Italy returns 27 archaeological artefacts to Mexico after Carabinieri investigations

Following investigations by the Carabinieri Tutela del Patrimonio Culturale (TPC), Italian officials returned 27 archaeological artefacts to Mexico. These items, which consist of terracotta figurines, sculptures, and fossils, were found to have been illegally imported or sold. The handover took place at the Mexican embassy in Rome, with the artefacts valued at tens of thousands of euros. Their recovery was the result of six investigations, which included 16 artefacts seized in Florence, three fossilized fish in Venice, and two terracotta Maya statues in Rome, along with three Teotihuacan heads confiscated in Milan and Monza. Classified as inalienable national property by Mexico's INAH, they will be repatriated. In 2024, Italy returned 101 artefacts, contributing to a total of over 1,000 returned to Mexico.