Largest repatriation of archaeological artifacts in Central American history

The Netherlands has returned a collection of 343 pre-Hispanic ceramics to Panama.

This is in response to the Central American country’s efforts to protect its cultural heritage, authorities in Panama City announced on Monday (29).

“This is the largest repatriation of archaeological pieces in the history of Central America,” Foreign Minister Erika Mouynes stressed in Panama City in a government statement.

The Foreign Ministry also indicated that another repatriation of ancient artifacts would come from Italy and gave no further details.

The repatriations are part of a government push to protect Panamanian cultural heritage and combat illicit trafficking, it said, without explaining how the pieces left Panama.

The ministry said Panama’s ambassador to the Netherlands discovered that the ceramics were at Leiden University (Universiteit Leiden, formerly Rijksuniversiteit Leiden) and that the university had expressed interest in returning the pieces.

The Panamanian Ministry of Culture will take permanent custody of the artifacts, which will be added to a collection at the Reina Torres de Arauz Archaeological Museum in the country’s capital.

Panama is a member of a 1970 Convention against the Illicit Traffic in Cultural Property.

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