Peruvian Foreign Affairs Minister Mario Lopez on Tuesday handed over a group of 65 pieces —which belong to the Cultural Heritage of the Nation— to
Culture sector head Alejandro Neyra.
The pieces had been repatriated by Peruvian Embassies in Australia, Spain, and the United Kingdom, as well as the Consulates General in Hartford and San Francisco (the United States).
The recovery of this new batch of cultural property is the outcome of a fluid coordination effort between both ministries, the timely intervention of local authorities and —in some cases— the voluntary return by private parties, despite the complex context emerged due to the health emergency caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Among the repatriated batch of objects, there is an unku —a traditional pre-Hispanic clothing from the Chancay Culture— which was recovered in Australia.
Likewise, it includes a set of archaeological goods recovered through a second voluntary return by the Museum of Anthropology at the University of California-Berkeley consisting of valuable objects from Chancay, Pisquillo, Chimu, Pativilca, Huaura, Chuquibamba, Wari, and Inca Cultures.
Furthermore, the lot contains valuable documentary assets such as a Royal Decree signed by Carlos III in 1767 and a payment receipt drawn up by priest Francisco de Avila —both recovered in Spain.
Ambassador Lopez highlighted the growing efforts undertaken by the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Culture, in collaboration with the Interior Ministry, the National Superintendence of Customs and Tax Administration (Sunat), the Public Ministry, and INTERPOL, among others, for the protection, recovery, and repatriation of cultural heritage items.
The corresponding efforts have allowed the recovery of 316 assets so far in 2020.
The cultural assets —repatriated and delivered to the Culture Ministry— reaffirm the commitment of the Peruvian State and its citizens to the defense and recovery of the memory of Peru —a diverse memory that also constitutes one of the foundations of the nation's identity.
(END) NDP/MVB
Published: 9/15/2020