The Parthenon Museum in Nashville, Tennessee returned 250 Mexican artifacts to their home country.
Most of the objects are over 500 years old, dating to the pre-Columbian era. They include tools, clay toys, ceramics, and musical instruments. The return process is ongoing and expected to be done by the end of the month. Monique Horton Odom (Director, Parks & Recreation, Nashville) said: “For Metro Parks, the repatriation of these artifacts is a cultural obligation as well as a moral responsibility. These artifacts have value and meaning to the people of Mexico and should be housed where they will have a dynamic impact on understanding the people and culture of the past.”
The artifacts were reportedly given to the museum in the 1960s and 70s by Edgar York and John L. Montgomery. The provenance research was headed by Bonnie Seymour, an assistant curator at the Parthenon Museum. It took her years to identify the origin of each artifact, as well as finding a Mexican institute that would accept them. According to her research, the artifacts were sold by Mexican farmers, who mistook them for junk, for low prices. Most of them were excavated without the involvement of proper authorities.
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Seymour said: “[the artifacts] represent someone’s ancestors, and we’re not them.” The Nashville Metropolitan Council passed an ordinance on May 7 that allowed the objects to be de-accessed and returned to a foreign country. The artifacts went on display one last time at the Parthenon Museum at the ‘Repatriation and its Impact’ exhibition, which concluded on July 14. They will be delivered to the Institute of Anthropology and History Museum in Mexico City.
