Peru busca recuperar su tesoro arqueologico de Yale

Peru May Sue Yale for Inca Relics' Return

Peru is threatening to sue Yale University for the return of ancient mummies, bones and ceramics taken from the 'Lost City of the Incas', Machu Picchu, by an American explorer nearly a century ago.
Peru is threatening to sue Yale University for the return of ancient mummies, bones and ceramics taken from the "Lost City of the Incas", Machu Picchu, by an American explorer nearly a century ago. In the latest of a series of legal moves by nations trying to recover archaeological relics, Peru's ambassador to Washington, Eduardo Ferrero, has delivered a warning to the university in Connecticut. "Peru has notified [Yale's president] Richard Levin that a lawsuit is prepared if its rights to the archaeological pieces are not recognised," the Peruvian foreign ministry said in a statement. Oscar Maurtua, the foreign minister, added: "We are convinced that we have sufficient proof to win in court." He added that Lima would prefer an out-of-court settlement. Any court action would probably be held in Connecticut. A spokesman for Yale, Tom Conroy, told the Associated Press news agency that the university had been having discussions with the Peruvian government. "We are hoping for a resolution that is satisfactory to all involved," he said. Peru is seeking to retrieve about 5,000 artifacts, including mummified corpses and pottery that the American historian and explorer Hiram Bingham excavated in three expeditions to the ancient high-mountain Incan city of Machu Picchu in 1911, 1912 and 1914. Peru's president at the time, Augusto Leguia, gave Bingham permission to export the objects temporarily for scientific study for a period of one year. That was later extended by 18 months, and the items should have been returned in 1916. Bingham was the first foreigner to reach Machu Picchu. With the 100th anniversary of his discovery approaching, Peruvian officials say it is time to return the collection. Bingham thought the site was either a religious estate inhabited mostly by women, a last Inca stronghold abandoned as the Spanish invaded, or the Incas' city of origin. The site is now believed to have been a royal summer estate. Many nations which saw priceless artifacts whisked away to foreign museums have traditionally used diplomatic channels to request their return. This year, Ethiopia saw the return to Axum of an obelisk plundered by Italians 70 years ago. Some countries are now turning to the courts to recover ancient relics. Greece has decided to sue the J Paul Getty museum in Los Angeles for the return of four antiquities said to have been taken illegally. Many museums which hold such artifacts argue that they not only promote scientific research of these objects, but allow millions of visitors to see them in cities such as London Paris or New York. Critics argue that it is important for countries to have the objects that reflect their cultural heritage in their own museums.

By Guardian Unlimited © Copyright Guardian Newspapers 2008Published: 7/8/2008