Mexican Embassy in Portugal
Ceremony to hand over the three pre-Columbian archaeological pieces returned by Portugal to Mexico
The Mexican Embassy in Lisbon received three archaeological pieces from the Portuguese authorities: a female figure from the Jalisco region, a polychrome Mayan vase and a Zapotec urn from the central valleys of Oaxaca.
In what he calls the “new victory for Mexico’s efforts in the recovery of archaeological artifacts abroad”, Portugal carried out its first restitution of pre-Columbian pieces to the Central American country, at a time when both countries reaffirm their commitment to fighting the illicit trafficking in cultural goods.
The returned parts are a female figure from western Mexico associated with fertility rituals, a Mayan vase polychrome painting from the Classical period and a Zapotec urn that represents the god Cocijodeity of rain and fertility.
“This restitution confirms that international cooperation protects who we are. Each restitution returns memory and identity to Mexico and reaffirms the shared commitment against trafficking in cultural goods”, says the Government of Mexico, in .
“This is the first restitution of archaeological heritage pre-Hispanic period from Portugal to Mexico, in a reflection of institutional collaboration and a shared commitment in combating illicit trafficking in cultural goods“, stated the Portuguese Judicial Police, in .
The delivery took place on Thursday during a ceremony at the Mexican Embassy in Lisbon, in collaboration with the Camões Institute — Institute for Cooperation and Language.
“The pieces stand out for their historical valueaesthetic and symbolic”, recognized the Judiciary Police, adding that its recovery “facilitates the reconstruction of the social and religious contexts of the history of Mexico”.
Although this is the first time that Portugal has repatriated artifacts to Mexico, this This is not the first time that a piece has been recovered in our country. In 2024, Mexico recovered a piece around 2,000 years old before it was auctioned by the auction house Renascimento-Avaliações e Leilões.
At the time, as soon as the Mexican authorities became aware of the auction, they filed a complaint with the Attorney General’s Office, and the then Minister of Culture, Alejandra Frausto Guerrerosent a formal request to the auction house urging it to suspend the sale of the piece. In collaboration with the embassies of both countries, the auction house returned the piece.
Cultural goods subject to illicit trafficking are often traded in illegal markets around the world or through legal channelssuch as public auctions, including in digital format.
Many of the artifacts recovered by Mexico result from the work of a federal government commission created in 2023, which works with local authorities abroad to obtain judicial repair and stop auctions in New York, Paris and Rome. The commission negotiates equally with academic institutions and museums to recover archaeological artifacts across borders.
