The pieces, which had been seized by agents of the Cultural Heritage Protection Command of the Carabinieri Corps in various regions of Italy, were authenticated by officials from the Museum of Civilizations in Rome and the National Institute of Anthropology and History of Mexico.
The ceremony was attended by General Teo Luzi, General Commander of the Carabineros, General Roberto Riccardi, of the Command for the Protection of Cultural Heritage, as well as the Mexican ambassador to Italy, Carlos García de Alba.
Among the pieces are three terracotta statuettes belonging to the Mayan culture of the State of Campeche (6th-10th centuries AD) and that of Remojadas in the State of Veracruz (3rd-7th centuries AD).
Also pieces of the Teotihuacan culture from the central highlands of Mexicofrom the III-VII centuries AD, and from the central valleys of Oaxaca, from the XI-XVI centuries AD.
In addition to anthropomorphic terracotta, clay and stone figurines, a rock necklace and an ornate clay vase were returned.
For their part, the Mexican authorities announced the official return to Italy of the 1,271 documents that make up the personal archive of the Italian sculptor Ettore Ferrari (1845-1929).author, among other things, of the statue of Giordano Bruno that adorns the famous Campo dei Fiori square in the heart of Rome.