Mexico City – The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (SRE), in coordination with the federal Ministry of Culture and the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH), has recovered 32 archaeological artifacts that were voluntarily returned by Marylou Morton, a U.S. citizen.
The items were handed over to the Mexican Consulate in Portland, Oregon, in August 2023, after Morton decided to return them. The artifacts had been taken from Mexico to the U.S. in the mid-20th century.
Mexican Consul Carlos Quesnel Meléndez traveled to Eugene, Oregon, to officially receive the artifacts. Specialists from the National Institute of Anthropology and History verified that the 32 pieces are movable monuments belonging to Mexico, protected under federal law. Of these, 31 are archaeological artifacts dating from 300 BC to 1521 AD, and one is a historical object.
The consulate plans to send the items back to Mexico via diplomatic bag, so INAH specialists can issue the corresponding opinions based on the physical inspection of the pieces. The Mexican government thanked Morton for returning the artifacts and urged people not to participate in the illegal trade of cultural items.
This effort is part of Mexico’s #MiPatrimonioNoSeVende strategy, which aims to combat the illicit trafficking of cultural goods and to promote the recovery of national heritage that is illegally located abroad. So far in the current administration, this initiative has helped recover over 14,000 artifacts belonging to the nation.