Yale finally returns Machu Picchu artefacts to Peru (1000's of them!)

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Centuries-old Inca artefacts taken from Machu Picchu a century ago have started arriving in Peru. Peru's Culture Ministry says the first 366 archaeological artefacts have arrived in Cuzco, a jumping-off point for tourists visiting the Inca ruins. They include pieces of ceramic, bronze, copper and a skeleton.

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After a bitter dispute that dragged on for years – and prompted a lawsuit – Yale University agreed earlier this year to return the artefacts. They had been taken from the site by Hiram Bingham, the man who rediscovered the citadel for the outside world. Peru had been demanding their return for years. They will be displayed in a colonial-era building in Cuzco. Thousands of other artefacts are being returned later.

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Hiram Bingham III excavated thousands of artifacts from Machu Picchu during multiple expeditions to the Inca site in the 1910s. He is pictured above in 1917.

It started back in 1911, when Yale explorer Hiram Bingham III set up his base camp in Ollantaytambo, a town high in Peru's Andes mountains. From there, he set out to explore the ancient stone ruins of Machu Picchu. Bingham introduced the site to the world through his articles for National Geographic magazine. He returned twice and excavated thousands of artifacts: ceramics, tools, jewelry and human bones — all with the consent of the Peruvian government.

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View of Hiram Bingham III standing atop ruins at Machu Picchu in Peru. Hand-colored glass slide, from original image by Harry Ward Foote. Date of Creation 1911.

"In 1912, when Bingham came back, Peru offered Bingham a resolution under which the artifacts could leave to be studied by Yale," Heaney explains. "It was a recognition of Yale's scientific commitment. But the artifacts would leave on just one condition: that they could be sent back whenever Peru asked."

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Hiram Bingham photographed this excavation of a human skeleton in a cave at Machu Picchu

They will be displayed in a colonial-era building in Cuzco. Thousands of other artefacts are being returned later.

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Hiram Bingham's Breathtaking Find
(Here are some pics I found of some of the 5000 Items)
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Source: archaeologynewsnetwork.blogspot.com...
Additional Source: www.npr.org...
www.google.com...://blogs.ngm.com/data/images1/01-machu-picchu.jpg&imgrefurl=http://blogs.ngm.com/blog_central/archaeology/&usg =__myregQb1H0s0KZXtz5RhPKhQTlY=&h=293&w=990&sz=208&hl=en&start=21&zoom=1&um=1&itbs=1&tbnid=ED8A5rPVWSX7KM:&tbnh=44&tbnw=149&prev=/search%3Fq%3DBingham %2Bhuman%2Bskeleton%2Bat%2BMachu%2BPicchu%2Bat%2BPeabody%2Byale%26start%3D20%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26safe%3Dactive%26sa%3DN%26rls%3Dcom.microsoft:en-us%2 6ndsp%3D20%26tbm%3Disch&ei=vBQOTueCOozVgAf56dzXDQ

Well, I know he wasn't the first to find M.P, as it was never really lost---just not known to Westerners etc. But, he sure hauled a lot of finds from there. Which now he has to give back. Good for Peru... Bad for Yale.

But, if you look at the history of the people who have plundered the site over the centuries, he was lucky he found what he did. I can only imagine what he never saw that is sitting somewhere on this earth. Maybe the missing key to any mysteries about the place. We'll probably never know.

Well, enjoy and looking forward to your thoughts on this. Have a great 4th Weekend.

reply to post by anon72


I had no idea Yale was withholding Peru's artifacts! My god it went to court? The balls of us Americans! I'm glad to see Peru got their artifacts back. They should demand some sort of restitution!

Its about time, these artifacts are part of Perus culture and Yale had little right to hang on to them for such a time.

Some really interesting pics there aswell OP. Thanks for the heads up! S+F

reply to post by iksose7



I concur. I was surprised myself. I guess it was good for the preservation of the items-then. Now Peru feels they can take possession of them and preserve them in the Country's museum. Nothing wrong with that.

I was readying that numerous logging companies and other expeditioners had been to the site over the years and took a lot of the stuff. It looks like the stuff Yale got was the left overs from all the pickens. I wonder if Peru has attempted to locate that stuff as well.

What I find interesting is that Yale has agreed to give them back-per the agreement-but wouldn't. Crazy.

Nice!

I'm always in favor of artifacts being returned to the government which holds jurisdiction in the region. It's also a sign that their academics are being recognized as the professionals that they really are and are not being treated as simpleminded servants who have no idea how to research something they find.

Hopefully this will start a trend. I watched the other night a show regarding the returning of a Mummy to Egypt from the US.

I wonder if Berlin will return all their Mesopotamian artifacts?
Or the Louvre return.....

reply to post by SLAYER69

How about it.

If we could get all the pieces of history taken from the sites they belong to.....

We most likely could be solving a lot of mysteries-

And creating a bunch new more. Yip-pee