Authorities in Peru have seized 740 pre-Columbian antiquities which were being sold in a souvenir shop in Cuzco. The antiquities shop was located across the street from Cuzco's Incan Museum. This would seem to be the kind of thing Peruvian officials should be monitoring, and perhaps they were. However it seems it was actually an international news agency which reportedly spotted a promotional video, and the Peruvian Foreign Affairs Ministry was notified about the objects.
1 comment:
This story reminds me of another recent one about ancient textiles (presumably from grave sites) being sold in tourist markets and at the airport. http://culturalpropertyobserver.blogspot.com/search?q=Peru
It seems unlikely to me that museum employees did not know what was going on next door. More likely, it only became an issue when it came to light in the international media.
Sincerely,
Peter Tompa
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