A stone sphere, vessels, jewelry and even a box with remains of a person who lived centuries ago in the Diquís region returned this week to Costa Rica after several decades in the United States.These are hundreds of pre-Columbian items that were taken out of the country to North America when heritage laws were more lax.
With the new paradigms of conservation and historical property, dozens of families chose to find a way to return to the country objects that previously decorated houses, studios and living rooms. This is how the Costa Rican consulates in Washington, Miami and Los Angeles were accumulating the pieces.
Thanks to American cooperation, an international shipment was possible, which has already managed to place 395 of the specimens in the hands of the National Museum.
It is no longer “cool” to have those decorations
The director of the National Museum, Ifigenia Quintanilla, said that there was even a time until the 60’s when there was a union of those dedicated to selling archaeological objects.This practice turned the country into a “market”, but now the tendency to have these types of objects has decreased.
Cynthia Telles, United States ambassador to Costa Rica, highlighted, along the same lines, that the objects had the characteristic of having been returned voluntarily.The repatriation of the archaeological objects required an entire logistical process due to the care required by the materials.
Diplomats with an archaeological eye
A striking point is that diplomats were involved in the evaluation of the assets.As managers of the diplomatic headquarters, they collaborated in the identification and safeguarding of these historical items that foreigners returned.
To hone their knowledge, training is provided within the Foreign Service Academy courses.Vice Chancellor Lidia Peralta also said that she is coordinating with local authorities to verify the authenticity of the pieces.
