Bolivia's Munarq reopens with repatriated treasures in new exhibition

After a year of renovations, Bolivia's Museo Nacional de Arqueología de Bolivia (Munarq) has reopened in La Paz. The new permanent exhibition, titled 'Raíces eternas, legados vivos' (Eternal Roots, Living Legacies), showcases 395 artifacts that date back over 11,000 years. Among the notable pieces are Saphi, a mummified girl returned from the University of Michigan in 2019, and an illa stone figure, stolen in 1858 and repatriated by a Swiss museum in 2014. The exhibition is divided into five thematic and two chronological galleries, spanning from 10,000 BC to the Inca era (circa 1450). Curator Ruben Mamani crafted the new narrative. The museum, established in 1838 within the Palacio Tiwanaku, is managed by Bolivia's Ministerio de Turismo Sostenible, Culturas, Folklore y Gastronomía. Saphi, who likely lived in the 15th century in the Pacajes region, is displayed with grave goods such as shoes, bracelets, and food offerings, possibly indicating her involvement in an Inca Capacocha ritual. The illa, representing female fertility, was taken by Swiss traveler Jakob von Tschudi in 1858 after he intoxicated local villagers; it was acquired by the Bernisches Historisches Museum in 1929 and returned in 2014, culminating in a public pilgrimage from El Alto Airport to Plaza Murillo.