Today, the Mexican ambassador in Belgium, Rogelio Granguillhome, received on behalf of the Mexican government an archaeological artifact belonging to the West Mexican cultures.The National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) has determined that the piece is part of the cultural heritage of the nation.
The piece was scheduled to be auctioned by Carlo Bonte Auctions last March in Bruges, Belgium. However, the Mexican embassy in Belgium contacted the auction house and Belgian authorities to inform them of the Mexican government's stance regarding the sale of archaeological pieces abroad and the negative impact on cultural conservation. The auction house then decided not to auction the piece.
The restitution is the result of the collaboration between the Mexican embassy in Belgium, the Foreign Ministry, the INAH and the Belgian judicial authorities.
The prehispanic artifact was delivered by the Belgian authorities on behalf of Maria Helena Defever, who in April voluntarily returned other pieces also ruled as national heritage. Mrs. Defever, 98, stated on that occasion that, after owning the pieces for 30 years, she had recently learned, through the #MiPatrimonioNoSeVende (#MyHeritageIsNotForSale) campaign, that these cultural assets "belong to Mexico."
Ambassador Granguillhome reiterated the gratitude of the Mexican government to both Mrs. Defever and the Belgian authorities for their willingness to return Mexico's historical heritage as part of the good relations that prevail between the two countries.
The pieces will be repatriated to Mexico in the near future. The Foreign Ministry's Office of Legal Affairs will then deliver the objects to the Ministry of Culture and the INAH for their study, analysis and conservation.
The Government of Mexico reaffirms its commitment to playing an active role in strengthening national and international legal frameworks that protect cultural heritage. Mexico invites all private collectors and auction houses abroad that currently have in their possession pieces that are part of Mexico's heritage to join in protecting and safeguarding the nation's cultural heritage, and to return them so they can be studied, conserved and exhibited, given that they bear witness to the identity and memory of the native peoples of Mexico.
Actions such as these give continuity to the efforts being made to combat the illicit trafficking of cultural property and to repatriate objects of national heritage that are removed illegally from Mexico.
The embassy in Belgium will continue to participate in this strategy, in order to raise the awareness of local collectors to avoid the sale of Mexico's heritage and to encourage its repatriation.
#MiPatrimonioNoSeVende
#MyHeritageIsNotForSale
