10:58 | Lima, May 05 (ANDINA).
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Representative in Peru, Katherine Müller-Marin, said Peruvians have the right over Machu Picchu’s relics, which are currently housed in U.S. Yale University.
The Peruvian Government asked U.S.-based Yale University to return all artifacts found at Machu Picchu in the early 1900s which according to the last inventory are 46,332 relics.
Müller-Marin admitted that it is difficult to handle every legal background in this case, but it “is logical for Peruvians to have these relics, to get to know them”.
She added that UNESCO has a technical team that specializes in cases concerning the return of objects of cultural heritage significance to their place of origin. This commission also announced it has asked Yale to return every Machu Picchu relic in a short term.
The relics were discovered by Yale explorer Hiram Bingham III between the years 1911 and 1915. According to an agreement made with the government of Peru, Hiram Bingham III was only supposed to keep the artifacts for a limited period of time, the deal actually being a loan.
(END) ECG/RRR/LGV/EEP
Publicado: 5/5/2008