Seattle repatriates ancient artifacts to Mexican officials

Seattle repatriates 'priceless' ancient artifacts to Mexico

Dozens of Mesoamerican artifacts, some dating back to 100 CE were turned over to Mexican authorities in Seattle on Wednesday.

SEATTLE - Dozens of Mesoamerican artifacts, some dating back to 100 CE were turned over to Mexican authorities in Seattle on Wednesday.

Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) officials returned the antiquities originating from Chiapas, Mexico, in a repatriation at the Mexican Consulate on Capitol Hill.

In 2022, HSI Seattle received information that a local resident was in possession of these artifacts, estimated to be thousands of years old. The collection includes pottery, pottery fragments and figurines. In total, 36 artifacts were handed over to Mexican government officials.

In 2022, HSI Seattle received information that a local resident was in possession of these artifacts, estimated to be thousands of years old. (Lauren Donovan)

"Bringing them back is an incredible achievement," remarked Consul of Mexico, Hector Ivan Godoy Priske. "These things, they were Mexican before Mexico was Mexico."

According to information obtained by HSI, during a 1947 vacation to southern Mexico, Tacoma residents, Arnold Snell and Wallace Miner, engaged in hunting and exploratory trips in the vicinity of Cintalapa, Chiapas. During the course of their explorations, Snell and Miner visited several archaeological sites in the region and recorded their locations. However, they also collected specimens from five of the sites.

Mexican ancient artifacts newspaper clipping

An old article featured in the Sunday News Tribune of the priceless ancient artifacts unearthed by Arnold Snell and Wallace Miner.

At Wednesday's event, Special Agent in Charge Robert Hammer of HSI Seattle repatriated the artifacts to Head Consul of Mexico in Seattle Héctor Iván Godoy Priske.