The examination of an ancient “portal to the underworld” that has perplexed archaeologists has finally ended, officials say.
The Mexican artifact, called the Olmec Cave Mask, was stolen from the Chalcatzingo archaeological site in Mexico’s Central Highlands within the Nineteen Sixties.
Smugglers broke the millennia-old mask into several pieces and circulated them around several museums and personal collections before the total artifact was finally given back to Mexico in 2023.
The traditional artifact was crafted between 800 and 400 B.C.
In an August 2023 press release from the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office, officials said that the piece is claimed to resemble “the traditional Olmec jaguar god Tepēyōllōtl.”
“[The god is] depicted as a feline with large oval eyes, flaring nostrils, and a gaping mouth,” the press release describes.
“Representing of the passage to the afterworld, the hulking Olmec Cave Mask guarded the doorway to a ceremonial cave on the archaeological site Chalcatzingo, Mexico.”
In a May 30 press release, Mexico’s National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) announced that the examination of the piece was reaching its end.
The artifact will “return in the most effective possible state of conservation to its home, Jantetelco, in Morelos.”
Historians worked diligently to scrub the piece and take away dust from the traditional artifact.
In a press release translated from Spanish to English, the INAH explained that some parts of the mask date back 2,700 years, while others are more modern.
“Some elements that make it up are original, but others, equivalent to a metal structure based on bolts, cement reinforcements and replacements of missing and shaped elements, they were added to present it stability again, although the techniques and materials weren’t essentially the most suitable,” the statement explained.
“We observe this through x-rays, but with a partial reading, provided that X-rays don’t penetrate enough on account of the composition and structure of the stone.”
In May 2023, the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office also explained that it took a few years to seize the artifact, and required the work of several agencies.
“The return of the Olmec Cave Mask marked the conclusion of a posh, multi-year investigation conducted by the Office’s Antiquities Trafficking Unit with Homeland Security Investigations-Latest York and the unwavering support of Jorge Islas Lopez, Consul General of Mexico in Latest York,” the office said.
“Through the exceptional cooperation and assistance of Mexican Consul General Islas, the Olmec Cave Mask was seized in May and returned to Mexico City in July”
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin L. Bragg, Jr. called the artifact a “rare window into the past of Olmec society.”
“Like many other looted antiquities, the Olmec Cave Mask was broken into several different pieces to make the smuggling process simpler,” Bragg described.
“After being sent to different museums and personal collections across the US for nearly 60 years, the Cave Mask can finally return to take a seat with the remainder of its companion monuments.”
