Australia returns cultural items to Mexico following Border Force trafficking seizure

Mexican ambassador to Australia Eduardo Peña Haller has welcomed the return of culturally significant artworks following an Australian Border Force operation, saying perpetrators who traffic in such items “...are contributing to destroying the past".

Australia's Arts Minister, Tony Burke, returns stolen artworks to Mexico's ambassador to Australia, Eduardo Peña Haller. Credit: Supplied

Key Points:

• Two culturally important art works have been returned to the Mexican government.
• Both were seized by Australian Border Force Police after being purchased online by Australian residents.
• The painting and bowl are centuries old.

Federal Minister for the Arts Tony Burke met with Mr Peña Haller to return two important objects belonging to Mexico's cultural heritage that were confiscated by Australian Border Force (ABF) officers.

One of the artworks is a 100-year-old painting, known in Mexico as a 'vow' because it illustrates a miracle and honours the intervention of a saint.

The other is a pre-Hispanic, copper bowl made by Mixtec indigenous people up to 800 years ago.

Mr Burke and Mr Peña Haller at the official handover of the items in Canberra. Credit: Supplied

Both pieces were seized by inspectors from the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications and the Arts, with the assistance of the Australian Border Police, who acted under the Cultural Heritage Protection Act 1986.

The act advocates for the return of cultural assets that have been illegally exported from other countries and imported to Australia.

Commitment to care for cultural heritage

At a special ceremony on February 27 at the Mexican Embassy in Canberra, Mr Burke handed back both objects and reiterated Australia's commitment to protecting the cultural heritage of other nations.

I am very pleased that our two nations, as signatories of the 1970 UNESCO Convention, can work together so that these two objects can return to their legitimate home.

Australian Minister for the Arts, Tony Burke.

Mr Peña Haller praised the commitment of the Australian authorities to returning cultural heritage to its original owners.

“I would like to thank the Australian government, with whom we work closely, for their commitment to the safe return of these objects to our country, where they can be protected for generations to come,” Mr Peña Haller said.

The Mexican ambassador told SBS Spanish that the close cooperation between the two nations had made it possible to recover several other pre-Hispanic pieces and protected cultural assets.

“Some other pre-Hispanic pieces have been returned to us and four of these are now on display in the National Museum of Anthropology and History in Mexico City,” he said.

Recovered objects reflect Mexico's history

Mr Peña Haller said the returned 'vow' painting was created in 1923 and had been stolen from a church in Mexico.

The vow tells the story of a mining accident survivor and depicts his gratitude to a divine being for saving him after 52 days trapped underground.

“These paintings were done as a way to say thank you for miracles, in this case to the Virgin of Charcas, in the state of San Luis Potosí," Mr Peña Haller said.

"It was very customary in Mexico that miracles were appreciated with this type of painting. They are naive works, but they explain very clearly the reason for the gratitude."

The stolen 'vow' painting depicts gratitude to a saint for the afe recovery of a miner trapped underground for 52 days. Credit: Supplied

He said that even though small in size, the returned Mixtec bowl reflected the evolution and importance of the Mixtec culture, since copper had not been either a common or easily accessible material at that time of its creation.

The tiny object was made by the Mixtec people during the Mesoamerican Postclassic period (1200-1521) and is believed to have been dedicated to Quetzalcoatl, the feathered serpent. There is information that it was transported to the United States some time before 1960.

These types of objects were used in religious ceremonies. It's very small, but it talks about the metallurgical mastery of the Mixteco-Zapotec people.

Ambassador of Mexico in Australia, Eduardo Peña Haller.

"It is a piece that has an incalculable value and will now return to the state of Oaxaca, to the Museum of Anthropology in that city,” Mr Peña Haller said.

The 5cm x 3cm copper bowl is believed to have been created by Misteco people during the Posclásico Mesoamericano period (1200-1521). Credit: Supplied

Illegal sales 'destroy the past of peoples'

He said he could not emphasise enough the importance of this kind of international cooperation to stop illicit trafficking in cultural property and increase public awareness of the cultural meaning of heritage assets.

Illegal trafficking in cultural property is a global problem that destroys the past of our peoples and must be combatted with all rigour. Unfortunately, there are always people, even museums, who are dedicated to trafficking in these types of goods around the world.

Ambassador of Mexico in Australia, Eduardo Peña Haller.

The items were both purchased on the illegal market and online from a United states company by Australian residents, he said.

ABF officers detected the items upon arrival in Australia and seized them under the Cultural Heritage Protection Act 1986. The Mixtec bowl was seized in Sydney, in 2020, and the painting was detected in Perth, in February 2021.

Mr Peña Haller said that the practice of selling protected cultural goods on the illegal market was very destructive because a lot of information was lost.

“We must raise awareness among all the people who are dedicated to acquiring these types of objects, who are contributing to destroying the past of peoples," he said.

"And that it is not necessary to purchase these pieces to be able to enjoy them. We invite you to go to Mexico, to visit our museums, to be able to contemplate them there."

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