Foreign Ministry and INAH Prepare to Repatriate Three Pre-Hispanic Artifacts from the United States

• The artifacts are an anthropomorphic figure representing a warrior from the Shaft Tomb tradition, a stone bowl, and an obsidian blade
• They will be sent to Mexico via diplomatic pouch for delivery to the institute

Mexico's Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Culture, the latter through the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH), announce that, as a result of international dialogue on the recovery of cultural heritage, they are preparing the repatriation of three archaeological artifacts that form part of Mexico's national identity.

Their return, in line with public policies put in place by Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo to raise awareness on this issue both within and beyond Mexico's borders, was finalized on July 15, 2026, when the artifacts were handed over to the Mexican Consulate General in New York.

The first object is a 91-centimeter anthropomorphic figure in the Ixtlán del Río style, modeled in clay using appliqué, paint, and incision. It depicts a warrior wearing a helmet, earrings, bracelets, and a breastplate, holding a spear over his shoulder.

The figure, associated with the Shaft Tomb tradition of western Mexico and dated between 100 BC and 600 AD, was part of the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. Its return was made possible through investigations by the Manhattan District Attorney's Office and at the museum's own initiative; Mexico thanks the museum for its ethical and institutional responsibility.

The second artifact is a stone bowl whose form indicates it originates from the central region of what is now the state of Guerrero, dated between 300 and 900 AD.

Finally, the third piece is a prismatic blade made of obsidian using pressure and percussion flaking techniques, an example of the lithic industry developed throughout the pre-Hispanic era in Mesoamerican territory.

Each object was linked to a criminal investigation coordinated by the Antiquities Trafficking Unit of the Manhattan District Attorney's Office in New York.

INAH specialists conducted the archaeological assessments through careful technical review and concluded that the artifacts are of pre-Hispanic origin and therefore the property of the Mexican nation, under the Federal Law on Archaeological, Artistic, and Historic Monuments and Sites.

The artifacts currently remain at the Mexican Consulate General in New York and will soon be sent via diplomatic pouch to the Foreign Ministry's Legal Affairs Office in Mexico City for delivery to INAH.