put up for sale, in yet another plot of international trafficking of historical and archaeological goods.

The objects, of “incalculable aesthetic, cultural and historical value,” according to the Mexican ambassador, Bruno Figueroa, will be returned to the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH). The delivery will be made institutionally through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (SRE).

To carry out the seizure of the pieces, the collaboration of institutions from both countries was necessary, including the Portuguese Judicial Police, which was in charge of identifying and seizing the works; the Camões Institute, the INAH, the SRE and the essential support of Aline Lara, a Mexican archaeologist living in Seville, who subjected the pieces to scientific tests to confirm their authenticity, state of conservation – which was surprisingly very good – and identification regarding their historical period and region of origin.

The three pieces were not recovered simultaneously, but through three operations. One of them has, according to the archaeologist, an exceptional state of conservation, with many clear original pigments. It is a female figure from the West represented by an anthropomorphic statuette of exceptional size dated between 300 BC and 600 AD, which represents a seated woman, an image that is associated with rituals of fertility and motherhood, and which comes from the so-called shot tombs of the regions of Jalisco, Colima or Nayarit. Its context suggests that it served a central religious function in funerary offerings.

Another object is a Mayan polychrome vase located in the Classic period (600-900 AD), originating from the Mayan Lowlands, possibly from southern Campeche. “Decorated with scenes of elite characters and glyphs, it was perhaps used for the ritual consumption of drinks such as cocoa. It stands out for the complex integration between writing and image, which allowed the owner to be identified and reflect the political power of the Mayan rulers,” according to the technical description of the archaeologist who identified it.

The third piece is the urn from the Central Valleys of Oaxaca (Zapotec culture) that represents the god Cocijo, deity of rain and lightning, and dated between 600 and 1200 AD. “These urns were fundamental elements in funerary and ritual contexts, generally placed in tombs or temples of priests and members of the elite as intermediaries with the divine world.”

The delivery took place at the diplomatic headquarters in Lisbon, where our country’s ambassador highlighted that “these actions not only allow the return of goods that form an essential part of Mexico’s historical memory, but also reflect the level of cooperation and mutual respect between our institutions. The protection of cultural heritage is a shared responsibility.”

Also participating in the delivery were the national director of the Portuguese Judicial Police, Luís Neves; the president of the Camões-Instituto da Cooperação e da Língua, ambassador Florbela Paraíba; the head of the Lisbon and Tagus Valley Directorate of the Judicial Police, João Oliveira, and, remotely, the Mexican archaeologist Aline Lara.