The United States has returned a giant stone statue, known as the ‘Earth Monster’, to Mexico from the pre-Columbian Olmec civilization, Mexican authorities have announced.
It is “ the most sought after Olmec coin in the country “, according to the Mexican government. And she will soon return home, after decades of wandering. The elaborately carved statue weighs more than a ton and measures nearly 1.8 meters high and 1.5 meters wide, the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) said in a statement.
“ Our Consul Jorge Islas in New York confirms to me that Mexico’s most wanted Olmec coin has been recovered and is about to return home, from where it should never have come out tweeted Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard.
Nuestro Cónsul Jorge Islas from Nueva York confirmed to me that the pieza Olmeca más buscada por Mexico ha sido recuperada y está a punto de retornar a su casa, de donde nunca debió ser sustraída. pic.twitter.com/WWQ4H0eOE7
— Marcelo Ebrard C. (@m_ebrard) March 31, 2023
A bas-relief from the site of Chalcatzingo
Known as Monument 9 of Chalcatzingo and discovered in the Mexican state of Morelos (center), the bas-relief piece is said to depict a “ earth monster a creature that often appears in Olmec iconography, according to INAH. The coin’s open jaw symbolizes access to the underworld and “ on its mouth is projected a sequence of three concentric bands, representing the cruciform access to a cave added the institute.
The Olmec civilization predated those of the Maya and Aztecs, and its craftsmen were known for carving colossal stone heads, statues, and vertical slabs. The institute estimated that the statue was created between 800 and 400 BCE.
Although it is not known when and how she was illegally taken from Chalcatzingo, “ it is established that it was unveiled to the public in 1968, by archaeologist David Grove, in the journal American Antiquity. From there, it is estimated that at the beginning of the second half of the 20th century, it was already in the United States “, indicates the press release. New York authorities found the sculpture, but the document does not specify where.
As part of the Mexican government’s efforts to save historical heritage that has been taken out of the country, nearly 10,000 properties have been recovered since 2018, authorities said.
►Also read: The culture of the Olmecs online and at the Quai Branly museum
(With AFP)