It is a fact, after five decades of searching for the Olmec piece, the Mexican authorities announced that the Chalcatzingo monument 9 returns to our country after having been stolen, fragmented and sent to the United States.
An Olmec piece considered of great relevance
First of all, Chalcatzingo monument 9 is an Olmec bas-relief that shows the figure of a fantastic creature with a cross-shaped mouth, with 1.8 meters high by 1.5 meters wide and almost 900 kilograms in weight.
Likewise, the piece was discovered in 1950 in the archaeological zone of Chalcatzingo, Morelos; It is estimated that it dates from the Preclassic (800-500 BC), and since it is currently fractured, it is believed that in 1968 it was stolen in pieces, -due to its weight of almost a ton-, to start a long journey to the state of New York, in the United States.
However, although archaeologists do not know how it left the country, it is known that in 1970 the piece was part of an exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and until 1987, it continued to be exhibited in other North American museums, to later be acquired by private collectors in the 1990s.
the end of an era
Without luck, the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (SRE) they had requested the repatriation of Chalcatzingo Monument 9 from the US authorities for more than 15 years.
And finally, on Friday, March 31, 2023, Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard reported through his Twitter account that: “The most sought-after Olmec piece in Mexico has been recovered and is about to return to its home, from where it never It should have been removed.”
Our Consul Jorge Islas confirms to me from New York that the Olmec piece most sought after by Mexico has been recovered and is about to return to its home, from where it should never have been stolen. pic.twitter.com/WWQ4H0eOE7
— Marcelo Ebrard C. (@m_ebrard) March 31, 2023
It is known that the bas-relief was found by the Manhattan Antiquities Trafficking Unit, who later reported its recovery to the Mexican Consulate in New York, as well as its imminent restitution to the government of our country.
Finally, although there is still no confirmed date for the repatriation of the bas-relief, it adds to the list of archaeological objects recovered in this six-year term, which according to a report provided by the government a few days ago, amounts to more than 11,000 archaeological pieces recovered. !! Congratulations!!