Mexico: Pre-Columbian artifacts from Mexico seized ... some looted from nomadic caves
Mexico recovered more than 900 pre-Columbian artifacts seized from smugglers in the U.S. and Canada, including 800-year-old fiber sandals, spears and hunting bows looted from nomadic caves, officials said Friday.
The artifacts were seized over seven years by customs agents in Texas, Arizona and Toronto, said Alfonso de Maria y Campos, the director of Mexico's National Anthropology Institute. It took several years to recover the objects because of the bureaucracy involved in identifying them and proving they came from Mexico, he said.
The 929 artifacts include anthropomorphic figurines, miniature bowls, sculptures and clay jewelry from northern, central and western Mexico.
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The artifacts were seized over seven years by customs agents in Texas, Arizona and Toronto, said Alfonso de Maria y Campos, the director of Mexico's National Anthropology Institute. It took several years to recover the objects because of the bureaucracy involved in identifying them and proving they came from Mexico, he said.
The 929 artifacts include anthropomorphic figurines, miniature bowls, sculptures and clay jewelry from northern, central and western Mexico.