Peru receives 347 repatriated artefacts, including pre-Columbian pieces

Peru has received 347 repatriated cultural artefacts from the U.S., including rare pre-Columbian ceramics and textiles, in one of the country’s largest heritage returns in recent years.

Peru marked a major recovery of cultural heritage on Tuesday (16 December) as officials presented hundreds of archaeological items that had been returned from the U.S. The handover took place at Torre Tagle Palace in Lima, with Foreign Minister Hugo de Zela and Culture Minister Alfredo Luna attending the ceremony.

According to Peru’s Foreign Ministry, the repatriated collection includes items that were voluntarily returned by U.S. citizens, alongside returns from two academic institutions. Claudia Aleman, director of cultural heritage at the ministry, said the State Louisiana University Museum and Wesleyan University in Nebraska were among those involved, and added that eight pieces had been seized by the New York District Attorney’s Office.

Aleman said the overall total of 347 pieces reflected joint work between Peru and the U.S., highlighted during the ceremony. She also pointed to the oldest object in the representative display, describing it as a Cupisnique culture vessel estimated to be about 3,000 years old.

The group of objects includes ceremonial ceramics linked to Cupisnique and Moche traditions, as well as textiles associated with the Chancay and Wari cultures.

Officials also referenced a copper-alloy ornament connected to the Moche culture, dated to roughly 100 AD to 800 AD, along with Inca ritual objects from the Late Horizon period, dated to 1470 AD to 1532 AD.

Peruvian authorities said the repatriation followed four joint verification processes carried out by cultural heritage specialists, and described it as part of continuing cooperation aimed at tackling the illicit trafficking of cultural property.

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