Mexico City, Mexico — The Ministry of Foreign Relations says 20 pre-Hispanic archaeological pieces are in the process of being restored from Belgium. The pieces were surrendered voluntarily by collectors who had them over seven decades.
The Mexican ambassador to Belgium, Rogelio Granguillhome Morfín, received 20 archaeological pieces after being ruled by specialists from the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) as being cultural heritage of Mexico.
“The objects come from cultures originating in the Central Highlands and were made during the Mesoamerican Classic period (100-650 AD),” the SRE said in a statement.
The pieces were delivered by Louise Du Moulin Maria, a Belgian citizen who pointed out that her family had possession of the assets for more than seven decades. However, thanks to the Mi Patrimonio No Se Vende campaign, she became aware that such objects “belong to Mexico” for which she decided to return them.
Ambassador Granguillhome thanked Miss Du Moulin and her family for their willingness to return the pieces to Mexico.
“The Embassy of Mexico in Belgium will continue to contribute to the priority task of restoring its historical heritage to Mexico and will continue to participate resolutely in the Mi Patrimonio No Se Vende (my heritage is not for sale) campaign in order to prevent the commercialization of archaeological and historical assets, and promote their recovery,” they said in a joint statement.
In the near future, the pieces will be repatriated to Mexico at which time the Legal Consultancy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will deliver the archaeological objects to the Ministry of Culture of the Government of Mexico through the INAH.
