Seattle Resident Repatriates Artifact Collection to Mexico

SEATTLE, WASHINGTON—Komo News reports that a private citizen in Seattle has stepped forward to return a collection of artifacts to Mexico. The objects, including pottery, knives, and figurines, have been verified by scholars at Mexico’s National Heritage Museum, who determined that most of them came from the Cintalapa region of Chiapas and were made between A.D. 100 and 600. “These items were illegally taken from Mexico, and they’ve been passed around from generation to generation, and ultimately somebody said, ‘Hey look, we need to do the right thing and return them,’” said Robert Hammer, Homeland Security Investigations Special Agent in Charge. Once the objects have been repatriated, they will be cataloged and placed in a museum for further study. To read about a stone tablet uncovered in Chiapas that led to the discovery of a long-lost Maya city, go to "Around the World: Mexico."